Sunday, June 22, 2014
Classroom Changes
Teachers these days are expected to change a few things in regards to mathematics teaching. This is especially true with the implementation of the common core. There are certain areas that may not be expected to cover anymore. There are also topics that are still going to be covered but in a different way. For instance, growing up I was always taught to add and subtract up and down. Now, they are wanting us teachers to teach those mathematical concepts across. Things like that are going to take time to get used to doing that way. They are also putting a lot more emphasis on inquiry based math. This includes more real life situations, and more investigations that are student lead. Another aspect of that is modeling. This could include, but is not limited to, using manipulatives, etc. to model. Another big thing that is changing is the assessments. Teachers need to start reflecting a lot more to make sure that they are on the right track so that their students do get that deep understanding. Error reflection also goes along with this. So, overall, everything we have covered from assessments on down in this class is showing us what will be expected of us. It is also expected of us to keep up to date. This means that we need to make sure that we are constantly looking at articles and websites and take classes to make sure that we are in touch with any new strategies etc.
Technology Reflection
This blog will be all about technology in the classroom. We have certainly used a lot of technology in the course of this month and a half. One of the technologies we used was the smartboard. We had to sign in on the smartboard at the beginning of each class. We also had to present a tip on the smartboard that we all could use. These assignments helped us get use to using the smartboard so that when we get into our own classroom we are able to utilize this technology. A second type of technology that we had to use was the jiing. This allowed us to record our voices and implant it into our prezi presentations. This will help us learn how to implement sounds or our voices into our presentations when we start teaching. A third type of technology that we have explored is math apps and applets. These are always a great way to implement technology into the classroom because this is a way to help students not only review, but also keep their skills sharp. We also are going to have to use the internet and our computers for our curriculum plans. We will have to create a video and upload it to the internet onto a website such as youtube, etc.
Overall, technology is very important to incorporate in the classroom these days. Students are more and more into learning with technology as the days go by. More and more different learning technology comes out all the time. Technology also gives us teachers another strategy to use when taking ELLs etc. into consideration. I will certainly be implementing a lot of these technologies into my classroom when I begin my teaching career. I have not a doubt that this will help my students succeed!!!
Overall, technology is very important to incorporate in the classroom these days. Students are more and more into learning with technology as the days go by. More and more different learning technology comes out all the time. Technology also gives us teachers another strategy to use when taking ELLs etc. into consideration. I will certainly be implementing a lot of these technologies into my classroom when I begin my teaching career. I have not a doubt that this will help my students succeed!!!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Error Analysis
This blog will be about error analysis. Errors are made many times by your students throughout your teaching career. They could be really simple errors that are easy to catch and fix, or they could be a little more complicated and need a little more analyzing to figure out. Analyzing errors is important not only for the students sake, but for the teachers sake too. From the teachers perspective, it is important because it shows what you need to go over again or help students with so that way they are not making that mistake again in the future. From the student's perspective, it's important because if the mistakes they are making are not caught, then they will continue to make those same mistakes throughout their school careers. That will in turn make it difficult to get through the other math classes that they will face.
It seemed to me like there are many regrouping and place value mistakes that are being make from the problems that we analyzed in class. Some of the students were borrowing from the wrong place (example borrowing from the tens when they should be borrowing from the hundreds), regrouping wrong by not crossing out the number which causes them to be off by one. As mentioned before, even though these mistakes are not very bad mistakes, they still effect the student to solve the problem correctly. I will certainly have to keep these in mind as I get my own classroom in the future. I will make sure that I analyze my students' work as I am grading them to make sure that they are not making any of those simple mistakes!
It seemed to me like there are many regrouping and place value mistakes that are being make from the problems that we analyzed in class. Some of the students were borrowing from the wrong place (example borrowing from the tens when they should be borrowing from the hundreds), regrouping wrong by not crossing out the number which causes them to be off by one. As mentioned before, even though these mistakes are not very bad mistakes, they still effect the student to solve the problem correctly. I will certainly have to keep these in mind as I get my own classroom in the future. I will make sure that I analyze my students' work as I am grading them to make sure that they are not making any of those simple mistakes!
