Personal Concerns & Thoughts

I feel much better about this class after I saw my first exam score. I did much better then I thought I would and I'm very proud of myself since I have been struggling a little in this class. Now I'm worried about the exam we just took, so I can't wait to see how I did. I look forward to the next part of this class and I also look forward to working on the LPU assignment with my group. I guess what I've learned through this class is to never give up and keep on trying.

synthesis

This last bit of class has been really interesting. I like that we are finally getting into the specific ways to teach more difficult concepts like multiplication and fractions. I'm not very good at articulating mathematical processes or explaining how they work so the strategies that we worked on in class were a little bit tricky for me to figure out but they really helped me to grasp how to explain the concept. CGI is also something that I really liked learning about. It makes so much sense for students to figure out and present their strategies to the class!

Concerns and Thoughts

This class was frustrating. However it feels like one of the few classes that I'm learning something that's relevant and useful. I was a little worried about the tests but we got to fill out and use the study guides. Even though this class was frustrating I couldn't really imagine it being any other way.

Personal Concerns and thoughts

I really do not have any concerns, I was worried about how I did on the first exam but after viewing the test I did better than I thought I had. I really enjoyed the CGI method and feel that I have a good grasp on that and that it will be a very useful method to use in the classroom.

Personal Concerns and thoughts

As you know, the students in the class and myself have learned math differently than we should teach our students. I think that this is going to be something that I struggle with as a teacher, because I am used to "here is the equation, now plug in the the correct numbers and get the answer." Now, we are learning to teach math, to actually have our students learn math instead of memorize an equation for the test, I think it's great, but I am very nervous for when I get out into the field and trying to 'actually' teach math.

Summary and Synthesis

From what we've discussed in class, the CGI model for instruction seems like it would be extremely beneficial to students' progression through learning. Allowing students to work with multiple strategies will help them decide which method will work best for them. In doing so, the students are able to choose the strategy which makes the most sense to them and helps them better understand the concept. Another important part of the CGI model is to give students opportunities to share their strategies with their peers. This allows students to learn from one another and to gain deeper understandings. These two aspects of the CGI model are very important in providing successful learning experiences for all students. Because this model for instruction is being practiced more often, I think it is very important that we were introduced to it. Hopefully, we will all be able to successfully implement this model into our future instruction as teachers.

Summary and Synthesis

Over the past few weeks of class I have really actually enjoyed this different type of learning that is being presented in this classroom. As I stated before in my first blog, I was slightly unsure of how this new way of teaching being done by Dr. Reins was going to go. Now after experiencing it first hand and realized just how much this has worked for me I have now rethought my teaching method for mathematics. By allowing students to struggle just the right amount with the information it allows them to feel a sense of accomplishment when they do finally figure out the answer. It makes it that much more worth the time and effort when you had to work at it rather than to just be given the formula and plug the numbers in. In addition to that, I have also enjoyed learning abou the CGI method and how that helps students as well. By giving the students a problem and allowing them to figure out the answer in their own unique way and then letting them share their answer with the class, it also helps students take pride in their learning and whent that happens it creates a much better learning atmosphere as a whole. In the end, I am definitely stepping out of the box and allowing my self to see a whole different side of teaching and am truly enjoying it.