On Friday morning teachers, a coach, and leaders will gather to construct a number of targeted teaching/learning math groups. The groups will meet twice a week for 30 minutes each to develop math skill, concept, and knowledge. Each group will be created to target specific computation and perhaps problem solving skill.
At the meeting the teachers will look at recent math data. We'll discuss students' needs and challenges. We'll make groups, small and larger, and match those groups with a lead teacher.
The conversation will begin with a focus on our collective definition of RTI. What is it and what is the goal of this Response to Intervention Practice. From my point of view, it's an approach used to teach all children well with targeted, responsive ways. Others may add new information or perspectives to this definition.
Next we'll discuss the students' strengths and needs related to the first RTI protocol related to learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication with large numbers. We'll use the data to make good groups and assign teachers to each group.
After that we'll discuss the resources and target activities, locations for each group, and the computation skill, concept, and knowledge progression chart. It's a lot of information, discussion, and decision making for a one hour meeting with about ten professionals present, yet if we stick to the agenda and look out for every child's best interest we'll get the job done and then put these groups into place for the next six to eight weeks. After that time, we'll meet again to develop new groups.
I favor Response to Intervention (RTI) because it's an opportunity to talk seriously about students and teaching with a varied and invested teaching group. We all learn during these meetings and our collaboration grows stronger with regard to service towards children. This is one part of the profession I really like. Onward.
