Math Recovery Intervention Specialist Program In the Classroom

What do Math Recovery Intervention Specialist Teachers have to say about the program?

“I am a different educator because of the knowledge I now have and the relationships that I’ve developed while involved with the Math Recovery program. I have had the opportunity to use Math Recovery teaching techniques with children from kindergarten through fourth grade. I’ve watched a group of students break down their barrier to learning mathematics. I’ve watched early learners gain confidence and understanding to take back with them into a first and third grade classroom. Fourth graders that have already determined that math is not for them have thrived and connected symbolic notation with mathematical understanding. Math Recovery is a complete package!”
-Christina Miller, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

For which grade levels is the program appropriate?

The Math Recovery one-on-one intervention program is appropriate for children pre-K and up. Children just starting their education can be up to three years behind their age level peers simply due to the variation of experiences before entering school. As a result, the Math Recovery program helps to close that gap before it widens even further. Additionally, children in grades 2 and up (for a variety of reasons) need intervention to build a solid foundation in addition, subtraction, and place value understanding.

For what type of students is the program appropriate?

As an intervention, this program is appropriate for all children who struggle with learning mathematics in the way it has traditionally been taught. MR recovery teaching includes building understanding with concrete models and then purposefully and deliberately posing tasks that will allow students to move away from concrete objects and towards abstract mathematical ideas. In addition to MR as an intervention, MR teaching and principles are good instruction for every learner.

What type of interaction occurs with students?

During a one-on-one intervention session, the teacher will use settings (math tools) such as:

Colored counters
Ten frames
Finger patterns
Bead racks
Numeral tracks

The tools and tasks were created and refined in classrooms with teachers and researchers. Teachers purposefully choose settings and tasks according to the current understandings of the student. Each session is videotaped, and the teacher views the video tapes after each teaching session in order to make instructional decisions for the next lesson. MR is a dynamic mathematics intervention in which the teacher uses ongoing assessment that impact instructional decisions.

How much time is spent doing the program daily/weekly?

Teachers work with a student four to five days per week for 20-25 minutes each day. The intervention is intense and focused directly on the cutting edge of the child's learning. A first grader will tire after 20 minutes, and a third to fifth grader will tire after 25-30 minutes.

What types of activities are done with students?

Students will:

Count forward and backward using a numeral roll or numeral track or without tool
Solve addition and subtraction tasks where counters are seen and unseen using color, covering, and quick looks (also known as color, screening and flashing) to move children from using manipulatives to being able to abstract ideas
Use dot patterns in regular domino and irregular patterns and finger pattern to develop quantity and symbolic knowledge
Identify number quantity by stating the number of dots seen on a ten frame, twenty frame or bead rack; at first, children will be able to take time to identify these quantities; then as the child progresses, the frames or bead rack will be shown quickly
Use popsicle sticks in bundles of ten to build place value and two-digit addition and subtraction understandings (at first, these will all be visible, and then be "hidden" as children progress)- this tool will help children add as someone would up and down a number line
Use small ten frames to develop tens and ones strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems
Begin early multiplication and division understandings by working with dot strips to skip count, doing tasks that group objects, and later, arrays are used for multiplication and division

What areas of knowledge are worked on with students?

Students gain an understanding of addition, subtraction, place value, multiplication and division. Structuring numbers is also a strong component to the Math Recovery Program. Structuring numbers is the ability to give all the combinations of numbers that will make up another number. (Example:. a 7 is a 6 and 1, a 5 and 2, a 4 and 3, and a 7 and 0.) MR focuses on structuring to 20. Children's ability to structure numbers impacts the success children have with addition and subtraction facts.

When students have this kind of understanding of the operations, they develop the background knowledge needed to make connections to more difficult mathematical ideas. Students bring existing knowledge to problem solving situations. When the existing knowledge is grounded in understanding versus memorized procedures, a firm foundation is established on which more complex math understandings can be built.

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