Personal Concerns and Next Steps

Throughout this course, I have learned a lot about different ways to teach. I have also learned a lot about myself and how I learn. Allowing students to explore a problem and find their own solutions is what we have learned about. We have learned not to just show them how to do it. I am still not completely comfortable with teaching this way. My teachers always just gave us the solutions and stepped us through solving different problems. This is the way that I am familiar with. It will take some time to feel comfortable with teaching the way we have been learning about. Researching and practicing this method that is new to me are two things that I plan to do to help me with my concerns. Continuing to use this new method will help me with teaching. I know that I will not be comfortable with using it when I first start off teaching. I hope that I do not turn back to the traditional way and the way I was taught when I start teaching. It is important to understand the material you teach and that you know how to teach it to every student. Taking the approach to teaching that we are learning about will be difficult. However, after time I hope that I will be able to use this approach. It is difficult for me to learn how to do a math problem in a way that I am not used to. I am used to solving math problems in the way I was taught. To help with this problem, I will continue to try and practice this new style of teaching.

Personal Concerns and Next Steps

Now that we have about a month left in this class, I am beginning to feel worried that I am not completely ready to teach math in the ways we have been learning about. It is very scary to think that at this time next year, I very well could have my own classroom and group of students to teach math to. I am concerned that I might try to teach my students in the "wrong" way. I also am concerned that I may try so hard to teach in this "new" way, that I may not realize what types of instruction my students really need. I want to teach in this new way; I know my students would really benefit from it, but the thought of teaching something wrong is a huge concern for me. I am also concerned about what parents will think. Obviously my future students will go home and tell their parents about their day and I am just worried that one day I will go check my email and I will have several emails from angry parents asking me why I am not teaching their children the way we used to be taught. I am not teaching to impress parents, but unfortunately, dealing with parents who don't believe in the way I am teaching would be very difficult I imagine!
I feel the best steps I can now take are to continue to learn as much as possible about teaching math in effective ways. Just because the class is over does not mean that I know absolutely everything I need to know about teaching math! I will need to continue to learn as much as possible. Becoming prepared will also help me to deal with parents, too. There are many resources available for me to learn more about teaching math and it will be extremely important that I use those resources to help me become a better teacher. I need to realize that my teaching will never be perfect, but the more I learn about teaching, the better my teaching will be.

Concerns and the next step

Having been taught math concepts for 16ish years the traditional way with examples, homework, corrections, and tests it is concerning to me that I am suppose to stop, drop, and roll into a new way of teaching. I have become so wrapped up in trying to figure out what we are suppose to be doing and how to teach it the way our professor wants it to be taught. I look at the concepts presented to us and say I was taught this concept this way so I do not see why it is a terrible way to teach it. I see where our professor is coming from with the concept based learning and wanting students to see the true meaning behind certain parts of math. Do not get me wrong I have had an open mind these past weeks about trying to understand and learn how to teach in the concept based mind but it is so difficult to change in only a matter of weeks. I am staying optimistic in that I can continue to broaden my outlook on certain mathematical ways of thinking and teaching. I have learned many new ideas from this course.

Summary and Synthesis

This past week in ELED 330 we have been discussing CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction). From what I know about this program so far, I think it sounds extremely effective. It is a way for teachers to understand students mathematical thinking. This program is used for grades K-6. CGI allows all students to be actively involved in problem solving. Students are able to solve open-ended questions using their own method (student generated solution strategies). Furthermore, students are given the opportunity to explain their mathematical thinking. One reason this program is so effective is because students are always given enough time to give a thoughtful answer. I definitely think more schools should use this program. Students do have the knowledge to find their own way. A student-centered program, like CGI changes the way students think about mathematics for the better.

Summary & Synthesis

For the past few weeks in math methods we have been discussing the CGI approach (Cognitively Guided Instruction). It is similiar to the reformed based math, in which new teachers are encouraged to use in their classrooms, however, several teachers dont use this beneficial approach. We learned that some of the assumptions of CGI are that students' use multiple "roads" of learning to find their solutions and that most of their solutions are developed by means of their own approaches. When using the CGI approach, the instructor acts as more of a facilitator, rather than an instructor who shares strategies and ideas with the students'. Key components of the CGI program are that students' share the different approaches in which they use with their peers and that students' are given plenty of time to thoughtfully think through and solve their problem. It is extremely important that instructors give students' that "wait time", because a lot of students hesitate to state their problem solving strategy. I feel that CGI is an approach I want to use in my future classroom and will without a doubt benefit from. Teachers need to stray away from the traditional style of teaching and allow students to "think" for themselves. By using the traditional style of teaching teachers' are depriving students of their own learning and creating learned helplessness. I am looking forward to implementing this approach (CGI) into my future classroom.

