Secondary Math: Video- Variables and Patterns of Change
Variables and Patterns of Change video (Annenberg Media, 2004) follows two teachers, Ms. Green and Ms. Novak, as they begin their school year teaching high school math. Throughout my paper, I plan to show the elements of a non-threatening learning environment as well as the importance of having a non-threatening learning environment. Additionally, I will discuss the similarities and differences between the teacher’s methods in the video. I will explain how the methods are effective and how I would expand on their class lessons.
Variables and Patterns of Change Video
In the Variables and Patterns of Change (Annenberg Media, 2004), we are introduced to two classrooms during their first week of instruction. The first class is Ms. Green’s algebra. Ms.Green uses real life situation of wanting to get a pool in her backyard to teach dimensions and equations. During the example, she helps to guide the students learning by asking leading questions to help them figure out the problem. Once they understand the problem, she puts them into groups to figure out dimensions of different pool sizes and how many tiles it would surround them. While in groups, Ms. Green goes to each group to check their progress and answer any question.
The second class is Ms. Novak’s algebra. Ms. Novak. Ms. Novak starts her class off with group warm ups to get the students ready for class. Once the class is done with the warm ups, the class moves into the class exercise for the day. The students are learning two-step equations with manipulatives. First, Ms. Novak uses cups and chips as a manipulative to teach the students how to distinguish variables and numbers in a math equation. As a way of showin...
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...roblems. Ms. Novak and Ms. Green usage of groups work help the students can talk out problems as they did the classwork. Ms.Green's real life application help to show the students how algebra can be used in daily life.
Ways to Expand the Lesson
While both class lessons were very well-taught there are still some ways to expand the class lesson. In Ms. Novak class, she could have had the students work out the math station problems on the board so that if some students did not understand they could see the process to solving the problems. Another way to expand Ms. Novak’s lesson, would have been to have each group create their own problems and then switch the problems between the groups to solve. In Ms. Green’s class, she could have had other students work out the problems for the class in the video it seemed as if only one student were doing most of the class work.
Help students increase their perception of control over their environment by showing them how to better manage their own stress levels. Instead of telling students to act differently, take the time to teach them how to act differently. By introducing conflict resolution skills, teaching anger and frustration management, helping student set goals, role-modeling, teaching and exemplifying social skills, as a teacher I can have a huge impact on these children and could help buffer the effects of their habitus, cultural capital, SES, and step in to help stop the cultural reproduction of social inequality in my classroom. Ultimately, I want my students to benefit from the hidden curriculum in my classroom, and I would work hard to ensure that the unwritten, unofficial, and often-unintended lessons, values, and perspectives I expose my children to are beneficial and positive in shaping their
While reading this book I found out that under certain circumstances I am a fixed mindset rather than a growth mindset. One, very identifiable, area I have a fixed mindset in, is the math content area. When ever I think about being forced to learn or teach math, I completely shut down. I feel I’ve become this way because for years I’ve heard that I need more work in that area, and that I have a hard time understanding it. So I feel I’ve lost any drive to concur it when I’ve already felt defeated by it. Which after reading this book I have realized this mentality could easily transfer to my students because that is one thing I have learned again and again from this book it is that one fixed mid set can have an immediate impact on the mind set of those people who are interacting with the person.
...simply reuses the same approach and methodology each year, his class is likely to become boring and ineffective. In order to properly educate students, a teacher must always be looking for ways to improve his course—methods of making the knowledge seem more interesting and relevant to students. Originality and innovation not only maintain students’ attention, but also help keep teachers interested. Any subject matter will seem boring if an instructor teaches it the same way for twenty years. In order to maximize the effectiveness of their teaching, educators constantly must be in search of new methods of presenting content. Complacency, after all, is the first step on the road to ineffective instruction. Teachers, like their students, must always remain motivated by the desire to improve. Without this desire, the process of education becomes stagnant and empty.
I visited Mrs. Cable’s kindergarten classroom at Conewago elementary school one afternoon and observed a math lesson. Mrs. Cable had an attention-grabbing lesson and did many great things in the thirty minutes I observed her. I have my own personal preferences, just like every teacher, and I do have a few things I would do differently. There are also many ways this observation can be related to the material discussed in First Year Seminar.
