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Teaching Mathematics to Students in Poverty

Jeanette Wardlow

Saint Marys University of Minnesota

Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs

Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standards Three and Five

EDUW 694 Classroom Environment

Instructor: Catherine Anderson

August 7, 2016
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Wisconsin Teaching Standard #3: Teachers understand that children learn
differently. The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to
learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the
diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities

Knowledge The teacher has a well-grounded framework for understanding cultural and community

diversity and knows how to learn about and incorporate students experiences, cultures, and community

resources into instruction.

Dispositions The teacher believes that all children can learn at high levels and persists in helping all

children achieve success.

Performances The teacher seeks to understand students families, cultures, and communities, and uses

this information as a basis for connecting instruction to students experiences.

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Wisconsin Teaching Standard #5: Teachers know how to manage a classroom.
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior
to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active
engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

Knowledge The teacher understands how social groups function and influence people, and how people

influence groups.

Dispositions The teacher is committed to the continuous development of individual students' abilities

and considers how different motivational strategies are likely to encourage this development for each

student.

Performances The teacher maximizes the amount of class time spent in learning by creating

expectations and processes for communication and behavior along with a physical setting conducive to

classroom goals.
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Danielson Framework for Teaching

Domain 2: The Classroom Environment

Component 2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning

Element Expectations for learning and achievement

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Pre-Assessment

Self-Reflection Assessment of Classroom Environment Related to WTS 3&5

I am a high school math teacher at Baraboo High School. The school is located in Baraboo,

WI, which is a rural area about 40 minutes north of Madison. The Baraboo School District services

students in Baraboo, WI, and West Baraboo, WI. The total population consists of just over 13,000

people. This geographic area has experienced large growth in the past few years, but also an

increase of people in poverty. Baraboo School District increased the students on free and reduced

lunch from 8.9% in 2007 to 37.5% in 2014. According to the last census, the median household

income was $48,262. Only 17.6% of the population had earned a bachelors degree or higher, with

only 83.5% earning a high school diploma, leaving 16.5% never having attained their high school

diploma.

During the 2015-2016 school year, my course load included Algebra 1, Algebra 1

Fundamentals, and Geometry. Algebra is the math course that most freshmen (9th grade) take.

This class explores linear and quadratic functions and starts to introduce exponential functions.

Algebra Fundamentals is a class that is can be taken concurrently with Algebra 1. This class is for

students who struggle with mathematics and need extra support. Algebra Fundamentals consists of

re-teaching and pre-teaching concepts to strengthen the confidence of these students.

My classes differed greatly from one another. My students in Algebra Fundamentals were

the hardest working and the most open to working through tough problems using their problem

solving skills. These students are in the class because they struggle with mathematics, but ended up

being the students who were engaged in mathematics the longest. Often my Geometry students

struggled when they were sitting too long. Especially during the last block of the day, these
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students needed some time to get up and move around a bit. My algebra students were somewhere

in the middle of these two. These students often were very quiet and reserved. They completed

their assignments as asked, but didnt offer very much enthusiasm.

Geometry is the course that most sophomores (10th grade) take. This course explores both

two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures. I taught 103 students during the year and had close

to a 50/50 split of female students to male students, with 53 male students and 50 female students.

My classes consisted of mostly freshman and sophomores, but did include a few juniors. In

Algebra 1 and Algebra Fundamentals, I had a total of 36 freshman, 6 sophomores, and 2 juniors.

In Geometry, I had 10 freshman, 40 sophomores, and 9 juniors.

Baraboo is not a very diverse area. The two largest minority groups are Hispanic/Latino at

1.7% of the population and American Indian at .9% of the population. The population in my

classes was a bit more diverse. I had 13 Hispanic/Latino students (12.6%), 3 Black students (2.9%),

1 Asian student (1%) and 1 American Indian student (1%).

My classes were comprised of all types of students, including English as a second language

students, now known as English Learners (EL), special education students, and students from a

variety of backgrounds. One of my students was in the EL program, two students had already

graduated from the EL program, and 11 special education students were mainstreamed into my

classes. In one of my Algebra courses, I had five special education students so I also had a special

education aide in the class with me.