Summary and Synthesis

Over the last couple of months, I have learned some important teaching strategies for teaching math. This way of teaching, was not the way I was taught growing up. I am very scared about this new teaching strategy. I hate math, and I am concerned that my attitude will rub off on my students. In learning this new strategy, it’s scary, because of what I was used to, now I have to change the way I learned, so I can teach my students. In this class, I have really been challenged to understand the material. Over the last couple months, I have gotten frustrated with the assignments and readings because it’s forcing me to think about math in a completely different way. This class is a struggle for me, but each day I am learning little by little. Hopefully this new way will have a positive impact on my future teaching of mathematics.

Synthesis

We have been learning about the Cognitive Guided Instruction (CGI). The key components of CGI, observed from two in class videos, happened to be that students are using their own methods to arrive at a solution, the students are explaining step-by-step their methods, the questions are open ended, and the students are capable of higher level thinking when solving the problems. The assumptions that go along with this teaching style are that the students are capable of explaining themselves clearly, there are multiple approaches to solving a problem, and that students have the knowledge to find their own methods for solving a problem.

We have learned about addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using this teaching style. The addition and subtraction are placed together are given different categories. There is join, separate, part-part-whole, and comparison for the main categories of the types of problems. Join problems are generally addition problems, and separate problems are generally subtraction problems. Compare can be subtraction or addition, but are saying that "y" has more of "n" than "x". Part-part-whole problems are usually involving a problem that seems it could be a fraction or ratio. There are three different subcategories for each problem and are the same for three of the four categories. The three subcategories are result unknown, change unknown, and start unknown. Part-part-whole has two subcategories, those being part unknown and whole unknown.

For the multiplication and division portion of CGI, There are four categories of the type of problem and then three categories for the problem. The three categories for the problem are multiplication, measurement division, and partitive division. The first category obviously deals with multiplying, and the last two obviously deal with division. Multiplication deals with the missing total for the problem, measurement division deals with one missing group within the problem, and partitive division deals with missing objects in a group. The four problem types are grouping/partitioning, rate, price, and multiplicative comparison. Grouping/partitioning is dealing with students placing items into a group and figuring out the answer from grouping. Rate deals with time and distance, normally miles per hour. Price is dealing with the unit price or price per pound/gallon. Multiplicative comparison is saying that something is some many times taller, longer, wider, etc. than another like object/person.

I like how easy this teaching style seems to be for students, and we are asking students to do something most are naturally able to do, such as grouping objects together or using drawings to figure out the answer to a problem.

Personal Concerns and Next Steps

While going through this course, I have learned a lot about the way that I learn in the area of math. Math has always come very easy to me and I have always taken a liking to it. However, after experiencing this course I have found that I do not enjoy math as much as I used to. I think that I don’t enjoy math as much anymore because I am so confused on how I will someday teach my students. I know that what we are learning in class on how to teach math will help students to really grasp the concepts that they are taught, but I struggle with the fact that sometimes it takes me awhile before I understand what is going on in the class. At times I never really figure out how to do what we are learning until we have moved onto a new concept, and it is then that I finally understand what we were supposed to take from that new “idea.” I think the reason that I am struggling so much in this class with understanding what is going on, is because I have never been taught this way. I was taught the traditional way of using worksheets to figure out how to solve problems; I never really got a whole lot of interaction with manipulatives. I fully intend to someday teach as the way that we were taught in Eled 330 and Eled 432, but as already mentioned, I will have to do a lot of practice working with different models and thinking of different activities before I am able to teach the way Dr. Reins teaches. I am a little concerned that I will become frustrated with learning/teaching my students deeper level thinking process and turn back to the “traditional” way of teaching.

