Dyana_Journal+8

Dyana Brown Assessment Journal 8 Today in the first grade, my cooperating teacher taught the students a new lesson in mathematics. She first had them skip count by tens and then by fives together as a class. Then, she had the students return to their seats where they found a worksheet at their desks. My cooperating teacher set up the projector and had the students follow her as she modeled how she was counting in a new way using counters in two ten frames. The teacher had the students place their counters in one of the ten frames and count ten counters. She then continued to practice with the students as they worked to review how to use one of the ten frames with their subtracting and adding skills. Then, the teacher applied using the second ten-frame. She had the students place twelve counters in their ten-frames and asked them how they could count this in an easier way. The students did not catch on right away, so my cooperating teacher continued with more numbers for the students to practice with. She had the students take away and add the counters to their ten-frames so that they could catch on to an easier way to count their counters in their frames and by using their number lines as a supplemental aid. The teacher taught this lesson to the whole class together and had a great view of each of her student’s work as she was standing in the middle of the classroom, overlooking the students’ work. She was able to see which student was not following along with her modeling and which students were not paying attention. My teacher used this lesson as an informal assessment to see which students needed more assistance to complete the activities until they could move on to the written portion of the lesson. After my teacher felt that most of her students caught on to the pattern, she transitioned from informally observing her students to a more formal way of seeing whether or not her students understood the new concept. The next part of the lesson consisted filling in and answering the questions that the worksheet was asking. The teacher first did some guided practice with her students by reading the problems out loud and having one student give the solution to the problem. Once students grasped the concept, she had them finish the rest of the problems on their own as independent practice. The independent practice was the portion that the teacher could evaluate to see whether or not the students followed what she was teaching. I thought that this lesson and forms of assessment were good in the sense that the teacher incorporated manipulatives and hands-on practice in the beginning to see whether or not the students understood the pattern. I also liked how she transferred this knowledge to a paper-based portion and provided guided and independent practice for the children; however, I can see how the routine of this mathematical curriculum could be monotonous and boring for the children. I noticed that some of the children wanted to go ahead of the teacher so they could finish before the other children and move on with independent work such as, reading. I understand that this is a curriculum that the teacher has to follow and enforce, but I think that once the students grasp the skip patterns, they could move on to using money and coins, which could provide a much more authentic way of assessing the students. If something such as using coins was incorporated into this lesson, then the students could relate to the lesson more and enjoy and absorb the lesson in a more pleasant way. I also think that although this is an adequate and reliable way to introduce a new concept, I think that using different styles and approaches that cover the same topic will enforce the concept and provide more validity for the teacher to observe. I have also noticed and like the fact that the teacher does not give students a grade. She just circles what is wrong and has the student correct his or her answers. I understand that they are only in first grade, but the constant opportunity for students to revise their work, prevents the students from feeling discouraged. discouraged.