Assessments in Math Reflection
This blog will be a reflection on the assessments in mathematics. We certainly have covered a lot about assessments in the last month and a half. I have learned so many things that I will take with me when I get my own classroom. This is even true regarding my experiences with mathematics growing up. Growing up, I was always assessed by the traditional tests and worksheets. Especially when it came to multiplication facts. We would have timed assessments for those. Throughout this semester though, I have found out just how important assessment really is in mathematics.
The first item we discussed regarding assessment was the different kinds of assessment. This made me realize that my teachers could have used many more different types of assessment when it came to mathematics over the course of my school career. It also made me realize the many options I have as a teacher to pick from when I am assessing my students in mathematics. This class has also shown me that I need to be extra careful when it comes to choosing which assessment I will choose. Not every assessment will be right for every type of project of problem.
The second item discussed is interpretation and reflection when it comes to assessment. When we looked at several articles, I realized just how important reflection really is. Even if you created the rubric, you should always be reflecting on it and see if you need to make changes to make it better or more precise/clear. This will eliminate any confusions or misconceptions your students will have regarding the rubric.When it comes to interpretation, its all about making sure you know exactly what you will be assessing your students on. This will help you decide on just what will constitute what each number will represent.
The third item discussed is what kinds of assessment she(Dr. Nugent) has used to assess us throughout the course of this class. She has used a lot of different assessments throughout the course of this class. She has had us blog, do evaluations, projects, and participation (in-class activities). All of these have been a way for her to assess not only our mathematical understanding in some instances, but our pedagogical understanding as well.
Overall, the topic of assessment has been covered extensively throughout this class. It is extremely important. It is one of the the ways that you are able to gauge your student's progress throughout the year. It helps you decide what you need to change your strategies towards when it comes to teaching mathematics. It also helps you modify your instruction so that every student in your classroom can succeed!
The first item we discussed regarding assessment was the different kinds of assessment. This made me realize that my teachers could have used many more different types of assessment when it came to mathematics over the course of my school career. It also made me realize the many options I have as a teacher to pick from when I am assessing my students in mathematics. This class has also shown me that I need to be extra careful when it comes to choosing which assessment I will choose. Not every assessment will be right for every type of project of problem.
The second item discussed is interpretation and reflection when it comes to assessment. When we looked at several articles, I realized just how important reflection really is. Even if you created the rubric, you should always be reflecting on it and see if you need to make changes to make it better or more precise/clear. This will eliminate any confusions or misconceptions your students will have regarding the rubric.When it comes to interpretation, its all about making sure you know exactly what you will be assessing your students on. This will help you decide on just what will constitute what each number will represent.
The third item discussed is what kinds of assessment she(Dr. Nugent) has used to assess us throughout the course of this class. She has used a lot of different assessments throughout the course of this class. She has had us blog, do evaluations, projects, and participation (in-class activities). All of these have been a way for her to assess not only our mathematical understanding in some instances, but our pedagogical understanding as well.
Overall, the topic of assessment has been covered extensively throughout this class. It is extremely important. It is one of the the ways that you are able to gauge your student's progress throughout the year. It helps you decide what you need to change your strategies towards when it comes to teaching mathematics. It also helps you modify your instruction so that every student in your classroom can succeed!
Problem/Project
This blog is going to be about the problem/project. This was a very interesting and eye opening project.We did a project that was centered for fourth graders. We covered three content areas throughout the process of this project. The project was the students had to find the mean, median, and mode for their sports team, design a stadium for their team, and build a model for their team. One of the reasons for that is because before this project I never realized how much work went into designing a project for mathematics. There are lots of areas that have to be covered when designing a problem or project like this. However, this project also shows how important collaboration can be when it comes to making sure that everything is covered in the project. This project is also very beneficial to show us what kind of standards need to be covered depending of what grade level you choose to teach and create the problem for. It is also important to make sure that the standards you chose line up with the objectives you have for the problem. You also have to make sure that you take into account any 504s, IEPs, or ELLs you might have in your classroom when designing these problems.
