Resources for the CPM article on Student Teamwork. Just Click the Links :)
It’s easy to put students in groups of four, but it can be hard to get math out of them!
My first training as a new, larval, CPM teacher was in 1991. I’m pretty sure the formal team roles of Facilitator, Task Manager, Resource Manager and Recorder/Reporter hadn’t been invented yet. Or maybe I was so involved implementing all the other aspects of the training that I overlooked it. For many years I would half-heartedly start team roles and then give them up in favor of a more general set of expectations that, in my defense, actually did result in good group work. I really learned about the team roles when I trained to be a teacher leader, and diligently included their use in my trainings. I still didn’t really use them, though. I stayed a caterpillar for many seasons.
In the summer of 2014 CPM hosted a Teacher Research Corps (TRC) and my team chose team roles as our area of study. My metamorphosis has yielded the best student teamwork results of my teaching experience. Finally, butterfly mode has been achieved! This year for the first time my students have been trained with fidelity in the team roles and my teams are soaring.
This brings us to the question...how do we get optimal learning out of our student study teams? As the grade levels increase, so does the likely gap between most and least competent ability levels in our students. The following list is a compilation of what I have developed to help all students engage in the team learning structure. I have learned as a participant in CPM's teacher research group and through CPM’s coaching system the techniques I have listed below.
My teaching demographic is 150 eighth graders, with 65% free & reduced lunch.
Nothing is effective for 100% of students, and the following set of guidelines is effective for 95% of my students: (For the other 5% I modify as much as I can, not always successfully. Sometimes I use an isolated “Saftey Zone” desk and alternative or shortened assignments. When possible I have them work with an aide or tutor. The goal is always to re-integrate them to teams as soon as we both think it’s feasible.)
1. Norms: Set the class norms for optimal respect/responsibility in teams & reward it when you see it. Schools that have a campus-wide norm system can tap into that for math class. If not, the TEAMS acronym found in the Teacher’s Edition under Team Support is a good place to start.
2. Motivation: See any list of “Top Ten” skills required of college graduates. The internet is full of them and they all list the importance of teams, even in a non-math context. Many students and parents buy into the idea that group work in math class is a great idea when they see the large poster I have in my room listing all the skills students need to acquire by the time they are adults.
3. Appropriate use of technology: Is fact fluency the problem? Make sure everyone has and can use a calculator for even the simplest computations. Make graphing sites like Desmos.com readily available. Remove stigma from slow fact recall. The CCSM calls for appropriate application of technology and by middle school students who are not fast in fact fluency can still fully participate in the lessons if they do not have to struggle with arithmetic as well as grappling with new concepts.
4. Leadership: Emphasize the need for leadership in effective groups and point out the most mathematically proficient or speediest student is not necessarily the person with the best leadership skills. Students and parents both appreciate the opportunity for students to contribute more than just their math skills to the math learning experience.
5. Student Study Team Roles (pdf): All CPM texts start with the roles. Invest in them and keep them running all year. Train the team roles diligently, it provides a starting place for each team member so the dominant are less likely to run the whole group and the shyer/more reluctant have a script of how to begin. For the teacher, team roles contribute both to management and development of math content. Once invested in, well -trained classes can run at an impressive level of autonomy.
6. Accountability: Use a team points sheet (pdf), participation quiz (pdf-legal size paper), or tap into a school wide reward system if you have one. Make it explicit that following the team roles and doing math in the group is why teams are together and that the grade book will reflect effective teamwork. Distractible or overly social teams can be pulled apart into pairs (pdf) in order to enforce the message that teams are required to fulfill the expectation of effective groups.
7. Positive Feedback: Make sure to praise specific examples of exemplary work during circulation time. Circle great work with a highlighter to bring it to the attention of the group. Do a participation quiz (pdf-legal size paper). Give teams feedback based on your observation of the whole class. Students are more bought in when they see how many times they are observed engaged in the team's work.
8. Easy access: (last one!) Make sure group tasks have a "low floor" or easy access point. If they don't, create a resource page or other aide that scaffolds the beginning of the task. As you circulate at the beginning of a lesson, check in and make sure all students have been able to begin. Students of all ability levels will get off to a stronger start when the beginning of the task is easy to understand and has a low first step. Once started, most students can take each step to completion.
For CPM teachers, student study teams are simultaneously the gold standard of learning and the most challenging aspect of our day. As I embark on my 26th year of teaching and my first year of TRC I am re-examining how to get the best learning from my SSTs. The above list has become my touchstone for improving student learning. I’m happy to report this year’s crop of caterpillars is developing into some really impressive butterflies!
