Chapter four answered many of my internal questions as how to institute this problem based approach to mathematics, which was great- because these questions were adding up, he he! Okay, so without any more failed humor I’ll discuss what I really enjoyed about this chapter. I found the ten step system to planning these lessons to be very useful, but I truly enjoyed to accommodation and modification section. I was particularly interested in the fact that they said accommodations do not alter the task, I believe that is a very significant statement. Scaffolding with modifications to acquire the intended concept is an accommodation. I also truly enjoyed the tiered lesson suggestions. I have often debated on how this could effectively be done without causing hurt feeling in some students. I especially liked the index card suggestion; as this would allow each set of students to advance at their own pace while still being meaningfully engaged. Lastly, the section about grouping made me reflect on the groups I was in as an early elementary student. I had reading groups that were homogenous, which were actually not that helpful. We relied heavily upon the teacher to advance our group, because we all had the same knowledge. I have also participated in heterogeneous groups, which were much more effective. In these groups students actually learn from helping one another and by communicating about the task- I agree with the text that this makes the learning more substantial.
When reading Chapter 4 called planning in the problem based classroom I was able to gain lots of helpful information about teaching math in my future classroom by using a problem based approach. I loved the step by step guide that the book gave for creating a problem based lesson plan with the three main focuses being before, during and after the lesson. A key fact that I was reminded of is when the book talked about how it is important for the objectives to any lesson to be observable and measureable. The ten step lesson plan guide was very helpful to me and helped me to understand how to teach using a problem based approach. I especially liked the one variation from the three phase lesson which was think-pair-share. The students think of the problem on their own and then pair up with partners and talk about the problem and then share their results with the class. Lastly I found it very helpful when the book explained the difference between drill and practice by showing us definitions and examples of the two different practices.
In response to Adrianne Hoefler Adrianne, I also found the ten step planning process to be very helpful for me as a future teacher as well. It gave me the sense of how to go about implementing problem based learning into my elementary math lessons on a daily basis. The accommodation and modification was very helpful for me too because it clearly distinguishes the difference between accommodations and modifications in the math lessons. I loved the fact that you looked back on your own experiences in elementary school and looked at the type of grouping that you were in as well. I totally agree that it is important for the heterogonous groups so that all of the students are not at the same level. This way the students can learn from one another and are able to bounce ideas off of each other.
In response to Brooke M Thank you for specifically mentioning the before, during, and after phases of instruction. I think that these are very important in planning the lesson, and I forgot to mention them. I agree that by utilizing this ten step approach to lesson planning it makes sure you are constantly mindful of your measurable objectives. The think, pair, share exercise to be a wonderful idea. I like that it makes this problem based learning also cooperative learning. I too found the distinction between drill and practice to be important. I also appreciated how the authors explained when they believed it was acceptable to drill. II personally liked the idea of the homework being ungraded practices, I think that will be a welcome change for many students.
I think it is safe to say I am officially overwhelmed. Math was always fun and easy, for the most part, and now thinking about teaching the subject is making me a little uneasy. I know that a majority of my uneasy feelings are coming primarily from me being scared of the unknown. Lesson planning is one of the unknowns that make me uncomfortable. I enjoyed reading this chapter because I felt like it really broke the lesson planning down and somewhat simplified it for me. Taking it step by step will surely help me to be able to focus on the task at hand. I recently was in a 4th grade math class and was once again, overwhelmed, this time by the wide range of the students’ abilities. What a challenge planning for all levels of learners will be. This is something I not really considered. Lessons are all about planning and then adapting. Seeing what works and what doesn’t is a major part of a successful lesson as well. Since we will have learners in our classrooms with a range of abilities we have to be ready to teach the lesson in different way and doing this takes a lot of planning and time. Lessons have come so far for lectures and notes. Now lessons are interactive and cooperative. Most of all this chapter helped me to realize the importance of putting the time into your lesson planning so you are well prepared for the lesson and provide a great learning environment.
@ Brooke M You bring up some great points. I think the lesson plan guide was extremely helpful. It really helped me make sense of lesson planning. I will admit, I think lesson planning in one of my weaker points. I think lesson planning one of those things that will take practice to get better and stronger. I agree that the variation you pointed out (think-pair-share) is great and there are many kids who would greatly benefit from the use of that practice. I too like it when books give the definition on topics closely related and really help show the differences.
The first part of the chapter immediately says “regardless of your experience, it is crucial that you give substantial thought to the planning of your lessons.” It continues saying there is no “teacher-proof” curriculum. This idea is so important. There are so many teachers out there that constantly do the same worksheets, problems, and so on year after year. It is so important to know that each group of students is different and that each individual student is different as well. I loved the section about drill and practice. I remember so many times taking home worksheets with simple naked number problems on them. I think the real work and real understanding really does come from word problems or problem-based tasks and experiences.
In reply to Shawna: I agree so much with your idea on lesson planning is about planning and then adapting. One of the many questions I have is though, how do we adapt without making it seem we are favoring a particular student? For example, if we know Bob doesn't understand subtraction and works best with picture stories, but the other students are advanced enough to where pictures bore them... do you still give Bob the non-picture handout? Or do you give him the picture handout and the others the advanced sheet?
Chapter 4 was full of information regarding lesson plans. I think that the 10 step Field Experience Guide offers a lot of great advice that we as educators can implement in the classroom. It is very important to know what mathematics our students need to learn when planning. It is also important to know what our students already know. As if we are teaching them things they already know they are going to be bored and lose focus and it will basically be a waste of time. I think you need to be careful when designing lessons because you need to include all students and accommodate all learning types. Lesson plans should include a variety of things to ensure all students are getting the best possible education. This includes switching from learning through listening to hands-on and reading to visual aids. I also really liked the importance the text puts on practice as we all know practice makes progress. Students learn well through repetition and constantly practicing will help students learn the skills we want them to know!
Deidre- I really liked that you brought up the point of tailoring lesson plans to each individual class. This is very important. I agree with you that a lot of teachers just use the same worksheets and lessons year after year but it is very important to be able to tailor your plans to accommodate all students in your current class!
I am a special education paraprofessional and my heart is in the field of special education. I really enjoyed the section on Planning for all learners. I found the discussion about the difference between an accommodation and modification very interesting. Accommodations do not alter the task, while a modification does. Definitely good information to understand. As I have began my internship I have a unique situation because they did not replace one of the teachers who retired last year. The class I am interning in has 27 students. One of my first questions has been how does the teacher reach all the different learning styles with this large of a class. I can from reading this chapter that she is using many of the techniques mentioned. The two times that I have observed she has used flexible groupings which seems to work well because the students are learning from each other and are involved in the lesson. She differentiates instruction based on how the class is progressing. Last week she had to reteach an idea because many of the students were not grasping the concept. I am impressed in how she manages to provide practice before assigning the homework. She plans for the activity that will allow the students to practice the concepts before working on their own. This allows her to see who is understanding and who is still struggling.
To Deidre J: I agree teachers need to know their class and adjust teaching techniques to meet individual needs. I have seen many teachers who use the same worksheets year after year. I was actually a para in a classroom in which the same worksheets had been used for probably 10+ years from what others had said. In the area of special needs I think teachers sometimes have the attitude that it is the special education teachers job to teach the student. In reality the regular ed teacher should be making accommodations or modifications so the child can be successful in the classroom.
To Shawna W: I know what you mean about feeling overwhelmed. As I said in my post I am interning in a class of 27 students. I feel so sorry for the teacher. After two days, I can already see the wide range of learning abilities. I asked my mentor how she approaches teaching to such a wide range. She said she starts high and works her way down in order to meet all the needs. I found this approach very interesting. However, the more I have thought about I understand what she is trying to do. I have already started thinking about how I am going to do my formal teach in this classroom. It is very exciting because as the state goes through budget cuts I think classrooms are going to continue to get larger as they cut jobs. The other 3rd grade teacher retired and they did not replace her position. I think it is very important to find a style that allows for reaching the needs of all learners.
Lacey Keller This chapter was definitely the nuts and bolts of teaching mathematics. I couldn't agree more with the author when it is stated that teachers first need to find out where their students are performing. It is crucial to give those diagnostic assessments and base the instruction off of those results. If the students already know the material, why waste time and energy planning those lessons?!
Another valuable point in this chapter (and one I hadn't really thought of until now) is the fact that textbooks are just a resource. I can remember as a student when the teacher just wanted to get through the textbook at the end of the year. Wow, hasn't that style been outdated!! Textbooks should be a tool used to present the content in the curriculum. One should be selected that best fits, and should not be solely used as the only tool in the classroom.
The last thing I wanted to say about the chapter was about the differentiated instruction. The note card idea is wonderful where it provides instructions at the individual student level and it provides this learning discretely. Working as a special education para, some students in the program get upset because they think they are given "easier" tasks than the rest of the class.
Jeanette, Unlike you, I am interning in a small class of eight 1st grade students. However, this class is a very diverse class. Of the eight students, two have behavior disorders, three are receiving speech services, one has an anxiety disorder, and one is extremely brilliant! So, this class of eight has the potential to create a stressful classroom environment. However, the teacher is always cool, calm, and collected. All of her students seem to be engaged. I admire her for addressing the needs of all her students.
Chapter 4 maps out planning a lesson. This chapter is amazing. This is just the kind of thing a new teacher needs. We need to know exactly step for step the way to write out a lesson plan, not just a template. I like how it talks about aligning the lesson to your students’ levels. Since I do want to teach special education I find that I will be aligning each lesson to probably each student. Yes, this probably will be frustrating, but necessary. I think that each student learns different and at different paces. This is why as teachers we need to be sure that students are learning at their level. In my internship, there is one little girl that is way ahead of everybody in reading. Since she is so far ahead she actually gets to do something a little bit different than everybody else. During guided reading she doesn’t only do a center and workbook page, but she also has a journal and individual reading. She actually loves it. She gets done before every student so it is great that she has more to do. I often hear her say, “This is boring” or “This is too easy.” I always report this to the teacher, because adjusting the lesson is a daily thing, I have learned. Nothing ever goes perfectly as its planned and learning to adjust your lesson daily is a good idea. This chapter really lines that out for us and explains drills and homework great. In the first grade homework is a little much. The children go home everyday tired and not wanting to do more work. I think reading at home is very important, but any other subject you may send homework home but make it optional. Let the parents decide whether then need it. If the parents decide they need it then they can go ahead and do it but they do not need to bring it back to school. For older grades, I believe homework is okay, but I still do not love it. Its good to keep the curriculum going throughout the day for some kids though.
Wow. I am kind of surprised that they would have a class that large with one teacher. It is kind of sad and difficult. I also knew a teacher who was actually given 1st and 2nd graders together to teach for a year. After hearing from her, she said it was so hard to get the 2nd graders to their level because she was teaching the 1st grade level. After a few weeks, she got a routine down, but I can't even imagine two classes and that many children.
Shawna W: I can relate to your being overwhelmed. I have developed lessons in past classes and found out in other classes that "opps" that's not the way to do it. Last semester when I was in the Reading Internship, I was utterly and completely overwhelmed to the point that I wondered if I would be able to pass the course! Be assured that it is not as bad as it may seem and you will be an excellent teacher because of your willingness to scared.
About 10 years ago I knew a woman who was going into teaching. She commented that it would be an easy thing to do in life because for the first year you bust your "_ _ _ _" gathering and planning lessens and the subsequent years you sit back and simply skate on those lesson plans every year after that I never really thought that was right and never liked the thought of doing that, but after all she had more experience than I did, so who was I to challenge her. This chapter just proved what I believed all along, and it was the first section on page 58. "Regardless of your experience, it is crucial that you give substantial thought to the planning of your lessons.. There is no such thing as a "teacher-proof" curriculum - where you can simply teach every lesson as it is planned and in the order it appears. Every class of students is different." How true it is, how true it is. The lessons are the most important part of teaching next to the students. And the lessons must accommodate the students learning style, interests, prior knowledge, diversity, and so on. Not any one class has the same type of students and we are not a factory turning out thousands of computer pieces that all work the same.
There is so much information pertaining to lesson planning I am finding it to be a little bit overwhelming. I'm also wondering how I'm supposed to remember all of this! There are so many ways to create lesson plans, and it's important when planning that you can reach out to all students with all academic abilities!
There was a lot of help included in this chapter. For example when it comes to drills, practice, and homework. I think a lot of teachers give these types of assignments as busy work, but it's important for us to keep in mind that there are appropriate times for giving these assignments. Anyone can be given practice problems day after day, but that doesn't mean that he or she will be able to fully understand the concept, especially if they do not understand the concept prior to practice and drills being assigned.
You are right about teachers that stick to the same old worksheets / ideas day after day, year after year. Granted math is something that needs to involve practice, but I know that I'm not the type of person that necessarily excels at worksheets or textbook problems, especially if I don't understand the concept. If this is how I feel at 22, I think it's safe to say that some elementary students probably have the same concerns. As educators our job is to teach every student, even if it means making modifications / additions / etc. to the same lesson just so every student learns and can eventually understand what is being taught.
