Building Collegiality Between Regular Education and Special Education Teachers to Meet the Needs of Struggling Students National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 25, 2011 Melissa Hedges, MathematicsTeaching Specialist, MTSD Beth Schefelker, Mathematics Teaching Specialist, MPS Connie Laughlin, Mathematics Instructor, UW- Milwaukee Milwaukee Public Schools University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Math Alliance Project

Why Math Alliance? Alliance A merging of efforts or interests by persons, families, states, and organizations… Webster Dictionary, 2012 Research question we were pondering… What collaboration needs to happen between Regular Education teachers and Special Education teachers in order to effectively meet the needs to Teach All Learners of Mathematics (TAL)?

Largest Wisconsin School District (ranks 33rd in the US) 80,098 students 175 Schools: 118 elementary, 8 middle, 18 mid/high, 40 high Poverty 82.6% (State 39.3%) Disabilities19.8%(State 13.7%) ELL 10.0%(State 5.7%) Non-white85.0%(State 25.6%) Milwaukee Public Schools Math Alliance Project

MPS Students’ Performance on State Test

Vision Improve mathematics performance for students in grades 4–8, particularly for students with special needs and for students who struggle in mathematics. Support a school culture for collaboration of general and special education teachers on improving math learning for all students. Math Alliance Project

Project Goals Strengthen the math content knowledge of general and special education teachers; Enhance math instruction and assessment, focusing on appropriate accommodations and modifications for special education and struggling students; Increase collaboration on math instruction of general and special education teachers. Math Alliance Project

Participants Year 1 Participants Year 2 Participants Continuing from Year 1 Certification General Ed131968% Special Ed222186% Total3540 Grade Level Elementary12 83% Middle132176% Both10771% Math Alliance Project

Project Staff UWM Mathematics Education DeAnn Huinker UWM Mathematics Kevin McLeod & Patrick Hopfensperger UWM Special Education Judy Winn & Mary Ann Fitzgerald District Teachers and Specialists Chris Guthrie, Special Education Teacher Beth Schefelker, Math Teaching Specialist Melissa Hedges, Math Teaching Specialist Mary Spidell, Special Education Supervisor Math Alliance Project

FallSpringSummer Year Recruitment Math: Number, Operations, & Algebraic Reasoning Education: Development of Math Knowledge with Differentiation for Struggling Learners Year Math: Geometry & Measurement Education: Teaching Math to All Learners Part 1 Education: Collaboration & Planning for Math Differentiation Year Math: Data Analysis, Statistics, & Probability Education: Teaching Math to All Learners Part 2 Math Alliance Project Timeline

Structure Tuesday evenings (dinner and 3-hour classes) Year I (Number and Operations) Math content and Teaching all Learners content separate (Your turn, my turn) Developed a planning format that combined the two Math team and special education instructional teams Year 2 (Geometry and Measurement) Teaching all Learners content planned to link with specific math content Mixed teams Year 3 (Statistics and Probability) Alternating weeks but working to link Mixed teams

Strands Mathematics Content Math Alliance Project Differentiated Instruction Interventions Collaboration Year 1: Number, Operations, & Algebraic Reasoning Year 2: Geometry & Measurement Year 3: Data Analysis, Statistics, & Probability

“I believe that development is more dependent on instruction than on age or biological maturation and that types of instructional experiences can foster, or impede, development.” Pierre M. van Hiele

Van Hiele levels Level 0 – Visualization Level 1 – Analysis Level 2 – Informal Deduction Level 3 – Formal Level 4 - Rigor

Alliance teachers … The tricky triangle activity. I had some misconceptions about triangles and this assignment helped me clear them up. Learning about the Van Hiele levels helped me understand where I am as a learner of math and what level I want to be at. Understanding these levels also helped me figure what I need to work on in order to get to the next level. It is easier for me to assess students now because my expectations have more categories : vocab--van Hiele levels

Barriers and Strategies Studied for Supporting Teaching All Learners Cognitive Demands Reading/Language Organization Calculation Information Processing Visual Auditory Motor Memory Attention deficit Expressive/Receptive Instructional Suggestions Explored Vocabulary Cue Cards Multiple representations Alternate Algorithms Task Cards Talk Formats Large and small group work Variety of Manipulatives

