8th Grade Math Artifact

Today’s education system is challenged with creating and incorporating the most effective and meaningful methodological and conceptual curriculum designs to date. One of the key challenges is to design curriculums that facilitate understanding, retention, and generalization (Bulgren, Deshler, & Lenz, 2007, p. 121-122). However, there is no single way to overcome these challenges due to the variances and complexities within each content area. These, along with the demands of meeting high stakes testing, and the endless revolving door of performance standards, places teachers in a constant state of turmoil as they seek to create coexistence between student achievement and rigorous and challenging standards. One strategy being implemented

In order for me to demonstrate understanding of this standard, I must consider the impact of the family and community on student learning, contribute to the overall development and improvement of the school, and work with other educators to share knowledge and improve practice. My artifact contributes to school initiatives, projects, and organizations teaching me how to teach and reach my ESL students through different strategies. The ESO training was beneficial for me to gain a deeper understanding of how important communication is when teaching others. I learned it is important to my lessons to include group work instead of individual work (and vice versa), evaluate students' performance on a test to decide whether to reteach the concept or move on to a new one. It is very important to collaborate with other teachers sharing fresh ideas and exchanging a variety of strategies to help relief the stress of math problems. The ESO training used everyday problems to solve math problems. Because we use math in our everyday life it is essential for me to keep my parents informed through emails and phone

This program is appropriate in a diverse, 4th grade general education classroom. The modules are made up of “Topics” and “Lessons” that are aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Each module provides the foundational standards needed for the lessons (i.e. CCSS from the previous grade), as well as the focus grade level standards. The first module introduces concepts which are then spiraled within the next module’s focus. While the modules are thematic and based on each mathematics domain (base ten numbers, geometry, fractions, data, algebraic thinking), some standards are seen across topics and lessons. Each lesson has allocated time to four major components: fluency practice, concept development, application problems, and student debrief.

I am a mathematics teacher, with a middle school education degree (grades 5-9) with an emphasis in mathematics and social studies, teaching at an area high school. I have decided to focus on Algebra I for this curriculum paper, because it requires more abstract thought and problem solving. I will address the following areas: curriculum standards (national, state, local (district)), textbook adoption, community, and design of my classroom. This paper will relate the standards at these three levels, discuss procedures for adopting textbooks, focus on the community background and describe my classroom procedures.

Now, with the recent implementation of the Common Core Program, more pressure has fallen on teachers to follow the guidelines with exactness. “Today, teachers are being forced to follow a script. They teach to the tests and fear job loss if they don’t see the expected results. The result of this test giving, job loss fearing style of teaching, is written all over the faces of the little kids caught in the transition” (Hurley). This new and improved “script” holds

The artifacts used are two multicultural lesson plans I developed to follow a multicultural diverse classroom which included twenty-five students. Of the twenty-five students, five were English Language Learning students and two had disabilities.

For this guided reflection paper, I observed two classrooms, the first was “Mr. M’s” 10th grade, 3rd period ELA class and the second was “Mrs. L’s” 11th grade, 4th period ELA class. Both observations were done on April 9th at the same high school. The focus for this paper was the teachers and specific components of their lesson plans. Both classrooms were not only engaged in different reading materials but also in different parts of their unit plan. “Mr.’M’s” class was just beginning their unit plan on the novel The Catcher in the Rye while “Mrs. L’s” class was finishing up their unit plan on the novel The Scarlett Letter. Both classrooms had different, specific learning goals, activities, and assessments.

For over two decades, New York State has been refining and fine tuning the learning standards that teachers use for their students daily. It is no surprise that countries were education is a “high-performing ability”, pinpoint their success to curriculum that is strictly focused and coherent for one goal; to improve the achievement of students as whole. The challenge of “creating a sequence of topics and performances that are logical and reflect the sequential or hierarchical nature of the content from which the subject derives” was one presented to teachers amongst others. Such standards needed to be coherent and must evolve from the previous ones to deeper structures in which students would be challenged by higher-level thinking (NYS Common Core Learning Standards in Mathematics, 2010, p.1). This paper examines the New York State Teaching and Learning Standards and follows the shift to the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards and its continuous growth from here on.

The narrator discusses how useful it is to practice several teaching methods when introducing new topics in a classroom, especially in courses like mathematics. According to Berk and Meyers, there are arguments about what methods help children learn mathematics the best like “reading, pitting drill in computing against ‘number sense,’ or understanding,” a blend of all approaches is more beneficial though (2016, p.444). The narrator says using different teaching methods allows the educator to reach two goals, “universal and everybody learns.” He discussed three broad principles of teaching which were how the information is presented, multiple means of action or expression, and multiple means of engagement. Applying these principles can help all types of cognitive learners, whether they are special needs children or

Standard eight focuses on instructional strategies and explains that a teacher knows and understands the importance of using multiple instructional techniques that adapt to the needs of all learners, in order to help them develop a deep understanding of content and to acquire knowledge that can be applied in meaningful ways. Also, because students learn and perceive information in different ways, the teacher is committed to help learners use a variety of learning skills and technology. My artifact is a math lesson plan that I did for Dr. Graham’s EDEE 4350 class. The lesson plan is about identifying the value of a collection of coins up to one dollar. I chose this lesson plan because it contains a variety of instructional strategies such as

Developing a curriculum is a difficult process, moreso when an educator has to keep in mind the number of students they are trying to reach. At the secondary level, it is not uncommon for a teacher to be responsible for 150 or more students. Each of these students presents a unique and trying task for educators who want to help students learn. Students have different modalities for which they gain knowledge, and it is the teacher’s job to engage those

What makes an individual put their heart and soul into everything they do? What drives people to be better? No matter how simple or extravagant an event might be, it could launch one into a period of realization and success. Years ago in a cramped middle school math class, I found my drive. I found the niche that I have long been searching for that would propel me to success both in and out of the classroom. I was always a shy boy, often classified as a follower given my restricted behavior. I would frequently allow others to take over in regards to all complex situations. That is how I got by, it was the only way I knew how. I recall a period where I had lost all desire to learn. At this point homework had become optional, paying attention

In order to thoroughly reach students, studies have shown that teachers who utilize given data are better equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students (Fullan & Germain, 2006). The foundation of this plan is based on the new teacher accountability program, new standards which will soon be put into place, and a continued adherence to current educational legislation. The most important aspect of this project is to find ways to better educate students no matter what group they fall into.

Math teachers have become increasingly disenchanted with the traditional materials they are forced to teach due to the existing California standards. The goal of the teachers is not that they need to change the standards, but there needs to be a better curriculum to adequately bring students up to those standards. Current curricula follow the letter of the standards that California has implemented, but they sometimes seem to be based on nothing substantial which would give credibility to the course of study. If a curriculum is developed to meet a set of standards, that is exactly what it will do. However, the goal should be to not only meet but to exceed the stated standards; or, at the very least, give students the ability to go beyond the standard. In this argument, the California standards are the lowest rung of the ladder that the state should encourage students to climb. Yes, the student will have a basic understanding of mathematical concepts if they meet the standard, but they will not have any impetus to reach beyond that and achieve something more. In this research paper, two different curricula possibilities are examined for their relative merits; one which is meant to just meet the recommended California mathematics standard as set forth by the Common Core State Standards Initiative (2005), and one which is recommended by a practical body, the National Science Foundation (NSF), to encourage students to achieve a higher,

This research methodology is an action plan because the researcher is trying to create a improvement plan in her own school. This will be working with at-risk and special education students in the math classroom and ways to better serve those students using differentiated instruction and technology to help lessen the educational gaps those students have and to raise MAP scores.