My Action Plan:

Teaching Mathematics with Complex Instruction

Currently:
 1st year teacher at BC High, an all-boys Jesuit high school.
 M.Ed. candidate in Curriculum and Instruction Program
 Responsible for teaching Algebra I, Geometry, and Geometry Honors to students in
grades 7-9.
 Member of Ant-racist committee at BC High to help educate middle school students.

Things to Remember:
 Students are very high achieving and grade focused, especially thinking about college at
a young age.
 Math classes range from 42 minutes to 75 minutes on some days.
 Classrooms are very iPad focused; therefore, students are very easily distracted by
technology in the classroom daily.
 Most students come from stable homes and pay a lot of money to go to the school,
therefore expectations are high for everyone (teachers and students).
 Using complex instruction can help all students get to the goal. Low and High achieving
students can work together towards a a common goal.
 Focus on the good and learn from bad. Don’t let one bad attitude kill your motivation.

Goals:
 Incorporate group work into the 75-minute class periods so students can learn from
each other.
 Get students moving throughout the classroom using stations to increase practice and
problem solving.
 Create time for meetings with other teachers about practices used in class to increase
engagement and collaboration.
 Create opportunities for students to teach each other and lead lessons.

Methods:
 Break up a 75-minute period into a 20-minute lesson/review, then 45 minutes of
stations rotation (15 minutes each station), and ending with a closing/review for the
last 15 minutes.
o Stations would include:
 Whiteboard practice around the room
 Technology activity on iPad
 Teacher center around word problems/real world application.
 Showing students multiple ways to do a problem to increase critical thinking.
 Have a student leader each class who will help explain topics/answer questions in their
own words.
 Use positive language regarding failure like “I don’t know this YET.”

Concerns
 Finding time in an already busy schedule to create multiple activities for the stations.
 Students using iPads for other things while doing the Technology station.
 Student push back on the student leader idea/willingness to participate.
 Getting other teachers on board with a more group style learning environment instead
of lecture based classes.