Synthesis

As I reflect back on this class, I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have been able to pull from the lessons/readings/activities that we have had.  I have certainly learned a lot more than these 4 things that I will blog about.  I thank all of you for your comments and knowledge that you have shared with me, you have helped me grow.

Okay...The first question that I choose to blog about is this: How will you choose and teach vocabulary words?  Vocabulary is EVERYWHERE in mathematics!  Students need to understand the words, before they are expected to use them correctly.  I will choose vocabulary words that are important for the content that we are learning.  I will help them to understand the meaning of mathematical terminology by providing them many opportunities to use them in discussions and in writing. I will use student friendly definitions. I will use visuals for them to learn, such as graphs, videos, pictures, symbols, and word walls.  I will also use hands on activities for them to learn vocabulary such as foldables, matching games, organizers, and more.  These are a few of the ways that I will choose and teach vocabulary words to my future math students.

Next, I chose to blog about this:  How will you structure opportunities for students to use oral language? First off, I think it is extremely important for students to feel safe in my classroom, safe to make mistakes and safe to not know the answer and to be wrong.  In my classroom, students will be valued for their participation in class, regardless of whether they were "right" or "wrong".  I will provide opportunities for students to be heard.   I will incorporate many of the discussion structures such as the fishbowl discussion technique, partner - to - partner summary technique, and partner - to - partner drawing technique.  I will provide opportunities for students to present oral presentations, either in front of the class or with a technological medium (Educreations, YouTube, or more).  I will be careful to help students to learn math and not be "told" math.  Meaning, I will not just give them the answer, I will help them to discover the answer from knowledge that they already have.  These are just a few ways that I will structure opportunities for my future students to use oral language.

I also chose to blog about this:  How will you integrate digital technologies?  Technologies are changing every day and the opportunities are endless.  Students live in the technological era!  They know it much better than I do and are much better at it, that's for sure.  I want to include as many digital technologies as I possibly can, knowing that there most likely will be constraints.  I love Dan Meyers Three-Act Math lessons (http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2011/the-three-acts-of-a-mathematical-story/) and I plan to incorporate some of these.  I like the idea of group reports done on YouTube, Educreations, or a Glog from Glogster (I created the Glog on the left...so fun).  Desmos provides many opportunities for lessons and projects as well.

 

 

Last, but not least, I chose to blog about this:  What kinds of texts will you make available to your students?  As I worked on my Text Set assignment, my eyes were opened to the amount of texts that we can provide our students with.  I also started thinking about the math classrooms that I am in everyday and I've never seen a "library" of math texts for students.  Why not?  I love the idea!  I will include many texts in my library for my students, magazines (my favorite was MATH - the Scholastic Math Magazine), videos, apps, book, websites, and more.  But, also...outside of my math library, I will use many of these texts within my classroom for lessons, activities, assignments, and more.  I hope to have a classroom where learning happens and we can get down and dirty in math problems, but also learn in fun and inventive ways...incorporating these fabulous resources that are so readily available to us.

For fun and a smile check out this fun movie of Donald in Mathmagic Land...

I have learned SO much in this class...I didn't plan on that, many of the techniques and strategies for teaching I never knew existed.  Thanks for the opportunity to learn so much this semester! :)

Oral Language

For my job, I get to observe 8 different math classrooms/teachers.  As a benefit to this job, I get the opportunity to see how different teachers structure oral language with their students and what seems to work (or not) for each teacher.  I learn from all of the teachers that I am assigned to.  However, there is one teacher that I mostly learn what NOT to do...  We are going to call the teacher whom I would like to write about, Mr. Z.  

In Mr. Z's classroom, there are many students who don't talk, because it isn't welcome most times in this classroom.  The overall feeling of the classroom is negative, unsafe, and not a great place to learn.  Unfortunately, students don't feel that they are valued in this room, understandably.  Needless to say, Mr. Z hasn't structured many ways for his students to speak in class.  

Recently, there have been many visits by the Principle, and Mr. Z has begun a special course at the school to help him correct his teaching/classroom.  Mr.  Z has begun allowing students to work together to logically solve real life math problems.  He then chooses a group of students to come to the board and explain to the class what they did and how they thought through the problem.  Mr. Z is now praising not only the correct answers, but also the incorrect answers in a way that the students are beginning to feel safe to make mistakes.  This makes me happy.  All students should feel safe to make mistakes or not know the answer...

Here is what I would begin with to help Mr. Z (in addition to what he has already been working on with the Principle)...  I would suggest to Mr. Z, that he add in a few more discussion structures.  The three that stood out to me in the reading were the fishbowl discussion, partner - to - partner summary, and partner - to - partner drawing.  The fishbowl discussion is similar to what he is doing with the students at the board, only this way the class will hear their discussion from the beginning.  I like this one so that students can see how others process a problem in their minds (similar to a think aloud).

With math being a subject with many algorithms, I can see how the partner - to  - partner drawing technique would work great (with more than just algorithms).  Students could sit back to back...one student could sit with a mathematical problem all worked out in steps.  They could explain the problem using steps to the other student and vice-verse.  The idea given in the reading was excellent too!  Having a student explain a geometric figure using all of their description words helps them learn their vocab.  I love this one!

I would also tell Mr. Z to find the value in his students, he has such an incredible opportunity to make a different in each of his students lives....they need to feel welcome, valued,  and safe in his classroom.  I truly feel that if he got to know his students, even just a little bit he would see the great potential that they all carry within them.  These are great students!  Talk to them Mr. Z and them be heard.