Overall it was a very rewarding project to be apart of. The two partners I had were perfect, and we worked together so well to make sure this project was accomplished. We certainly took the time and went over every requirement for this project. This also showed me, as mentioned previously, how much time will be needed to be put into planning these projects for the students in my classroom. This project also showed me how you can cover several content areas when planning and teaching this problem/project.
Overall it was a very rewarding project to be apart of. The two partners I had were perfect, and we worked together so well to make sure this project was accomplished. We certainly took the time and went over every requirement for this project. This also showed me, as mentioned previously, how much time will be needed to be put into planning these projects for the students in my classroom. This project also showed me how you can cover several content areas when planning and teaching this problem/project.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Content Standards
This blog is all about the content standards project. I will be discussing a couple of points regarding this project. The first area I will be discussing if when looking at my area from a K-8 stand point, are the standards covered enough throughout the curriculum. The answer to this question is no. As I was looking through the content standards that my other group members turned in, I noticed from third grade on to eighth that there seemed to be a lot of standards either not addressed or not even covered in the textbooks. This will certainly need to change if we want our standards to be covered efficiently. This also shows that we as teachers need to be taking the initiative to make sure we know the standards ourselves so that we can make sure that we cover the standards that are nit being covered to satisfaction.
For my particular area, all of the standards were covered in the textbooks. This shows me that I need to make sure that these are utilized to the fullest because of the fact that they are covered so well in the textbooks. I was also surprised that because mine were covered so well that grades three through eight were not covered as well. This whole project has taught me that each textbook in mathematics that is used by teachers will need to be looked at to see what standards need to be covered more or addressed if they are not addressed.
For my particular area, all of the standards were covered in the textbooks. This shows me that I need to make sure that these are utilized to the fullest because of the fact that they are covered so well in the textbooks. I was also surprised that because mine were covered so well that grades three through eight were not covered as well. This whole project has taught me that each textbook in mathematics that is used by teachers will need to be looked at to see what standards need to be covered more or addressed if they are not addressed.
Manipulatives
This blog will discussing manipulatives in mathematics. I will be discussing several points about the use of manipulatives throughout this blog. The first question that will be discussed is the question of how do we know if students are deepening their understanding when using manipulatives. As we have gone through this class, we have used several manipulatives ourselves. By doing so it certainly helps us answer this question. Students' understanding is deepened, because they are able to use the manipulatives and be hands on. This allows the students to actually visually see the math being worked out as they are trying to solve a problem. It also allows the students to understand why a formula or equation works the way it does.
The second question that will be addressed is about how we know if our students can transfer their information from the manipulatives to other situations. This is apparent not only in other math problems, but in math areas in the different core subjects such as social studies when you make a map, and have to scale it. This shows that they are transferring their knowledge by using what they learned by using the manipulatives in math to solve not only other math problems, but other subject problems as well. You can also see if the students are transferring their knowledge by having them working in partners, and when you walk around you hear the students explaining to each other how to do it because they remember from using the manipulatives.
The third question that will be discussed is how we can assess that understanding or growth. You can save the students work from the unit. Then you can keep constantly checking that portfolio that you have made for that student to see if that particular student is understanding and growing, or if you have to go back and either reteach or change strategies to better suit that student. You can also have them write a math journal. This can also be checked daily, weekly, or however often you want to check it. Like the portfolio, the journals will also let you know if you are headed in the right direction or not. Both of these will allow you to ensure your students success!
