Summary and Synthesis

Our first month of this class has focused on required testing, problem solving, and the standards that we run our curriculum by. It seems like we have learned so much in such a short time. I never realized how much problem solving plays a part in solving math problems but it definitely makes sense when I look at it now. It really helps that we have been using the steps of problem solving in class when doing activities such as the area of polygons and Fenced In. It is one of those things that you know you are organizing thoughts and doing things in a sequence in your head but unless you sit down and think about it you don't realize that you are specializing or generalizing.
The standards have been mentioned in a lot of my methods classes but I never understood the layout and how the state and national standards parallel each other until this class. It really makes it a lot easier to use the standards when planning lessons when you know how to find resources such as the Unpacked Standards or use of the Curriculum Focus Points guide. It makes me anxious to learn if other content areas have supplementary materials such as these. I have noticed on the SD Content Standards page that each area has unpacked standards but I haven't had time to explore these yet.
Although we have talked about quite a few topics already this semester they all relate to each other which helps my understanding of the content. The standards guide everything that should be taught and problem solving is used in every aspect of doing math. I have thought a lot about how I approached math before compared to now when we look in depth at problems and why we solve them the way we do. I feel more confident in my solutions when I know how I arrived at my answer and can easily justify it.