Friday, January 30, 2009
New Insights and thier Implications
Since the start of this class I have learned many new things that deal with the national and state standards and how we should be teaching math. I feel that it is really important for us as students to learn everything we can about the standards becuase if we do then we will have the knowledge to teach our future students to the best of our ability. Also I learned how helpful the state standards are. I never knew that there was a place where teachers could go and get resources for lessons. It will be helpful for me to refer to when I become a teacher. The second thing that I have learned since the start of this class is how we should be teaching math. Teachers today should cover fewer topics so they can spend more time on each subject to ensure the students really understand what they are learning. Teachers today are required to cover so many topics that the teachers do not have the time to have good discussions about the material to make sure all the students understand the topic. By teaching this way it only hurts our students in the long run. Teachers need to make it so students have to think outside the box to come up with answers and the teachers should provide opprotunities for students to arrive at answers in multiple ways. I feel that if teachers give the new way of teaching a try they will like it a lot more and they will find that the students will have more fun learning. As of right now I have gained a lot of knowledge on how I can become a better teacher and I look forward to learning more in this class.
New Insights and Their Implications
These first couple weeks of class, I have learned a lot of new concepts not only about math, but education overall. I knew this math class was going to be different than any other math class I have ever taken and I’m glad it is. I struggled through every math class I have ever taken besides Geometry in High School. I feel intrigued about this new way of teaching math, teaching the mathematical process of thinking and problem understanding rather than focusing on the solution. I am excited to learn more about it so that I may teach my students from a new perspective.
The last few days of class have been focused on standards and their interpretations. Past classes have talked about standards and having to align our curriculum to the standards, but the standards have never been broken down and explained in the way they were in our class. After our class discussions I have realized how important it is to understand the meaning of them, and how important it is for teachers to be involved in the revision process of the standards. We as teachers cannot rely on just state or NCTM standards, a connection between all are needed to be a quality teacher in any content. Looking at the Curriculum Focal Point document and the unpacking language at our state site will better translate and define our standards.
The last few days of class have been focused on standards and their interpretations. Past classes have talked about standards and having to align our curriculum to the standards, but the standards have never been broken down and explained in the way they were in our class. After our class discussions I have realized how important it is to understand the meaning of them, and how important it is for teachers to be involved in the revision process of the standards. We as teachers cannot rely on just state or NCTM standards, a connection between all are needed to be a quality teacher in any content. Looking at the Curriculum Focal Point document and the unpacking language at our state site will better translate and define our standards.
New Insights and their Implications
With talking about standards I have learned many new concepts about and how they can affect me as a teacher. I have discovered that it is important to know and understand all of them before you can properly teach them or the content in them. I did not know that the teachers of south dakota were the ones responsible for the construction and fine tuning of the state standards. Standards are an important resource as a teacher because not only do we need to teach to the level of the state, but also to the standards of the nation. I do like how the national standards are more clear when they are talking about the material. Other concepts that I have learned about so far are how to teach in a different way that I was raised on. I dont know if it is helpful or not yet simple because it worked for me so I dont see anything wrong with it.
I think the new method of teaching math sounds like a promising idea. It is more important to make sure the students understand math as a process and not just as a rule or drill that you do the same way everytime and get a final answer. Having mulltiple ways of doing something allows children to explore and have fun with problem solving. By encouraging them to try different methods they are actively engaged in the problem solving process. Personally math has never been fun for me because I have just simply never been good at it. I dont blame anyone for my failures in math but I do wonder if maybe I was taught differently I would like math better and be better at it. Understanding the underlying concepts about math is much more important than getting the right answer.
In these first few weeks of class I also found out a lot about the standards and how they work. It is interesting to know that the South Dakota standards do not always line up with the national standards and the NCTM standards. I always thought that they were aligned after each other. I think that being apart of creating the standards is something that I would be interested in doing when I get out into the teaching field.
In these first few weeks of class I also found out a lot about the standards and how they work. It is interesting to know that the South Dakota standards do not always line up with the national standards and the NCTM standards. I always thought that they were aligned after each other. I think that being apart of creating the standards is something that I would be interested in doing when I get out into the teaching field.