I found chapter 4 to be a very informative and helpful chapter. The planning process for lesson planning answered the question I had at the beginning of this class, how do I teach mathematics. I am glad to know that I have a guideline to go by. I will be making a copy of Table 4.1 to use as a reference for my teaching career. I also enjoyed reading their examples of how to differentiate instruction. I feel this is something that is not utilized in the classroom enough. Several times in the chapter it mention a book called, "Field Experience Guide" and the useful information that it contains and how it is tied in with each chapter. I will be purchasing this book. The last thing that really stuck out on this chapter was about homework. The book states we should never grade homework, but rather use it as a teaching tool for those problems they don't understand. Again, another area I don't see in the classroom a lot. I feel that this is a much better approach. I never thought homework truly represented their understanding of the concept due to so many outside factors that could affect it. I am really enjoying this book and look forward to what the next chapter will bring.
I too have heard the same responses from teachers in the past. One of the things I have struggled to get on our school improvement plan was to inservice teachers on how to adjust curriculum for our students who have learning disabilities. So many of the teachers in our school district do not try to modify or differentiate the task and then blame SPED teachers when their student does not do well on the MAP test. I enjoyed reading your blog and I know both of us will be better teachers for it.
Chapter 4 gave great detail on how to plan a problem-based lesson. It provided a flow chart with steps to do this successfully. One thing you always need to keep in mind and focus on is what is it my students should be able to do once this lesson is over. I think it could be easy to get off track and like the text says teach a fun activity instead of focusing on your goal. There were a couple of sections that got the most of my attention. One was differentiating instruction. This is something that I know will be difficult as a teacher, but I also know is very important. Students learn different ways and in different paces, teachers need to realize this and be able to teach to each student. Not only must you consider the student and how they learn, but also the content, process, and product. Another section that I found very useful is the section on accommodating a lesson for an English Language Learner. Table 4.1 gave some great examples and provided accommodations for each step in planning. I was surprised to see considerations you take in each step, but once I read them, it was clear they are necessary. Overall, this chapter will be a great resource when preparing for a lesson. Like the text said, even the most experienced teacher must put substantial thought into planning lessons because every class of students is different.
I agree that chapter 4 will be very useful in the future. I am so glad they provided the guideline and steps to take. I have already marked my book, so I can use it for my formal observation lesson. I also agree that differentiated instruction is not used enough. I feel like when I was younger I would have liked math more, if I would have been taught in a different way.
Chapter 4 First of all I really liked how this chapter started out about the teaching by telling for efficiency. Students need the opportunity to learn and grow. This opportunity comes with time. We can not rush it! The 10 steps for developing a problem based lesson plan was awesome! One of my thoughts was about step 8 should be earlier on in the steps. Some teachers tend to do more fun activities or themes without relating them to the standards. So I like to reference what I need to teach in the curriculum and relate it to a standard immediately. I also liked how this chapter brought up homework. Homework helps with a problem based math. We just need to remember before, during, and after.
@ Amanda Lewallen I like how you brought up that this chapter talked about teaching to student of different levels. I look at this more and more every day. Modern day classrooms are moving to small groups and some curriculums are moving more towards small groups, like EveryDay Math. So in these small groups we would have our different tiers so that students who need more help can get more help. It is all about adapting to our students needs.
Chapter 4 Blog- Reading through Chapter 4 I found the 10-step Planning Process to be very useful and easy to understand. It was easy to follow and a great guide for everyone, not just new educators. Figure 4.1 was a great Diagram of how to implement the 10 steps and how they work with one another. Another section that really caught my attention was the Textbooks as Resources section. I think all too often educators forget how much the classroom textbooks can help to create good lesson plans and how they can be changed to implement more standards-based curriculum. The textbooks do not need to be followed all the way through but can be a great tool. As far as homework is concerned I have had a few teachers in the past that have taken the initiative to not grade homework but just make sure the students have it done and go over any questions the students had. In my opinion this is a great approach and makes it less stressful to do homework because there will not be a grade for it.
I agree that a lot of times it may be necessary to implement Step 8 a little earlier in the process than the text suggests. Students can understand much better and relate to the lessons when fun activities are made available to them and can help them to pay attention if they have been excited about it.
In developing a lesson you first need to be looking at standards, goals, and what mathematics is being taught. I know that next we look at what they have already learned in earlier classes. We use the pacing guide and if they have all been in our district then they should have been taught the same things. If they are coming from another state it may not have been taught before to them. This is where a pre test might be good in determining what they know. Our classes have such a variety of learning ability that it is important to have it leveled for all learners. Some will be able to move faster while others will need additional help. All three parts are needed for a good lesson, the before, during, and after. Finding that initial connection that the student can use to reflect and build on. Asking questions and looking for clues such as facial expressions to tell you whether or not your students are understanding what you are teaching. Discussion to determine if they have learned what they need to know is very important. I think I have seen what would be considered stations. During intervention some teachers place several tubs out each one focuses on a certain skill. The skills are ones that they are presently working on or ones that many have had trouble with. They have simple activities or games in which they would record their answers on forms left in the tubs so the teacher can assess their knowledge later. It is important that the thought cases growth , if the student is just repeating and not challenged by ideas then it would not be problem-based experience. Make sure that you are teaching the material and not teaching just what is on the page. They need to understand the concept and how they got to the conclusion. Using tiered lessons and differentiating instruction is a necessity to allow all students to learn. This is definitely something the teacher will have to do because most curriculums can’t foresee what your students will need. I liked how it pointed out how important collaborating is to learning. This is definitely a skill that they will use over and over again in life. I don’t think drills are as important as oral conversation on what and how they learn. I also liked the part about homework support. I remember looking at some of the Excel homework my daughter would bring home and I would not know how to help her do it. If I work in the school and can’t do it how is a parent supposed to help that may not have even graduated high school?
In this chapter the most interesting point that I found was the 10 step process for making a lesson. When I’m a future teacher I can use this process as I plan a math lesson. As I also have not created a lesson plan before I think that this process will further help me break it down into smaller part. Planning for all learners is so important because like we have said previously not all students learn the same way or at the same time. Accommodation and modifications are major points that I know we will soon be working with when we are out in the field. As we have started out in the field I have notice in my internship that there are a few children that have accommodations for their learning.
We have a lot of good teachers in our school but I have noticed that they leave it up to us LRE's to differentiate everything. It makes it very hard because we walk into a classroom and we have not had plan time and most of the time it's fly by the seat of your pants, because you might know what their teaching because you looked ahead at the curriculum but you don't know exactly how they are teaching it. You really have to teach and adjust it quickly for your students. Sometimes especially homework it's hard just to change it up so they can learn from it.
Chapter four of the text book Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally (7 th ed.) by Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. talks about planning lessons for a variety of learners. Planning lessons can be a daunting task for many new teachers but there are steps to take that will help teachers in this process. This chapter of the textbook provided me with new interesting knowledge, made me reflect on my own experiences and made me ask questions about the reading. Something that I learned in this chapter of the text book was the differences between “drills” and “practices”. These words sounded the same to me but according to Van de Walle et al text book “Practice refers to different problem-based tasks or experiences, spread over numerous class periods, each addressing the same basic ideas” and “Drill refers to repetitive, non-problem-based exercises designed to improve skills or procedures already acquired” (Van de Walle et al., 69). The book also talks about how teachers can use each of these in the classroom to benefit the students. There is a time for drills and there is a time to practice but they are not the same. A piece of information that made me look at my own experiences was the “provide homework support” section of Van de Walle et al. text (Van de Walle et al.,72). I recall always hearing parents say how difficult it is for them to help their child with their homework because they do not understand what the student is doing or what the teacher wants. I think it is very helpful for teachers to send something home with the student so that the parents can understand as well. References: Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2010). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally (7 th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
To Angela S: I also thought that the table was very helpful to me as well. I was wondering how I was going to teach to each of my student and I think this table helps break everything down into smaller steps. I like that you can check each one of these to make sure you have hit each of the steps. I have the “Field Experience Guide” and it is well worth it! I think this book has great ideas for teaching mathematics.
Megan, I too liked the 10 steps in this chapter of the textbook. I found these steps very important to know in the classroom. I am nervous about planning lessons in my classroom because I have not had very much experience in doing it but when there are steps that I can follow it makes it a lot easier for me. I was a para educator for four years so I defiantly know what it is like to keep up with different students and make sure everything is working for them in the classroom.
The way this chapter looked at the actual definitions of drill and practice is certainly interesting. Sometimes I wonder if teachers really think about the words they choose to use. Even on the playground I have corrected teachers who called something by the wrong name and they did not see it as a problem. They then continue to call it by the wrong name, what does this teach their students.
Chapter 4 was very interesting to me. It taught me a lot about using a problem based teaching approach. I thought the power point Dr. Stramel talked about in the adobe connect was very helpful as well. I have been very apprehensive about teaching math in the classroom. I think if I am able to learn many different teaching approaches like this, I will do perfectly fine. We as teachers need to remember that the objectives have to be able to be observed and they have to be completely measurable. We have learned this through the internships and the lesson plans we have written. The think-pair-share aspect was interesting to read about as Dr. Walizer taught us the think-pair-share aspect in the reading and language arts methods class. I now see it from the mathematics perspective. I have been pondering how to write lesson plans for the mathematics part of my classroom routine. I pretty much have the other subjects down pat. After reading this chapter, I think I feel a little better. I think it will always freak me out in this subject as I have always had a great fear of math. I am learning very quickly though, there is really nothing to be scared of, just put your mind to it and it can be done. I like learning the different math problems. I really like that the textbooks we are required to buy will stay in my classroom teaching library for years to come.
In response to Tammy M – This chapter really helped me in making the lesson plans for mathematics. It also really taught me that giving a pretest may be the best thing in the beginning because if the students already know the material real well, why bore them to death and teach it to them again. They will refuse to do the work if they are bored. Teachers have to also know how to make the activities fun and entertaining. I feel even a little better about this aspect of my teaching career.
I enjoyed reading this chapter and feel it is not only worth the amount of time I put into it, but more time then I have so far been able to give it.
The basic steps it provides for the planning of a lesson are well thought out and presented carefully.
This chapter has a lot to teach us,, and is one I am sure I will be taking another look at later, as I plan lessons.
This chapter reminds me of the fact that lesson planning is one of the most important things teachers do, and one that many of them should but more time into. Unfortunately many teachers are basically just doing the same think they did last year, of if new the same thing the old teacher did last year.
Lesson planning is one of those things that we must never stop learning about as teachers, unless we would like to begin to fail our students. A teacher who stops learning how to do a better job is a teacher who decides to start failing their students.
Within chapter 4, I enjoyed learning about the 10 steps involved in problem-based teaching in more detail. I especially agreed and benefited from step 10, identify essential questions. It's important to always be prepared and to keep students open-minded to think beyond just the facts. For example, what kinds of questions can be "cooked up" from readings within mathematics? This is something that needs to be kept in mind while teaching mathematics lessons. I also feel that tiered lessons are fun and effective to students. I feel that assistance is needed, but also to scaffold students to do work on their own. Within my future classroom, I want use the tiered lesson ideals. I want to keep my students wanting more and wanting to learn more. If I can spark the questions, then students will want to continue to learn. This is what makes teaching fun!
I feel that being prepared, especially as a beginning teacher, is very important. Using the 10 steps will help us, as future educators. I want to apply the steps to have a well-rounded and well balanced lesson. I would like to use this idea with thematic units and with all subjects in my future classroom.
I seem to get overwhelmed when trying to develop a lesson so having it broken down into steps is nice. I liked how the step-by-step process dedicated step 4 to designing lesson assessments. In one of my other courses we are learning the importance of assessment and how it differs from testing. The class I am interning in is doing a program called IPASS for math. It is meant to help show where certain students stand in their knowledge of mathematics. My favorite part of this program is the constant assessments it gives. The students are given the information and then allowed to repetitively practice in through assessment. Once the program sees they have a good grasp on the content then they are tested on it. The teacher can view how they perform throughout the entire program so she can see their strengths and weaknesses in the subject.
I also enjoyed reading about planning for all learners. It has been said to me over and over already this semester that my job as a professional educator will be to provide a quality education to all students. This ties directly in to making even the smallest lesson adaptable for all learners. The tiered lesson can be used to do this and I feel like it will make for equal opportunity for all learners.
I completely agree with you on the fact that objectives have to be both observable and measurable. This is very important because when students know what they are suppose to learn and see that it is possible they can go straight for it. I think students can easily get confused in a subject like math where they’re getting all of these funny numbers thrown at them. It’s important that they be able to make sense of those numbers and know exactly what they are to do with them.
It is interesting how everything starts to come together. Over and over we are learning about theorists - Piaget, Vygotsky, etc. Finally, I am starting to recognize the reoccurring tendencies of these theories. Scaffolding is a huge part of any subject, but I think it probably pertains mostly to math. Math is constantly building upon lessons. In my classroom I hope to put a big focus on step 5 of the planning process - Plan the Before Phase of the Lesson. I think if you can apply a current trend or event to tie in with the project. When you can apply a real world situation, the information becomes relevant.
The other night my daughter was frustrated with her homework. She was converting fractions into percentages and decimals. When I related the information with shopping all the sudden she was intrigued. The information became applicable because like me, my daughter loves to shop and find a good sale.
The NCTM Illuminations website has some really great games to use for lesson variations. The Fraction Game would have been fun to play with my daughter. It even helped me get a better understanding. It is super simple, but puts light on the confusion that fractions can bring.
