Darby Brenkman ETE 339

Classroom Changes to Deepen Math Learning In the past ten years, the way mathematics is taught in schools has changed drastically. When I was in school, teachers taught the most basic way to solve a problem. Many times this included a standard algorithm or formula. I was expected to memorize facts, but was not always taught the rationale behind them.  In today's classrooms, we focus on teaching the meaning behind mathematics rather than asking students to memorize facts and equations. Many times we use manipulatives to teach the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. These manipulatives give a visual and concrete description of what is going on in each of these types of problems.  In today's classrooms, we encourage students to be problem solvers. This can mean that students are discovering math concepts on their own by making connections to things that they already know. Making connections in mathematics is a major push in classrooms now...

Learning Center Reflection Creating my Learning Center I created my learning centers for a first grade classroom. I did this, because my novice teaching placement was in a first grade classroom and my student teaching placement will also be in a first grade classroom. I thought creating my centers for this grade would be the most beneficial for me. I focused on the topic of place value. I chose this topic based off of my learning segment topic. I did my best to create three interactive activities that students would enjoy. In first grade, math should be fun! I created a place value chart practice, a manipulative representation, and a place value game. I think creating these learning centers was a great assignment, because it is something I can use in my placements and possibly in my future classroom. Other Learning Centers Participating in the learning centers of other was a great opportunity. Other students were extremely creative. I got many ide...

Calculation Error Reflection During class, we looked at many examples of students making common errors in mathematics. I think this was an important thing to do, because it is something each one of us will see in the classroom. Errors are common, but they are something that can be learned from. Students tend to make common errors. It is important that teachers are aware of what these errors are and are able to recognize them in student work. If teachers are aware of common errors, they may help students avoid making these through their instruction. Obviously we did not have time to cover all common errors made by students in class, but the ones we did cover gave me a good idea of why we need to be aware of these errors.  Many of the errors we covered were related to the operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Some of the errors we looked at were easy to recognize and others took much more time to recognize. Some students struggled with the concept...

Technology in Math Class We have used many different types of technologies in this class throughout the semester. At the beginning of the semester, we started each class with a SmartBoard presentation. We each presented a different skill/tool that the SmartBoard has. This was AMAZING! I loved this, because I know it is something I will be able to use in my future classroom. Some of the tools were more applicable to math in the classroom than others, but it was great learning all these different tools. There are so many different things that can be done on the SmartBoard that I was not aware of.  Within multiple assignments, we created videos displaying an infographic and speaking about the topic. This was a good way to wrap up and bring together the concepts of each assignment. I also believe that this is something I could use in a future classroom. A video students create could be an alternative assessment form.  We used multiple softwares to create infographics,...

Understanding & Questioning in Mathematics During the learning segment assignment (and other class activities and assignments), we created multiple types of questions. The three main types of questions are: Gathering and Probing Questions (Assessing Questions)  Gathering and probing questions are asked to help struggling students. These questions prompt students to dig deeper and think in more depth when working on problems.  Making Math Visible Questions (Advancing Questions) Making math visible questions are asked to gauge students' conceptual understanding.  Questions that encourage reflection and justification  These questions encourage students to think about what they did to solve a problem and why they took those steps. These question types will be asked in different situations. Asking questions in mathematics is extremely important. Questioning is a tool that teachers can use to determine what their students know. Teachers al...

Curriculum Grade Level 6th Grade Creating this year-long curriculum grade level plan was extremely beneficial. I think I learned a lot from this assignment. I knew there were many standards that need to be covered throughout the course of a year, but I was not aware that these standards are split into domains at each grade level. It was very helpful to use the chart and break down the domains and standards into quarters and semesters. It was very beneficial to plan activities and projects that align to each quarter and semester. This gave me an idea of how to begin planning a year-long curriculum in my future classroom. After watching the videos from the other groups, I realized how much the domains aligned across grade level. I discussed this more in my curriculum alignment blog. It was very beneficial to see how the domains and standards line up in the elementary grades. Part of this assignment was very frustrating, but overall I think the assignment is very helpful and is som...