Lauren Hurst 1

I was fortunate enough to complete all three of my enrichment visits at Ellis elementary school in

Belleville, IL. The first time I went to Ellis I tutored a first-grade boy named David. We picked out a fun

game with gators on it that he found cool and interesting. It was a game that included dice, and a drawn

path with greater than, less than, or equal to gators. David took to this concept so quickly that I noticed he

got bored of the game. David was more interested and felt ready to try a game with the concept of

multiplication. We found a game that included laminated one-digit numbers in a bag with a whiteboard

and expo marker. He struggled with connecting multiplication to addition. I explained multiplication to him

by modeling grouping numbers. For example, 5 multiplied by 3 would be shown as 5 big circles with three

dots in each circle. After counting all of the dots inside of the circle that shows the connection between

addition and multiplication. When I saw David successfully using the strategy, I showed him which made

him and I very happy.

My second enrichment day at Ellis Elementary was with a second-grade boy named Derrel. We

played a game that included word problems that taught the concept of adding and subtracting. As we

read through the word problems Derrel caught on to the vocabulary that was meant for addition and

subtraction. An example of key words that referred to addition could be “how many/much more...” and an

example referring to subtraction would be “take away from...”. As Derrel worked through the words

problems he could move his character as many times as the answer on the games pathway. This game

kept Derrel’s attention and he really enjoyed the game even though he did not need much direction or

explanation as we played the game longer.

On my third and final enrichment day I got the pleasure to work with David and Derrel again. They

picked out a game where there were laminated pizza cut outs that resembled fractions. The missing pizza

slices resembled certain fractions. This game included the answers of the pictured fractions and were in a

baggie where players or students are expected to match the fractions to the correct pictured pizza. David

understood the visual a little faster than Derrel did which only meant they were at slightly different

readiness levels. The first thing I did was have the boys pick out a fraction and make an estimation of

which fraction matched the drawing. Depending on if they were correct or not and explained why or why

not. I drew out the pizza example on the whiteboard to explain the thought process step by step. This
 Lauren Hurst 2

seemed to help both of the boys get a better understanding of the connection between the missing pizza

and the fractions.

I have learned a lot through my enrichment experiences such as, being sure to ask students why

they’ve answered something the way they have. I was able to witness productive struggle within students

as I tried to explain and model examples. Another important thing I learned or noticed is that first and

second graders are like sponges that soak up information pretty quickly and therefore, should not be

underestimated. Some strategies from class that I used when tutoring include using academic language,

using productive talk, and encouraging productive struggle during tutoring. I think VandeWalle would

support my teaching based on the strategies I used during math tutoring.

I will continue to grow as a teacher in my future classroom by limiting the use of worksheets when

teaching math, limiting timed quizzes and tests, allowing group and partner pair shares, etc. Reviewing

my instructional growth based on these three enrichment visits clarified my intense passion for teaching

children based on their individual readiness levels. I struggled myself during the early years of my

education and I look forward to any opportunity given to me where I can make a difference in a student’s

comprehension of a concept. When I saw David and Derrel understand something better after I used

teaching strategies that I have learned from being in the education program, it really warmed my heart

and made me feel accomplished as well as made me trust in the teaching of VandeWalle.

The biggest takeaway I gained from this enrichment experience was understanding the

importance of productive talk and how it can ensure full comprehension from a student. I have had to

practice asking “why do you think that?”, “How do you know that is the answer?”, “How did you come up

with this answer?”, etc. It can be difficult to withhold the excitement of a student getting a correct answer,

however teachers must stop themselves and let the student explain their reasoning first. This strategy

also helps a teacher understand more about the students individual thought processes. Overall, I really

enjoyed all three of the tutoring opportunities I was given from this Math Methods course because I was

able to teach children in a fun, creative, and interactive way that helped both me and the students grow

academically.