It was also encouraging to read about tiered lessons. MTSS falls right in line with this type of differentiating instruction.
I thought that Chapter 4 was very organized and detailed in giving lots of useful information about lesson planning. This is something that all teachers should know how to do very well because the better the lesson is planned, the better it will actually work in the classroom. The way the text set up and described the three phases of lesson planning was very helpful. I liked how it stated that for the after phase teachers should be prepared with questions that the students may ask and the different issues that they might face while solving the problems. The ways to adapt and differentiate the lessons were very interesting as well. I really liked the section that gave examples of tiered lessons and these will be very helpful with trying to teach to all of the diverse learners in the classroom. I learned that drill and practice are not synonymous and that lengthy drill exercises can actually negatively affect students. On the other hand, a short drill assignment, once the students are comfortable with the process of actually solving the problems, can be helpful in making sure the students retain what they have learned. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect,” and the more that students actually practice actively doing mathematics, the more they will learn and improve.
The IPASS program sounds great! It’s nice to hear that the students are getting a chance to practice through assessment and that they are not tested until they have fully understood how to solve the problems. I also agree that tiered lesson are a great way to easily adapt the lesson plans to the specific needs of the students in the classroom and I’m sure that this concept will come in very handy for all of us in the future.
@ Emily M I completely agree with your statement about homework as busy work. A few problems is ok, but like the book states lengthy homework is not productive. Somewhere in the book it talks about grading. If you assign all that lengthy busy work are you going to have time to grade it? We cannot spend more time on grading than on lesson planning. However, I completely agree with how the book suggests grading homework - never grade on correctness.
The ten steps of lesson planning presented in this chapter provide great guidelines for lesson planning not only in math, but in all subjects. All lessons need before, during, and after planning as well as consideration for accommodation. I like the statement on page 64 that says "there is no law saying every page must be done or every exercise completed". I can remember teachers just zooming through workbooks without ever allowing much exploration or elaboration on the material. I didn't like that as a student, and do not want to use that method in my future classroom.
Shannon H., I agree with you that tiered lessons can help make learning opportunities equal for all learners. As teachers we will want to help every child learn and succeed. Tiered lessons and accommodations are an excellent way to help us do that.
I really like this chapter, because I think that lesson planning is something that is extremely important to a classroom’s success. I like how right off the chapter pointed out that “substantial thought” must be given to the planning of your lesson, because ‘every class of students is different.” Lessons must be reviewed before they are taught, even year after year, because they may need to be changed based on the student’s needs. I really like the problem based planning and know that I will use the 10 step process. A few of the steps I hadn’t considered before were “plan before the lesson, plan during the lesson, and plan after the lesson.” Now, after reading I know that all these are important steps and build the basis for the lesson, promote good discussion, and reflection. I also really like the section “Planning for All Learners.” This is something that is very important to me and something that I feel needs to planned with the lesson. I also like that it gave examples of how instruction can be modified (including word problems) so that all students will be able to understand. I also like that there is a section specifically for to how to adapt instruction for ELL students. This is something that I definitely want to know more about and am happy to be learning bits and pieces with each chapter. Overall, I thought the content found in this chapter was very good and am excited to start my lesson plan so that I can use many of the things that were suggested.
I agree that we need to slow down and explore content further. I really liked the problem based learning approach for math because it allows students to actually understand the content in an applicable way. I will also definitely be using the ten step process and am excited to start our lesson plans so that I can apply all these different elements.
Shawna W.~ I would say I feel almost a polar opposite from you! I have always been overwhelmed by math and am now feeling less afraid and more empowered. Problem-based learning is fascinating to me and makes me really excited about teaching! The entire concept of lesson planning for success, and making sure that I assess, adapt, re-plan, re-teach, and do whatever needs to be done to ensure that children thrive in the classroom is overwhelming, but as a whole, I feel less overwhelmed by math now than I ever have!
Chapter 4, was over the planning process of creating a lesson. The first part of the chapter listed 10 steps that a teacher needs to do and consider while creating a lesson. This would be done before the lesson had begun, and in many cases would be done earlier in the year so that ever lesson flows together. By following these steps it really makes a task that seems very complicated quite easy. I worry about how I am going to make my lesson flow into one another and how to assess my students’ progress throughout but I follow these steps it all comes together very easily. The next section is for planning for all students. It is important that teacher realize that not all of their students will be at the same level and learn in the same way. This will never be the case in the today’s diverse classrooms, so teachers need to be prepared for this and have a plan of how they are going to accommodate every student. I love the section on homework; I think students have too much homework most of the time. I like how they have solved a big argument in schools these days involving drill practice and homework. It is safe to say that students do need to do a few problems on their own so that they can master the skill and the teacher can assess their progress. It is also safe to say that some of this work will have to be done at home because the school day is just too short for everything that is required to teach. It’s important that student don’t feel like homework is a punishment, rather they need to see it as a learning experience and way to get help. I think this would help with the students that don’t like to do their homework, if they feel that they are getting more than just a grade for something they would be more interested in doing the homework.
Chapter 4 discussed planning problem-based lessons. I know the importance of problem-based mathematics, because I completed a research project on effective teaching strategies in mathematics last semester. This chapter confirmed all of the research I read. Drill should never be the center of any math lesson or concept. It should rarely be used at all. The first part of the chapter went through each step of lesson planning. Because this is my last internship at FHSU, I have completed several lesson plans. This guide follows exactly what we have been taught to do for lesson planning. Everything you plan must fall back on the standards and curriculum. I found the homework section of this chapter to be really helpful and useful. I have heard a lot of debate on whether or not teachers should assign homework. This chapter outlined what types of problems should be given for homework and which ones shouldn’t. I really liked Figure 4.2, which provided an example of a list of questions that could be sent home for parents to help their children with homework. Proving parents with this could help ensure that the student and not the parent is completing the work.
I also liked the section on planning for ELL students. This is definitely one area I need plenty of help in. With the number of ELL students in schools growing each year, accommodating for these students is becoming more and more important. I appreciate all the information and advice I can get in this area!
In response to Lindsay S.: I like how you pointed out that the lesson plans have to be reviewed every year. Of course we all know that teachers reuse their lesson plans year after year. But after a few years we can’t just assume that our lesson plans are tried and true every year. My mother is a teacher and what she does is she creates lesson plans any time they switch books, then she uses them every year. But during the year she keeps notes on how difficult the information was, the problem she had, activities to do and ones not to do, and she also makes a note if a lesson needs to be completely revived. This process helps her keep track of how she accommodated the Sped students, the ELL students, and even the high students on individual assignments. Then at the end of the year she goes back through all her notes to revises any activities and lessons she feels could be better taught. This work pretty goal, but a good teacher has to remember that she/he can foretell the future so there may be other modifications and accommodation that she will just have to do that as the problem presents itself.
I thought this chapter provided a wealth of valuable information. I like the chart that helps to develop a planning process that is shown on p. 59. One of the things I found most important was step 8 in the lesson planning process: check for alignment within the lesson. I also took note that it mentions several times that students need to become aware that you will be asking them to explain what they are thinking and doing. A lot of the things mentioned are things we’ve been taught before, but they come together in this chapter to make an easy to follow guide for lesson planning in mathematics. We know that standards and objectives drive lessons, but it is presented here again. We know that students need to learn about process: why did they do what they did to get the outcome they did? But it is presented here again. I also appreciate that the text reminds us to allow adequate time to discuss problems. This is where learning gets lost sometimes in schools today~ “oops, we are out of time, lets conclude quickly…” and valuable opportunities to cement learning are lost. Children need to know why they did the work and discuss what went right or what went wrong. I know I need that part of the process in order to learn and to retain what I learn. If I learn something for no reason, it is not connected to my life in any real way, then I don’t retain it (this is related to what we talked about in the last chapters with the connections in the brain to prior learning). I also appreciated the section: Students Who Don’t Get It. I was one of those students, and more drills did not increase my understanding. Also, the more I felt like I was bad at math, and like I couldn’t “get it,” the harder it was to commit more meaningless facts to memory. The chapter points out the appropriate times to use drills and that when students don’t get it is not the time.
Chapter 4 provided me with some very beneficial information. Lesson planning is a critical part of a teachers’ job. Before I had read the chapter, I skimmed over the steps of planning a lesson. At first, I thought that nine steps were too many. But, when I went back and read the section, I realized that each step is important for a successful lesson. Each step is an integral part of planning a lesson, and each step has the students’ best interest in mind. I thought that the tiered lesson was beneficial to me, especially since MTSS is being implemented into my internship classroom. Even if MTSS wasn’t being implemented, I think it’s important for a teacher to do tiered lessons. They allow each student to learn at their level. Hopefully, they will advance enough to make it to the next tier.
In response to Allison- I have also heard a lot of debate in whether or not teachers should assign homework. When I was in school, it would have been unheard of for a teacher to take the view that homework wasn’t necessary This chapter was very beneficial to me when it comes to homework. I personally think that homework should be given, and the guidelines this chapter gave me will help me when I’m in the field assigning work.
Chapter 4 concentrated on the development of lesson plans and the process of addressing the before, during, and after goals of each lesson. I enjoyed the examples provided for fixed areas and the fact that they were related to the 5th grade classroom (I am doing my internship in a 5th grade classroom!). Assessment is the biggest part of any lesson for the assessment is what drives the lesson you are teaching. It is crucial to address each section of the lesson; before, during, and after to ensure all of the teaching goals are met. On page 93 of our text it speaks of think-pair-share, this is a strategy we use often in the school where I work for it is a KAGAN strategy and we are trained to use KAGAN strategies in all lessons we teach. This is a great way to get all students engaged in the lesson. The students work together in groups and then share their answers after the group discussion. This makes all students feel comfortable if they are called on to address the question at hand because they have been able to work as a group before they have to answer. When we do centers in Kindergarten there is always a math center or station. The teacher either places a game or activity for the students to do after she has explained it to the class, the students then spend their center time playing the game or completing the activity, the students then complete a graphic organizer so the teacher can see if the students have understood the concept of the game or activity. In the classrooms where I work the teachers use specific textbooks but often times the teachers either leave out sections in the book or do not follow the directions directly as stated in the book. Instead the lessons are formed more around what will be expected of them on the state assessments. In the classrooms where I work there is a lot of collaborative work done due in part to the KAGAN training all of the teachers have been given, this is a great strategy especially for the students who tend to struggle in Math or any other subject. I think it is important for a teacher to remember to not immediately give the answers to students but to have the students reflect on how and why they have done a problem a certain way. It was interesting to read about the difference in Drill and Practice. While I see the Drill method used often in the classroom it is interesting to know that it is not the best way to for students to learn concepts. After thinking about it, I completely agree. It is like practicing something over and over again, perhaps it is getting practiced wrong then the student now has it “drilled” in their mind how to do it the wrong way or perhaps for only a short period of time. It is very important for students to practice problems and to reflect on what and why they have done the problems the way they have. It is also very important that the teacher ensure that the students know HOW and WHY to do problems then way they are done. While there are numerous ways in which students can do problems it is important for the students to know WHY that method works.
I enjoyed reading your take on the use of textbooks in the classroom. At the school where I work teachers do have their specified textbooks they must use but more than not I see the teachers skipping sections in the text or changing the directions as stated in the book to follow more along with what will be expected of the students on state assessments. While the teachers use the text as a resource for their assignments they create their own lessons and directions around the problems found in the text. As far as homework, I feel there are times when it should be graded and other times when it should simply be reflected upon the next day in class. I know there are students that would never do their homework if they were not receiving a grade therefore some other type of initiative would have to be given to ensure that the students do complete the work.
Chapter 4 is about developing problem-based lessons and what to consider when planning out the lesson. There are 10 steps that the book takes you through and I think the most important one is to consider your students’ needs. What do they know already and what is their background on math – these are just two questions to think about. I also think that the book makes a great point when it says that “one of the most important challenges for teachers today is to reach all of the students in their increasingly diverse classroom.” In today’s society, no two children are alike and everyone learns differently and comes from different backgrounds so it is very important to know how to be able to teach to all of the students and have them understand. I think this will be my biggest challenge especially my first year of teaching. I will just have to observe the students and see who understands and who is not and then change the lesson plan accordingly. The conceptual approach is the best way to help the students who struggle and I will definitely use this approach when necessary and not drill them.
I agree that each of the steps in lesson planning is important and we need to take each one into consideration. Each student comes from a different background and brings their own knowledge so doing tiered lessons is also important. This way each student can advance but still gain knowledge at the same time.
My mentor teacher and I just got done discussing her lesson plans and how she completes them and now I read about this! Lesson plans scare me for some reason. I am like my mentor teacher, she has everything written out, not in full blown detail, but enough that someone else could walk in and teach. I have to see everything. I don’t want to forget to mention this or go over this fun fact, so I have to write everything out. The chapter presents some very informational content about preparing your lesson plans. Being prepared is probably one of the most important things as a teacher. If you aren’t’ prepared you are wasting their time and yours. Each procedure all had great points. I got a little hesitant when I read about the assessment step because I am just not good at that. I am not creative enough at this point to be able to administer an assessment without making them write something down or take an actual test, which I don’t want them to do every day. They need variety and so do I. Step 8 really caught my attention. This is so important and yet for me it’s complicated right now. Creating lesson plans for other methods would take me like 2 weeks by the time I got everything aligned, figured out, questions and ready to do! Making sure that everything flows from one objective to the next is so important and having the right activities to accommodate the lesson is crucial. You don’t want to get them all confused by you skipping around or including a fun lesson that might encounter an objective they have not yet covered. Focusing on this as the pin point to lesson plans is going to be hard. I think many teachers like the idea of an activity or such so they create everything around that.