New Insights and their Implications
In the first couple weeks of math class I have learned some new techniques I can use in the future to teach math. We have discussed how it is important to build confidence in our students so they will believe in their own math skills. As teachers it is also very important to access their students’ prior knowledge and build on that.
I also have obtained a lot of new resources that I can use when I am writing lesson plans to include important information that I feel the students should know while aligning the activities to the state and national standards. One of the resources that I found particularly useful was on the state standards website, I was previously unaware of the assessment section as well as being able to access sample lesson plans that explicitly aligns with the standards. I am sure that I will be using these sections to give me ideas about lessons that I can teach as well as be able to focus on the sections that the students will be tested on when taking the standardized tests.
I also have obtained a lot of new resources that I can use when I am writing lesson plans to include important information that I feel the students should know while aligning the activities to the state and national standards. One of the resources that I found particularly useful was on the state standards website, I was previously unaware of the assessment section as well as being able to access sample lesson plans that explicitly aligns with the standards. I am sure that I will be using these sections to give me ideas about lessons that I can teach as well as be able to focus on the sections that the students will be tested on when taking the standardized tests.
New Insights and Their Implications
I have learned many new concepts about teaching standards, where they have come from, and how they can affect me as a future teacher. The new concepts that I have learned about teaching standards is that it is important to know and understand all of them before you can properly teach them or the content in them. I have learned that our state standards come from the teachers in South Dakota and that they do not always aligne to the national or NCTM standards. For me, this is an important topic because I think that it is much more important to aligne the state standards to the NCTM standards. These standards have more of a clear focus and cover the material that needs to be covered in more depth. Other concepts that I have learned about so far are how to teach in a different method such as helping the students get to the right answer and not just stating the answer that they need to pass a test. This method will help my future students learn the concepts in math and help to retain them longer then if they were handed the information.
New Insights and their Implications
Within these first couple weeks of math class, I have obtained much important information pertaining to the teaching of math. The first area that I have gained much insight into is the teaching methods of mathematics. I have always been used to "drill and practice". In other words, many of my elementary and high school memories of math class consisted of here's the formula, here's how you do it, and here is your assignment. However, as I have learned from reading chapter four and classroom discussion, this method is not benefiting our students. The graphs presented on the first day of class really helped me to gain an understanding for this information. It seemed as though we were doing everything wrong in relation to the countries that were showing success in the area of math. These statistics implicate that we need to go about teaching mathematics in a more beneficial way to our student I am slowly developing an understanding for the teaching methods being presented in this class both from the reading, and the group assignment we have just completed. I am eager to learn more.
The second area of study in which I have gained much insight into revolves around the state and national standards. When we first began talking about these standards I was somewhat overwhelmed. However, through class discussion I was able to develop an understanding for the reasoning behind involving the national standards into the math cirriculum, and the importance behind them. As we have learned, the state standards are somewhat broad, giving us no area to pinpoint our lessons. However, by referencing the national standards and the focal points, we are provided with more direction into what our students should be studying.
The second area of study in which I have gained much insight into revolves around the state and national standards. When we first began talking about these standards I was somewhat overwhelmed. However, through class discussion I was able to develop an understanding for the reasoning behind involving the national standards into the math cirriculum, and the importance behind them. As we have learned, the state standards are somewhat broad, giving us no area to pinpoint our lessons. However, by referencing the national standards and the focal points, we are provided with more direction into what our students should be studying.
New Insights and Their Implications
I have been learning a lot about state and national standards. In all the classes before this we have had to write lesson plans with standards, but these standards have never really been explained. I knew that they were to help teachers make sure they were on the right track with what they were teaching thier students. This is the first time where I have had to go through the standards and be able to understand what the standard want and what they mean. Also I have learned where to go online to find information about standards if I do not understand what they mean or to just make sure I am understanding them right. I also like working with my peers, when we are going over standards, because that helps me understand what we are suppose to do or get something that I missed.
New Insights and Their Implications
I would say the newest insight that I have received from this class is the knowledge on standards. I have learned about how the state standards are created, I have actually now seen the national standards I have never seen these before, I have learned of the importance of alignment with these standards in my future classroom, and I have learned how to better navigate around South Dakota State standards website.
