Chapter 16 Statements

Alex's Statements

“Teachers must find ways for ELL students to make sense of mathematical language.”

It is very important for teachers to understand all of their students and their individual needs. ELL students tend to fall behind in many areas and teachers need to make sure the students understand mathematical language. If they do not understand mathematical language then they will not understand other mathematical concepts.

“Another way to offer choice to students is to allow them to work in different group sizes.”

Working in different group sizes offers the chance for differentiation. Choice can come into play when it comes to groups if the students get to pick their own groups as well. The book also talked about how there are many different kinds of groups the students can be in. They can be whole class, half lass, small groups, teams, etc. Every lesson I have taught with groups has been very successful. The students get to work closer to each other and they are more involved in their own learning.

   “Once students learn new information, they need to express it in some way so their progress can be assessed and further technology can take place if necessary.”

When students learn something new they need to be able to show off what they learned. Technology is a great way for students to show what they have learned. It can be expressed in three categories: tools, toys, and movement. Once teachers realize what they have learned then the teachers can find technology that furthers their learning. 

Tyler's Statements

• “Memorizing the steps to follow in one prescribed way to arrive at one correct answer is not always enough to engage the student in math enough to truly understand it, enjoy it, and want to learn more.”
• Some students do like having only one way to attack things, they need more choice. While there is only one way to add and subtract, you can use things like dry erase boards, blocks, and other manipulatives that will allow them to experience it differently.
• “Cultural influences and societal expectations contribute to girls beliefs about their math abilities and their interest in the subject. If teachers believe that both girls and boys are competent in math and provide a multitude of strategies for mastering the concepts, the performance gap will continue to decrease.”
• All students have the ability to learn any subject. As a teacher it is our responsibility to make sure that each student reaches their maximum potential (regardless of stereotypes)
•  “Anytime that a student can make his or her own choice about learning, engagement is increased.”
• If a student chooses to do something they feel a lot more invested and are more likely to do well. The key to this is to only give them choices that are acceptable to me as the teacher.

Jenna's Statements

• I think this chapter provides many good websites to provide resources to better differentiate math instruction and make it engaging. One that it gave I really liked is: "Math in Daily Life at http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/playing.html that describes how mastery of math concepts can help you in daily life situations, from leasing a car to playing at the casino."
• It is important to use these types of resources when planning to better differentiate.
• "Fitzell (2005) wrote that emotion makes curriculum meaningful, and this applies to math as well."
• Connecting the math concepts to real world situations is something that we learn about all the time. I really like however that this points out that connecting to emotions is a further way to make the curriculum meaningful to the student. 

Courtney's Statements

• ". . . as a teacher is that you need to be prepared to teach mathematical reasoning and thinking, how to use technology, and how to use visual skills regularly."
• It is important to always be prepared to teach all these math skills. Math is not my strong point so I need to work on all these skills. 
• "Music is an effective way to engage learners in math lessons."
• This is a neat way to get my students to pay attention and connect with math. 
• "For any math problem, provide options of increasing difficulty from an introductory level to a more sophisticated level."
• I feel that it is extremely important to increase the difficulty level gradually. That way the student does not get discouraged and can grow as a student. 

Tori's Statements

• "There is a growing need in our work force for problem-solving and critical-thinking skills."
• I liked that the authors included this in the reading because it really does need to be mentioned to explain the change in math today from math that used to be taught. Questions are more open-ended, there is more than one way to do problems, and teach them. We need to be reminded that rule-driven knowledge, while still important, is not paramount anymore.
• "...These standards are in place to ensure that students are college-ready or prepared for the workplace."
• The standards that were listed in the reading were interesting to look at. They really do lay out a fitting map of what students need to know about math to survive in the world or to go to college. I liked the standards because they seem like good things to know. I always remember when I was younger thinking, "Why do we need to learn this?" I think these standards justify themselves.
• "An important issue in achieving this goal is the consideration of culturally relevant teaching."
• I really like the idea of culturally relevant teaching. It seems, like I stated above, to be helpful in showing students "why" we need to learn what they are asking in these standards. For math, this means ensuring that all cultures, races, genders, etc realize and understand how the concepts apply to daily life.