In response to Rebecca B.
I totally agree that students have too much homework. My younger brother, a sophomore in high school, averages about 2.5 hours of homework a night. That is a pretty good average if you think the time of a high school person, go to school from 8 to 3:30 then have practice till about 7, get home, shower and eat some super, then around 8 you’re looking at another 2.5 hours of homework. That’s 5 days a week. Most adults don’t have a work day like that. I think there is a happy medium with homework and each subject is probably different. As far as math goes I feel that if a student can prove to you they understand the concept in 10-15 problems, why make them do 65 of the same thing?
Chapter 4 was very informative and answered a lot of the questions I had about implementing the problem based lesson in the classroom. The first thing that caught my attention was Figure 4.1 the Planning steps for a problem-based lesson. The way they broke down the structure of the lesson was very helpful and made it easier to understand and process. Another section that I found interesting was the Variations of the Three-Phase Lesson. It said that sometimes math lessons will not need the full class period and that you can implement mini lessons. I found it very helpful that there were suggestions on questions to ask the students. I currently work in our school district with special needs students so I found the section on Accommodations and Modifications to be very helpful.
In response to Ashley L: I agree! I think the most important thing a teacher can remember when developing their lesson plans is their students needs and what previously knowledge they have on the subject.
I liked how the text explained that the text book is only a resource to use in the classroom. It isn't something that should be used word for word front to back. I know growing up many of my teachers did this and it was just a routine for us students, which got boring and pointless after a while because we knew what was coming. As teachers we need to mix it up on our students every once in a while and do something different that will get them excited to learn and excited to be in our classroom. Things like this really get the students brain going and it opens them up so much to new things.
I agree with you when you say that no two students are alike in a classroom today and as teachers we need to find the way that each student learns the best. This is getting harder and harder to do with all the diversities in the classrooms today but as a teacher we need to be willing to teach the curriculum in more than one way so that each student has the ability to succeed in school
Reading about planning is very beneficial. I like how on the first page it mentions that every classroom is different, diverse and it takes a different lesson plan to teach for each different classroom of students. They all will learn differently so you have to remember to seek out how they learn best and incorporate that into your teaching. It was also interesting learning all of the different ways to go about planning and then teaching lessons. I enjoyed reading about analyzing student approaches. Even before teaching a lesson it could be very helpful to visualize how students could react and then change your lesson to reflect what you imagine. It is important to realize that we are never going to be perfect but we still have the chance to improve with each day that passes.
In response to Jordan Ottley: I totally agree on the thing with the textbooks. I remember so clearly the emphasis that teachers had on textbooks in elementary school as well as high school. There is so much that we did out of the books, which was good sometimes but other times it just caused so much chaos. I think that looking outside the book can allow students many more learning opportunities.
Lesson planning in a problem-based classroom…what a terrific chapter! I really don’t think it was until my Elements of Statistics class in college that I did real problem-based classroom work. Maybe that is an unfair statement, but thinking back, I really can’t recall anything but the naked number problems. In Stats, we actually did our work based on useful information and the instructor related it to how we would use it in real life. I think this chapter does an excellent job of stressing the importance of making the material relatable to the students in a way that they can understand it and know that they can and will use it. The Three-Phase lesson plan was described so well, and I love that this text gives examples of everything! I also thought it was so interesting that we can do a form of the three-phase lesson model in sending home homework. So many parents that I talk to complain about children having math homework, but math really is a concept that requires practice, and with the short classroom math periods, homework is often required in order to provide enough math practice for students. Discussing the homework in class is wonderful. I do believe that there are situations where the student returns the homework, has it graded and given back, and there is nothing more to it (even if there are red marks covering the paper). The class discussion would promote learning based on the homework assignments and possibly promote communication between the school and home.
I can completely understand your overwhelmed feeling! It is a lot to take in and a lot of responsibility, isn’t it? Have you had Dr. Walizer yet? One thing that has helped me a great deal is a phrase she likes to use, “Keep the blinders on!” She means that we need to stay focused ahead and not look so hard at the big picture all at once. We will pull what we need, as we need it, and before we know it, the whole picture will fall into place. We just need to take it piece by piece. I keep hearing that the first three years of teaching are so difficult because of developing lesson plans and “figuring it all out,” but after that, I think it probably really becomes a lot of fun because we can start pulling more and more in and adapting and adjusting our lesson plans based on what we’ve learned from our teaching. Every great teacher I’ve known says they’ve learned as much from their students as they ever taught them. Don’t worry! You will be great!
Betsy F.- I too didn't realize that my Stat's class was problem based. I just felt that we worked out the problems that the instructor provided us with. I also agree that we need to make the information for the students so they can relate to it.
Chapter 4 to me is going to be very useful when it comes time to plan a lesson. It is so important to stop and assess your classroom as a whole to determine how to come up with a lesson. The three phase lesson is a great example of how to prepare and give your lesson. If you understand what you are teaching and saying, then your students will understand what you are teaching. It is important to teach a lesson to where your students can relate to it!
I have observed a teacher who has her lesson plans prepared at least one month in advance. At the end of May she has her August lesson plans ready to go. She is very organized and efficient in her approach to planning lessons. Although she has a lot of experience to pull from she also brings in new technology and teachers through this avenue as well as staying true to what has worked for her in the past years to teach students state standards. I appreciate the way this chapter breaks down the planning for all learners. The making accommodations and modifications piece was helpful for me. I find this aspect a little nerve racking. If I make lesson plans for my students in one area then have a student who is unable to work in a group or needs some accommodations then I must be able to think on the fly or have something in place already that provides the support this type of student may need. The templates in this chapter are always nice to view. In my mind, the more lesson plans I can view before having to make my own is only a benefit to me. The before, during and after stages of a lesson plan are important to bring in prior knowledge and produce new learning for the students.
Ashley L: The needs of the students are a top priority in lesson planning. I agree with your point on this matter. The lesson planning process is slightly nerve racking in my opinion, but creating a plan of action for my day makes me feel prepared and ready to teach. Being organized is something that I take very seriously. I am a bundle of nerves if I am not prepared for the day. Thank goodness we have lesson plans for us to help guide us when we don't know what to do next.
I have some learning to do in this area about lesson planning. It seems more easy to have easy to follow steps to help reach my goal of a lesson plan for all learners. I have some experience in sped but thinking of trying to reach most learners through that knowledge. I still need every direction possible to build strong lesson plans. I am a sub and know now how important lesson plans really are for someone in your absence. I wish the objective and goal put could be brought into the most simple language possible. Sometimes reading the objectives and/or goals sounds like we are trying to use the most brainy words so no one really understands what we are going to be doing today. Thank you for any and all resources concerning this task lesson planning.
Kristle C I totally agree with your variety approach so all learners can get it all together, also. I like using different techniques to get the desired results necessary. I hope to create lesson plans that accomplish my goals and expectations for my students.
I really have enjoyed each chapter so far but I would have to say this chapter is probably my favorite so far. I do believe all of the information given to us from our text is beneficial, lesson plan information is something we will have to know no matter what subject and/or age group we teach. I am sure this will be a chapter I refer back to many of times throughout the semester. I like how it broke down the process of writing a lesson plan down an talked about the before, during,and after the lesson. This is definitely something to think about when writing lessons. One thing I am a little worried about is being able to write sufficient lesson plans when I have a classroom of my own. There is so much to know just to write a lesson plans, including, objectives, standards, etc. I am sure with enough practice writing plans throughout the next couple of semester I will feel more comfortable by being virtual and not being face-to-face with a professor that can critique them has always kind of worried me. I am sure everything will be okay though. I believe as long as a teacher can write good lesson plans, along with other things, they are on the right track to a successful classroom.
Jena S--I think that is great that the teacher you observed was so organized and quick to get things done but making my lesson plans for over a month ahead would kind of worry me. What if something came up and you had to spend an extra day teaching your class a lesson they didn't quite get the day before? You lessons would all be a day behind. I don't know, maybe a month ahead is a great idea, to me I would think a couple of weeks would be the appropriate thing to do. Dr. Walizer would have the answer :)
I found chapter four to be very interesting. I will definitely be using this information when I am working on my lesson plan. I'll make sure and use a problem based approach while teaching. I think this will be a very helpful tool to use when teaching math problems. I also found the ten step lesson plan guide to be very helpful. I'm actually pretty nervous about making lesson plans in the near future because of my inexperience with them. But I now know that I can always use this chapter to help guide me through the lesson plans.
Tracy- I am in the same boat as you. I feel like I got a lot of information out of the chapter. But I still have lot more to learn! I think that following all the steps mentioned in the chapter will help us out a lot.
I enjoyed reading chapter 4. The biggest thing that popped out to me was the list of 10 things that a teacher should do/remember when writing a lesson plan. I have never worked in a public school, but I did teach pre-k at a daycare and I absolutely hated writing lesson plans. Some things to keep in mind while writing them may have made the job a bit easier. Overall, chapter 4 was a great chapter!
In response to Kristi P. I agree with you. I am so glad that they broke down how to write a lesson plan because it can be so confusing sometimes! There are so many requirements, etc that it becomes a huge chore to simply even remember everything involved. The break down of how to write them was fabulous! -Kymberly R
I think assigning homework is an important task in school. It can help families work together and can cause them to work together. Also, it can help them in working outside of school. Being in an environment that is not school so that they learn not just in school but other places. I like the way the book suggests of assigning homework by using the three-phse lesson model. Complete a brief version of the before phase of a lesson to be sure the task is understood before students go home. At home students complete the during phase. When they return with the work completed, apply the sharing techniques of the after phase of the lesson.
If this is one of the first years for internship, you will definitely have plenty of practice in writing lesson plans. It does become easier as time goes because you get more familiar with what goes where and how to write the objectives. I still have a lot of work to do with writing lesson plans, but I feel a little more comfortable in writing them. At least until they changed the format. Now it will start over again. I guess this is part of being a teacher. Flexibility.
This chapter has tons of information in it! When the book said that the book was simply a resource for the class, I completely agree. We can't always just use books and think everything is being taught or explained. Many students require hands-on work to retain information. I think books should simply be guides for us and not something to just read from and expect students to learn. As we all know, students learn in different ways and we as educators have to find what works for each student to make sure they are retaining information and retaining it as well. When talking about homework I also have mixed feelings. I think that homework is bad to give out!! Especially in Math. Just speaking from my experience in being a para in a school where there is a high percentage of special needs, they can't always get the support at home they need. I had a student last year and he was on his own after school. Even to the point where he may not get supper. If there is no parent to help the student we can;t blame them and drop their grade because they don't understand it and can't get the help. I agree having a few review problems would be okay but I think it just depends on the assignment given. I took many notes about some things in the chapter! Great information.
I agree that we have to be open to change! You are correct in saying that you should get a visual on the class when presenting an activity too! If there is something in you lesson that doesn't go the way you want you can definitely change it. I don't like when teachers go directly from the plans and refuse to change any of it when it is obvious something needs to be different! You explained this very well!
The part of this chapter that I liked that we discussed in class was the part on practice as homework. I do believe homework is a great way to practice the material and for someone like me who needs the hands on practice it is a great way to practice. But teachers have to realize how much is to much homework. If to many problems are given as homework then it will start to feel like a chore for students and they will start to hate the subject. That's why, especially at the elementary levels, I don't think that the homework should exceed more than 15 to 20 problems depending on what the material is the homework is covering. That should keep it to where the students practice and learn the material and don't use up to much of their after school time doing it.
Dina I completely agree that books can be a great resource but we can’t always rely on the books and go straight out of the book. Hands-on students however don’t learn the material best just by going through a book. We definitely need to be aware that our students will not all learn in the same way. If we fail to teach lessons in a variety of different ways then we will fail as educators.
I really liked where the book talked about the difference between accommodations and modifications. Accommodations don't change or alter anything. Modifications do. I really like being able to modify for kids because depending on the situation it really helps. I have had many students that have a poor family life and their parents are never around. I would modify everyday on their assignments when I new they wouldn't get the help at home. I don't want to say homework is bad because I think it can be a great thing if assigned properly and the teacher takes into consideration each kids and their capabilities. Also, modifications on tests are good because at times they can be very long and frustrating to kids who can't retain all of the material. Overall I found this chapter very useful.