Feel free to contact me if you have input or questions: as you can probably tell, I love to talk about CPM, mathematics instruction and the place of teamwork.
My first training as a new, larval, CPM teacher was in 1991. I’m pretty sure the formal team roles of Facilitator, Task Manager, Resource Manager and Recorder/Reporter hadn’t been invented yet. Or maybe I was so involved implementing all the other aspects of the training that I overlooked it. For many years I would half-heartedly start team roles and then give them up in favor of a more general set of expectations that, in my defense, actually did result in good group work. I really learned about the team roles when I trained to be a teacher leader, and diligently included their use in my trainings. I still didn’t really use them, though. I stayed a caterpillar for many seasons.
In the summer of 2014 CPM hosted a Teacher Research Corps (TRC) and my team chose team roles as our area of study. My metamorphosis has yielded the best student teamwork results of my teaching experience. Finally, butterfly mode has been achieved! This year for the first time my students have been trained with fidelity in the team roles and my teams are soaring.
This brings us to the question...how do we get optimal learning out of our student study teams? As the grade levels increase, so does the likely gap between most and least competent ability levels in our students. The following list is a compilation of what I have developed to help all students engage in the team learning structure. I have learned as a participant in CPM's teacher research group and through CPM’s coaching system the techniques I have listed below.
My teaching demographic is 150 eighth graders, with 65% free & reduced lunch.
Nothing is effective for 100% of students, and the following set of guidelines is effective for 95% of my students: (For the other 5% I modify as much as I can, not always successfully. Sometimes I use an isolated “Saftey Zone” desk and alternative or shortened assignments. When possible I have them work with an aide or tutor. The goal is always to re-integrate them to teams as soon as we both think it’s feasible.)
1. Norms: Set the class norms for optimal respect/responsibility in teams & reward it when you see it. Schools that have a campus-wide norm system can tap into that for math class. If not, the TEAMS acronym found in the Teacher’s Edition under Team Support is a good place to start.
2. Motivation: See any list of “Top Ten” skills required of college graduates. The internet is full of them and they all list the importance of teams, even in a non-math context. Many students and parents buy into the idea that group work in math class is a great idea when they see the large poster I have in my room listing all the skills students need to acquire by the time they are adults.
3. Appropriate use of technology: Is fact fluency the problem? Make sure everyone has and can use a calculator for even the simplest computations. Make graphing sites like Desmos.com readily available. Remove stigma from slow fact recall. The CCSM calls for appropriate application of technology and by middle school students who are not fast in fact fluency can still fully participate in the lessons if they do not have to struggle with arithmetic as well as grappling with new concepts.
4. Leadership: Emphasize the need for leadership in effective groups and point out the most mathematically proficient or speediest student is not necessarily the person with the best leadership skills. Students and parents both appreciate the opportunity for students to contribute more than just their math skills to the math learning experience.
5. Student Study Team Roles (pdf): All CPM texts start with the roles. Invest in them and keep them running all year. Train the team roles diligently, it provides a starting place for each team member so the dominant are less likely to run the whole group and the shyer/more reluctant have a script of how to begin. For the teacher, team roles contribute both to management and development of math content. Once invested in, well -trained classes can run at an impressive level of autonomy.
6. Accountability: Use a team points sheet (pdf), participation quiz (pdf-legal size paper), or tap into a school wide reward system if you have one. Make it explicit that following the team roles and doing math in the group is why teams are together and that the grade book will reflect effective teamwork. Distractible or overly social teams can be pulled apart into pairs (pdf) in order to enforce the message that teams are required to fulfill the expectation of effective groups.
7. Positive Feedback: Make sure to praise specific examples of exemplary work during circulation time. Circle great work with a highlighter to bring it to the attention of the group. Do a participation quiz (pdf-legal size paper). Give teams feedback based on your observation of the whole class. Students are more bought in when they see how many times they are observed engaged in the team's work.
8. Easy access: (last one!) Make sure group tasks have a "low floor" or easy access point. If they don't, create a resource page or other aide that scaffolds the beginning of the task. As you circulate at the beginning of a lesson, check in and make sure all students have been able to begin. Students of all ability levels will get off to a stronger start when the beginning of the task is easy to understand and has a low first step. Once started, most students can take each step to completion.
For CPM teachers, student study teams are simultaneously the gold standard of learning and the most challenging aspect of our day. As I embark on my 26th year of teaching and my first year of TRC I am re-examining how to get the best learning from my SSTs. The above list has become my touchstone for improving student learning. I’m happy to report this year’s crop of caterpillars is developing into some really impressive butterflies!
Feel free to contact me if you have input or questions: as you can probably tell, I love to talk about CPM, mathematics instruction and the place of teamwork.