Tools Developed Support TAL

Planning for Differentiation

Three stages of an educational collaborative relationship: Interpersonal, Logistical, Curricular Communication Skills Conflict Resolution Skills Problem Solving Listening Active vs. Passive Blocks Verbal tone Non-verbal Cues Body movements Causes of conflict Resolving conflict Negotiating through conflict Identify the Problem Gather Information Clarify the Concern Reach Agreement on Problem Stay Away From Blame

Projects/Assignments Year 1 Case Study Exams Homework Year 2 Resource Binder Tricky Triangles Data Collection Collaboration Project Exams Homework Year 3 Resource Binder Data Poster Project Intervention Project Collaboration Project Exams Homework

Textbook and Intervention Projects Textbook Analysis: Part 1: Reflect on own learning of mathematics Part 2: Plan, instruct and collect data around the big idea. Reflect on the mathematics and mathematics understanding as demonstrated in formative assessment. Plan differentiation of lesson to meet all student needs Part 3 Make suggestions for focus and differentiation Tier 1 Intervention Project Use data to select a small group. Use activities from class to work with students. Progress Monitor with classroom assessments based on standards.

Content Knowledge I have learned how the distributive property moves through math from elementary to middle to high school. I now know the importance of using the area model and being able to use it and the distributive property method in multiplying. I’ve used this in my class and it offers me opportunities to present more strategies to my students. ---General Education Teacher Math Alliance Project Distributive Property and Area Model

Content Knowledge The biggest impact has been exploring 'how you get there.' I remember doing a lot of memorizing as a student. Going through the process from addition to grouping to multiplication gave me the words to explain more fully those connections. The activities for multiplication, as well as the different methods of getting an answer have really enhanced my teaching. ---Special Education Teachers Math Alliance Project Alternative Algorithms

Content Knowledge I can say that when we discussed area as covering I became clearer in my understanding. Before this class when asked what is area, I would rattle off the formula. ---General Education Teacher I hold a deeper level of understanding of how the moving and combining principles can be applied for various shapes when determining areas. ---Special Education Teacher Another “ah ha” moment was when I found out that you can measure to find the circumference and that it would be approximately a little bit more than 3 times the diameter; always wondered why we use pi to figure area of circles. ---General Education Teacher Math Alliance Project Area as Covering & Deriving Formulas Meaning of π

Curriculum development Literacy dominates special education, Limited guidance in math Understand philosophical differences “Inquiry vs Explicitness” “Explore vs Systematic” Collaborative planning and teaching Challenges consistent with K-12 teacher collaboration literature – (e.g., time, teacher content & pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)) Understanding each other’s roles, potential, and shifts in practice Range of participants’ content knowledge Substantial “holes” in math knowledge, lack of PCK (e.g., tools, models) Being able to put change into practice, harder for General Education Meeting needs of both Special and General Education Teachers in one project (attrition) Challenges Math Alliance Project

Addressing challenges Instructional teams with communication Using some of the RtI guidance (e.g., IES Practice Guide) Wrestling with “explicit instruction” with participants Focusing on identifying students’ developmental conceptual understanding while acknowledging more assessments are needed Van Hiele levels Math Alliance Project

General Education Teachers Collaborating more with Special Education Teachers. Putting more differentiated instruction into practice. Increasing their expectations of the capabilities of students with special needs. Thinking about when more explicitness is needed What are we learning? Math Alliance Project Special Education Teachers Putting more emphasis on concept-based learning (e.g., visual models, strategies, alternative algorithms, reasoning, problem solving). Deepening their mathematics content knowledge. Offering more in collaboration

Lessons Learning from Math Alliance What has this made us think? LearnedThink about Absolute importance of math content knowledge both for teaching math and collaborating to teach math How do we ensure that special education teachers develop this knowledge in our preparation programs? Can we? We have to say more than “he can’t do it because is working on a third grade level in math.” How to challenge that kind of thinking along with acknowledging it Lots to understand about explicit instruction How to provide it without guilt but in a way that supports students who struggle without it. Role of language (bigger than we thought) What can be taken from reading instruction Math Alliance Project

I really believe that I have high expectations for all of my students now. I think when I encountered a barrier previously it was easy to think that a particular student would just never get it. Now I know that I can find at least one strategy that will reach all students. My students are now more confident themselves. We have grown together. ----Special Education Teacher Math Alliance Project Expectations for All Students to “Get It”

Thank You! Melissa Hedges, MSTS Mequon-Thiensville School District Beth Schefelker, MTS Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee, WI