Chapter four answered many of my internal questions as how to institute this problem based approach to mathematics, which was great- because these questions were adding up, he he! Okay, so without any more failed humor I’ll discuss what I really enjoyed about this chapter. I found the ten step system to planning these lessons to be very useful, but I truly enjoyed to accommodation and modification section. I was particularly interested in the fact that they said accommodations do not alter the task, I believe that is a very significant statement. Scaffolding with modifications to acquire the intended concept is an accommodation. I also truly enjoyed the tiered lesson suggestions. I have often debated on how this could effectively be done without causing hurt feeling in some students. I especially liked the index card suggestion; as this would allow each set of students to advance at their own pace while still being meaningfully engaged. Lastly, the section about grouping made me reflect on the groups I was in as an early elementary student. I had reading groups that were homogenous, which were actually not that helpful. We relied heavily upon the teacher to advance our group, because we all had the same knowledge. I have also participated in heterogeneous groups, which were much more effective. In these groups students actually learn from helping one another and by communicating about the task- I agree with the text that this makes the learning more substantial.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading Chapter 4 called planning in the problem based classroom I was able to gain lots of helpful information about teaching math in my future classroom by using a problem based approach. I loved the step by step guide that the book gave for creating a problem based lesson plan with the three main focuses being before, during and after the lesson. A key fact that I was reminded of is when the book talked about how it is important for the objectives to any lesson to be observable and measureable. The ten step lesson plan guide was very helpful to me and helped me to understand how to teach using a problem based approach. I especially liked the one variation from the three phase lesson which was think-pair-share. The students think of the problem on their own and then pair up with partners and talk about the problem and then share their results with the class. Lastly I found it very helpful when the book explained the difference between drill and practice by showing us definitions and examples of the two different practices.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Adrianne Hoefler
ReplyDeleteAdrianne, I also found the ten step planning process to be very helpful for me as a future teacher as well. It gave me the sense of how to go about implementing problem based learning into my elementary math lessons on a daily basis. The accommodation and modification was very helpful for me too because it clearly distinguishes the difference between accommodations and modifications in the math lessons. I loved the fact that you looked back on your own experiences in elementary school and looked at the type of grouping that you were in as well. I totally agree that it is important for the heterogonous groups so that all of the students are not at the same level. This way the students can learn from one another and are able to bounce ideas off of each other.
In response to Brooke M
ReplyDeleteThank you for specifically mentioning the before, during, and after phases of instruction. I think that these are very important in planning the lesson, and I forgot to mention them. I agree that by utilizing this ten step approach to lesson planning it makes sure you are constantly mindful of your measurable objectives. The think, pair, share exercise to be a wonderful idea. I like that it makes this problem based learning also cooperative learning. I too found the distinction between drill and practice to be important. I also appreciated how the authors explained when they believed it was acceptable to drill. II personally liked the idea of the homework being ungraded practices, I think that will be a welcome change for many students.
I think it is safe to say I am officially overwhelmed. Math was always fun and easy, for the most part, and now thinking about teaching the subject is making me a little uneasy. I know that a majority of my uneasy feelings are coming primarily from me being scared of the unknown. Lesson planning is one of the unknowns that make me uncomfortable. I enjoyed reading this chapter because I felt like it really broke the lesson planning down and somewhat simplified it for me. Taking it step by step will surely help me to be able to focus on the task at hand. I recently was in a 4th grade math class and was once again, overwhelmed, this time by the wide range of the students’ abilities. What a challenge planning for all levels of learners will be. This is something I not really considered. Lessons are all about planning and then adapting. Seeing what works and what doesn’t is a major part of a successful lesson as well. Since we will have learners in our classrooms with a range of abilities we have to be ready to teach the lesson in different way and doing this takes a lot of planning and time. Lessons have come so far for lectures and notes. Now lessons are interactive and cooperative. Most of all this chapter helped me to realize the importance of putting the time into your lesson planning so you are well prepared for the lesson and provide a great learning environment.
ReplyDelete@ Brooke M
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some great points. I think the lesson plan guide was extremely helpful. It really helped me make sense of lesson planning. I will admit, I think lesson planning in one of my weaker points. I think lesson planning one of those things that will take practice to get better and stronger. I agree that the variation you pointed out (think-pair-share) is great and there are many kids who would greatly benefit from the use of that practice. I too like it when books give the definition on topics closely related and really help show the differences.
The first part of the chapter immediately says “regardless of your experience, it is crucial that you give substantial thought to the planning of your lessons.” It continues saying there is no “teacher-proof” curriculum. This idea is so important. There are so many teachers out there that constantly do the same worksheets, problems, and so on year after year. It is so important to know that each group of students is different and that each individual student is different as well. I loved the section about drill and practice. I remember so many times taking home worksheets with simple naked number problems on them. I think the real work and real understanding really does come from word problems or problem-based tasks and experiences.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Shawna: I agree so much with your idea on lesson planning is about planning and then adapting. One of the many questions I have is though, how do we adapt without making it seem we are favoring a particular student? For example, if we know Bob doesn't understand subtraction and works best with picture stories, but the other students are advanced enough to where pictures bore them... do you still give Bob the non-picture handout? Or do you give him the picture handout and the others the advanced sheet?
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 was full of information regarding lesson plans. I think that the 10 step Field Experience Guide offers a lot of great advice that we as educators can implement in the classroom. It is very important to know what mathematics our students need to learn when planning. It is also important to know what our students already know. As if we are teaching them things they already know they are going to be bored and lose focus and it will basically be a waste of time. I think you need to be careful when designing lessons because you need to include all students and accommodate all learning types. Lesson plans should include a variety of things to ensure all students are getting the best possible education. This includes switching from learning through listening to hands-on and reading to visual aids. I also really liked the importance the text puts on practice as we all know practice makes progress. Students learn well through repetition and constantly practicing will help students learn the skills we want them to know!
ReplyDeleteDeidre- I really liked that you brought up the point of tailoring lesson plans to each individual class. This is very important. I agree with you that a lot of teachers just use the same worksheets and lessons year after year but it is very important to be able to tailor your plans to accommodate all students in your current class!
ReplyDeleteI am a special education paraprofessional and my heart is in the field of special education. I really enjoyed the section on Planning for all learners. I found the discussion about the difference between an accommodation and modification very interesting. Accommodations do not alter the task, while a modification does. Definitely good information to understand. As I have began my internship I have a unique situation because they did not replace one of the teachers who retired last year. The class I am interning in has 27 students. One of my first questions has been how does the teacher reach all the different learning styles with this large of a class. I can from reading this chapter that she is using many of the techniques mentioned. The two times that I have observed she has used flexible groupings which seems to work well because the students are learning from each other and are involved in the lesson. She differentiates instruction based on how the class is progressing. Last week she had to reteach an idea because many of the students were not grasping the concept. I am impressed in how she manages to provide practice before assigning the homework. She plans for the activity that will allow the students to practice the concepts before working on their own. This allows her to see who is understanding and who is still struggling.
ReplyDeleteTo Deidre J: I agree teachers need to know their class and adjust teaching techniques to meet individual needs. I have seen many teachers who use the same worksheets year after year. I was actually a para in a classroom in which the same worksheets had been used for probably 10+ years from what others had said. In the area of special needs I think teachers sometimes have the attitude that it is the special education teachers job to teach the student. In reality the regular ed teacher should be making accommodations or modifications so the child can be successful in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteTo Shawna W: I know what you mean about feeling overwhelmed. As I said in my post I am interning in a class of 27 students. I feel so sorry for the teacher. After two days, I can already see the wide range of learning abilities. I asked my mentor how she approaches teaching to such a wide range. She said she starts high and works her way down in order to meet all the needs. I found this approach very interesting. However, the more I have thought about I understand what she is trying to do. I have already started thinking about how I am going to do my formal teach in this classroom. It is very exciting because as the state goes through budget cuts I think classrooms are going to continue to get larger as they cut jobs. The other 3rd grade teacher retired and they did not replace her position. I think it is very important to find a style that allows for reaching the needs of all learners.
ReplyDeleteLacey Keller
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was definitely the nuts and bolts of teaching mathematics. I couldn't agree more with the author when it is stated that teachers first need to find out where their students are performing. It is crucial to give those diagnostic assessments and base the instruction off of those results. If the students already know the material, why waste time and energy planning those lessons?!
Another valuable point in this chapter (and one I hadn't really thought of until now) is the fact that textbooks are just a resource. I can remember as a student when the teacher just wanted to get through the textbook at the end of the year. Wow, hasn't that style been outdated!! Textbooks should be a tool used to present the content in the curriculum. One should be selected that best fits, and should not be solely used as the only tool in the classroom.
The last thing I wanted to say about the chapter was about the differentiated instruction. The note card idea is wonderful where it provides instructions at the individual student level and it provides this learning discretely. Working as a special education para, some students in the program get upset because they think they are given "easier" tasks than the rest of the class.
Lacey Keller
ReplyDeleteJeanette,
Unlike you, I am interning in a small class of eight 1st grade students. However, this class is a very diverse class. Of the eight students, two have behavior disorders, three are receiving speech services, one has an anxiety disorder, and one is extremely brilliant! So, this class of eight has the potential to create a stressful classroom environment. However, the teacher is always cool, calm, and collected. All of her students seem to be engaged. I admire her for addressing the needs of all her students.
Chapter 4 maps out planning a lesson. This chapter is amazing. This is just the kind of thing a new teacher needs. We need to know exactly step for step the way to write out a lesson plan, not just a template. I like how it talks about aligning the lesson to your students’ levels. Since I do want to teach special education I find that I will be aligning each lesson to probably each student. Yes, this probably will be frustrating, but necessary. I think that each student learns different and at different paces. This is why as teachers we need to be sure that students are learning at their level. In my internship, there is one little girl that is way ahead of everybody in reading. Since she is so far ahead she actually gets to do something a little bit different than everybody else. During guided reading she doesn’t only do a center and workbook page, but she also has a journal and individual reading. She actually loves it. She gets done before every student so it is great that she has more to do. I often hear her say, “This is boring” or “This is too easy.” I always report this to the teacher, because adjusting the lesson is a daily thing, I have learned. Nothing ever goes perfectly as its planned and learning to adjust your lesson daily is a good idea. This chapter really lines that out for us and explains drills and homework great. In the first grade homework is a little much. The children go home everyday tired and not wanting to do more work. I think reading at home is very important, but any other subject you may send homework home but make it optional. Let the parents decide whether then need it. If the parents decide they need it then they can go ahead and do it but they do not need to bring it back to school. For older grades, I believe homework is okay, but I still do not love it. Its good to keep the curriculum going throughout the day for some kids though.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jeanette
ReplyDeleteWow. I am kind of surprised that they would have a class that large with one teacher. It is kind of sad and difficult. I also knew a teacher who was actually given 1st and 2nd graders together to teach for a year. After hearing from her, she said it was so hard to get the 2nd graders to their level because she was teaching the 1st grade level. After a few weeks, she got a routine down, but I can't even imagine two classes and that many children.
Shawna W:
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your being overwhelmed. I have developed lessons in past classes and found out in other classes that "opps" that's not the way to do it.
Last semester when I was in the Reading Internship, I was utterly and completely overwhelmed to the point that I wondered if I would be able to pass the course!
Be assured that it is not as bad as it may seem and you will be an excellent teacher because of your willingness to scared.
About 10 years ago I knew a woman who was going into teaching. She commented that it would be an easy thing to do in life because for the first year you bust your "_ _ _ _" gathering and planning lessens and the subsequent years you sit back and simply skate on those lesson plans every year after that
ReplyDeleteI never really thought that was right and never liked the thought of doing that, but after all she had more experience than I did, so who was I to challenge her.
This chapter just proved what I believed all along, and it was the first section on page 58.
"Regardless of your experience, it is crucial that you give substantial thought to the planning of your lessons.. There is no such thing as a "teacher-proof" curriculum - where you can simply teach every lesson as it is planned and in the order it appears. Every class of students is different."
How true it is, how true it is. The lessons are the most important part of teaching next to the students. And the lessons must accommodate the students learning style, interests, prior knowledge, diversity, and so on. Not any one class has the same type of students and we are not a factory turning out thousands of computer pieces that all work the same.
There is so much information pertaining to lesson planning I am finding it to be a little bit overwhelming. I'm also wondering how I'm supposed to remember all of this! There are so many ways to create lesson plans, and it's important when planning that you can reach out to all students with all academic abilities!
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of help included in this chapter. For example when it comes to drills, practice, and homework. I think a lot of teachers give these types of assignments as busy work, but it's important for us to keep in mind that there are appropriate times for giving these assignments. Anyone can be given practice problems day after day, but that doesn't mean that he or she will be able to fully understand the concept, especially if they do not understand the concept prior to practice and drills being assigned.
@ Deidre J
ReplyDeleteYou are right about teachers that stick to the same old worksheets / ideas day after day, year after year. Granted math is something that needs to involve practice, but I know that I'm not the type of person that necessarily excels at worksheets or textbook problems, especially if I don't understand the concept. If this is how I feel at 22, I think it's safe to say that some elementary students probably have the same concerns. As educators our job is to teach every student, even if it means making modifications / additions / etc. to the same lesson just so every student learns and can eventually understand what is being taught.
