Description and Course Overview
This course will cover themes from the outcome P9.1 Linear Relations from the Saskatchewan Mathematics 9 curriculum. This outcome can be found in the Patterns and Relations Strand of the Math 9 curriculum. Since there is not an alternative program for students in grade nine, all students are expected to learn outcomes outlined in the Math 9 curriculum. It is important to note that the information being covered in this course is meant to provide supplementary material to this Math 9 learning outcome, and the material and resources shared are not meant to reflect a grade 9’s level of understanding of math. Instead the modules will focus on ideas that are related to the big idea of linear relations, and will build skills that are required for Mathematics 18. Math 18 is the course that the target demographic will be taking in grade 10.
The course shell will also contain the title of other units that are presented in semester two of Math 9 based on my year plan. Outcomes covered in semester one will not be included since students can only fully participate in this type of learning once they have been approved. This process for approval is lengthy, and students typically aren’t fully approved for future programming until the end of February or beginning of March.
Course Format
The content will be offered as a blended learning course with both face-to-face and online components. The LMS platform that students will engage with is Canvas. Additionally, students will participate in activities that are synchronous, and may have opportunities to work with other students asynchronously. Synchronous and asynchronous components will also depend on student attendance and class complexity.
Target Student Population and Demographics
My target audience will be students in my Mathematics 9 class who will be entering alternative programming in grade ten (Mathematics 18). I am teaching three sections of Math 9 next year, and there is typically one or two students (per section) who will be taking Math 18 in grade 10. Below is a summary of considerations for alternative programming for students.
I am also considering and welcoming participation from the identified students who are in the other five sections of Math 9 in my school.
Although the target audience for this supplemental blended course are students who will be taking Mathematics 18, there will be resources that are appropriate for ALL students. Some students may require scaffolding and gap filling of elementary level content in order to build skills to complete grade level content. These students would be entering modified and regular programming in grade 10.
*Note: Functionally integrated students may find some success with aspects of this module, but these are not the students that are considered the target audience.
Course Rationale
In my context, all grade nine students receive the same programming and are graded using the same 4-point rubric (Beginning – BE, Approaching – AP, Meeting – ME, Exemplary – EX). Unfortunately, with eight classes of grade nine students, there is a high volume of students who are only ever able to demonstrate a beginner level of understanding in math. The low grades received by students help to support decisions on programming for the grade ten year. I have seen students feel completely defeated in Math 9, constantly receiving BE grades. In my experience, Math 9 can be difficult for many students since all students are expected to learn the same course content and only modifications of the course can be made. In grade ten, students can enter regular programming, modified programming, or alternative programming. Once students have been approved for certain programming in grade ten, only then can the grade nine course be altered to better reflect student needs. While reading ADDIE Explained, the gap analysis equation stood out to me: “desired status – actual status = need”. Students who will be entering alternative programing in grade ten show the greatest “need” using this equation. This is where the inspiration for the course design I have chosen comes from! I would like to create supplemental and alternative work for students in Math 9 who will be entering alternative programming in Grade 10.
Currently, I feel like I do not effectively differentiate for students who will be entering alternative math programming in grade ten. Although I try to use alternative resources to help supplement these students’ learning, the instruction and engagement pieces are lacking. As a grade nine math cohort, we met last year to try to address some of these needs and created a binder of worksheets which could be used to supplement learning. I do not believe that the worksheets are allowing the same opportunities for learning experiences that the other students in the class are receiving. Creating an online platform allows for a variety of learning opportunities, and there is potential to create a learning community with students with similar needs in other grade nine classes in the school. Additionally, there are opportunities to increase student engagement, more effectively prepare students for the math they will take in grade ten (Math 18), provide educational assistants with clear methods to support students, and scaffold and gap fill math concepts for all students in the class.
Although I initially was excited to develop content for Math 9, I believe there is a greater need for alternative/ adpated Math 9 content. Although there is no official curriculum for alternative education in Math 9, there are consequences to ignoring the needs of students who are not finding success with regular programming. Unfortunately, many students whose skills and abilities do not reflect a grade nine level are often left to sit in math class feeling confused, overwhelmed, and disengaged, while the teacher feels frustrated. These effects may lead to negative student behaviours and avoidance in math. Additionally, the quality of learning in Math 9, although equal for all students, is not equitable. Students in the same classroom can all address the same “Big Ideas” while learning content that is aligned with their capabilities.
