Math Observation

One of the most beneficial aspects of having release time is that I get the opportunity to observe other teachers. Recently I had the privilege of observing an ALiM math class. The teacher is working with a small group of students that are working below the national standards in math. The teacher put a lot of emphasis on giving the students the time and opportunity to discover and think about their learning and how to work collaboratively.
The thing that I took most out of the lesson, and that I would look to bring into my own lessons, was the hands on aspects of the lesson and the use of physical resources to allow the children to move from the concrete to the abstract. I also need to remember that no what the level and the ability of the student hands on activities are very important.
So from my perspective I need to think about the physical resources that I could use in a lesson and how I can access them.