My EL students were very hard workers. They often would ask questions of either their

peers or me and would be engaged throughout the entire class period. They also were very aware of

their resources and asked to utilize the resource room often. The special education students that I
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had were diagnosed as either Emotional Behavior Disabled (EBD) or Learning Disabled (LD).

These students were more difficult to motivate. They have struggled in math for so long that they

have developed defense mechanisms as to not show their insecurities. These students often were

chatting about something else or closed down. When I would sit one on one with these students,

they would work through the problems well but they had difficulty continuing once I left.

I had a number of students this year with exceptional needs. I had a student who had to be

on an ankle tracker for a period of time. I had this student both semesters and was able to get to

know her very well. The aspect that helped her learn the best was building a relationship with her.

Once I had that trust built, I was able to speak with her privately to encourage her, to get her back

on track, or to come up with a solution to help her get through the rest of the class. I also had a few

students who had varying degrees of anxiety. When grouping students together, I had to be very

careful whom I put around these students. I was very intentional with my seating charts and made

sure that I walked past them when I was teaching to check in on how they were doing that day to

alleviate any concerns they might have.

My classroom consists of 28 desks. I have tried a variety of set ups for my classroom with

a modicum of success. By the end of the year, I found a seating arrangement that worked well for

me. I had the students working in pairs and the pairs were arranged in a small arc facing the smart

board. The smart board is located at the front of the room in between two whiteboards. Above the

white board, I have a number line that I often reference in class when we are talking about positive

and negative numbers, as well as when we discuss absolute value. I also have whiteboards on the

two sidewalls. I utilize one of these to post the lesson objective for the day as well as the
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homework and when the date of the next assessment will occur. On the wall opposite of that, I

have two windows that look out over the football field. I try to utilize natural light as much as

possible and often turn the lights off and keep the windows open. I also have two floor lamps that

can be used when natural light isnt enough.

Each of my courses uses a textbook, except for Algebra Fundamentals. I try not to use the

textbook much as my students seldom take it home to finish their work. I have found that guided

notes have been very useful and the students really enjoy using them.

Baraboo High School uses a block schedule, which consists of four 85 minutes blocks each

day. We also have an AB schedule so students have the same course schedule every other day.

After 1st block, there is a 40-minute enrichment/homeroom period. Every Thursday, students

report to their homeroom teacher to schedule their enrichment time. Teachers have the opportunity

to request their students during this time; if students havent been requested, they are able to

choose which teachers they want to see. Students are released at 1 pm on Wednesday. On these

days, there isnt an enrichment period and classes are shortened to 75 minutes.

I choose the exceptional conditional of poverty to research. I chose this because of the

overwhelming number of students at Baraboo who are in poverty. Based on conversations I have

had with students, I believe that many of my students in the Algebra Fundamentals class are also

students in poverty. Even with the extra support of this class, many of these students are still

struggling to pass. Three of my nine students failed first semester and one failed second semester.

Of the students that did pass, 4 received grades that were lower than a 75%. This course is very
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important in setting students up for the rest of their mathematics courses. Earning low grades does

not set these students up to be successful in their future math courses.

Charlotte Danielsons Domain 2 is the Classroom Environment. I have some strength in

this area as well as some aspects I would like to improve. I think I am very good at establishing a

culture for learning (2b). I make sure that my students are engaged and working on mathematics as

much as possible during the 85 minutes that I see them. Students know that they are going to work

hard and be focused on math when they come into my classroom. I also feel that my organization

of space (2e) is good. I have drawers that are labeled so students know where supplies are that they

will need that day. I have been working very hard on managing student behavior (2d). I feel that it

is very important to be consistent with how I handle behaviors. Students, especially students in

poverty, are looking for stability and will take advantage of a situation if they feel like something

isnt fair. To eliminate those situations, I try to be very transparent in my expectations and the

consequences that go along with meeting those expectations.

I really would like to work on creating an environment of respect and rapport (2a). I try

very hard to get to know my students, but sometimes struggle with students who retreat in class.

Growing up, I had a very supported and economically stable family, so I have difficulty relating

with students who have a different background. I have a hard time understanding some of the

coping mechanisms that students from poverty have developed. That is why I would like to

research poverty and develop some systems that will help me in getting to know these students and

understand where some of their behaviors are coming from.

