Using a Resource Teacher in the Mathematics Classroom in the 1970s
Resource teachers, teachers with special skills to work with low achievers, began to be employed slowly in high schools during the late 1970s in Queensland. I was given access to such a teacher to use with my year nine Mathematics class of low achievers. At that point in time we, teachers, were given no guidelines on how to use these teachers.
What follows in this article is how I went about using that teacher to enhance the learning of my students. The original article was written in 1978, at the request of the regional advisory teacher for Mathematics, and was published in the Brisbane West Region Secondary Maths Newsletter.
It was my intention to use the resource teacher with me in the classroom. A more usual approach had been for low achievers in Mathematics to leave the classroom for one or two periods per week and have special remedial work in another room with the resource teacher. This could have the effect of creating a further problem for the student when the student returns to the classroom in comprehending the work which the other students had been doing while the student was away.
If you are a middle school teacher, you just may find yourself doing the happy-dance when the last bell of the day rings. Teaching middle school can be a very challenging assignment but despite the challenges, there are steps you can take to avoid counting the years and wishing for retirement.
Let's suppose you are in a classroom where the students refuse to stop talking... even as you plead for silence. Some of the students are out of their seats and getting physical with each other -- you are exhausted from dealing with these same issues period after period.
There is no learning going on as you, regrettably, watch them throwing things while ignoring you. Stunned by their behavior, you call the main office for help. You are frustrated and afraid.
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Resource teachers, teachers with special skills to work with low achievers, began to be employed slowly in high schools during the late 1970s in Queensland. I was given access to such a teacher to use with my year nine Mathematics class of low achievers. At that point in time we, teachers, were given no guidelines on how to use these teachers.
What follows in this article is how I went about using that teacher to enhance the learning of my students. The original article was written in 1978, at the request of the regional advisory teacher for Mathematics, and was published in the Brisbane West Region Secondary Maths Newsletter.
It was my intention to use the resource teacher with me in the classroom. A more usual approach had been for low achievers in Mathematics to leave the classroom for one or two periods per week and have special remedial work in another room with the resource teacher. This could have the effect of creating a further problem for the student when the student returns to the classroom in comprehending the work which the other students had been doing while the student was away.
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