Micro Teaching Lesson Plan

Battleground Schools 

The 'first stop' I had after rereading this article was a basic question:  Are there similarities (or maybe differences) in how European countries treat public education?  For example, something I would like to investigate more of is how Scandinavian countries integrate their Science curriculum, for their high school students.  I've looked into a little of this, and it would be fascinating what I "unearth" potentially!

A second 'stop' tying into that last comment, is on "inquiry-based learning"  Again, in Scandinavian countries, this is probably much better done.

And my third stop I guess would have to be:  how do we instill confidence in our kids/students when they approach math, so that when they're faced with homework they don't need to rely on parental help.  By that I mean, what if their parents might not have the proper expertise to get their homework done, either?  I know of a few cases where this has happened in just personal tutoring as well.

Eisner's Three Curricula (Oct.10 Tuesday):

I'd like to say upon reading this over again, I definitely found things to make me 'stop'.  One is this whole idea of implicit versus explicit curriculum that his piece talks about!  Explicit here meaning just the written framework that we as teachers must follow from the prescribed Ministry website, compared to the meaning of implicit, or what we can actually do inside our own classrooms to add a sort-of "personal touch" to our practicing day-to-day.





 

Personal reflection from Bridges, Math, and Art

(presentation of Oct.2 Monday)

Let me start by saying that even though I'm no artist, to accomplish linking math and art together is something that probably not many of us have done!

I found it challenging, but rewarding nevertheless, to work with my partners in coming up with a solution!

Thoughts on Skemp article:

For me, the three things that made me stop and think were:

(1) The necessity to, more or less, get the right language across when teaching math, because even replacing the character 'x' (multiply) in exchange for 'of' can lead to a mountain of misunderstandings down the road.

(2) Facing the fact that math formulas can be extended in so many different directions, how can we get our students to see that if we give them a formula (like the area of a circle), then they conclude that diameter times 'pi' would work fine, too.

(3) At the end, Skemp digs up a valuable point - should the word "math" be used in schools for purely relational practice, or can we use it for instrumental too? Knowing already there's tons of maths out there, should we be teaching more the path of application, or speak more to theory?

I stand pretty firm with what Skemp writes, because he shows that we can all benefit from looking at something (whatever it is) mathematical from a different angle.

 My mathematical past: in-class exercise on Sept.20

(1) Something(s) that really reached me as a math learner at any age

(2) Frustrations with math learning

(3) A math "teacher" you want to emulate - a role model

(4) A math teacher whose ways you want to avoid


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(1) Well I'd have to say Math 12 was really the point in which I decided to pursue math (or maybe it was grade 11, but somewhere between those years anyways). 


(2) Oh there are many.  Many, many, many!  I think the hardest for me was math proofs, which require a high level of thoroughness for sure!  But that said, grade 11 was NO walk in the park for me, because that was where the curriculum introduced parabolas and the quadratic formula... which yes, does throw lots and lots of students off track :\


(3) My grade 12 math teacher at Lord Byng high school, hands down! Why?  Because he was just so dynamic and had a passion that ultimately made me choose math :)


(4) Probably (no definitely) my grade 9 math teacher.  She sort of just really didn't... know how to teach 14 to 15 year olds.