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Essential Question to Guide Learning Process and Growth

After reflecting on Wisconsin Teaching Standards 3 and 5 as well as Danielsons Domain 2

Classroom Environment and my classroom environment, I have chosen the following essential

question to guide my learning and professional growth:

What instructional strategies and techniques will help engage my students in poverty so that

they can achieve improved academic success in mathematics?

Synthesis of Research

I chose to research the exceptional condition of poverty. I chose this topic because Baraboo

High School has approximately 40% of students who receive free or reduced lunch. Many of these

students are also struggling academically. The students in poverty are usually the students that are

struggling in math class. These students often try to cover up their insecurity in one of two ways.

These students either retreat into themselves and put up a wall or they become a distraction in the

classroom, looking for others to focus on their comedic ability instead of their perceived lack of

mathematical ability.

After completing one full year at Baraboo High School, I experienced many of my students

living in poverty and witnessed how this affected different students. I attempted a few different

teaching strategies to assist these students, as well as the rest of the class. I rearranged my desks in

my room into pairs. I did this to try to facilitate discussions in a safe environment before I asked

the whole class. I also gave the students guided note packets. This allowed the students to access

all the material, even if they were absent or if they wrote more slowly. The strategy that had the

most impact however, was just getting to know the students. I did my best to walk around the room
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and talk to all students. I would greet them at the door and I would ask them about their lives

outside of school. This allowed me to build trust with these students and helped to encourage them

to engage in a productive struggle through the class.

In Ruby Paynes article Understanding and Working with Students and Adults from

Poverty she talks about how these students differ in instincts and priorities than students from the

middle class (2003). Payne describes the differences in languages and story structure. Students

coming from poverty often do not know how to use formal language or have a chronological

structure to their story telling (Payne, 2003). These students do not have the ability to identify

cause and effect, consequence, or structure. The lack of these skills means that the students dont

have the ability to plan (Payne, 2003).

Payne also discusses the importance of teaching impoverished students the hidden rules

that we expect in society and in school (2003). Students in poverty are driven by survival, as

opposed to middle class students that are driven by consequences (Payne, 2003). Students in

poverty will react differently than other students. Payne gives the example that a student in poverty

might laugh when disciplined because that is what has been reinforced at home (2003). We need to

teach this student that laughter is not an appropriate response to disciple. As teachers, we need to

teach students these hidden rules; how can we expect the students to follow rules that they dont

even know exist? (Payne, 2003)

I chose to research strategies to assist students in poverty because I still dont have a lot of

experience working with this set of students. Since I cannot authentically relate to these students,

as I did not grow up in poverty, it makes it difficult for me to make connections with them
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sometimes. Especially when I have a class of 28 students, I have difficulty breaking down the walls

of the quiet students or those who choose to be invisible due to their situation.

Martin Haberman, author of the article, The Pedagogy of Poverty vs. Good Teaching,

stressed the importance of changing the whole school; he explains in the article that the only way

for change to be effective is for the whole community to be on board and have patience (1991).

This change needs to be a very key part in addressing the dynamics of the school. Haberman

(1991) explains that students are comfortable in the current system. The students know how to get

what they want currently and will resist a new system.

Haberman also offers techniques to utilize for good teaching. These include focusing on

big ideas and major concepts, getting the students involved in planning what they are doing, giving

them roles, using heterogeneous groups, and allowing students to redo or polish their work. By

including these techniques into the classroom, the need for classroom management will decrease.

The students will become more involved in their education and will act out less (1991).

In the book Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty written by Paul Gorski in 2013

Gorski outlines 10 Principles of Equity Literacy for Educators of Students in Poverty (Gorski,

2013). These principles focus on the educators understanding and awareness of inequalities

provided to students who come from poverty. The best way to help these students thrive, states

Gorski, is to view these students as resilient (2013). Gorski also mentions a few strategies to

incorporate into the classroom. The first strategy was to incorporate music, art, or theater into the

classroom. Gorski offers the example of using Picassos art to help teach Geometry (2013). Some

other strategies include having high expectations, using high order/student centered and rigorous
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pedagogies, and promoting enjoyment of literacy. Finally, Gorski also recommends including

movement and exercise into the classroom. He gives the example of combining physical education

into a math or a physics classroom (Gorski, 2013).