Course Tools
Benefits of Canvas
- Communication
- Group sharing
- Feedback
- Online Concept Checks
- Summative assessment tools
- Embedded website capabilities
Benefits of Desmos
- Custom interactive activities and tasks
- Interactive assessments
- Sharing with learning community
- Interactive math tools
- Formative assessment tool
Benefits of Mathletics
- Interactive practice
- Embedded accessibility tools
- Instant feedback tools
Benefits of Mathigon
- Interactive tasks, activities, and games
- Interactive math tools and manipulatives
- Interactive assessment
- Formative assessment tool
Benefits of Lumi
- Interactive videos
- Formative assessment tool
Benefits of Google Workspace
- Interactive lessons through Google Slides
- Creation of choice boards
Benefits of Flocabulary
- Engaging Videos
- Post video quiz that creates music with correct answers
Benefits of Padlet
- Formative assessment tool
- Knowledge sharing
- Interactions with learning community
- Interactive
Benefits of YouTube
- Variety of instructional videos
Learning Objectives
Mathematics 9 Curriculum Contributions
In grade 9, all students are expected to learn the same outcomes. Once approved, student programming in grade 9 may be altered to better meet student needs. The prototype I am creating will be based on the Patterns and Relations Strand, P9.1 Linear Relations. This outcome would be considered one whole unit in Math 9, and would take about 17 class periods to complete. Below is the outcome and indicator for P9.1 as outlined on the Saskatchewan Curriculum website.
Mathematics 18 Curriculum Contributions
Keeping the outcome and indicators for P9.1, the content will help build the skills necessary for students who will be taking Math 18 in grade 10. Outlined below are the foundational objectives and learning objectives, as outlined by Prairie Valley School Division Student Services Procedures for Alternative Education Programs (2009), that cover a similar topic, “Interpreting Data, Reading Schedules and Maps”, in Math 18.
Final Learning Objectives for Adapted Mathematics 9 Course Prototype
Keeping both Mathematics 9 and Mathematics 18 in mind, the goal of the prototype for this course will be for students to demonstrate understanding of linear relations including graphing, analyzing, and solving situational problems. By the end of this course, the goal is for learners will be able to find success with the concepts outlined below. It is important to note that I created these learning objective based on the above curricula, these are not official Mathematics 9 outcomes and indicators.
Course Content
The course prototype for this assignment will include the shell of the entire unit, but will only contain content for the learning objectives related to the graphing portion of the unit. Below you can find a summary of the initial planning for the entire unit. As mentioned earlier, the synchronous and asynchronous portions of this course need to be flexible since student behaviours and needs are not yet known. Additionally, I am striving to create content for both online and offline learning. Technically, the whole unit can be completed online through Canvas, but I would like to utilize opportunities for students to work offline with me or their peers when possible (see ADDIE Template for details of offline activities).
Disclaimer: Knowing me, these ideas will change before I share the final product!
Assessment Strategies
Below is a summary of the assessment strategies that will be used throughout the unit. These strategies are reflective of the more specific assessment outlined in course content. These assessment strategies will most likely need to be adapted to best reflect students’ needs and abilities.
Considerations for Common Concerns
No matter if a course is taught online or offline, there are always potential for issues to arise. The following is a list of potential problems that I must consider when designing this course:
Mental Health – Speaking with other educators, I have noticed over the years that teacher burnout is becoming more and more common. With increased diversity with respect to student needs, as well as increased expectations, the world of education can quickly become overwhelming. Creating a supplemental resource in addition to learning new platforms is a large undertaking. I am hoping that this content creation will help myself and other teachers feel a little less overwhelmed.
Student Attendance – Students may also be dealing with issues of mental health, or experiencing other problems which cause lack of attendance. It is important to note that not all students will have access to the course outside of the classroom due to accessibility issues, lack of motivation/ independence, or other external factors. Flexibility in timing, especially given the chosen demographic for this course, is crucial.
Student Background – As demonstrated earlier, there are a variety of reasons that students may be recommended for alternative programming in grade 10. Creating positive relationships with students will play an important role in helping them to engage with math. I must consider students’ cultural backgrounds, interests, home life, socioeconomic status, mental health, and mathematical abilities. Additionally, utilizing accessibility tools into lessons to help meet students’ learning needs will be important.
Technology – Laptops are highly utilized in the school which sometimes makes it hard to book laptops for the entire class. Fortunately, if only one or two laptops are needed for students, this should not be an issue. Laptops are the only accessible technology in the building, unless students have a personal device. Furthermore, students may struggle with learning new apps and platforms when first interacting with the online portion of this course. Students should be prepared to not always have their work save due to the fuctionality of some apps being used, and teachers should be prepared to help students build stamina while working with these apps.
EAL Learners – EAL learners should always be considered when planning a course. Technology has several tools which can support student learning as they work through language barriers (for example, Google Translate). Given the premise of this course design, EAL learners may benefit from working through lower level math concepts while learning the English language. The benefits of this course would depend on individual student need, and most likely would need to be completed outside of class.
ADDIE Model Template
This is the completed ADDIE Model Template that was used to guide the creation of this post!
If you made it this far, thank-you for reading! I would greatly appreciate any feedback, ideas, or potential resources.
