18

Becoming a Self-Reliant Learner

The Story of Eliza

Kristi Dickey

“Let’s play this game, it’s fun. Maybe I can get a number to the top this time!”
“Yes! I got a 12!”
“Your strategy is almost just like mine.”
Ryan and Jesse are in the art center playing a math game, which requires
rolling dice and recording the total. On the floor in the group time area, Olivia
and Bekka are playing a math bingo game called Five-in-a-Row (Russell et al.
2008k). Jacob is working on story problems at his own seat, while Curt is writing
and solving his own set of more challenging problems. As each one finishes a
problem, he shares his strategy with the other.
This is a typical scene during math workshop in my first-grade inclusion class.
The math curriculum at my school is investigative in nature; children are encour-
aged to think, solve problems, and play games together. Children learn that there
are multiple avenues to arrive at an answer and that we can learn from each other
as we share strategies. Each child is viewed as another “teacher” in the room.
The structure and organization of my math workshop also encourages students
to be responsible for their own learning. My students have choices about how they
will practice a skill and where in the classroom they will work. They also have some
choice about with whom to work. Some days students choose their own partners,
and other days I assign them a partner. Once children have learned the routines and
expectations, they can work independently, affording me the time to work more
closely with individual or small groups of students who need more support.
Teaching responsibility can be challenging in a classroom with a wide range
of learners. Often in first grade, children with learning disabilities have not yet
been identified, so extra support services are not available to them. Because of
their struggles in mathematics, these students often do not contribute to class dis-
cussions, ask for help, or work independently during math workshop. In thinking
about how to best support these students, I asked myself two questions: Have I
thought deeply enough about the connection between taking responsibility for