In the resource Principles to Action: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. written by

the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) there is a recognition of the need to

close the achievement gap in students, specifically in the math classroom (2014). This book is

framed around the 8 Mathematical Practice Standards:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

4. Model with mathematics

5. Use appropriate tools strategically

6. Attend to precision

7. Look for and make use of structure

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

These practice standards focus on what the students should be doing in the classroom.

NCTM has identified these 8 standards as the keys to learning mathematics. However, they

acknowledge that students are not able to accurately do these without any training. They have also

identified 8 Mathematics Teaching Practices to assist teachers to get their students up to

proficiency (NCTM, 2014). These teaching practices are:

Establish mathematics goals to focus learning

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Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving

Use and connect mathematical representations

Facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse

Pose purposeful questions

Build procedural fluency from conceptual understanding

Support productive struggle in learning mathematics

Elicit and use evidence of student thinking

These teaching practices greatly influence what the students should be doing. For example,

when I implement a higher order task, I encourage students to debate with each other. The students

often get into a conversation that allows them to critique each other and become more and more

precise with their analysis or definition.

While some of the research focused on different aspects of teaching, there were some

common strategies that were mentioned that I would like to include in my classroom. First, I think

it is very important to have clear goals and high expectations for students. Each day, the students

should be aware that they are going to be working hard to accomplish a goal. One way that I can do

this is by posting what we are going to be doing each day on the board in the form of a learning

target. I will address this target multiple times throughout the class so that students know what they

are supposed to be learning each day. I will also make sure that I work my way around the room

and speak to all students to give them feedback so they know that I care about their learning and

that I expect them to be working hard every day.

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The second strategy I would like to incorporate is using high order thinking tasks. These

tasks allow the students to engage in discussion about what they think is happening in the situation.

This is a time when the students can voice their mathematical understandings and defend their

thinking. Using the NCTM Mathematical Practice standard #3, Construct viable arguments and

critique the reasoning of others, students will be able to put voice to their mathematical

understandings. (2014) I can take normal textbook problems and strip them down so we can have a

discussion about what the students think is happening and how to approach a problem. I will have

students discuss with their partners, as a whole class, and include explanation questions in

homework and assessments. The more that students talk about mathematics, the more students are

able to draw connections between different representations and alternate ways to complete

problems.

Finally, I also want to draw connections between the mathematics on their paper and how

the same math is used in the real world. This would draw on the NCTM Practice Standard: Make

sense of problems and persevere in solving them. (2014) In this case, it would help those students

who seem to have less patience and stick-to-it mindset to keep trying solutions because they will

know that they will actually see these types of problems in everyday life.

I want to include more lab-based activities where students are gathering data, making

predictions, and making conclusions as to what affected their data. I want to make problems more

approachable to students so they are able to bring the mathematics into their real world.

Working with students in poverty requires a lot of patience, building trust, and creating

structure. These students often have the impression that school isnt meant for them and by
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building relationships with these students. Once there is trust built, teacher are able to set high

expectations that students know they can reach. Students are then able to build literacy through

high order tasks and incorporate mathematics into their lives.

Professional Implications of Research

There were a few aspects of the research that really made me reevaluate my practice and

see how I can improve. The first aspect was how much the research emphasized getting to know

not only my students, but also the inequalities and struggles in their lives. By the time the students

get to the high school level, they have already acquired many experiences both inside and outside

of school. In order to help these students grow as much as possible, I need to know what their

previous experiences and biases have been. I will implement a few things in order to accomplish

this. I will utilize surveys to ask about my students lives, I will speak with special education

teachers and other staff to learn as much about these students as possible, and I will communicate

home to their parents about any concerns and positive aspects that I see in class.

Another important aspect that I will incorporate into class is to create interactive and

engaging lessons. By engaging the students in activities and discussions, they buy into the lessons

and start to care about the solutions. The students are interested in what the answer is and are

working hard to develop it. Also when the students are engaged in these activities, the amount of

discipline that is necessary is reduced. The students dont act out as much when they have clear and

obtainable objectives.

Finally, I want to encourage students in a productive struggle. I want to engage students in

discussions and have them debate about the content. The students build literacy and thinking skills
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by debating, comparing, and contrasting. I want to incorporate this at a few different levels. I want

the students to work in partners, small groups, and as a whole class. I want the students to be

working on these skills every day. I will be explicit about what makes an answer better and how we

can take one explanation and make it more precise. The students will work on polishing their

answers, both mathematically and verbally.