The fourth question that will be discussed is how can we hold each youngster accountable when the students are working in groups. One way is by each student coming to teacher to meet her when they are done, and they would have to explain their reasoning and work that they show their group did. You could also have an individual part to the assignment which would make them accountable because they will have had to learn it in order for them to accomplish the assignment. Again, you could do journals, and in the journals have them explain the process their group and themselves went through in order to accomplish the problem.
The fifth question that will be discussed is how can we assess the depth of understanding of a student when they work in groups. One way would again be a portfolio. Collect the work and keep constantly checking it throughout the project to see how deep their understanding is. You can also using pre and post assessments to check their depth of understanding. This will also tell you whether the students are on the right track. As previously stated, you can also do the journals. All of these options will tell you if you need to revisit an idea if your students' understanding is not quite there.
The sixth and final question to be discussed is how am I improving my students problem solving skills by using the manipulatives. One way is by having them use the manipulatives, they are learning to break the problem down and analyze it to where they can solve it. They are also being helped because they are learning to take problems step-by-step if they need to in order to conquer the problem. I am also helping their problem solving skills by having them visually represent problems if they need to in order to solve problems. All of these points and questions that have been discussed are all ways to ensure that your students are successful when working with manipulatives in mathematics! This was even shown with the four different manipulatives Dr. Nugent had us use in class. It really had us thinking about how each of the specific manipulatives that she had out could be used with our students in any grade. It was certainly challenging on some of the manipulatives, but we talked and collaborated as a group of three to figure it out. Now I certainly know at least four manipulatives that I would love to have my students use for various reasons in my classroom!
The second question that will be addressed is about how we know if our students can transfer their information from the manipulatives to other situations. This is apparent not only in other math problems, but in math areas in the different core subjects such as social studies when you make a map, and have to scale it. This shows that they are transferring their knowledge by using what they learned by using the manipulatives in math to solve not only other math problems, but other subject problems as well. You can also see if the students are transferring their knowledge by having them working in partners, and when you walk around you hear the students explaining to each other how to do it because they remember from using the manipulatives.
The third question that will be discussed is how we can assess that understanding or growth. You can save the students work from the unit. Then you can keep constantly checking that portfolio that you have made for that student to see if that particular student is understanding and growing, or if you have to go back and either reteach or change strategies to better suit that student. You can also have them write a math journal. This can also be checked daily, weekly, or however often you want to check it. Like the portfolio, the journals will also let you know if you are headed in the right direction or not. Both of these will allow you to ensure your students success!
The fourth question that will be discussed is how can we hold each youngster accountable when the students are working in groups. One way is by each student coming to teacher to meet her when they are done, and they would have to explain their reasoning and work that they show their group did. You could also have an individual part to the assignment which would make them accountable because they will have had to learn it in order for them to accomplish the assignment. Again, you could do journals, and in the journals have them explain the process their group and themselves went through in order to accomplish the problem.
The fifth question that will be discussed is how can we assess the depth of understanding of a student when they work in groups. One way would again be a portfolio. Collect the work and keep constantly checking it throughout the project to see how deep their understanding is. You can also using pre and post assessments to check their depth of understanding. This will also tell you whether the students are on the right track. As previously stated, you can also do the journals. All of these options will tell you if you need to revisit an idea if your students' understanding is not quite there.
The sixth and final question to be discussed is how am I improving my students problem solving skills by using the manipulatives. One way is by having them use the manipulatives, they are learning to break the problem down and analyze it to where they can solve it. They are also being helped because they are learning to take problems step-by-step if they need to in order to conquer the problem. I am also helping their problem solving skills by having them visually represent problems if they need to in order to solve problems. All of these points and questions that have been discussed are all ways to ensure that your students are successful when working with manipulatives in mathematics! This was even shown with the four different manipulatives Dr. Nugent had us use in class. It really had us thinking about how each of the specific manipulatives that she had out could be used with our students in any grade. It was certainly challenging on some of the manipulatives, but we talked and collaborated as a group of three to figure it out. Now I certainly know at least four manipulatives that I would love to have my students use for various reasons in my classroom!
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