Aspen Wolfe

SPED 392
Evaluating Student Needs & Making Effective Mathematics Instructional Decisions

1. A good way to begin to understand how students are thinking is to use three types of Dynamic
Mathematics Assessment which are: Concrete-to-Representational-Abstract, Error Pattern
Analysis, and Flexible Mathematics Interview. This is important because it teaches me how to
find out why my students are struggling with the things they are and what their thinking process
is, which tells me how I can help them most effectively.

2. When we are trying to find out where students struggle, it is best to have 5 to 10 items for each
target skill to help with reliability. This helps us determine if the student demonstrates mastery,
partial mastery, or little to no ability of the concept. This shows the student’s zone of proximal
development which shows us where we need to begin instruction.

3. Corrective feedback is a great way to help students realize their full potential. A couple good
methods are: one-on-one, intra-group, group-to-group, consultative, and 360-degree feedback.
These methods teach us how to correct students in a way that will benefit them.

4. Being honest with students when they make a mistake is an essential part of their learning
process. You can’t fix something if you don’t know it is incorrect. It’s important to explain to
students why something is incorrect as well as how to fix the problem. We can’t point fingers,
we can only discuss the issue and help them find alternative behavior to change the situation.

5. We can use instructional games to help students become more engaged in their learning. It
encourages students to respond multiple times to prompts that require them to apply their new
knowledge of mathematical understanding. This is helpful because it reminds us that math can
be fun and still educational. Games should be related to recent instruction.