Questions and Answers

When comparing the United States to other countries in Math. I was wondering if the tests have the exact same questions. Are they questions asked in a way where the students need to think and discover the answer (as the way we are being taught in class) or are they well defined so the students know exactly what they teacher/test is asking of them? I think it would be fair to compare our progress with other countries if the questions were the same, but I'm more curious about wether or not it's how we were taught math or how we were taught to thought process.

As a kid, I remember having problem solving questions that I could go one way or another if this…or if that… but I never knew what the teacher would be grading me on, so I would spend my time trying to guess what the teacher wanted. Then time would be running down because I had spent all my time trying to think of different senerios. Finally, I would just have to guess on following questions because I ran out of time. Which leads to another question: If the tests are going to be timed and determine someones math ability, shouldn't the questions be well-defined? I personally like problem solving questions and could sometimes spend forever trying to figure out different possible answers, so I think it would be nice if tests questions were either ill-defined and have no time limit or well-defined if there is a time limit.

My Thoughts on Math

I have always loved math.  It has been my favorite subject since middle school, where I had a great math teacher who actually challenged us in math.  She taught us how to think on our own and come up with our own way of coming to a solution.  My freshman and sophomore year in high school our teachers were very procedural based which did frustrate me because I like things to make sense why I am doing it rather than just do what they are telling me to do.  Then my junior and senior year I had another great teacher who also challenged us to think on our own and it that it is okay to go outside of the box.  My only problem with math is I know how to do it in my head, but when I try to explain it to others I don't think it makes sense to them.  This class, however, is teaching easier ways to put what I am thinking into words for others to understand.  It was crazy that I have actually seen that this class has allowed me to express myself in math after only being in it for a short time.  The students in the youth group I help out with know that I love math, so they often ask for help; last week I was helping a girl with some advanced math and she was so confused.  Before I would just give them the answer because I didn't know how to explain it to them, but this time we actually had a discussion about it and it was like a light bulb went off in her head.  So it was encouraging to see, and I am looking forward to see how much more this class with help me stretch and grow in teaching.
April Buse

A new way of teaching math

Math has never been my strong point, however, this class has shown me a new outlook on teaching math. I have found that I have to focus and pay close attention at every single class period, however, I feel that I am feeling more comfortable about teaching math than I was at the beginning of the semester. I like the idea of teaching towards the common core standards; I feel that this will be very helpful for the students as well as us (the teachers!)
Miranda Chapman

Class Reflection

This class has been nothing if not interesting for me. I do not have a day where I do not worry about going to class, nor a day where I leave feeling accomplished and confident about what I was presented. I have been pushed harder and challenged further in this class than any other class I have taken during my time here at USD and most surely have a better appreciation for the frustration I know my future students will be feeling when I am teaching them in the future. Also, I have never been introduced to the idea of the common core standards before this class, and found it extremely interesting as tool to take with me in my future as a teacher. However the most important thing that I will take from this class is all the various materials we were introduced to in regards to better teaching math with manipulatives. This was not a way that I was traditionally taught math, and therefore was an extremely new concept to me that I will most definitely be using with my students in the future.

New Insights

Watching all the LPUs in class has been very interesting for me to say the least. I was extremely nervous about my own groups LPU before watching the previous groups present, however, now I am feeling much more confident in my group and our ability to teach our chosen subject. I was extremely unsettled about this class in general and even more leery about the LPU's before I was able to watch the others perform theirs and in turn feel more comfortable about my teaching of math in general.

Class Summary

Over the course of this class I have learned new methods and ways of teaching math, but more importantly the process of how to come up with the answers. The LPU's have really given me insight to new ways to help teach students, such as the use of manipulatives. The information learned throughout this course will help me as I teach math in the future because I will be able to share with the students the reasons for solving problems the ways we do.

Summary of the Class

Now that the semester is winding down, I thought a summary of the class would be appropriate. We have covered a lot of ground thus far. I can say my mathematical foundation has definitely become more solid. I have been challenged in ways that did at times make me feel uncomfortable only because I had never been exposed to learning/teaching in such a manner. I now appreciate the course and the ways the content was presented to me. (I only wish all my methods courses reached this level of depth).

New Insights and Their Implications

Watching my peers present their LPUs in class has been really helpful for my mathematical understanding. Each lesson provides a variety of different methods to teach a single concept. By observing these lessons I am gaining new insight of a concept; in addition, I am now better able to teach the concept. I realize not all of my students are going to learn the same way. Therefore, by knowing how to teach one concept multiple ways, I am preparing myself to better teach my students. I look forward to the rest of the lessons to come!