I found chapter 4 to be a very informative and helpful chapter. The planning process for lesson planning answered the question I had at the beginning of this class, how do I teach mathematics. I am glad to know that I have a guideline to go by. I will be making a copy of Table 4.1 to use as a reference for my teaching career. I also enjoyed reading their examples of how to differentiate instruction. I feel this is something that is not utilized in the classroom enough. Several times in the chapter it mention a book called, "Field Experience Guide" and the useful information that it contains and how it is tied in with each chapter. I will be purchasing this book. The last thing that really stuck out on this chapter was about homework. The book states we should never grade homework, but rather use it as a teaching tool for those problems they don't understand. Again, another area I don't see in the classroom a lot. I feel that this is a much better approach. I never thought homework truly represented their understanding of the concept due to so many outside factors that could affect it. I am really enjoying this book and look forward to what the next chapter will bring.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Linda McC,
ReplyDeleteI too have heard the same responses from teachers in the past. One of the things I have struggled to get on our school improvement plan was to inservice teachers on how to adjust curriculum for our students who have learning disabilities. So many of the teachers in our school district do not try to modify or differentiate the task and then blame SPED teachers when their student does not do well on the MAP test. I enjoyed reading your blog and I know both of us will be better teachers for it.
Chapter 4 gave great detail on how to plan a problem-based lesson. It provided a flow chart with steps to do this successfully. One thing you always need to keep in mind and focus on is what is it my students should be able to do once this lesson is over. I think it could be easy to get off track and like the text says teach a fun activity instead of focusing on your goal. There were a couple of sections that got the most of my attention. One was differentiating instruction. This is something that I know will be difficult as a teacher, but I also know is very important. Students learn different ways and in different paces, teachers need to realize this and be able to teach to each student. Not only must you consider the student and how they learn, but also the content, process, and product. Another section that I found very useful is the section on accommodating a lesson for an English Language Learner. Table 4.1 gave some great examples and provided accommodations for each step in planning. I was surprised to see considerations you take in each step, but once I read them, it was clear they are necessary. Overall, this chapter will be a great resource when preparing for a lesson. Like the text said, even the most experienced teacher must put substantial thought into planning lessons because every class of students is different.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Angela S.
ReplyDeleteI agree that chapter 4 will be very useful in the future. I am so glad they provided the guideline and steps to take. I have already marked my book, so I can use it for my formal observation lesson. I also agree that differentiated instruction is not used enough. I feel like when I was younger I would have liked math more, if I would have been taught in a different way.
Chapter 4
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I really liked how this chapter started out about the teaching by telling for efficiency. Students need the opportunity to learn and grow. This opportunity comes with time. We can not rush it! The 10 steps for developing a problem based lesson plan was awesome! One of my thoughts was about step 8 should be earlier on in the steps. Some teachers tend to do more fun activities or themes without relating them to the standards. So I like to reference what I need to teach in the curriculum and relate it to a standard immediately. I also liked how this chapter brought up homework. Homework helps with a problem based math. We just need to remember before, during, and after.
@ Amanda Lewallen
I like how you brought up that this chapter talked about teaching to student of different levels. I look at this more and more every day. Modern day classrooms are moving to small groups and some curriculums are moving more towards small groups, like EveryDay Math. So in these small groups we would have our different tiers so that students who need more help can get more help. It is all about adapting to our students needs.
Chapter 4 Blog-
ReplyDeleteReading through Chapter 4 I found the 10-step Planning Process to be very useful and easy to understand. It was easy to follow and a great guide for everyone, not just new educators. Figure 4.1 was a great Diagram of how to implement the 10 steps and how they work with one another. Another section that really caught my attention was the Textbooks as Resources section. I think all too often educators forget how much the classroom textbooks can help to create good lesson plans and how they can be changed to implement more standards-based curriculum. The textbooks do not need to be followed all the way through but can be a great tool. As far as homework is concerned I have had a few teachers in the past that have taken the initiative to not grade homework but just make sure the students have it done and go over any questions the students had. In my opinion this is a great approach and makes it less stressful to do homework because there will not be a grade for it.
In response to Lindsay H...
ReplyDeleteI agree that a lot of times it may be necessary to implement Step 8 a little earlier in the process than the text suggests. Students can understand much better and relate to the lessons when fun activities are made available to them and can help them to pay attention if they have been excited about it.
In developing a lesson you first need to be looking at standards, goals, and what mathematics is being taught. I know that next we look at what they have already learned in earlier classes. We use the pacing guide and if they have all been in our district then they should have been taught the same things. If they are coming from another state it may not have been taught before to them. This is where a pre test might be good in determining what they know. Our classes have such a variety of learning ability that it is important to have it leveled for all learners. Some will be able to move faster while others will need additional help. All three parts are needed for a good lesson, the before, during, and after. Finding that initial connection that the student can use to reflect and build on. Asking questions and looking for clues such as facial expressions to tell you whether or not your students are understanding what you are teaching. Discussion to determine if they have learned what they need to know is very important. I think I have seen what would be considered stations. During intervention some teachers place several tubs out each one focuses on a certain skill. The skills are ones that they are presently working on or ones that many have had trouble with. They have simple activities or games in which they would record their answers on forms left in the tubs so the teacher can assess their knowledge later. It is important that the thought cases growth , if the student is just repeating and not challenged by ideas then it would not be problem-based experience. Make sure that you are teaching the material and not teaching just what is on the page. They need to understand the concept and how they got to the conclusion. Using tiered lessons and differentiating instruction is a necessity to allow all students to learn. This is definitely something the teacher will have to do because most curriculums can’t foresee what your students will need. I liked how it pointed out how important collaborating is to learning. This is definitely a skill that they will use over and over again in life. I don’t think drills are as important as oral conversation on what and how they learn. I also liked the part about homework support. I remember looking at some of the Excel homework my daughter would bring home and I would not know how to help her do it. If I work in the school and can’t do it how is a parent supposed to help that may not have even graduated high school?
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter the most interesting point that I found was the 10 step process for making a lesson. When I’m a future teacher I can use this process as I plan a math lesson. As I also have not created a lesson plan before I think that this process will further help me break it down into smaller part. Planning for all learners is so important because like we have said previously not all students learn the same way or at the same time. Accommodation and modifications are major points that I know we will soon be working with when we are out in the field. As we have started out in the field I have notice in my internship that there are a few children that have accommodations for their learning.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of good teachers in our school but I have noticed that they leave it up to us LRE's to differentiate everything. It makes it very hard because we walk into a classroom and we have not had plan time and most of the time it's fly by the seat of your pants, because you might know what their teaching because you looked ahead at the curriculum but you don't know exactly how they are teaching it. You really have to teach and adjust it quickly for your students. Sometimes especially homework it's hard just to change it up so they can learn from it.
ReplyDeleteChapter four of the text book Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally (7 th ed.) by Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. talks about planning lessons for a variety of learners. Planning lessons can be a daunting task for many new teachers but there are steps to take that will help teachers in this process. This chapter of the textbook provided me with new interesting knowledge, made me reflect on my own experiences and made me ask questions about the reading.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I learned in this chapter of the text book was the differences between “drills” and “practices”. These words sounded the same to me but according to Van de Walle et al text book “Practice refers to different problem-based tasks or experiences, spread over numerous class periods, each addressing the same basic ideas” and “Drill refers to repetitive, non-problem-based exercises designed to improve skills or procedures already acquired” (Van de Walle et al., 69). The book also talks about how teachers can use each of these in the classroom to benefit the students. There is a time for drills and there is a time to practice but they are not the same.
A piece of information that made me look at my own experiences was the “provide homework support” section of Van de Walle et al. text (Van de Walle et al.,72). I recall always hearing parents say how difficult it is for them to help their child with their homework because they do not understand what the student is doing or what the teacher wants. I think it is very helpful for teachers to send something home with the student so that the parents can understand as well.
References:
Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2010). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally (7 th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
To Angela S:
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the table was very helpful to me as well. I was wondering how I was going to teach to each of my student and I think this table helps break everything down into smaller steps. I like that you can check each one of these to make sure you have hit each of the steps. I have the “Field Experience Guide” and it is well worth it! I think this book has great ideas for teaching mathematics.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI too liked the 10 steps in this chapter of the textbook. I found these steps very important to know in the classroom. I am nervous about planning lessons in my classroom because I have not had very much experience in doing it but when there are steps that I can follow it makes it a lot easier for me. I was a para educator for four years so I defiantly know what it is like to keep up with different students and make sure everything is working for them in the classroom.
Response to Jennifer P
ReplyDeleteThe way this chapter looked at the actual definitions of drill and practice is certainly interesting. Sometimes I wonder if teachers really think about the words they choose to use. Even on the playground I have corrected teachers who called something by the wrong name and they did not see it as a problem. They then continue to call it by the wrong name, what does this teach their students.
Chapter 4 was very interesting to me. It taught me a lot about using a problem based teaching approach. I thought the power point Dr. Stramel talked about in the adobe connect was very helpful as well. I have been very apprehensive about teaching math in the classroom. I think if I am able to learn many different teaching approaches like this, I will do perfectly fine. We as teachers need to remember that the objectives have to be able to be observed and they have to be completely measurable. We have learned this through the internships and the lesson plans we have written. The think-pair-share aspect was interesting to read about as Dr. Walizer taught us the think-pair-share aspect in the reading and language arts methods class. I now see it from the mathematics perspective. I have been pondering how to write lesson plans for the mathematics part of my classroom routine. I pretty much have the other subjects down pat. After reading this chapter, I think I feel a little better. I think it will always freak me out in this subject as I have always had a great fear of math. I am learning very quickly though, there is really nothing to be scared of, just put your mind to it and it can be done. I like learning the different math problems. I really like that the textbooks we are required to buy will stay in my classroom teaching library for years to come.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Tammy M –
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really helped me in making the lesson plans for mathematics. It also really taught me that giving a pretest may be the best thing in the beginning because if the students already know the material real well, why bore them to death and teach it to them again. They will refuse to do the work if they are bored. Teachers have to also know how to make the activities fun and entertaining. I feel even a little better about this aspect of my teaching career.
I enjoyed reading this chapter and feel it is not only worth the amount of time I put into it, but more time then I have so far been able to give it.
ReplyDeleteThe basic steps it provides for the planning of a lesson are well thought out and presented carefully.
This chapter has a lot to teach us,, and is one I am sure I will be taking another look at later, as I plan lessons.
This chapter reminds me of the fact that lesson planning is one of the most important things teachers do, and one that many of them should but more time into. Unfortunately many teachers are basically just doing the same think they did last year, of if new the same thing the old teacher did last year.
Lesson planning is one of those things that we must never stop learning about as teachers, unless we would like to begin to fail our students. A teacher who stops learning how to do a better job is a teacher who decides to start failing their students.
Within chapter 4, I enjoyed learning about the 10 steps involved in problem-based teaching in more detail. I especially agreed and benefited from step 10, identify essential questions. It's important to always be prepared and to keep students open-minded to think beyond just the facts. For example, what kinds of questions can be "cooked up" from readings within mathematics? This is something that needs to be kept in mind while teaching mathematics lessons. I also feel that tiered lessons are fun and effective to students. I feel that assistance is needed, but also to scaffold students to do work on their own. Within my future classroom, I want use the tiered lesson ideals. I want to keep my students wanting more and wanting to learn more. If I can spark the questions, then students will want to continue to learn. This is what makes teaching fun!
ReplyDeleteMegan-
ReplyDeleteI feel that being prepared, especially as a beginning teacher, is very important. Using the 10 steps will help us, as future educators. I want to apply the steps to have a well-rounded and well balanced lesson. I would like to use this idea with thematic units and with all subjects in my future classroom.
I seem to get overwhelmed when trying to develop a lesson so having it broken down into steps is nice. I liked how the step-by-step process dedicated step 4 to designing lesson assessments. In one of my other courses we are learning the importance of assessment and how it differs from testing. The class I am interning in is doing a program called IPASS for math. It is meant to help show where certain students stand in their knowledge of mathematics. My favorite part of this program is the constant assessments it gives. The students are given the information and then allowed to repetitively practice in through assessment. Once the program sees they have a good grasp on the content then they are tested on it. The teacher can view how they perform throughout the entire program so she can see their strengths and weaknesses in the subject.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading about planning for all learners. It has been said to me over and over already this semester that my job as a professional educator will be to provide a quality education to all students. This ties directly in to making even the smallest lesson adaptable for all learners. The tiered lesson can be used to do this and I feel like it will make for equal opportunity for all learners.
April,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the fact that objectives have to be both observable and measurable. This is very important because when students know what they are suppose to learn and see that it is possible they can go straight for it. I think students can easily get confused in a subject like math where they’re getting all of these funny numbers thrown at them. It’s important that they be able to make sense of those numbers and know exactly what they are to do with them.
It is interesting how everything starts to come together. Over and over we are learning about theorists - Piaget, Vygotsky, etc. Finally, I am starting to recognize the reoccurring tendencies of these theories. Scaffolding is a huge part of any subject, but I think it probably pertains mostly to math. Math is constantly building upon lessons. In my classroom I hope to put a big focus on step 5 of the planning process - Plan the Before Phase of the Lesson. I think if you can apply a current trend or event to tie in with the project. When you can apply a real world situation, the information becomes relevant.
ReplyDeleteThe other night my daughter was frustrated with her homework. She was converting fractions into percentages and decimals. When I related the information with shopping all the sudden she was intrigued. The information became applicable because like me, my daughter loves to shop and find a good sale.
The NCTM Illuminations website has some really great games to use for lesson variations. The Fraction Game would have been fun to play with my daughter. It even helped me get a better understanding. It is super simple, but puts light on the confusion that fractions can bring.