Blog #3- CGI

The last couple class meetings we have centered our learning and focus on the CGI method of teaching. Alot of the aspects of this teaching model we have have been incorporating into Math Methods, but it was interesting to learn about CGI and compare it to project based learning methods.
Cognitively Guided Instruction is student centered with limited teacher interaction. In order for CGI to work students need to have prior knowledge of the topic at hand and they need to be able to develop their own models and strategies to solve various problems. Some key elements that i feel are important to CGI are: recognizing multiple approaches to solving a particular problem, allowing students to show the entire class how they arrived at their answer and owning the work that they have done, and the problems and questions need to be open-ended. These elements and assumptions are important if teachers want to get the most out of CGI.
I plan on using CGI as much as possible. It is a great way to get students proud of their work and claim their findings. I think it is an important tool to use especially with younger students. We could use this tool to shape and form their way of thinking early on.

Blog #3

Throughout this course we have been studying many different ways to teach students about math, but the newest method is by Cognitively Guided Instruction or CGI. Through listening to two different LPU's on CGI, I have to admit that I am taking a liking to this method. I really like the fact that teachers are present various questions to students, and allowing students to find their own answers by using their own unique way. Students are able to pull from their background knowledge and previous experiences to find the answers on their own. When thinking about the CGI model, two questions form into my thoughts. First, how can I use the CGI model as a special educator. And with this question I believe that I can answer that myself. It's easy. Students of all varieties have previous experiences that can help them in their own way. The key, is being able to pull from those experiences that will actually apply to the task at hand. The problem for students with disabilities, is their ability to know how to take from their previous experiences. That is my job as a special educator to help those students work with what they already know, and then help them to manipulate what they know to find the answer, or maybe help them use an easier strategy. Then, that brings me to my second question. How do we help students using the CGI model when they don't get to the right answer. This was brought up during the video that we watched during class. In one of the clips, a little boy did not get the wrong answer when he used his method to solve the problem. The teacher then referred to another student who used a similar method, but got to the correct answer. I realize that it is not always important for students to know whether their answer was right or wrong and that sometimes it's more about the process. But, when students are using their own methods, and still not getting to the right answer, how do we teach students to use a better method, or what do we do to help those students who are struggling?

Personal Concerns

I will admit that I am a little worried about this new approach towards teaching. I have always been taught with a traditional approach, so I am worried that I will not be able to implement this new approach effectively. I think that with more time and practice, I will become more comfortable with this appraoch, but as of right now, I am not comfortable with it. Throughout this course and watching my fellow classmates presented their LPUs, I have learned various approaches and strategies that I will most definately use within my classroom. However, there are still some approaches that I do not understand. Therefore, if I plan to use these approaches, I know that I will need to do more research and practice these new methods before I could use them in the classroom. It is important that as a teacher you are comfortable with what you are teaching. If I do not feel comfortable with what I am teaching, students will be able to notice that and it might worry them and turn them away from math. I think the best approach towards this new way of teaching is to implement it a little bit at a time while still teaching in a more traditional approach...just until students become more comfortable.

Personal Concerns and Next Steps

This class has been great in showing me a new style of teaching that I have never seen before. I do have some concerns with it though.  The Project Based Learning is very new to me so I am not completely comfortable with it quite yet.  My concern is that there is only a month and a half left in the semester and I don't know if I will feel comfortable enough to use this type of teaching in my classroom when I am student teaching.  One way that I am going to try and solve this is look at the book that is provided for the class.  My group has been preparing to present our lesson next week and when we have been preparing, it has made me realize that the book has a lot of great activities to use for all grade levels.  Another concern that I have is that I do not really love this style of teaching.  I have always been a "math person".  After taking this course, it has made me look at the subject area in a different way.  The way that I am going to try and solve this concern is to be open-minded. I know that every student is not like me and does not like the "old way" of doing math.  The "new way" of math may work for some students and teachers need to accomodate for every student that is in their classroom.

project based learning

I'm starting to get a better grasp on project-based learning. Now that we have taken the midterm and have seen a few more groups present, I'm starting to get used to the way this class is set up. I'm starting to appreciate the way we are learning the material, but it's still hard to bring down my level of thinking so I can see if from a child's perspective and that is something I definitely need to work on. However, I think this will be easier when I'm in a classroom and have my student's experience to base my instruction on. I can try to come up with different ways to do a problem and come up with ways that children would look at this problem but it's harder when you don't have an actual classroom to work with. Of course there are our peers but our college peers don't interact and don't do math like elementary children would. I've never had experience in an elementary math classroom, but those videos we watched today about CGI were helpful and fun to watch. I'm gaining an appreciation for math as this class is progressing, and I'm getting more out of this class than I have from others.