Summary and Synthesis

(I emailed this one too you in October and I am not posting it on the blog)

This course has also opened my eyes to a new light of math. After watching the first group present on Thursday, I can honestly say I am excited to see what the rest of the classes presentations are about. Although I felt uncomfortable in the beginning of the course, I am now becoming more confident in math than I have ever been. I can't believe it has taken 16 years of schooling before someone has opened my eyes to the processes behind math. My appreciation for math is definitely renewed.

Place Value

I thought the LPU for teaching place value was a fun and new way of learning place value. Though to be honest, I was very confused at what we were learning to teach our students in place value. I am confused on why we need to teach students the base 3 and base 5 values if we only really use base 10 to teach math problems. Maybe I am just confused on part of the lesson and don't remember being taught any of base 3 and base 5 in my elementary school days. However, I thought the using the manipulatives in the game was a fun way to understand addition and subtraction. It is a great visual and hands-on way to really show your students how to "steal" in subtraction and not "borrowing." I also think it is a better term to use "steal" instead of "borrow" so that students understand that the number column is not getting anything back. I also really liked getting to see using the unit blocks in one of the previous lessons for addition and subtraction. These are some learning manipulatives I would like to use in my future classroom to help explain math as it is very confusing for some students.

CGI LPU

I feel that presenting the LPU was a great learning experience. It is a great way to practice teaching new topics as well as to learn how to be a better teacher. I really liked engaging our "students" with including their names in our catchy poems. It was fun integrating language arts with the poems into our lesson. I believe this teaches students another fun way to play around with math problems. I wish we would have spent more time explaining the definitions of the different CGI problems to help everyone understand them better because I felt our lesson would be a better review lesson for CGI instead of the first time working with it. Also, this brings up the point that not everyone reads the homework readings to understand the just of the CGI lesson and as a teacher, you should be prepared for that.

Summary of the class

This class has been a whirlwind for me. It has been filled with determination, frustration, and success. It has challenged me to think outside the realm of what I have been taught and pushed me to be a better learner than I felt I have been in the past. In past classes, we have been taught materials based on the State Standards. I have never been told about the Common Core Standards until this class. The idea of the Common Core and the information I have learned about altering math instruction to fit those standards is something I will take with me into the classroom. If I had to pick, I would say that those standards are the most important aspects of this class that I will take with me. That doesn't mean there wasn't other aspects that will help me as well. The idea of working in groups is something that I have always preferred in a classroom, and this class has reinforced that idea. Using manipulatives is an idea that can help students understand in-depth concepts but I have also learned that it is important to create a "bridge" between the concrete work and the symbolic work (worksheets). Traditionally, I have been taught math based on worksheets and flashcards. This class has opened my eyes to the possibilities of better strategies and the need to step up the education that I want to give my students.

Summary of the Class

The major insights that I've gained from this class are: a glimpse at common core standards to promote understand for what is to come in the future, a deeper understanding of basic mathematical skills such as finding mean, exploring area, and rediscovering scale factors as well as gaining knowledge of algorithms and teaching through manipulatives.

Overall, I'm happy with my progress in mathematics as well as the grade I believe I've earned. To be honest I was worried about the test, being that it was very comprehensive and covered more material than I found manageable. I was happy to be able to use the internet as well as my notes. This was one of the more challenging classes I've taken this year, but I did learn a lot of new methods.

Summary of the class

I found this class very informational, but confusing and even frustrating at times. The material covered was interesting and was a great refresher of processes that I learned in elementary and junior high. The biggest issue I had with the class was only having one test. There were 120 pages of notes to go over and 32 questions on the exam. I didn't think that the knowledge I learned was well represented in the test. I am happy that you are trying to prepare us for the future, but it was really confusing.

Summary of the class

When I first came into this class I thought it would just be like every other methods class and I will not learn a thing. So I started the class by not really caring what was going on. The fact that this class challenged all of us I think took us all back a little bit too. We aren't use to being challenged and not understanding so much information like for this class. I have no realized how important this information really is when it comes time for me to teach. I wish I would have payed better attention in class so that I could be more familiar with these concepts and then be able to teach them to my students. I feel like these are important aspects to teach to students and very important ones too.

