I believe in hands-on/ student-centered learning. My approach to this type of teaching is through a variety of group activities in which students are challenged to learn from each other. These activities allow students to gain and convert inert knowledge into applied knowledge. At the same time, working in groups allows the students to share their unique ideas within the group and with the rest of the class. The class is divided into groups of 3 or 4, enough students to facilitate varied discussion but not so many that all are not involved. Within the groups the students are assigned (using place cards) the roles of reader, coordinator, quality controller, and reporter. The reader is in charge of reading and explaining the activities, the coordinator suggests ways of approaching the problem, the quality controller checks for correctness of solutions and the reporter records the groups solutions and reports them to the class. Of course students never stick strictly to these roles. My intent with assigning these roles is to involve reluctant students by making them aware of what is expected of them. In my experiences with this system, if a student is not doing his job in a group the other group members will be quick to let him know. The roles are rotated within the group from activity to activity in order for each student to experience the different roles (i. e. the same student will not be the reader, coordinator, quality controller, or reporter for the entire lesson). In implementing this approach to cooperative learning, I have tried giving each group (rather than each student) one copy of the daily activity sheet so that the students will be further encouraged to work together within the group. I have also tried giving each student a copy of the daily activity sheet to assure that all students are participating. Both methods have worked for me depending upon your goals for the lesson.
Beginning the Lesson:
I like to begin many of my lessons by having the students create a list of knowledge relevant to the topic for that lesson. I think this helps prepare the students to learn and helps the teacher assess how much the students already know concerning the topic. I like to review and add to this list at the end of the class. This helps students realize exactly what they have learned during that period.
Multicultural Education:
The nature of our national composition demands the multicultural preparation of teachers. Our nation is not a melting pot wherein human diversity fuses into a uniform America. On the contrary, ours is a mosaic of vibrant, diverse colors in which a cultural medley forms a variegated whole called the American culture. Within this national mosaic, each component culture retains its uniqueness while adding to the composition of the whole.
-Taken from
Did you know that:
1 in 3 youths served by schools in urban settings...is a person of color, lives in poverty or has multiple learning handicaps
1980-1990: the total foreign-born population grew by 40%
Most of our recent immigrants are from non-European, non-English speaking countries
Over 16% of all school children are African American
9% of all school children are Hispanic
Minorities constitute between 24% and 96% of the total school enrollment in eighteen states and the District of Columbia
The minority school-age population is expected to increase by more than 30% within this decade
I believe that differences in the ways learning, communicating
and setting goals for schooling are socialized in the home and at school
are a big factor in determining a child's academic success. Another factor
in determining a child's academic success is our views of mathematics. This
view not only influences how we present mathematics but it also influences
our conceptions of how students learn.
It is not effective to claim that different cultures have an impact on mathematics unless there is a way to exhibit the claim. Students need to see the cultural influence in the mathematics they are studying, because such insight can strengthen the students' understanding of both the specific content and the general nature of mathematics.
Assessment:
In assessing students I place more value in the "why" of mathematics than I do the "how" of mathematics. In other words I believe performing calculations is important but the real purpose of mathematics is understanding why it works and why it is important to learn and how does it relate to the real world. I like to call this communicating about mathematics. This idea is reflected in most of the assignments I give. In these activities students apply mathematics to the real world through word problems and explorations guided by open-ended questions. Another way I assess students' ability to communicate about mathematics is through journals. Writing in journals provides a means for students to record their own knowledge and a good way for the teacher to assess on an individual basis where students misconceptions lie. These journals may be assigned on a daily or weekly basis. It would be pretty hard to read the journal of every student every day or even every week. When I assign journals I check to make sure that they are done (ie everyone gets an effort grade). I then take a few of them home each time and provide feedback to those students.