Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Blog 12 - Looking Back
Over the course of this semester I have grown so much in my thinking about what teaching math really is. I used to teach the way I was taught, and I thought since it worked well for me, that it would work well for my students too. I had to make modifications throughtout the year because my students weren't always engaged. I tried to make tasks more engaging, but I still wasn't teaching math in the Constructivist manner. I taught lessons by showing examples and giving algorithms. Students worked on the task, and then we'd go over the task and I'd offer questions. Students often asked for help, and I would help them rather than asking them to construct their own knowledge. I know that the constructivist manner will be so much better in terms of getting the students to think deeply and make connections to prior knowledge. I learned the importance of Big Ideas in guideing the lesson too. This course has given me a wealth of knowledge to take back to the classroom this fall.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Blog 11 - Overall Inspire Academy Experience
Reflect on the entire experience after teaching the two days in the academy.
I think the esperience at Sandtown was just what we needed. It was nice to talk about these new methods in class, but to actually be able to put them into practice and observe how the students react when made to construct their own knowledge gave us real insight for the future. I was impressed with several of the girls. They really have taken an initiative in math - Lauren especially. She reminded me so much of my smartest girl from last year. I think this method is empowering for both girls and boys. Students can get engaged and bring in prior knowledge to construct new ideas. This is exactly what we saw this week. I'm so glad we had this opportunity.
I think the esperience at Sandtown was just what we needed. It was nice to talk about these new methods in class, but to actually be able to put them into practice and observe how the students react when made to construct their own knowledge gave us real insight for the future. I was impressed with several of the girls. They really have taken an initiative in math - Lauren especially. She reminded me so much of my smartest girl from last year. I think this method is empowering for both girls and boys. Students can get engaged and bring in prior knowledge to construct new ideas. This is exactly what we saw this week. I'm so glad we had this opportunity.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Blog 10 - Inspire Academy Experience, Day 1
Reflect on the first lesson experiences from your perspective.
I really enjoyed observing the lessons today. It was nice to see constructivism in practice. The students were very reluctant to begin the task on thier own. Each student expressed that they didn't know how to solve our problem. They finally began working and thinking it through and the one that was complaining the most about not understanding ended up being the first one to solve a piece of our problem. One of our students didn't seem to do as well as the others. He began to shut down when he noticed everyone else getting it except him. Other students began to help him though. In the end, students were able to justify their answers and I think this was a great learning experience.
With 5 students I think this approach was easy. Monitoring them was no problem and assistance could be provided if absolutely necessary. I wonder how this would play out in a class of 20+? What if many students were shutting down because they "didn't get it?"
I really enjoyed observing the lessons today. It was nice to see constructivism in practice. The students were very reluctant to begin the task on thier own. Each student expressed that they didn't know how to solve our problem. They finally began working and thinking it through and the one that was complaining the most about not understanding ended up being the first one to solve a piece of our problem. One of our students didn't seem to do as well as the others. He began to shut down when he noticed everyone else getting it except him. Other students began to help him though. In the end, students were able to justify their answers and I think this was a great learning experience.
With 5 students I think this approach was easy. Monitoring them was no problem and assistance could be provided if absolutely necessary. I wonder how this would play out in a class of 20+? What if many students were shutting down because they "didn't get it?"
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Blog 9 - Expectations for INSPIRE ACADEMY
Blog: Reflect on your expectations and opinions about going to Sandtown Middle School and teaching sixth grade students in the INSPIRE ACADEMY.
I am excited about the INSPRE ACADEMY. I think my group has a great lesson planned for Tuesday and it should really get the 6th graders into Algebra. I expect the students to be really attentive and motivated to learn since they're in a voluntary summer program. I think this will be a valuable learning tool for myself and my group members as well. This will be our chance to take the new methods into the classroom and see how it works before taking it back to our schools in the fall.
I am excited about the INSPRE ACADEMY. I think my group has a great lesson planned for Tuesday and it should really get the 6th graders into Algebra. I expect the students to be really attentive and motivated to learn since they're in a voluntary summer program. I think this will be a valuable learning tool for myself and my group members as well. This will be our chance to take the new methods into the classroom and see how it works before taking it back to our schools in the fall.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Blog 8 - Technology in the Classroom
Blog on a topic related to the course on mathematics teaching and learning.
Calculators, computers, and other technology used as tools in the teaching and learning of mathematics can assist in the transformation of the students into critical thinkers. Technology uses brain power to make students think critically to solve mathematical problems and to apply mathematics in a hands-on manner. I think the use of computers in math classes can enhance mathematics understanding for all learners. Calculators can compute outine calculations, allowing the learner to concentrate on the strategies to solve the problem. Computers can be used to illustrate mathematical concepts graphically and this kind of visual representation can help understanding. Computers can simulate a variety of modeling options, freeing the learner to determine the most appropriate model to use in a given application. I think the more technology we integrate into the classroom, the better.