Blog 2

Though I am still struggling with the Project Based Learning in math, I also understand why it is so important that we allow our students to come up with their own conclusions as to why things are the way they are within the rules of mathematics.  Had I been taught this way, I probably would not have such an overwhelming fear of math as a subject.  Every time I attend this class, I am left wondering, 'Why has this method of teaching come around sooner?'  Though it is out of my comfort zone, being forced to look at the reasoning behind the rules and processes of mathematics has given me a deeper understanding of why math works the way it does.  I am slowly beginning to understand why it is important to move out of the comfort zone of worksheets and easy, fast teaching into a method of teaching math that will allow the students to not only perform the tasks, but really understand them. 

Summary and Synthesis

As the semester goes on we are continuning to learn problem-solving based learning. It has been very helpful to learn the different strategies Dr. Reins models to aid in our learning to teach math this way in the future. I also think it has been helpful to learn from the different student presentations we have had so far. It is beneficial for us to see how our peers are teaching this way of math as well. Although it seems frustrating at times, its important we learn this reform based math instruction so it will benefit our students in the future.

Blog #2

From my first post until now, much has changed. I am still strugging with the PBL method of teaching and how to learn from them. I feel that much of the freedom we are given leaves me feeling unguided in assignments and expectations. I feel that I would benefit greatly if were given more detail or guidance with our homework. I know that this is something that is proven to be alot more beneficial in teaching math, I am not sure that I will be ready to teach math in this way by next fall. I agree with all of the concerns that Molly addressed, and am wondering if there are any other resources for teaching PBL in math. It would be great to have more information on this since graduation is coming up very soon!

New Insights and Their Implications

I have learned so much in this class so far and I will definitely use this tips I have learned in the future. The groups that have presented gave great ideas for teaching math. For example, the LPU with the fractions was fun to listen to. It was fun to see different ways on how to teach fractions. Dot paper, pattern blocks, fraction bars, and rods can all be used to teach the same thing. I like the idea of using different techniques for one subject since every student learns differently. Also, the approach of project-based learning has been a good experience. I think students get more from the lesson if they aren't just handed the formulas and answers, and if they actually do the work of the process. By participating in project-based learning, I feel like I am becoming a better-informed teacher. If I actually participate in activities students will be doing, I get more of an idea of what it is like to teach it.

I have learned so much so far and have gained so much insight and I cannot wait to put it to use in the future!

LPU

So far in class these groups have presented their lesson plan for understanding, my group happened to be one of them. Our lesson focused on area formulas. When we first chose this topic we thought it would be a fairly easy lesson to create, but after we met with Dr. Reins our opinions quickly changed.
We could not figure out how to teach a lesson that would have our students coming up with the are formula themselves. We met several times and felt frustrated because letting students explore and find things on their own is a hard thing to do. In junior high we were taught formulas by copying them off the board and then taught which numbers get plugged where, so naturally we felt scared.
After another meeting with Dr. Reins we felt comfortable with our lesson, but were still unsure if our classmates would understand what we were asking them to do. The day of our presentation things went smoothly and we did just fine, but without our planning and preparation it would not have went as smoothly.
All in all I enjoyed our lesson. It was a great way to practice project based learning. I now know I am capable of teaching the "new" way and look forward to actually implementing it into my classroom some day.

Personal Concerns

I don't have too many concerns but there are a few. I'm nervous of teaching mathematics the 'new way' since the 'old way' is what I am comfortable with; it is also how I was taught and how I know the information that I do. I understand the importance of teaching students how to come up with strategies on their own and why it's important to let students explore mathematics so that they thoroughly understand the concepts. However, I'm not sure that switching to this new way is going to be easy and can be accomplished by the time I will be teaching. What are some ways that I can 'switch over' to the new way of teaching mathematics at a fast enough pace so that I can start right away when I have my own classroom? How can I teach my future students this new method when I myself, am not real comfortable with it?

Recently In Class

Recently in class we've been talking about fractions; addition, subtraction and a little bit about multiplying fractions. I found the last lesson that was taught in class to be rather interesting. A new concept of teaching fractions was brought about and I thought, "why didn't anyone show me that before?!"
The fraction table method that they showed us we new information for me and I was really impressed with it. It is defiantly something I would teach to my students. Not only does it show you the break down of the fraction and give you the least common multiple, but it also works other math skills like multiplication tables. I didn't expect to learn anything new with the lesson and I was pleasantly surprised when i did.