It was also encouraging to read about tiered lessons. MTSS falls right in line with this type of differentiating instruction.
I thought that Chapter 4 was very organized and detailed in giving lots of useful information about lesson planning. This is something that all teachers should know how to do very well because the better the lesson is planned, the better it will actually work in the classroom. The way the text set up and described the three phases of lesson planning was very helpful. I liked how it stated that for the after phase teachers should be prepared with questions that the students may ask and the different issues that they might face while solving the problems. The ways to adapt and differentiate the lessons were very interesting as well. I really liked the section that gave examples of tiered lessons and these will be very helpful with trying to teach to all of the diverse learners in the classroom. I learned that drill and practice are not synonymous and that lengthy drill exercises can actually negatively affect students. On the other hand, a short drill assignment, once the students are comfortable with the process of actually solving the problems, can be helpful in making sure the students retain what they have learned. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect,” and the more that students actually practice actively doing mathematics, the more they will learn and improve.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Shannon H:
ReplyDeleteThe IPASS program sounds great! It’s nice to hear that the students are getting a chance to practice through assessment and that they are not tested until they have fully understood how to solve the problems. I also agree that tiered lesson are a great way to easily adapt the lesson plans to the specific needs of the students in the classroom and I’m sure that this concept will come in very handy for all of us in the future.
@ Emily M
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement about homework as busy work. A few problems is ok, but like the book states lengthy homework is not productive. Somewhere in the book it talks about grading. If you assign all that lengthy busy work are you going to have time to grade it? We cannot spend more time on grading than on lesson planning. However, I completely agree with how the book suggests grading homework - never grade on correctness.
The ten steps of lesson planning presented in this chapter provide great guidelines for lesson planning not only in math, but in all subjects. All lessons need before, during, and after planning as well as consideration for accommodation. I like the statement on page 64 that says "there is no law saying every page must be done or every exercise completed". I can remember teachers just zooming through workbooks without ever allowing much exploration or elaboration on the material. I didn't like that as a student, and do not want to use that method in my future classroom.
ReplyDeleteShannon H., I agree with you that tiered lessons can help make learning opportunities equal for all learners. As teachers we will want to help every child learn and succeed. Tiered lessons and accommodations are an excellent way to help us do that.
ReplyDeleteI really like this chapter, because I think that lesson planning is something that is extremely important to a classroom’s success. I like how right off the chapter pointed out that “substantial thought” must be given to the planning of your lesson, because ‘every class of students is different.” Lessons must be reviewed before they are taught, even year after year, because they may need to be changed based on the student’s needs. I really like the problem based planning and know that I will use the 10 step process. A few of the steps I hadn’t considered before were “plan before the lesson, plan during the lesson, and plan after the lesson.” Now, after reading I know that all these are important steps and build the basis for the lesson, promote good discussion, and reflection. I also really like the section “Planning for All Learners.” This is something that is very important to me and something that I feel needs to planned with the lesson. I also like that it gave examples of how instruction can be modified (including word problems) so that all students will be able to understand. I also like that there is a section specifically for to how to adapt instruction for ELL students. This is something that I definitely want to know more about and am happy to be learning bits and pieces with each chapter. Overall, I thought the content found in this chapter was very good and am excited to start my lesson plan so that I can use many of the things that were suggested.
ReplyDelete@ Elisabeth Adams
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to slow down and explore content further. I really liked the problem based learning approach for math because it allows students to actually understand the content in an applicable way. I will also definitely be using the ten step process and am excited to start our lesson plans so that I can apply all these different elements.
Shawna W.~
ReplyDeleteI would say I feel almost a polar opposite from you! I have always been overwhelmed by math and am now feeling less afraid and more empowered. Problem-based learning is fascinating to me and makes me really excited about teaching! The entire concept of lesson planning for success, and making sure that I assess, adapt, re-plan, re-teach, and do whatever needs to be done to ensure that children thrive in the classroom is overwhelming, but as a whole, I feel less overwhelmed by math now than I ever have!
Chapter 4, was over the planning process of creating a lesson. The first part of the chapter listed 10 steps that a teacher needs to do and consider while creating a lesson. This would be done before the lesson had begun, and in many cases would be done earlier in the year so that ever lesson flows together. By following these steps it really makes a task that seems very complicated quite easy. I worry about how I am going to make my lesson flow into one another and how to assess my students’ progress throughout but I follow these steps it all comes together very easily. The next section is for planning for all students. It is important that teacher realize that not all of their students will be at the same level and learn in the same way. This will never be the case in the today’s diverse classrooms, so teachers need to be prepared for this and have a plan of how they are going to accommodate every student. I love the section on homework; I think students have too much homework most of the time. I like how they have solved a big argument in schools these days involving drill practice and homework. It is safe to say that students do need to do a few problems on their own so that they can master the skill and the teacher can assess their progress. It is also safe to say that some of this work will have to be done at home because the school day is just too short for everything that is required to teach. It’s important that student don’t feel like homework is a punishment, rather they need to see it as a learning experience and way to get help. I think this would help with the students that don’t like to do their homework, if they feel that they are getting more than just a grade for something they would be more interested in doing the homework.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 discussed planning problem-based lessons. I know the importance of problem-based mathematics, because I completed a research project on effective teaching strategies in mathematics last semester. This chapter confirmed all of the research I read. Drill should never be the center of any math lesson or concept. It should rarely be used at all. The first part of the chapter went through each step of lesson planning. Because this is my last internship at FHSU, I have completed several lesson plans. This guide follows exactly what we have been taught to do for lesson planning. Everything you plan must fall back on the standards and curriculum. I found the homework section of this chapter to be really helpful and useful. I have heard a lot of debate on whether or not teachers should assign homework. This chapter outlined what types of problems should be given for homework and which ones shouldn’t. I really liked Figure 4.2, which provided an example of a list of questions that could be sent home for parents to help their children with homework. Proving parents with this could help ensure that the student and not the parent is completing the work.
ReplyDeleteLindsay –
ReplyDeleteI also liked the section on planning for ELL students. This is definitely one area I need plenty of help in. With the number of ELL students in schools growing each year, accommodating for these students is becoming more and more important. I appreciate all the information and advice I can get in this area!
In response to Lindsay S.:
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that the lesson plans have to be reviewed every year. Of course we all know that teachers reuse their lesson plans year after year. But after a few years we can’t just assume that our lesson plans are tried and true every year. My mother is a teacher and what she does is she creates lesson plans any time they switch books, then she uses them every year. But during the year she keeps notes on how difficult the information was, the problem she had, activities to do and ones not to do, and she also makes a note if a lesson needs to be completely revived. This process helps her keep track of how she accommodated the Sped students, the ELL students, and even the high students on individual assignments. Then at the end of the year she goes back through all her notes to revises any activities and lessons she feels could be better taught. This work pretty goal, but a good teacher has to remember that she/he can foretell the future so there may be other modifications and accommodation that she will just have to do that as the problem presents itself.
I thought this chapter provided a wealth of valuable information. I like the chart that helps to develop a planning process that is shown on p. 59. One of the things I found most important was step 8 in the lesson planning process: check for alignment within the lesson. I also took note that it mentions several times that students need to become aware that you will be asking them to explain what they are thinking and doing. A lot of the things mentioned are things we’ve been taught before, but they come together in this chapter to make an easy to follow guide for lesson planning in mathematics. We know that standards and objectives drive lessons, but it is presented here again. We know that students need to learn about process: why did they do what they did to get the outcome they did? But it is presented here again. I also appreciate that the text reminds us to allow adequate time to discuss problems. This is where learning gets lost sometimes in schools today~ “oops, we are out of time, lets conclude quickly…” and valuable opportunities to cement learning are lost. Children need to know why they did the work and discuss what went right or what went wrong. I know I need that part of the process in order to learn and to retain what I learn. If I learn something for no reason, it is not connected to my life in any real way, then I don’t retain it (this is related to what we talked about in the last chapters with the connections in the brain to prior learning). I also appreciated the section: Students Who Don’t Get It. I was one of those students, and more drills did not increase my understanding. Also, the more I felt like I was bad at math, and like I couldn’t “get it,” the harder it was to commit more meaningless facts to memory. The chapter points out the appropriate times to use drills and that when students don’t get it is not the time.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 provided me with some very beneficial information. Lesson planning is a critical part of a teachers’ job. Before I had read the chapter, I skimmed over the steps of planning a lesson. At first, I thought that nine steps were too many. But, when I went back and read the section, I realized that each step is important for a successful lesson. Each step is an integral part of planning a lesson, and each step has the students’ best interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the tiered lesson was beneficial to me, especially since MTSS is being implemented into my internship classroom. Even if MTSS wasn’t being implemented, I think it’s important for a teacher to do tiered lessons. They allow each student to learn at their level. Hopefully, they will advance enough to make it to the next tier.
In response to Allison-
ReplyDeleteI have also heard a lot of debate in whether or not teachers should assign homework. When I was in school, it would have been unheard of for a teacher to take the view that homework wasn’t necessary This chapter was very beneficial to me when it comes to homework. I personally think that homework should be given, and the guidelines this chapter gave me will help me when I’m in the field assigning work.
Chapter 4 concentrated on the development of lesson plans and the process of addressing the before, during, and after goals of each lesson. I enjoyed the examples provided for fixed areas and the fact that they were related to the 5th grade classroom (I am doing my internship in a 5th grade classroom!). Assessment is the biggest part of any lesson for the assessment is what drives the lesson you are teaching. It is crucial to address each section of the lesson; before, during, and after to ensure all of the teaching goals are met. On page 93 of our text it speaks of think-pair-share, this is a strategy we use often in the school where I work for it is a KAGAN strategy and we are trained to use KAGAN strategies in all lessons we teach. This is a great way to get all students engaged in the lesson. The students work together in groups and then share their answers after the group discussion. This makes all students feel comfortable if they are called on to address the question at hand because they have been able to work as a group before they have to answer. When we do centers in Kindergarten there is always a math center or station. The teacher either places a game or activity for the students to do after she has explained it to the class, the students then spend their center time playing the game or completing the activity, the students then complete a graphic organizer so the teacher can see if the students have understood the concept of the game or activity.
ReplyDeleteIn the classrooms where I work the teachers use specific textbooks but often times the teachers either leave out sections in the book or do not follow the directions directly as stated in the book. Instead the lessons are formed more around what will be expected of them on the state assessments. In the classrooms where I work there is a lot of collaborative work done due in part to the KAGAN training all of the teachers have been given, this is a great strategy especially for the students who tend to struggle in Math or any other subject.
I think it is important for a teacher to remember to not immediately give the answers to students but to have the students reflect on how and why they have done a problem a certain way.
It was interesting to read about the difference in Drill and Practice. While I see the Drill method used often in the classroom it is interesting to know that it is not the best way to for students to learn concepts. After thinking about it, I completely agree. It is like practicing something over and over again, perhaps it is getting practiced wrong then the student now has it “drilled” in their mind how to do it the wrong way or perhaps for only a short period of time. It is very important for students to practice problems and to reflect on what and why they have done the problems the way they have. It is also very important that the teacher ensure that the students know HOW and WHY to do problems then way they are done. While there are numerous ways in which students can do problems it is important for the students to know WHY that method works.
In response to Carissa K-
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your take on the use of textbooks in the classroom. At the school where I work teachers do have their specified textbooks they must use but more than not I see the teachers skipping sections in the text or changing the directions as stated in the book to follow more along with what will be expected of the students on state assessments. While the teachers use the text as a resource for their assignments they create their own lessons and directions around the problems found in the text. As far as homework, I feel there are times when it should be graded and other times when it should simply be reflected upon the next day in class. I know there are students that would never do their homework if they were not receiving a grade therefore some other type of initiative would have to be given to ensure that the students do complete the work.
Chapter 4 is about developing problem-based lessons and what to consider when planning out the lesson. There are 10 steps that the book takes you through and I think the most important one is to consider your students’ needs. What do they know already and what is their background on math – these are just two questions to think about. I also think that the book makes a great point when it says that “one of the most important challenges for teachers today is to reach all of the students in their increasingly diverse classroom.” In today’s society, no two children are alike and everyone learns differently and comes from different backgrounds so it is very important to know how to be able to teach to all of the students and have them understand. I think this will be my biggest challenge especially my first year of teaching. I will just have to observe the students and see who understands and who is not and then change the lesson plan accordingly. The conceptual approach is the best way to help the students who struggle and I will definitely use this approach when necessary and not drill them.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Andrew D –
ReplyDeleteI agree that each of the steps in lesson planning is important and we need to take each one into consideration. Each student comes from a different background and brings their own knowledge so doing tiered lessons is also important. This way each student can advance but still gain knowledge at the same time.
