Unit Planning

So the semester is in full swing and I’m preparing to plan my unit. I have the privilege of teaching the geometry chapter for the last month of the semester. It includes angles, line and angle relationships, properties of circles, and finally classifying polygons and triangles. I am a little nervous about this chapter because there are so many new terms and it will be like shifting gears mentally, going from algebra to geometry. One idea I have mentioned to my CT is the use of a journal/notebook. Each student will be provided with a bound notebook where they will take notes on key terms, their reasoning and proof of example problems. They will be allowed to use this notebook on quizzes, which will be given about every other section, depending on where a good break in the material is. These quizzes will help me gauge their progress through the material and help me pace my lessons. My CT really only told me two things with regards to this unit (1) because it’s very different from what they are doing right now many of the struggling students will probably do well with that unit and (2) to have fun with it and include as many hands on activities as possible. This was very encouraging and she expressed a confidence in me and my abilities. I am so excited to tackle this material now and am thankful that my CT is giving me 2 to 3 lessons a week to gain practice in teaching,  classroom management, and writing lesson plans.  

Evaluation

So this past week I have been focusing on evaluation with an emphasis on the types of questions asked during a lesson. My biggest question for my CT was “how do you phrase questions so the students know what kind of answer you are looking for?” and “how do you scaffold your questioning for students on an individual basis?” Both questions surprised her so her first response was practice. After some thought she told me that, the biggest thing is getting to know your students. Once you know the students, you know what approach to take and where in the material they tend to be tripped up. I also noticed that when going over a problem on the board she would ask the students how to do it and occasionally ask another student to verify the work done. It seemed to work well and get almost everyone involved. So today, I decided to try a few of her techniques while leading warm-ups and going over the homework. It was miserable. I do not remember getting my wisdom teeth pulled but if I did, I think this morning would have felt worse. In first period, only two students were willing to help during warm-ups. Then when we got to going over the homework I thought their silence was because they just had no clue (which should not be the case because it was all review from last week) so I pulled out all the questioning techniques I could think of. However, there was only a heavy fog stuck in their minds. Therefore, when the next math class came around I mentioned first hours lack of participation and how my CT told them reviewing the questions was for their benefit, not ours. Well, I could not stop them from offering answers, and not just any questions/answers but FANTASTIC ones! I do not know if this was because it was later in the day or they realized they have a test on Wednesday and wanted to review but they responded wonderfully to my experimental questioning. My CT does not just use these questioning techniques while reviewing classwork but also in the middle of a lesson so the students guide the lesson to an extent. This I think is a great example of formative assessment. Now, with respect to summative assessment and other forms of evaluation, they took a test on the computers today. It is the Star Math Test and is supposed to tell what math class they should take next year. However, it has many problems; the biggest being that it is very inconsistent. For example, a student could score well on their first test; very poorly on their second showing, 2 or 3-grade levels decline in abilities, and on their third test show they are back on level with their first test. How this shows growth, achievement or understanding I have no idea. So as a teacher I will do my best to develop and utilize my questioning skills and be cautious about which types of summative assessments I use.

First Week

Today was the first day of the second week and I realized that I am already behind on updating you about my first week. So sorry about that. My first week was fantastic! The first day I was very nervous and anxious but tried to hide it because I’ve heard from somewhere that kids can smell fear. I doubt that its true but I did not want to test it. Most of that first day was spent observing classroom policy, their routines, how the teachers teaching style, and learning everyone’s names. The second day was spent in seminars at the College of Education. I thought all of my students were aware of this however, on Wednesday as I made my way to third period a young lady stopped me in the hall. She seemed distressed so I inquired as to what the problem was. She then promptly scolded me for being gone the previous day. I had told her that I would be there every day and then I wasn’t, how could I do that to her?! Was her response. I quickly apologized and assured her that I would be there the rest of the week and inform her about any other planned absences before I leave. As I walked away I couldn’t help but smile and feel terrified at the same time. I felt wanted by her just as much as I want to be with them, it was the greatest feeling, but at the same time I realized what kind of an impact I can have in these student’s lives. The remainder of the week went by much the same way as those first two days. Aside from having an overhead marker not simply “bleed” on me but pour its guts out it was a great week. This second week is beginning to look much better than the first with a routine set and names.. well, mostly known, and something exciting and unexpected occurring every minute. I can’t wait!

Assessment Through Questioning

Last week I spent most of the instruction time observing my cooperating teachers (CTs), focusing on what type of questions they ask, how often, and how do they handle incorrect answers. Last weekend I spent time reflecting upon those lessons and generated a few questions of my own for my CTs. Those questions included

·         How can I use questions during a lesson to accurately assess each students understanding?

·         How should I structure my questions so it is clear to students what I am asking?

My CTs gave a variety of responses, which include:

·         During a chapter review, the teacher asks a question and each student, using a small whiteboard or chalkboard, writes down his or her answer and on the teachers signal flips up their board for her to see. This allows the teacher to see who understands what concept. In addition, if the class is taking longer than expected to write down their answer she knows that is a topic that needs to be covered again.

·          When a student does not understand the teachers question or needs extra help they will ask probing questions and help them dissect the question into smaller, more manageable pieces.

·         When planning for a class discussion, create some questions about the material using Bloom’s Taxonomy. By doing this they are ensuring that a variety of questions are being asked and they can then quickly assess at what level the class understands the material.

All of these responses are valuable and leave me eager to try them in my own lessons. Although they leave me with more questions, such as

·         How can I use these and other questioning techniques to ensure that all of my students are engaged in the lesson?

·         How can I ensure the students know what kind of answer I am looking for?

·         How can I break large questions down for students and use those questions as a guide to the correct answer?

This assignment has allowed me to see the creativity needed to generate effective questions. I have also learned that through work and practice my questioning skills can become second nature. A few questions that could be asked in a middle school math class to monitor student progress are

·         How did you arrive at your answer?

·         What is similar/different about multiplying mixed numbers and multiplying fractions?

·         What information are we given in the question? How can we use that information in solving the problem?