Over the course of the semester, I have been working with a small group for math instruction, and it has really improved their grades on the math tests, and the group has increased their interest in math. Well “how I do know this?” you may be asking. I am not just saying this. I have been collecting data on the math grades of my students since I began working with them in small groups. This data collection is a part of my inquiry project, using strategies to improve student achievement in math. Small groups were one of the strategies I used. This week, I began analyzing my students test scores. First, I made a graph of the classes overall scores for chapters 6 and 7, to see how they did as a class. Then, I made a graph of the grades for the five students in my small group. From here, I analyzed how they did as a small group for both chapters, seeing improvements as a whole group. Most of the students made continuous improvements as we met, for both chapters. This showed me that working in small groups improved student test scores. After analyzing the group as a whole, I made graphs for individual students for both chapters. I did this to look at individual student achievement, which students benefited most from small group instruction. While analyzing the data, I found that all of the students benefitted from the instruction. Their test scores went up from the pretest (Show What you Know) to the mid-point test, to the chapter test. From this data, I was able to claim that small group instruction is beneficial to student learning and instruction.
From this experience, I was able to make another claim that was based on observational data, my students actually enjoyed small group math, and wanted to continue math groups, increasing their interest in math. After the first time of participating in small groups, my students came up to me saying that they really liked the small group, that it helped them learn, and they wanted to continue with small group instruction. Aside from warming my heart hear to hear these things, this showed me that students learn differently. Some students need more individual attention to learn, others need to work in a smaller setting where they can freely ask questions and work with their peers. As a teacher, this has taught me that I need to know how my students learn so I can design instruction to meet their needs.