Katie Coulter
ReplyDeleteChapter 4
Blog 3
My mentor teacher and I just got done discussing her lesson plans and how she completes them and now I read about this! Lesson plans scare me for some reason. I am like my mentor teacher, she has everything written out, not in full blown detail, but enough that someone else could walk in and teach. I have to see everything. I don’t want to forget to mention this or go over this fun fact, so I have to write everything out. The chapter presents some very informational content about preparing your lesson plans. Being prepared is probably one of the most important things as a teacher. If you aren’t’ prepared you are wasting their time and yours. Each procedure all had great points. I got a little hesitant when I read about the assessment step because I am just not good at that. I am not creative enough at this point to be able to administer an assessment without making them write something down or take an actual test, which I don’t want them to do every day. They need variety and so do I. Step 8 really caught my attention. This is so important and yet for me it’s complicated right now. Creating lesson plans for other methods would take me like 2 weeks by the time I got everything aligned, figured out, questions and ready to do! Making sure that everything flows from one objective to the next is so important and having the right activities to accommodate the lesson is crucial. You don’t want to get them all confused by you skipping around or including a fun lesson that might encounter an objective they have not yet covered. Focusing on this as the pin point to lesson plans is going to be hard. I think many teachers like the idea of an activity or such so they create everything around that.
In response to Rebecca B.
I totally agree that students have too much homework. My younger brother, a sophomore in high school, averages about 2.5 hours of homework a night. That is a pretty good average if you think the time of a high school person, go to school from 8 to 3:30 then have practice till about 7, get home, shower and eat some super, then around 8 you’re looking at another 2.5 hours of homework. That’s 5 days a week. Most adults don’t have a work day like that. I think there is a happy medium with homework and each subject is probably different. As far as math goes I feel that if a student can prove to you they understand the concept in 10-15 problems, why make them do 65 of the same thing?
Chapter 4 was very informative and answered a lot of the questions I had about implementing the problem based lesson in the classroom. The first thing that caught my attention was Figure 4.1 the Planning steps for a problem-based lesson. The way they broke down the structure of the lesson was very helpful and made it easier to understand and process. Another section that I found interesting was the Variations of the Three-Phase Lesson. It said that sometimes math lessons will not need the full class period and that you can implement mini lessons. I found it very helpful that there were suggestions on questions to ask the students. I currently work in our school district with special needs students so I found the section on Accommodations and Modifications to be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ashley L:
I agree! I think the most important thing a teacher can remember when developing their lesson plans is their students needs and what previously knowledge they have on the subject.
I liked how the text explained that the text book is only a resource to use in the classroom. It isn't something that should be used word for word front to back. I know growing up many of my teachers did this and it was just a routine for us students, which got boring and pointless after a while because we knew what was coming. As teachers we need to mix it up on our students every once in a while and do something different that will get them excited to learn and excited to be in our classroom. Things like this really get the students brain going and it opens them up so much to new things.
ReplyDeleteAshley L,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that no two students are alike in a classroom today and as teachers we need to find the way that each student learns the best. This is getting harder and harder to do with all the diversities in the classrooms today but as a teacher we need to be willing to teach the curriculum in more than one way so that each student has the ability to succeed in school
Reading about planning is very beneficial. I like how on the first page it mentions that every classroom is different, diverse and it takes a different lesson plan to teach for each different classroom of students. They all will learn differently so you have to remember to seek out how they learn best and incorporate that into your teaching. It was also interesting learning all of the different ways to go about planning and then teaching lessons. I enjoyed reading about analyzing student approaches. Even before teaching a lesson it could be very helpful to visualize how students could react and then change your lesson to reflect what you imagine. It is important to realize that we are never going to be perfect but we still have the chance to improve with each day that passes.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jordan Ottley:
I totally agree on the thing with the textbooks. I remember so clearly the emphasis that teachers had on textbooks in elementary school as well as high school. There is so much that we did out of the books, which was good sometimes but other times it just caused so much chaos. I think that looking outside the book can allow students many more learning opportunities.
Lesson planning in a problem-based classroom…what a terrific chapter! I really don’t think it was until my Elements of Statistics class in college that I did real problem-based classroom work. Maybe that is an unfair statement, but thinking back, I really can’t recall anything but the naked number problems. In Stats, we actually did our work based on useful information and the instructor related it to how we would use it in real life. I think this chapter does an excellent job of stressing the importance of making the material relatable to the students in a way that they can understand it and know that they can and will use it. The Three-Phase lesson plan was described so well, and I love that this text gives examples of everything! I also thought it was so interesting that we can do a form of the three-phase lesson model in sending home homework. So many parents that I talk to complain about children having math homework, but math really is a concept that requires practice, and with the short classroom math periods, homework is often required in order to provide enough math practice for students. Discussing the homework in class is wonderful. I do believe that there are situations where the student returns the homework, has it graded and given back, and there is nothing more to it (even if there are red marks covering the paper). The class discussion would promote learning based on the homework assignments and possibly promote communication between the school and home.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Shawna W.:
ReplyDeleteI can completely understand your overwhelmed feeling! It is a lot to take in and a lot of responsibility, isn’t it? Have you had Dr. Walizer yet? One thing that has helped me a great deal is a phrase she likes to use, “Keep the blinders on!” She means that we need to stay focused ahead and not look so hard at the big picture all at once. We will pull what we need, as we need it, and before we know it, the whole picture will fall into place. We just need to take it piece by piece. I keep hearing that the first three years of teaching are so difficult because of developing lesson plans and “figuring it all out,” but after that, I think it probably really becomes a lot of fun because we can start pulling more and more in and adapting and adjusting our lesson plans based on what we’ve learned from our teaching. Every great teacher I’ve known says they’ve learned as much from their students as they ever taught them. Don’t worry! You will be great!
Betsy F.-
ReplyDeleteI too didn't realize that my Stat's class was problem based. I just felt that we worked out the problems that the instructor provided us with. I also agree that we need to make the information for the students so they can relate to it.
Chapter 4 to me is going to be very useful when it comes time to plan a lesson. It is so important to stop and assess your classroom as a whole to determine how to come up with a lesson. The three phase lesson is a great example of how to prepare and give your lesson. If you understand what you are teaching and saying, then your students will understand what you are teaching. It is important to teach a lesson to where your students can relate to it!
ReplyDeleteI have observed a teacher who has her lesson plans prepared at least one month in advance. At the end of May she has her August lesson plans ready to go. She is very organized and efficient in her approach to planning lessons. Although she has a lot of experience to pull from she also brings in new technology and teachers through this avenue as well as staying true to what has worked for her in the past years to teach students state standards. I appreciate the way this chapter breaks down the planning for all learners. The making accommodations and modifications piece was helpful for me. I find this aspect a little nerve racking. If I make lesson plans for my students in one area then have a student who is unable to work in a group or needs some accommodations then I must be able to think on the fly or have something in place already that provides the support this type of student may need. The templates in this chapter are always nice to view. In my mind, the more lesson plans I can view before having to make my own is only a benefit to me. The before, during and after stages of a lesson plan are important to bring in prior knowledge and produce new learning for the students.
ReplyDeleteAshley L:
ReplyDeleteThe needs of the students are a top priority in lesson planning. I agree with your point on this matter. The lesson planning process is slightly nerve racking in my opinion, but creating a plan of action for my day makes me feel prepared and ready to teach. Being organized is something that I take very seriously. I am a bundle of nerves if I am not prepared for the day. Thank goodness we have lesson plans for us to help guide us when we don't know what to do next.
I have some learning to do in this area about lesson planning. It seems more easy to have easy to follow steps to help reach my goal of a lesson plan for all learners. I have some experience in sped but thinking of trying to reach most learners through that knowledge. I still need every direction possible to build strong lesson plans. I am a sub and know now how important lesson plans really are for someone in your absence. I wish the objective and goal put could be brought into the most simple language possible. Sometimes reading the objectives and/or goals sounds like we are trying to use the most brainy words so no one really understands what we are going to be doing today. Thank you for any and all resources concerning this task lesson planning.
ReplyDeleteKristle C
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your variety approach so all learners can get it all together, also. I like using different techniques to get the desired results necessary. I hope to create lesson plans that accomplish my goals and expectations for my students.
I really have enjoyed each chapter so far but I would have to say this chapter is probably my favorite so far. I do believe all of the information given to us from our text is beneficial, lesson plan information is something we will have to know no matter what subject and/or age group we teach. I am sure this will be a chapter I refer back to many of times throughout the semester. I like how it broke down the process of writing a lesson plan down an talked about the before, during,and after the lesson. This is definitely something to think about when writing lessons. One thing I am a little worried about is being able to write sufficient lesson plans when I have a classroom of my own. There is so much to know just to write a lesson plans, including, objectives, standards, etc. I am sure with enough practice writing plans throughout the next couple of semester I will feel more comfortable by being virtual and not being face-to-face with a professor that can critique them has always kind of worried me. I am sure everything will be okay though. I believe as long as a teacher can write good lesson plans, along with other things, they are on the right track to a successful classroom.
ReplyDeleteJena S--I think that is great that the teacher you observed was so organized and quick to get things done but making my lesson plans for over a month ahead would kind of worry me. What if something came up and you had to spend an extra day teaching your class a lesson they didn't quite get the day before? You lessons would all be a day behind. I don't know, maybe a month ahead is a great idea, to me I would think a couple of weeks would be the appropriate thing to do. Dr. Walizer would have the answer :)
ReplyDeleteI found chapter four to be very interesting. I will definitely be using this information when I am working on my lesson plan. I'll make sure and use a problem based approach while teaching. I think this will be a very helpful tool to use when teaching math problems. I also found the ten step lesson plan guide to be very helpful. I'm actually pretty nervous about making lesson plans in the near future because of my inexperience with them. But I now know that I can always use this chapter to help guide me through the lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteTracy- I am in the same boat as you. I feel like I got a lot of information out of the chapter. But I still have lot more to learn! I think that following all the steps mentioned in the chapter will help us out a lot.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading chapter 4. The biggest thing that popped out to me was the list of 10 things that a teacher should do/remember when writing a lesson plan. I have never worked in a public school, but I did teach pre-k at a daycare and I absolutely hated writing lesson plans. Some things to keep in mind while writing them may have made the job a bit easier. Overall, chapter 4 was a great chapter!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kristi P.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I am so glad that they broke down how to write a lesson plan because it can be so confusing sometimes! There are so many requirements, etc that it becomes a huge chore to simply even remember everything involved. The break down of how to write them was fabulous!
-Kymberly R
I think assigning homework is an important task in school. It can help families work together and can cause them to work together. Also, it can help them in working outside of school. Being in an environment that is not school so that they learn not just in school but other places. I like the way the book suggests of assigning homework by using the three-phse lesson model. Complete a brief version of the before phase of a lesson to be sure the task is understood before students go home. At home students complete the during phase. When they return with the work completed, apply the sharing techniques of the after phase of the lesson.
ReplyDeleteKristi,
ReplyDeleteIf this is one of the first years for internship, you will definitely have plenty of practice in writing lesson plans. It does become easier as time goes because you get more familiar with what goes where and how to write the objectives. I still have a lot of work to do with writing lesson plans, but I feel a little more comfortable in writing them. At least until they changed the format. Now it will start over again. I guess this is part of being a teacher. Flexibility.
This chapter has tons of information in it! When the book said that the book was simply a resource for the class, I completely agree. We can't always just use books and think everything is being taught or explained. Many students require hands-on work to retain information. I think books should simply be guides for us and not something to just read from and expect students to learn. As we all know, students learn in different ways and we as educators have to find what works for each student to make sure they are retaining information and retaining it as well. When talking about homework I also have mixed feelings. I think that homework is bad to give out!! Especially in Math. Just speaking from my experience in being a para in a school where there is a high percentage of special needs, they can't always get the support at home they need. I had a student last year and he was on his own after school. Even to the point where he may not get supper. If there is no parent to help the student we can;t blame them and drop their grade because they don't understand it and can't get the help. I agree having a few review problems would be okay but I think it just depends on the assignment given. I took many notes about some things in the chapter! Great information.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Tessa W,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we have to be open to change! You are correct in saying that you should get a visual on the class when presenting an activity too! If there is something in you lesson that doesn't go the way you want you can definitely change it. I don't like when teachers go directly from the plans and refuse to change any of it when it is obvious something needs to be different! You explained this very well!
The part of this chapter that I liked that we discussed in class was the part on practice as homework. I do believe homework is a great way to practice the material and for someone like me who needs the hands on practice it is a great way to practice. But teachers have to realize how much is to much homework. If to many problems are given as homework then it will start to feel like a chore for students and they will start to hate the subject. That's why, especially at the elementary levels, I don't think that the homework should exceed more than 15 to 20 problems depending on what the material is the homework is covering. That should keep it to where the students practice and learn the material and don't use up to much of their after school time doing it.
ReplyDeleteDina
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that books can be a great resource but we can’t always rely on the books and go straight out of the book. Hands-on students however don’t learn the material best just by going through a book. We definitely need to be aware that our students will not all learn in the same way. If we fail to teach lessons in a variety of different ways then we will fail as educators.
I really liked where the book talked about the difference between accommodations and modifications. Accommodations don't change or alter anything. Modifications do. I really like being able to modify for kids because depending on the situation it really helps. I have had many students that have a poor family life and their parents are never around. I would modify everyday on their assignments when I new they wouldn't get the help at home. I don't want to say homework is bad because I think it can be a great thing if assigned properly and the teacher takes into consideration each kids and their capabilities. Also, modifications on tests are good because at times they can be very long and frustrating to kids who can't retain all of the material. Overall I found this chapter very useful.
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