Math LPU

Ali and I taught our LPU a few weeks ago and it was a very good experience. Ali and I prepared for a long time when putting this lesson together. We struggled with the overall concept and trying to figure out a way to teach it to the class. Once we figured out how to solve the problem using our method we were able to continue on with the actual lesson. Teaching in front of the class was completely different than we expected. Since we struggled with the concept as much as we did, we thought for sure that everyone else in the class would struggle but they did not. This made for teaching the lesson less diffcult than what we thought and had prepared for. If I were to teach the lesson again, I would make sure that I had many more challenging examples for the class.

Blog 3

Personal Concerns and Next Steps:

Teaching our LPU for the class was a huge eye opener. Brooke and I prepared for a long time to teach the lesson, practiced for multiple groups of people, and had a rough outline of what exactly we were going to do. However, standing in front of the class was a totally different story. Our presentation did not go exactly how we planned, but it was enough for us to understand exactly what reform based teaching is all about. Since I am not used to it, I felt awkward standing in front of the classroom waiting for my classmates to come up with solutions and answer my questions. It is definitely a different feel that takes lots of practice, experience, and time to master. I think more time to practice this type of teaching would be beneficial, but now I know what all goes into planning and preparing this type of lesson. I think I will practice designing curriculum using a majority of this type of teaching because it is obviously beneficial and in the long run, it saves a lot of time for students and leaves extra time to learn more and in depth material.

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Summary and Synthesis

Since the previous blog and even throughout this entire course, I believe that I have learned a lot of valuable information. I also feel that I will be able to take what I am learning to help me to be a better math educator. I feel that I have seen approaches that I would have never been aware of without this class. The day that sticks out the most to me is the day that we watched the videos on Cognitively Guided Instruction. I used to view math to be so constructed and there is only specific ways to solving a problem. I loved how each of the videos showed how the students came up with their own solutions to problems. By allowing for students to solve problems in their own way gives them the opportunity to open their minds and use their own steps in solving. I also like how they showed the way they got to their answers. Everything was very visual and hands on and it also can help other students who are struggling so that maybe they can see a way that another student did something and they too will understand in that way. After seeing and learning about CGI I know that I will definitely be using it in my classroom and I know now how much it allows for children to grow in the understanding of mathematics.

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I'm really glad that we're moving to talking about diverse learners, because like what was mentioned in class, our lesson plans have had "phony" modifications. We simply just make them up, and don't even know for sure whether it would actually work for a student in this situation. Even if we did find a modification for a child with a specific learning disability, it doesn't necessarily work for another child who might have the exact same disability. I'm really glad that between these two math classes we don't have to write a lot of lessons, we just develop a deeper understanding about how to do so. I really think that it is important to develop this way of thinking, because then we automatically start to think about these concepts on a deeper level.
I also think it's important to realize how we learn, visually, with manipulative, or whatever it may be, and also acknowledge all the other learning styles as well. This way, when we are formulating the concepts into lesson, and thinking about how we are teaching, we look at how everyone learns in the classroom, and not just a specific group.
When I reflect on this class, I realize how my thinking about mathematical concepts has changed, and I wonder why I never thought this way before. Why didn't my elementary teachers teach me this way? It makes more sense, and there is better understanding when kids learn this way. I really have a positive outlook on math, and if I were offered a job teaching math, I honestly would not hesitate to take it.

Summarize

I think that because the Elementary Classroom is becoming way more diverse than it has been in the past it is absolutely essential for Math teachers to use a method of teaching that will allow every single student the opportunity and support they need to learn math along with every other subject they are learning in school. I think that the content in this class, although at time frustrating, is worth learning and will be very beneficial in each of our future classrooms. I think that it is absolutely important that every single student feels like they can learn in their classroom. When students feel like they are given opportunities to learn and feel comfortable with the support they are given they will succeed not only in the classroom but also in other areas of their lives.

Summarize

It is very important to discuss the concept of teaching diverse learners because this population is increasing in our schools. Students are now being diagnosed more often than before with ADD, ADHD, etc. and these are the types of students that we will have to make modifications and implications in our lesson plans for so all students can be successful in the setting we provide. When i was in school i cannot recall any situations where my teachers made implications for other students in the classroom and i think that is why so many students were falling behind. If students are well trained on how to make implications to their lesson plans it will be beneficial for not only the students but the teachers as well. Personally, if i would of had teachers that would have meet my needs better i think i would have a better feeling about my education, in elementary school i was the girl that never wanted to go to school. It got so bad that my counselor had to come to my house and pick me up for school because i had no motivation to get up and go. I think if my teachers would have helped me more and would have made modifications, i could have understanded the material being taught and i wouldnt have had such negative feelings towards school. I know that as a teacher i will be accomodating to all students needs, it may be difficult but there are tools, professional development opportunities, and other teachers that can help you learn how to meet all students needs. Overall i enjoyed talking about this topic, i just wish we would get more opportunities to see students with problems/issues/ and struggles in the classroom so we would know how to implement all of the modifications we add to our lesson plans.

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Now that we are moving into the topic of Diverse Learners, I am starting to see how CGI is a tool for reaching all learners. Similar to the fact that some students do not benefit to an inclusive environment, some students will still not benefit from the CGI method. However, it is a great way to provide students with access to multiple ways of approaching a problem and the opportunity to get insight into the student's thinking process for solving the problem. When working with Diverse Learners it is important to remember that they shouldn't be regarded in any different way than other students in your classroom. All students deserve your respect and 100% of your effort towards helping them achieve academic goals. It is also important to note that you should be working towards helping students achieve the same goals as other students with accommodations, rather than giving them simplified goals or modifications.

Blog 2 Summarize

After working with reformed based mathematics for a couple of weeks i am starting to get the hang of it and i am starting to feel like i critically think about math more than i did before. Previously to some of these classes i knew math problems and some of the basic reasons why they work but for the most part i never really cared to take a deeper look and really ask why it works. Writing the formulas for area of different shapes was interesting because we were able to look at a shape, define its constant properties, and from those properties devise a formula to find its area. From this deeper understanding of the material i now know why the formula is the way it is. I had a teacher in high school do the same thing with the quadratic formula by starting with a generic problem it would be used for and taking it step by step to reach the formula itself. All of these steps can be used to deepen the students understanding of why the math is the way it is.

Blog #1 Insight/Implacation

In the first couple of weeks in this class i have already started to view math education in a different way. I think having students develop and struggle with the concepts they are learning before just giving them the formulas that go along with them is a great idea. Students will learn faster and retain more knowledge if they have a deeper understanding of the material they are covering than compared to being given the formulas and told to use them because they work. Even though i don't plan on teaching math this idea can be translated into any other subject that i can teach. As a good teacher i have to make sure the students make the material their own and fully understand it instead of just memorizing, regurgitating, and forgeting it.

Blog 2

Going into this class i definitely had my worries and issues with Math and teaching Math. I always thought that I am horrible at Math so how the heck am I going to teach Math. After being in this class for the past two months I have gained a better understanding of reformed based teaching so that I can teach more effectively and efficiently. I think that I am starting to understand what it means to actually teach math rather than just teaching operations and formulas. I think that I have a better understanding of some math concepts since being in this class. I like the fact that we break things down into smaller parts so that we can understand each part before we work on the whole. It makes me feel like I really understand the content rather than just getting lucky or plugging numbers into formulas. And by really understanding it I will be able to better teach it in my future classroom.