Effective Instructional Strategies for Kindergarten and First-Grade Students at Risk in Mathematics

Fundamental Questions (1): What is the multi-tiered instructional model in mathematics?

The multi-tiered instructional model in mathematics is a three-tiered approach that provides educators with a framework to improve the effectiveness of their instructional support when teaching mathematics to students who experience math difficulty. The three tiers of this approach are:

1. Tier 1: Core Mathematics Instruction 

Tier one focuses on core instruction, which is provided to all students, with or without math difficulties, to develop essential concepts, skills and strategies necessary to succeed. Core instruction enables educators to design and deliver engaging and inclusive instruction, within a general classroom, that ensures all students can build a foundation of knowledge and skills at their grade level. Content can become overwhelming for some students when they find that their learning is not meeting the content being delivered, therefore knowing how to design and deliver effective core instruction is important.

1. Tier 2: Supplementary Support 

Tier two involves specific instructional interventions and strategies for students who require additional support to achieve grade-level objectives beyond tier one instructions. Tier two has a more specific focus to address particular areas of support and each student’s individual need, resulting in increased student success rates to meet grade level requirements.

1. Tier 3: Supplementary (Intensive) Support 

Tier three is implemented for students who continue to experience difficulty in mathematics after receiving tier one and tier two instruction, support and interventions. Though tier two and tier three are similarly alike, one key difference is that tier three focuses on “[increasing] the instructional intensity of the student’s experience” (Clarke, B., Doabler, C. T., Nelson, N. J., & Shanley, C, 2015, p. 5) and expands past tier one and tier two to adhere to the individual needs of students to further support struggling and at-risk students in mathematics. This tier consists of more individualized instruction and may occur more frequently than tier one and tier two. This will further assist educators in adhering to absent pieces in each student’s learning and understanding.

Part-Whole-Connection Questions (1): How will educators know when they need to implement instructional strategies and interventions?

To understand when the implementation of instructional strategies and interventions is necessary, teachers must first know how to identify struggling students. To identify struggling and at-risk students, educators can monitor students’ progress and achievement through ongoing observations, assessments and data collection. Educators often observe, assess and collect student data by using numeracy assessments based on necessary skills, such as “[identifying] numbers, [comparing] magnitudes, and [engaging] in strategic counting” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 3) for mathematics. Assessments are timed for one minute, administered by the educator to all students and have a grade-level curriculum-based measurement that all students are expected to meet. Those “who fall below a certain threshold of performance” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 3) on these assessments are identified as needing additional support and interventions within tier two and tier three to attain grade-level requirements. Furthermore, educators can formatively assess student knowledge and understanding through small-group and whole-group conversations, assignments, learning experiences and exit slips. Assessments are important tools that provide educators with feedback to identify the instructional strategies and/ or interventions that are working and where a student might need more support.

Part-Whole-Connection Questions (2): How can you design and deliver effective core instruction and interventions for all students?

To provide effective core instruction for all student learning, educators must incorporate three key instructional design principles into the development and delivery of core instruction:

1. Engage Prior Understanding 

When designing and delivering effective core instruction that is tailored to the individual needs of all students, educators must first “identify and pre-teach requisite knowledge and collect performance data, such as the accuracy of student math verbalizations” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 2) to shape various necessary decisions when designing and delivering content for students to benefit from. Identifying where students are at with their current learning will provide educators insight into where to start teaching. Secondly, educators must carefully plan the order of learning experiences and opportunities they will teach to students. This is a key step when effectively designing and delivering core instruction and can be accomplished by “beginning instruction with easier teaching examples and then slowly transitioning to more difficult ones” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 2) as students grasp an understanding. Lastly, educators can engage students’ prior understanding by inviting students to participate in learning opportunities that enable students “to make the connection between previously learned content and new material” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 2) being instructed.

1. Scaffolded Instructional Interactions 

Scaffolding is important to acknowledge when developing and delivering core instruction. Scaffolding attends to the specific needs of an individual while enabling the “process of gradually releasing responsibility for learning to a student” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 3) and providing additional support and interventions when needed. To easily do this teachers can break tasks into smaller and more manageable chunks, ultimately preventing content from becoming less overwhelming. Furthermore, scaffolding provides insight into where areas of support are needed for struggling and at-risk students. Essentially, scaffolding provides educators with “a roadmap for where to begin instruction” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 3) for struggling and at-risk students, while also monitoring student success and responses to interventions.

1. Maths Verbalizations

Lastly, math verbalizations provide students with opportunities “to speak about math, use precise mathematical language, and convey their mathematical understanding and thinking” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 3) through whole-group, small group and/ or individual experiences. This is an important principle that enables educators to receive quick feedback on an individual student’s understanding and the areas needing additional support. It is proven that maths verbalizations have a “large effect on student math achievement” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 3) and promote lifelong learning.

Hypothesis Questions (1): If effective instructional strategies and interventions are implemented early on, what would happen to student learning?

If instructional strategies and interventions are implemented within early-year classrooms, students will receive the necessary support and skills needed to be successful when enduring more complex content throughout their academic lives. It is evident that early elementary grades are a “critical time window” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 1) for students to develop a strong foundation of learning and skills to expand upon. Providing necessary skills and tools to students in their early years can “maximize student outcomes” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 1) as they construct their foundation of knowledge, thus setting all students up for lifelong learning success. If effective instructional strategies and interventions are not provided to students early on in their learning, it is “unlikely for students with high levels of risk in kindergarten to achieve substantive growth” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 1) as they proceed to more difficult content. Although the implementation of instructional strategies and interventions are beneficial for student outcomes, they can also positively impact educators when developing and improving effective instruction, learning opportunities and experiences for students to partake in.

Critical Questions (1): Does the implementation of instructional strategies and interventions positively impact all student learning?

An important responsibility for educators is that they must always monitor ongoing student data to determine progress and achievement for each student and ensure they are succeeding or are receiving the necessary support to succeed. Implementing instructional strategies and interventions will benefit all students, with or without maths difficulties, because it tailors to meet the more individual needs of every student. Although a strategy and/ or intervention may not necessarily apply to a specific student’s individual needs, it will likely assist them and their learning in some way. Furthermore, the implementation of instructional strategies and interventions will “[prevent] more serious difficulties, including learning disabilities, from developing” (Clarke, B., et al., 2015, p. 1) at a young age for all students. Providing students with ongoing support when they first start struggling will enable students to build a solid foundation of learning, reach grade-level expectations and will contribute to students being successful lifelong learners.

Critical Questions (2): What is my opinion on this reading?

Implementing effective core instruction, strategies and interventions is necessary to ensure all students succeed with their learning. If an educator provides effective core instruction that is intertwined with specific instructional strategies and interventions that meet the needs of individual students, all students are more likely to achieve success and become lifelong learners. Implementing these practices is most beneficial at a young age for all students, with or without maths difficulties, to ensure students are meeting grade-level requirements and continue to meet requirements as they enter more complex content in higher grades. Early implementation is known to positively impact students by preventing learning difficulties from occurring and helping students thrive, so why would one not want to implement it right away?

References:

Clarke, B., Doabler, C. T., Nelson, N. J., & Shanley, C. (2015). Effective Instructional Strategies for Kindergarten and First-Grade Students at Risk in Mathematics. Intervention in School and Clinic, 50(5), 257–265.