"Reevaluating established norms is the practice of reflecting upon, and adjusting as necessary, the accepted classroom norm." Mr. Washington's teaching style includes lecture, independent practice and carefully controlled interactions between students. Because Shandra has been successful in Title I but unable to carry that over to the regular classroom, Mr. Washington must work with his colleagues to determine which parts of the Title I experience can be replicated for Shandra in the classroom.

Mr. Washington has set goals for himself and for Shandra. He wants her to increase her conversations with peers about mathematical thinking and improve her overall grade in math. Mr. Washington can help her do this through the goals he has set for himself, to increase use of partner work and provide more opportunities for students to vocalize their mathematical thinking. He can begin by reducing the amount of time he lectures to his fifth graders and make the lessons more interactive. He can still maintain control of the class by setting rules for discussions (e.g., students must raise hands to...

He can included guided practice in his lessons before assigning students independent seat work. This provides another opportunity for children to express their thoughts and learn from the ideas of one another. Shandra will have an opportunity to share what she knows in an environment where children are allowed to speak more freely.
Mr. Washington can allow more time for partner work, ensuring that all children have opportunities to work with different partners. This will help Shandra become comfortable talking about mathematical thinking with all the students in the class. In addition to conversations about math, Mr. Washington can also incorporate some quiet partner games that require math skills and strategies. Gaming provides fun while learning and can facilitate good peer-peer and teacher-student dialogue.

By modifying classroom rules and procedures to allow more peer interaction and by reevaluating the established norm of a quiet, structured class, Mr. Washington will be able to meet his goals, as well as empowering Shandra to meet hers.