New Insights and their Implications

Looking back upon this course, I really feel that I have grown and progressed as an educator of mathematics. At the beginning of this course, I felt rather overwhelmed. I agreed with new reform based mathematical teaching, but felt like I would never be able to teach in this manner. I didn’t feel like my prior educational experiences had equipped me well enough to become a high-quality math teacher. Because I cannot change what has already been, so I decided to keep an open mind and a positive attitude about figuring “all this stuff” out. I have such a passion for helping students learn and be successful. As an educator, I want to provide my students with the best possible education that I am capable of providing. Students deserve nothing less than high quality, challenging educations, and it is my job as an educator to provide just that. I truly believe that as challenging and frustrating at times this course has been, I believe that I will become a better educator because of it. This course has really helped me see the importance of helping students develop problem solving and reasoning skills. I have learned how critical it is to develop cohesion for students so that they can continue to build, develop, and refine their knowledge about mathematics. When ideas are isolated and memorized, students can’t find purpose of meaning, but cohesion can help students continue to explore, build, and refine. Although I feel that I still need lots of practice with reform mathematics, I truly believe that from this course I have gained the tools to become an effective educator.

ELED 330 Test

We just recently took the ELED 330 portion test in this class. I can honestly say that I studied much harder for this tests than previous tests I have taken, but I could not become comfortable with the material. Even knowing that it was an open book/open notes/open internet test, I was still very nervous. Being that I am an individual that has severe test anxiety, I felt as though many of my "wrong" answers were silly mistakes that I knew exactly what I did wrong once I had the test back in front of me. Even though this test made me very frustrated with this class and my overall grade, I can appreciate why we as future teachers need to take this kind of test to understand the frustration that our future students will be feeling when they are being tested over the same material, and now I can better help my future students avoid feeling the way about the material that I am currently feeling.

Eled 330

Throughout this course, my thoughts about math have gone up and down. At the beginning of this course,  I didn't like the methods Dr. Reins used and I didn't feel as though I was learning anything. As the semester progressed, I was able to see a different side to those methods and I started to like the course more. This course all came down to one thing, "the test" To a lot of us, it was the hardest and most time consuming test that we have ever taken. I walked away from that test having no idea how I did but I hoped for the best. Am I satisfied with how I did, no completely. I hoped for an A but I'll settle for a B. This test challenged us in many ways that we have not been accustomed to. We are used to answering pretty basic questions that require no critical thinking or showing of the process we used to get to that answer. After taking the test, I realize the importance of this course. I realize that as future math teachers, we need to understand the processes that are required in order to effectively teach a certain concept in math. We must know how to explain this process and also be able to teach it so that if children are ever tested like we just were, they will be able to fully accomplish a task that we couldnt. I understand the methods of this course, and are they the most comfortable? no, but if this is what the math world is coming down to, we must accommodate and learn to like it. This course has definitely taught me many different strategies and methods to put forth in math and I can now feel accomplished for all the hard wor put towards this course.

ELED 330 Test

The recent test we took was at the higher level of thinking. I studied quite a bit for the test yet I did not feel 100% comfortable with the material. When the test was in front of me I seemed to struggle to come up with the answers. The part that was the worst for me was time. I felt very rushed even after staying fifteen minutes late before I turned in my test because I had to get to my other class. Even after turning the test in, I had no idea how well I did on it. This test did make me feel like a fifth grader who was getting overwhelmed while taking a hard test. As a teacher, we need to make sure the students are well prepared for exams by giving them study strategies as well as ways to use the resources that are available.

Test

Throughout this class I learned how to teach mathematics differently. When studying for the test, I went over the entire study guide and filled it out. I also looked over my notes and tried to work out problems. Since I was gone for a week it was harder for me to figure out how to work out what I missed. Going to the review session was helpful. Going into the test I wasn’t a 100% comfortable with all of the material, but I didn’t know how else I could study. After taking the test, I was exhausted. I haven’t taken a test that made me think that hard before. It felt like I was taking the ACT again. Overall though this course, has helped me develop a better understanding of teaching mathematics.

Summary and Synthesis

In the last few class periods, we had groups of students teach us. I have never really learned from other students teaching, but these last few times I have learned and understood the concept. Also I feel like I understand these topics better than I have in the past. When peers teach each other, I feel like they are able to get on our level to help us understand.

Blog 4

After taking the test I felt like I had been deflated and I remember you said that this is what a student feels like after taking a standardized test and I completely agree with that statement. I want to be sure to help my students as much as possible so as not to feel this way after taking an exam.

