As I reach out to those who need a bit more attention, I'm reminded of how important it is that the rest of the class is respectful, focused, and on task. It's hard to share yourself with twenty-two students in a meaningful way each day--who gets your attention, and how much attention do they get?
The first step was making sure that everyone was in a good place to focus. I made some seat changes, and gave a few "private offices" away from the distractions.
The room is leaner so there's more space to move around and find a quiet a corner to study and learn.
I'm going to continue this path as we move through the place value unit. I invited students to email me if they have suggestions about how to make the learning more personalized and powerful. I'm open to suggestions. Let's see where this path takes me.