First, learning about the process of reviewing the state standards and then every 5 years making changes to them was new knowledge for me. Second and third I will put together, sadly this is the first time I have actually seen the national mathematical standards. It was very interesting to me how they are very different than the State standards in wording and how the state standards have left some of the national standards out. By me now knowing how to get access to both standards, in my future classroom I will be able to better align my classroom curriculum. Not only meeting state standards but taking a look at the national standards and finding ways to better educate my children to a larger scale. Finally, I have been to the South Dakota State standards website many times, but I never knew of all the different things I could do there. Like accessing the blue print to the Dakota Step, and ways to unpack the standards to get a better understanding of what is expected.
Everything we have covered so far in this class I see as being something that is going to be very important to my career as a teacher. Even if we have been running out of time and not covering all the material Dr. Reins wants to. I am glad that we have gone into a lot of detail over most of this material, and not just brushing it leaving me with the sense of not gaining any knowledge.
First, learning about the process of reviewing the state standards and then every 5 years making changes to them was new knowledge for me. Second and third I will put together, sadly this is the first time I have actually seen the national mathematical standards. It was very interesting to me how they are very different than the State standards in wording and how the state standards have left some of the national standards out. By me now knowing how to get access to both standards, in my future classroom I will be able to better align my classroom curriculum. Not only meeting state standards but taking a look at the national standards and finding ways to better educate my children to a larger scale. Finally, I have been to the South Dakota State standards website many times, but I never knew of all the different things I could do there. Like accessing the blue print to the Dakota Step, and ways to unpack the standards to get a better understanding of what is expected.
Everything we have covered so far in this class I see as being something that is going to be very important to my career as a teacher. Even if we have been running out of time and not covering all the material Dr. Reins wants to. I am glad that we have gone into a lot of detail over most of this material, and not just brushing it leaving me with the sense of not gaining any knowledge.
New Insights and Implications
The insight I received from the lesson on standards, was that it has helped me to see that the task of aligning could be very complex, but it is matter of looking at the big picture and finding the focus of the standard. There are many resources out there to help you to align and understand the language, the purpose, or how it will be tested. When you utilize your resources it will only enhance your teaching and benefit your students. I also was able to see how the whole system of standards really works together and how it is tested within the schools.
When applying this to the classroom situation, teachers should always be reevaluating their teaching and activities for accountability purposes. Regardless of the situation, it is important to stay on top of your curriculum and evaluate it from every aspect and ask yourself how could I make it better even if it went smoothly. If you truly care about your students and their learning you should want to give them the absolute best learning experience; good instruction should align to the standards and prepare students for content on state and national tests.
When applying this to the classroom situation, teachers should always be reevaluating their teaching and activities for accountability purposes. Regardless of the situation, it is important to stay on top of your curriculum and evaluate it from every aspect and ask yourself how could I make it better even if it went smoothly. If you truly care about your students and their learning you should want to give them the absolute best learning experience; good instruction should align to the standards and prepare students for content on state and national tests.
New Insights and Their Implications
I have learned many things over the first couple of weeks of class. I first thing that I learned is that we need to start teaching math to our students in different ways. We cannot just give our students the answers and expect them to memorize everything. We have to allow our students to problem solve and find solutions on their own. By doing this, the students will better be able to retain the information that is being taught to them. It is good to have a student-centered classroom and allow the students to have hands on experience and be part of the discussion in class.
The next thing that I learned from the first couple weeks of class was how to read and interpret the South Dakota Standards. We have to align our lesson plans with the SD standards in every subject. That use to be the part I hated about writing lesson plans. I could never find a SD standard that matched my lesson well enough. It is good to know that there are the NCTM expectations and the focal points that are available to that you are better able to interpret the SD standards for the subject of math.
The next thing that I learned from the first couple weeks of class was how to read and interpret the South Dakota Standards. We have to align our lesson plans with the SD standards in every subject. That use to be the part I hated about writing lesson plans. I could never find a SD standard that matched my lesson well enough. It is good to know that there are the NCTM expectations and the focal points that are available to that you are better able to interpret the SD standards for the subject of math.
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