New Insights and Their Implication

The double number line was a very interesting subject to learn about. It made sense to use it for something like shopping for the "best deal".

New Insights and Their Implication

CGI addition and subtraction was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be and I learned that I don't necessarily need to be scared of something I don't know about yet. I didn't want to get the CGI LPU because I had no idea what it was but it turns out it was relatively easy material.

Summary and Sythesis

After taking the exam I felt like I did the best I could. I had applied everything that I remember from lectures and interpreted it to the best ability I could. Some parts of this exam was challenging that definitely had me thinking hard. Then seeing the results of that exam hit me in a different place. Thinking that "wow" I felt completely different opposed to how I did when I finished the exam. I thought that I have done better than what I have received but that could have been true if I would have prepared better. I am still happy with the result because it could have been worse but I also believe that it is quite hard to study for math besides just memorizing equations. I also have a better view on the course and how it is taught. There is quite a bit of logic behind it all.

Eled 330-blog 2

Taking this class has been very frustrating at times and not so pleasant but I feel that I have learned a lot in such a short amount of time. Sometimes it is overwhelming, but I have remained confident and optimistic. The class has given me the opportunity to expand my thinking no matter how much or how little I already know we can always learn more. I think that the LPU's have been beneficial for me because it allows me to be engaged with others and gather information together with different input. I also feel that the presentations have been helpful for me because not only do I get the chance to present, but I get the chance to observe. I feel that this is important as a future teacher to take what I have learned and some how incoorperate into to my classroom.

#3

I thought that the test was at the higher level of thinking. I wasn't sure for the most part of the test if I was completely sure of my answers. I didn't like the feeling of not knowing a for sure answer on some of the questions. I am generally a student that feels confident when taking a test, however I didn't feel very confident when taking this test. I felt like I studied, but wasn't sure at times what I was really studying. I thought that the multiple choice were not at all hard in any way, but the other parts of the test were at times confusing for me and I wasn't real sure on what was expected of an answer. More times than not though I thought I was doing fine, but the reflection of my grade showed that I was more unsure than originally thought. As a teacher it is important that we make sure that our students are making connections with what they are being taught and as a teacher I plan to use plenty of strategies to help ensure that my students have all and any resources available for them to use.

ELED 330

After taking the exam, I feel that I have grown during this class. When the class first started, I felt as though the information was very abstract and difficult for me to understand. I did not think I would ever make sense of the way that Dr.Reins taught us. As the class progressed, I changed my state of mind and began thinking in a different way as the student. I also feel that through the LPU's I have learned a great amount on how to teach students in a way that is inquiry based and project based. This is definitely a class where I have learned from my peers. Before the test, I spent time with classmates going through the study guide and studying problems and concepts taught in the class. Although a lot of topics did not make sense to me at first during class, reviewing them with others and hearing my peers talk about these concepts really helps me to make connections I need to make. The exam we took last week was by far the hardest exam I have ever taken in the Ed School. I realized that by studying hard and conversing with peers about the content it was possible to succeed and grow. I cannot say that I have felt this way in any other class in the Ed School. Overall, I do not feel that I am super confident in my knowledge with how this class is taught, but i can say i have grown as a student through the challenges this class has to offer.

Summary and Synthesis

All I could say when I finished taking the test was "wow."  The test was very challenging and required a great amount of deep thinking and sense-making.  I felt like I was prepared to take the exam because I went over the study guide countless times and read the chapters/readings that were assigned to us.  But after taking the test I realized that the study guide wasn't going to help me on the test because it was all about the connections and sense-making.  This was very different from every other exam and I believe that was a reason why I thought it was more difficult.  This test, however, taught me so much from simply going over the exam in class.  When I saw my mistakes, I could go over the thought process I took to find the answer and compare it to the thought process I should have taken.  This helped me because I can use the information I gained to become a better test taker and teacher.  As a teacher, I must require my students to use deeper thinking to develop a deeper understanding of the material.  I must also be able to show my students the connections that need to be occur in order to develop the deeper understanding.

Eled 330 Test

I thought the test was very challenging.  I remembered learning and at least seeing all of the information that was on the test, but it definitely challenged me in my higher order thinking.  In class today (Nov. 8) you mentioned a comment that this is exactly how a 5th grader would feel during a standardized test on material that was challenging to them.  This really impacted me.  It made me think back to when I struggled with math and how I brought that same math anxiety into this class.  I hope that I continue to remember this feeling when I become a teacher so that I can prevent any student from feeling this way.