The house project we've been working in recently however hasn't been so plesent. My group was assigned the task of figuring out the area of the roof to figure out how many shingles would be needed. It took us quite awhile to figure out where to start and even longer to get a good idea of what the roof actually looked like. I'll admit i'm still struggling with this class and i'm worried about the midterm but I have to trust that there is a light at the end of the tunnel i'll eventually see.

Personal Concerns

After having been in class for a while, I have the concern of not liking this way of teaching. I understand the concept of it, and how it will be beneficial to students. But I think about how I was taught and how well I excelled in Math because of the way I was taught. I love Math and I will say that what I haven't had to use, I've lost, but I just don't know if I had been taught a different way, would the outcome have been the same. Would my love for Math still be there if I was taught the way we are talking about? In order to move forward with this, I am going to have to think through my past Math classes and how I could incorporate reform based teaching into it, so that the students who will learn from traditional teachings can learn right along with those that will learn better from reform based. This means extra thinking time for me, and in class I will need to focus on how I can use what I am learning in a different way.

New Insights

K-8 Math Methods is so much different from any other methods and/or math class I’ve ever taken. The approach is much different, which I appreciate. This class has showed me that I have a chance at being a decent math teacher—granted, it’s a very small chance, but a chance nonetheless. I have learned a lot from Dr. Reins, but I’ve learned even more from my fellow classmates. The LPU presentations have been very interesting, fact filled and entertaining, but I’ve picked up a lot more knowledge from our “talk time” in class. I am seated around a handful of great gals (and occasionally Adam and/or Kyle), we’re all very comfortable with each other and explaining ourselves and our ideas. So many of my math fears have subsided because of a one-on-one explanation from one of my peers, which is really something special.

New Insights and Implications

Through out this class I have realized I never really knew how to teach math.  I have had so many teachers who simply show us how to do a problem and have never explained why.  I feel like in order to really teach students math, we need to teach them how AND why we are doing problems the way we did.  When asked the question in class, "Have you ever learned how to do a mathematical problem, but were never taught why?' I thought to myself, YES!  I feel like every single math problem I have learned I don't know why that is the way we do things.  It makes me nervous to teach this way because if no one ever explained it to me, then how am I going to explain it to my students.  I have begun to think in an entirely different way of how I will be teaching math.  Students aren't going to be able to simply "get it" without proper explanation.  Now that I know this, I will have to work hard to figure out the best way to teach my students.  I don't want to be the teacher that makes students hate math.  I'm just happy I learned this before I start teaching, rather then later.

Summary and Synthesis

In class we have continued learning how to incorporate problem-based learning into our elementary classrooms. I have realized exactly how much work this type of teaching will be. It is going to be a challenge but I have also learned that there are resources out there to help you. Also, you can use other teachers and the students themselves to help generate ideas. Throughout the classes, our classmates have done a wonderful job explaining a couple math concepts using this style of teaching. Using their lesson plan, the students will have a better chance at understanding the concept fully and not just go through the motions because the teacher told them it was the correct way.

LPU

After having completed the LPU this past Tuesday I have concluded that it is very important to understand the concept being taught. When we began planning this LPU my group members and were not sure we knew exactly what we were going to be educating you all on. We were taught fractions one way but here we were expected to look at it in a different light. Once my group members and I started practicing and doing what was read from the book and notes we come to an understanding of how to teach this concept in a new way that now made sense to all of us.I found the table method to be something so simple that I never would have thought to use it. I feel that the table method will be very helpful to my peers and me when we are teaching our own students. The fraction bars for me were the hardest to grasp and that is why it is always important to have more then one way of showing students how to do something. Using a semi-concrete model as well as manipulatives can result in great success from students. One thing that I found most valuable from the LPU was that you need to remember that you are older and have had the information already built upon and these students you are teaching are starting from where you are starting. Keeping an open mind and allowing for constructive criticism will better your teaching in the years to come.

