It’s time for another Guided Math interview! If you missed interview #1, click here to check it out! Today’s interview is one of my favorite instagram accounts that I have found so many ideas from and she is not even an upper elementary teacher! This teacher is so knowledgeable and many of her ideas can be used on any elementary grade level. I am so excited to interview her leading up to my guided math blog series that will begin in just a couple weeks! At the end of this post, you can sign up to receive an email each time I release a new blog post in this series. You don’t want to miss any part of this blog series!!
I would like to introduce you to Emily….
Emily: I have been teaching first and second grade since 2010, where I am passionate about creating hands-on, meaningful, and engaging lessons and resources.
Why did you start using Guided Math?
Emily: I started using guided math because I knew I was missing key math components and I was having a difficult time meeting the needs of all my students. Guided math has allowed me to meet with each student every day, incorporate hands-on learning and technology, differentiate instruction, and assess student understanding.
What has been the best part or your favorite part of using Guided Math?
Emily: I have two favorites! One is meeting with small groups every day. I was never able to do this before implementing guided math. My other favorite is seeing the students so engaged! I remember when I was in school I dreaded math. We sat in our seat completing a worksheet the entire time. Guided math allows students to work with the teacher in a small group setting, complete hands-on centers, and interact with technology.
What has been a challenge with teaching math that you have been able to overcome with using Guided Math?
Emily: Prior to guided math, I was having a very difficult time getting everything in and I felt like I was missing the differentiation piece. There are so many components of math that students should be exposed to everyday and guided math has allowed that to happen.
What is a piece of advice that you would give someone who would like to try using Guided Math in their classroom?
Emily: Start out slow and practice, practice, practice! We spend a great amount of time at the beginning of the year going over our guided math expectations. We discuss the expectations for each station and practice each rotation many times as a class before we officially begin our guided math rotations. We also spend time exploring and practicing with our math manipulatives.
I could have asked Emily SO many more questions! Her answers really fit why I started using Guided Math in my own classroom and why I am so passionate about sharing Guided Math with other teachers. Emily touched on so many different parts of Guided Math that I will be sharing about more in this series too! Make sure you head to Emily’s website creativelyteachingfirst.com and her instagram page instagram.com/creativelyteaching first to hear more great ideas about Guided Math!
