Friday, April 26

Video 2: Video 11. Classroom Case Studies (Grades 3-5)

Summary: This video focuses more on content than anything else.  It talks about taking students from concrete mathematics into algebraic thinking, and how this type of thinking can be introduced in the early grades.  While the video focuses on cultivating this type of thinking, there are a number of other aspects to pick up on, mainly demonstrating knowledge, teacher's focus on process, and student engagement.

            In the elementary setting, students demonstrate their knowledge in a few different ways.  The teacher checked for understanding by circling during the lesson when students were talking with their groups.  She supported their discussion and slowed them down, focusing on the idea of doing and undoing.  She walked them through the concept further, mimicking how you would wrap and then unwrap a present.  She did this for the whole class with a couple of examples, both checking their ideas and helping explain them for the whole class (or having a student do this).  There was one time shown during the video when she checked in with students as a whole group.  She asked, “Does everyone think they have a good idea of things that can be done and undone?”  This was more a question about confidence than knowledge, seeing if the students felt good about the concept rather than asking them a question with a right or wrong answer.  I think this is something I would like to get more in the practice of, just to gain an understanding of where my students are with the lesson.  I’ve done this some using a “thumbs up/down/in between”, and it gives me a good idea of whether or not we’re ready to move on.  There is one concern with it: what about students who simply agree to not be seen as the ‘stupid kid’?  I think that, even if there are some who do this, checking in about confidence is just as important as actual content. 

            Another thing I noticed about the lesson was the emphasis the teacher put on process.  This is something I think is very important.  At one point, the teacher asked how the student would get from the ‘out’ and find the starting number. The student gave the answer, and the teacher took this opportunity to have him and another student explain how this answer was gotten.  While still appreciating the student’s answer, she gave a small bit of praise, but put much more emphasis on process.  This is also something I’d like to incorporate in my teaching.  This is something I think I do a bit already, but I’d like it to be a strong aspect of my teaching.

            In this video, student engagement was high.  I enjoyed watching a lesson like this because it was something that was ‘normal’.  By this, I mean that the lesson wasn’t high activity, which sometimes leads to off task behavior, but was still direct instruction that the students were interested in.  I’m not quite certain from the video what this was a result of, and do not know the class (and also could not see all students).  I think part of it was due to the initial question: what can be done and then undone?  This is something students can relate to, and can think of countless examples in their own lives.  Having this background was a strong connector for the lesson and helped students grasp the concept.  This shows me how important and helpful anticipatory sets can be, and how they can bring the lesson, and student engagement and understanding, to the next level.

            The last thing from the video I focused on was the attitude of the teachers shown in the movie, especially at the beginning.  They were discussing how important math is at a young level, and how it can prepare students for math at a higher level.  One teacher was talking about how she had been teaching algebraic thinking without even realizing it.  It seemed like the teachers were realizing how important math is, even in the younger grades.  It sometimes seems like math is a priority only because of standardized testing and test scores, and it was encouraging to hear these teachers talk about preparing students for higher levels of math.   

Next week, I will continue with observations.  In tomorrow's post, however, I will comment on the importance of developing individual relationships with students.  A few things from last week got me thinking about this, and it is something I've been wanting to focus a post on.  Tomorrow in school I will make a point of doing some one-on-one work with students other than my case studies to begin developing more relationships and seeing how students change when they are out of the group.

Question of the Day

Is there anyone who is not a staff member (contact outside the school) who you regularly reference for collaboration?
This question was a little more difficult. My teacher moved from Texas many years ago, and the professionals she speaks to outside the school were her previous colleagues from her old school. She does not speak to them anymore, but they were a support for her in her early years in Minnesota. She also discussed that when she moved schools in Texas, she spoke to the people she used to teach with for a long time, especially about the new practices in her new school and how things were changing at the old school. She also mentioned Pintrest as a resource. She posts on there, and having other teachers comment on her posts or repost her items is a source of communication outside of the building. I asked if she speaks to other professionals in the building outside of school, and she mentioned talking to the other third grade teacher sometimes. I am now wondering if this has changed some as her career has advanced. I feel like I will still contact my colleagues from St. Kate's in my early years of teaching, yet that might decrease as I get more involved in the school I teach at and get to know those professionals better.