Marzano, R. J., & Brown, J. L. (2009). A handbook for the art and science of teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Thought provoking and startling, the movie “Learning Curve” awakened in us, as viewers, the uncomfortable reality of where our society and the educational system as a whole are clearly at odds. Mr. Walmsley was hired to substitute at an inner city high school where the same problems that we find today in many schools were brought to an unbelievable level of surreal chaos. The same problems that we witness everyday in our schools were present in this movie, but with an intensity and boldness that would shake the foundation of most well-meaning educators. Problems of student apathy, lack of parental involvement and teacher support, as well as financial constraints plagued this inner city school in much the same way that it does our own schools. However, Mr. Walmsley chose to demand respect and prove to the students that not only was he of value and worthy of their respect, but they should place higher value on themselves as well as others. He demonstrated in a succinct way that learning would take place even at the expense of traditional methods of teaching.
Brooks, J.G. &Brooks, M.G. (1995). Constructing Knowledge in the Classroom. Retrieved September 13, 2002 for Internet. http://www.sedl.org/scimath/compass/v01n03/1.html.
... middle of paper ... ... 24 Jan. 2010 http://www.hamilton.edu/ spectator/121009/opinion/open.html> “Mich AMATYC Algebra Curriculum Reform.” 24 Jan. 2010 http://www.amatc.org/ publications/Electronic-proceedings/LongBeach22/Steinfort.pdf> Rimer, Sara. “First Woman Takes Reins at Harvard.”
Every video I watched displayed tools that I could use in my own classroom. The instructional strategies and models used in the classrooms were great. My current teaching philosophy about instructional strategies and models would be that they are great to use. As a teacher, looking for ways to help teach certain lessons is a must. Every teacher found different ways to teach the materials to their students. It is always great to have resources in the classroom to look back on. Students love to have resources to guide them. In the video (Case #1112), I would emulate their strategy by letting my students use a textbook. I feel that textbooks are reliable sources and can be used to validate certain materials. In the video, you can tell that the students were using the textbook as a tool to prove their discussion with each other. In the video (Case #876), I would avoid assessing my students in whole-group discussion. I would have my student in groups to see how they communicate with each t=other about our discussion. Seeing my students evaluating each other’s opinions would be a great way into assessing their knowledge about the lesson. A classroom environment I would like to teach in would be with students who are ready to ask questions. Students who are not afraid to express their thoughts about the instruction. It would be easier for me to assess my students if that were
... discussions was a highly effective tool throughout the wiki which makes the students more interested and the learning environment more supportive and diverse. Furthermore, the increased freedom in the final assessment task facilitated diversity within the experiment; however it is certainly arguable that more freedom could have been granted to the students, resulting in more diversity, while still staying within the acceptable guidelines of experimental safety. In conclusion, while many aspects of the wiki could be improved, overall as a teaching and learning sequence using inquiry based learning it is adequate to teach stage 3 about river ecosystems.
Zuckerman, M. B. (2005, October 10). Classroom Revolution. U.S. News & World Report. p. 68. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This, I think, allows for students of various different social levels to interact with each other, but does not keep the classroom divided for too long, allowing the teacher plenty of opportunity to help students who many need additional instruction, while peers discover answers for themselves, as well as from the peers that are in their various groupings. This is reflective of the way my mentor teacher taught class during my observation time. She was passionate about technology and the various uses in the classroom, but also really thought that “old school” teacher led lectures still had their place in the classroom, provided that the teacher can be engaging and thought provoking without turning the assignment into a lecture that goes on and on. The tasks and directions are short and simple, easy enough for 3rd grade students to understand, but still challenging in their own right. The lesson could easily be improved upon to teach 4th and 5th grade students as
After finishing the teaching part of the lesson, I realized that not everything goes according to plan. For example, in our lesson plan, we had the explain portion detailed and outlined to teach students the technical terms of what they were seeing in the stations and other activities and make it a collaborative effort within groups to work with the vocabulary words. However, the teaching of the plan was not well executed. Also, I learned that teaching a topic does not have to be boring or just full of worksheets. Fun, engaging lab stations and interactive activities can fulfill the standards and requirements just as well, if not better, than basic worksheets and PowerPoint lectures. Lastly, I realized that lesson planning and teaching require a great deal of effort and work, but it is all worth it when a light bulb goes off in a students’ head and they learn something new and are excited to be learning and extend their science
...nd make similar problem situations, and then, they provided the students with a little bit of practice because practice makes perfect! After that, teachers may put the students on the situation given just now.
Getting children to work together on projects which require problem solving is a great way for them to interact with each other and learn mathematical concepts on the way. It will also help them to boost their communication skills. Teachers can also facilitate learning by scaffolding the children’s learning and offering guidance when needed. Getting children to talk about what they are doing and what their plans are actually helps them to learn. Through their projects, children will learn to describe the mathematical concepts that they present using different materials. For example, drawing a house for art class, they learn the names of the different kinds of shapes that make up a