Research-based Action Plan

Action Plan Summary

My action plan will focus on improving instruction around four strategies.

First, I will get to know my students and build relationships with them. I will start this on

the first day by having the students fill out a Getting to Know You google form (artifact B).

Second, I will set high expectations for all students. I will start communicating this with my

syllabus (artifact A).

Third, I will design high level thinking tasks and assignments. I will do this by facilitating

discussions and modifying textbook questions.

Finally, I will incorporate movement into the classroom through lab-based activities and

brain breaks (artifact C).

Anticipated Implementation

I will collaborate with my Algebra and Geometry team to continue adapting the syllabus so

that students understand our commitment to their success. I will post on the whiteboard the

goal (learning target) of each day. I will also collaborate with these teams to develop creative

lessons to use in class. I will utilize the Internet and social media to continue researching
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ideas for interactive, authentic, real world lessons. Finally, I will continue to seek out brain

breaks from peers, classmates, and the Internet.

Anticipated Outcomes

I anticipate a few different outcomes when I implement this plan in the Fall. First, I

anticipate that students will be wary of this type of environment at first. After they have a

chance to get used to this format, I anticipate students will talk about mathematics more

during class. Students will be working with their groups throughout the whole 85-minute

class period. I also will keep track of this by observations as well as short formative

assessments used multiple times a week.

I also anticipate a few outcomes of collaborating with my peers. We will be able to

work together to develop inventive ways to get our students talking about mathematics. We

will also have the opportunity to discuss what worked and how we can alter our lessons to be

more effective. Along with collaborating about lessons, we also have the opportunity to

observe each other teaching. We have the luxury of not only being able to discuss ideas, but

also get to see how those ideas play out in another classroom.

Post-assessment: Reflection

What Worked

1. I anticipate the brain breaks going very well in class. I had already started

implementing these last year and the students responded very well to them. These

breaks allow students to give their brains a short break from mathematics and allow

them to process the information so far. Students are then able to reset after these breaks

and are able to continue working hard.

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2. I also anticipate the lab-based activities going well. Students in the past have often

enjoyed collecting data and working with tangible items. These activities allow students

to bring math into their real world. Students then are able to question and discuss the

topics and, in turn, develop literacy.

What Did Not Work

1. I think getting the students to talk about mathematics is going to be difficult. Higher-

level students often have an attitude that they just want to be done with a problem and

students that struggle often dont feel confident in their answers to share. There could

be issues with the students not wanting to talk at all, especially in the morning hours,

or the students could use that time to talk about non-mathematical topics.

2. I also think that getting students to write about mathematics is going to be difficult.

The students are not used to using rigorous mathematic vocabulary or comparing and

contrasting in this class.

My Next Steps

1. I will continue to collaborate with my colleagues and evaluate how our students are

doing. We will discuss what went well, what we can improve on and seek out more

techniques to assist our students.

2. I will seek out advice and new techniques from other teachers at conferences and online.

I will utilize social media to make connections and discuss ideas.

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3. I will continue to research articles and books on how to assist students in poverty. There

is always new research coming out and I will do my best to stay up to date with the latest

techniques.
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Artifacts

Artifact A: Algebra Syllabus

I reworked my Algebra syllabus to clearly define my expectations for class as well the

procedures in my classroom.
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Artifact B: Getting to Know You Form

I created a Google Form to jump start getting to know the students. Since all the students

will be using chrome books next year, this is a quick and easy way to gather and reference this

information.
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Artifact C: Brain Breaks

I will be incorporating brain breaks into my class as well. Here are two that I had

researched previously.
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References
Gorski, P. (2013). Reaching and teaching students in poverty: Strategies for erasing the opportunity

gap. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Haberman, M. (1991). Pedagogy of poverty versus good teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 73, 290-294

Payne, R. (2003). Understanding and Working with Students and Adults from Poverty. Retrieved

from http://www.ahaprocess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Understanding-Poverty-

Ruby-Payne-Poverty-Series-I-IV.pdf

Principles to actions: Ensuring mathematical success for all. (2014).