New Insights and Their Implications

This class has given me many tools I now would feel comfortable using while teaching math in the K-8 setting. The most useful tool I have accrued is a completely new style of teaching and a more effective style based on projects and higher level thinker. I have already begun experimenting with some of the new insights I have gained in an internship experience where I am working with two students who are struggling with math. I often find myself explaining how a mathematical property works and alternative routes can be used to find the solution. However, when I am working with them on their homework it is always a worksheet or a set of problem from the textbook. This concerns me because I am sure there are students who are passing the assignments and do not require addition help but are in fact missing the entire concept. These students will doubtfully struggle when more challenging mathematical problems are given to them, maybe years from now. The most helpful and probably most recent insight I have been exposed to is to make sure the students understand the how’s and the whys instead of learning rules without reason.

New Insights and Their Implications

After being in this class for 6 weeks, I have realized that even though this method of teaching math is more difficult it is much more meaningful to the students.  Teaching math this way allows students to find and discover formulas and answers on their own, which makes learning more meaningful to them.  I grew up with the teachers just giving me the formula and then I would just plug in the numbers to make it work.  I am in my last year of college and I am just finding out the reason/purpose for certain formulas.  I think that by giving students the chance to discover and learn these things on their own when they are still young will allow for that information to stay with them.  This will also allow them to grow and be more confident in mathematics.  I think that as long as our students are being challeneged but are not frustrated, students will be more confident in mathematics and will perform better. 

Blog #2

New Insights and Implications

I will admit, as interested about learning this new of math as I was at the beginning of the semester, there was still a part of me that was very nervous about it as well. I was unsure of whether or not I would be able to fully comprehend it. However, though I have struggled along the way, I have begun to discover that I am starting to grasp it (at least for the geometry part). It was very interesting to see how geometric understanding builds throughout the grade levels, and thus how we can build off their prior knowledge to help them discover new concepts of mathematics. From one of our beginning activities where we took a rectangle and transcribed a triangle into it to actually developing a formula for the area of a triangle, I was able to see how this way of "discovering" math is accomplished, and accomplished well. Another example was through developing multiple formulas for determining the area of a polygon to being able to take the idea further to apply it to a real-life situation - determining the amount of shingles it would take to cover Mr. Reins roof. Through this activity I was able to discover how we help students take the mathematical concepts they are developing and go beyond it to other areas and know how to do it. That was something I had quite a bit of difficulty doing in my math classes, so being able to help students achieve this is one reason why I will be very happy to use this math method in my future classroom.
A final new insight I have gained in the past few weeks is how difficult this will truly be to implement. I know that we discussed it, however, one never truly grasps it until he or she sees it done. From watching the groups present, I have been impressed by what they have done, and I have come to discover just how much effort it will take to teach in this style. However, I have also learned how important and beneficial it will be as well. So, I hope that I will continue to progress in my understanding of the method as the semester continues on, and that I will become confident in using it in my own classroom.

New Insights and their Implications

These past couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about how I am going to teach math in my own classroom. This has never been something that I have worried or even really thought about because I have always been fairly good at math. However, I have become fairly concerned about being able to teach math in a way that will get students to think about math on a deeper level rather than me showing the students how do something and then they just practice what I showed them. This new insight implicates to me that I am going to have to look at math in a deeper way myself. I think that this class has shown me that there are several ways to express and teach math on a deeper level. However, I do feel that once I do get out into the classroom that I am going to have to continuously be conscious of how I am teaching math and if my students are really learning the concept of a problem or if they are just learning how to do the problem. I may struggle with making sure my students are always learning on a deeper level, mostly because I was never taught to see math on a deeper level, but I think that if I constantly think about how I am teaching a math concept and constantly ask myself "what are the students learning," then I think over time I will be able to consistently teach math on a deeper level.

New Insights and Their Implications

Throughout these past couple of months I have found a new appreciation for teaching elementary math. I have never experienced a teaching style such as reform based math, until Dr. Reins. I learned that students have to use their higher order thinking skills to solve problems, which comes a lot easier when using manipulatives, such as the ones we've used in class. I've also learned it is more difficult from the teacher's perspective of planning, I feel this is the reason so many teachers use the traditional style of teaching (worksheets, handouts, etc) because it is so much easier. However, this is also why our students aren't meeting national standards. When doing the LPU I learned that I want to teach according to the reform based math strategies, I want my students to have to think and solve the problem themselves, instead of knowing they can get the answer from me. This style of teaching is somewhat frightening and difficult, but I want to learn more about it so my future students and myself can benefit.