Ms. Weisbrod's "WeisBlog" 
HI Kate_Lynn. Your course profile is incredibly detailed and through! What a lot of work. You gave me the sense of not only the course but also the students. The struggle for them with math is real and you are doing such important work. I am curious how much support you have from administration when working with your alternative programming students. Is there an understanding that more resources are needed in alternate classrooms? Are there enough EA’s assigned to your classes? I can see how a blended math course could aid the students you are targeting. I can’t wait to see your Lumi video!
LikeLike
Hi Laura! I am very lucky to have very supportive administration. Last year, grade nine and student support teachers were given an entire day to meet and create resources to help meet the needs of these students. Unfortunately, with a variety of experiences with technology and diverse instructional approaches, I found that it was difficult to create an effective resource between the group of us. We put together a binder of worksheets, and a Google Classroom that contained only instructional videos related to some of the ideas on the worksheets. Given the needs of the students, more is definitely needed! I hope that if I can get a resource started, other teachers will latch onto the idea of a more interactive, blended learning resource!
And, I have to admit Laura, I used your ADDIE template and post to guide my own work, so thank-you!
LikeLike
WOW, this is soo detailed and well thought out. I especially appreciate how you provided benefits to educational platforms and provided an overview of different ways of assessment. Further, you discussed limitations that are very relevant and are important to consider before even beginning. What other supports do you have in the classroom? Or if none, what other supports would you like in the classroom?
LikeLike
Thanks, Raegyn! Supports in the classroom are pretty sporadic, so I do not fully rely on educational assistant’s (EA) support. In my school division, EAs are NOT assigned according to learning needs, but rather behavioural needs. I was fortunate enough to have an EA in one of my math classes this year for about 2.5 months which is more than other classrooms. I would like to have an EA in my room at all times who is not just assigned to one student, this would allow me to do more work in small groups, but I know this is an unrealistic ask! I am hoping this resource acts like an “AI education assistant”. I know it will not replace the one-on-one in person support, but it is definitely better than the support I provided to students last year!
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing Kate_Lynn! I love your idea of developing an adaptive model for Grade 9 math. I feel sometimes many students are entering high school with many gaps in their learning because they can’t keep up with the regular stream math class. I think your course gives all students an opportunity to get the foundations they need and/or to fill in some gaps they may have.
Online learning is a great platform for math learning. There are so many great online resource, many which you have listed, that support Math learning at all levels. As a former student of math who struggled inclass, I would have also welcomed an environment where I could work on content and review content at my own pace. Too often, I feel there are students who get left behind when all they needed was just a bit more time to review and grasp the content. Not pointing fingers at any math teachers, as I think our outcome and reporting driven system can set up this type of learning enironment in math and many subject areas. In an online enironment, the content is there after the lesson/class for students to access and take in without the anxiety or stress of having to keep up or perform in class. At least that was always my experience as a student. So thank you for developing this type of course, and I hope it is a success!
LikeLike
Hello, I am intrigued by your idea and I want to commend you for the high level of detail and consideration you put into your planning. The math transition sure is a tricky one from grade 9 to grade 10, and I see the potential for your course to support skill acquisition for students who may also be entering the modified track. It is refreshing to see a passionate focus on scaffolding for students who are behind because I see the same thing you mentioned (a separate binder for worksheets) very often for alternative and mod students. I am really looking forward to seeing how your module unfolds as you continue to work on differentiation in this area as it is also an area of significant need in our school. Thank you for sharing!
LikeLike
Hi Kate-Lynn! When I was a kid in high school, I remember the teacher would stand at the front of the classroom, do an example or two, and then assign textbook homework. I love how adaptive and responsive you are in developing your course. I also love how you incorporate a lot of formative assessment to help guide your instruction. It is refreshing to see a high school teacher who continues to be focused on differentiation. I look forward to seeing the rest of your course!
LikeLike
This is remarkably laid out! Well done, as it appears you have really thought your way through and thought about each individual learner in your math class. Math is not my expertise level, but I do appreciate the fact that you considered all levels of learners and how they can feel frustrated or defeated because of the constant BE. I feel like with the complexities of the classroom teachers struggle to reach these students to their best of their ability. Imagine if there was an online course(s) that adjusted material based on various leveled learners in the classroom. Furthermore, I think that using online tools are very beneficial to reach students that need further explanation or less instruction without the teacher pulling their hair out, so to speak.
I am very interested to see what you accomplish with this course. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Hi Kate-Lynn!
Wow! This online course looks super informative! Your blended course is well-thought-out and I most certainly anticipate your students finding this prototype useful when it comes to learning Math😊. As someone who found Math difficult to grasp, a blended course like the one you are suggesting will be such a useful tool for students who might struggle with Math and need additional time to review different concepts. I also love that you are planning to use different assessment tools to gauge your students’ understanding. I have heard some amazing things from colleagues who work in the Catholic division that use Matheletics as an additional tool. Would you recommend it? I am looking forward to seeing the finished product 😊.
Happy planning!
Valeska
LikeLiked by 1 person