Calculators, computers, and other technology used as tools in the teaching and learning of mathematics can assist in the transformation of the students into critical thinkers. Technology uses brain power to make students think critically to solve mathematical problems and to apply mathematics in a hands-on manner. I think the use of computers in math classes can enhance mathematics understanding for all learners. Calculators can compute outine calculations, allowing the learner to concentrate on the strategies to solve the problem. Computers can be used to illustrate mathematical concepts graphically and this kind of visual representation can help understanding. Computers can simulate a variety of modeling options, freeing the learner to determine the most appropriate model to use in a given application. I think the more technology we integrate into the classroom, the better.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Blog 7 - Relevance
In class we raised the idea that good problems/tasks should be relevant to the lives of students. What has your experiences regarding the mathematics tasks that you experienced as a student? What about a as a teacher? Do you see relevance as a valid focus for the midddle grades mathematics teacher?
I remember completing a lot of problems straight out of the book when I was in school. Teachers would assign 1-25 odd or something like that. They were typically straight algorithms, few in word problem format. I didn't mind that they weren't relevant or engaging. I still enjoyed doing them. Other students in my classes didn't seem to mind either. We knew what we had to do and we did it. Today, students don't seem to have the same work ethic. They don't really even want to complete tasks that are relevant, so they surely wouldn't have wanted to do the problems I had to complete as a student. I try my best to make problems relevant for students. I make up a lot of my own word problems for them based on events/things they've told me. I'll use students names in the problems. They usually focus on things like music, sports, and other things of interest. I think relevance is so important in math today. You have to make things engaging for students, and part of being engaging is being relevant. They have so many other things like video games and computers that engage they in such high-tech, fast-paced ways, it's hard to compete. So if tasks aren't relevant, they think they'll never use this info.
I remember completing a lot of problems straight out of the book when I was in school. Teachers would assign 1-25 odd or something like that. They were typically straight algorithms, few in word problem format. I didn't mind that they weren't relevant or engaging. I still enjoyed doing them. Other students in my classes didn't seem to mind either. We knew what we had to do and we did it. Today, students don't seem to have the same work ethic. They don't really even want to complete tasks that are relevant, so they surely wouldn't have wanted to do the problems I had to complete as a student. I try my best to make problems relevant for students. I make up a lot of my own word problems for them based on events/things they've told me. I'll use students names in the problems. They usually focus on things like music, sports, and other things of interest. I think relevance is so important in math today. You have to make things engaging for students, and part of being engaging is being relevant. They have so many other things like video games and computers that engage they in such high-tech, fast-paced ways, it's hard to compete. So if tasks aren't relevant, they think they'll never use this info.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Blog 6 - Lesson Plan
Discuss your ideas about your first lesson plan and the comments you received. Where there any surprises in the feedback? Were they already in line with your thinking? How does your current philosophy of lesson planning and teaching compare with what you wrote on you first lesson? What changes will you consider?
I wasn't sure what to expect with my lesson plan. When I got it back and looked over the comments, they made sense. I noticed that some of my Big Ideas meant to guide the lesson weren't even Big Ideas at all. I also noticed that I was leading students toward the algorithm by activities utilized in the Before section. I was even focusing too much on the answer rather than strategies and processes and the development of ideas and understandings. There were no suprises in the feedback. In fact, my current philosophy of lesson planning now reflects these changes. I will make changes to take into account all of these recommentdations. My first lesson plan was inadequate in these sectors and changes will reflect the refinement of my lesson in these areas. I'll let the Big Ideas guide the lesson, engage students before presenting the task, focus on mathematical strategies, and assess according to Big Ideas.
I wasn't sure what to expect with my lesson plan. When I got it back and looked over the comments, they made sense. I noticed that some of my Big Ideas meant to guide the lesson weren't even Big Ideas at all. I also noticed that I was leading students toward the algorithm by activities utilized in the Before section. I was even focusing too much on the answer rather than strategies and processes and the development of ideas and understandings. There were no suprises in the feedback. In fact, my current philosophy of lesson planning now reflects these changes. I will make changes to take into account all of these recommentdations. My first lesson plan was inadequate in these sectors and changes will reflect the refinement of my lesson in these areas. I'll let the Big Ideas guide the lesson, engage students before presenting the task, focus on mathematical strategies, and assess according to Big Ideas.
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