Introduction. Ruth Ann Is A Veteran Pre-Algebra Teacher

Algebra is a critical aspect of mathematics which provides the means to calculate unknown values. According to Bednarz, Kieran and Lee (as cited in Chick & Harris, 2007), there are three basic concepts of simple algebra: the generalisation of patterns, the understanding of numerical laws and functional situations. The understanding of these concepts by children will have an enormous bearing on their future mathematical capacity. However, conveying these algebraic concepts to children can be difficult due to the abstract symbolic nature of the math that will initially be foreign to the children. Furthermore, each child’s ability to recall learned numerical laws is vital to their proficiency in problem solving and mathematical confidence. It is obvious that teaching algebra is not a simple task. Therefore, the importance of quality early exposure to fundamental algebraic concepts is of significant importance to allow all

For my Field Experience I chose to observe at Krahn Elementary which is a part of Klein Independent School District. After my approval, I was assigned to four teachers and their classrooms. I observed at Krahn Elementary on six Tuesdays between 15 September 2015 and 27 October 2015, and more or less followed the schedule that was given to me by the Assistant Principal Ms. Shannon Strole. From 8:30 am to 9:15 am I observed Ms. Judy Burkes, who is a third grade Math and Science teacher. Her classroom is comprised of twenty students which range from average to below average learners and a student with ADHD and another with autism. For most part of my observation, M. Burkes had been working with her students on fractions and multiple digits addition and subtraction. From 9:15 am to 10:30 am I observed Ms. Lisa Parker who is a Math co-teacher and resource teacher at Krahn Elementary for grades K-5. During my assigned time, Ms. Parker usually joined Mr. Duru’s fifth grade class of twenty three students as a co-teacher and when required would pull out a group of six students after initial instructions from Mr. Duru and would teach them the concepts separately at a slower pace. This particular group of students with special needs was mostly seen to be focusing more and more on mathematical word problems. These students were students with Learning disabilities, behavioral issues and one of them was a student with ADHD. From 10:30 am to 11:15, I was with Ms. Janice Bluhms, who is a

In looking at the needs of an entire school, it is important to examine the needs of each individual student. It is known that not every student learns the same and achieves the same; therefore, each intervention should be personalized for the individual students. For the past two years, Whitley County High School has developed an intervention model that focuses on the middle tier of students. It is thought that these students can be instructed at a level that brings them out of the middle

An experienced Detroit-area educational administrator and consultant, Vivian Palmer holds a bachelor of arts in secondary education with a concentration in mathematics from the University of Detroit Mercy and a master of arts in education with an emphasis in instruction technology improvement from Wayne State University. Vivian Palmer’s professional history includes tenures as a professional development administrator with Detroit Public Schools and a director with the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan. She has also held a range of administrative and advisory positions in greater Seattle, Washington.

The project aimed to develop a series of connected learning experiences in a simulated three-dimensional context that applied mathematics and made it relevant so students would learn to identify and solve real world problems. The project was intended to be a comprehensive yearlong curriculum that integrated language arts, mathematics and the math practices aligned with the Common Core State Standards and made learning

Napavine’s goal is to engage and inspire critical thinking skills in every student through instruction that is individually relevant, motivating, aligned and diverse. Our action plan is for both the elementary and junior/senior high schools to utilize the Marzano Instructional Framework as a guide to student learning and professional growth. We have established that building administrators and teachers will utilize the Marzano Frameworks to guide professional growth discussions, goal setting meetings, and to identify future professional development opportunities. We have also established a Teacher/Principal Evaluation Program (TPEP) committee who will plan and guide professional development that includes a teacher leader to provide evaluation and framework training. Our School Improvement Plan (SIP) identifies Marzano instructional practices on a yearly basis as a school-wide focus for implementation and/or improvements. We also hold student growth meetings each fall between school administrators and teachers to revolve around students at risk of falling behind their peers and student sub-groups who may be collectively behind the total student population (closing the achievement gap). We plan to make time for instructional rounds during the school year to facilitate professional growth among teachers.

The primary goal of the lesson sequence was to actively engage students through fostering problem solving skills and develop conceptual understanding about mathematics. Consequently a range of authentic learning experiences that aimed to actively engage learners through the use of real life contexts, concrete materials and peer collaboration was incorporated in the lessons. The purpose of designing authentic learning experiences was to enthral students in true mathematical problem solving. Fisher, (2005) supports this theory by stating ‘The true use of maths is seen in its application to real-life problems. The activities throughout the lesson plan were intended to support students in actively constructing knowledge by completely immersing students in relevant and authentic learning experiences to become an expert on the content.

This article described the how a group of educators came together to introduce problem solving to third-grade students throughout the year as a means to teach other concepts instead of just teaching this concept when it was reached in the textbook. The educators were in groups of three with a mathematical consultant. During the course of this project the educators met with the mathematical consultant every four weeks to discuss how students responses and their presentations. During these meeting the educators would often make adjustment to better fit the students. The article contained subsections about the special spark, the before, during, and after of the problem

In the practice of teaching, it is the responsibility of a teacher not only to teach students subject matter, but to teach students in order to enable them to grow and develop as a person. While it is essential for students to have an understanding of academic material, it is also equally as important that when students finish their education they have skills to use in

There are many subjects that students don’t understand math is one of those subjects. Teachers do their best to teach students, however students just don’t understand. Paul did not understand his math because he could not learn with the class. Paul asked his teacher to tutor him, he did better in Math because of the tutoring. There are certain projects that push students out their comfort zone ( Tenenbauma 9 ). Paul and his class were given the assignment to write a math essay. This assignment pushed paul out of his comfort zone and he failed, if this assignment did not push him he would have done better. Students also have difficulty completing a assignment with limited time, paul was asked by his teacher to complete ten difficult math problems in twenty mins for a grade as a result he was not able to finish and he got a bad grade. If he had more time to complete this assignment he would have done better, but being rushed like this made him fail the assignment ( Tenenbaum 9 ). If students has more time to understand and complete their assignments. They would do better and they would be less

Alice Peterson drove to work mentally agonizing over the same dilemma that faced her every school day: how to help her students learn. Alice taught a class of prefers-grade children at the Mason Elementary School in Eastvale, a small town outside Chicago. This year was proving to be the most challenging and the most frustrating of Alice’s twenty-eight-year career. The Eastvale school district served a heterogeneous school population. More than 40 percent of the

Fiore opens with the clear point about the true-root cause of mathematics anxiety. It’s not a matter of students (whether young or old) refusing to learn the material; it is, instead, the way that the math material is presented to students when in a classroom environment. If the teacher is already filled with heightened nervousness about their own mathematical capabilities, those emotions will be quickly transposed onto the budding young students who are just entering primary school. If the math classwork isn’t being expressed in a clear, non-threatening way, it can cause much frustration for the students that are trying to understand basic math concepts that can help them reach more challenging ones when they enter secondary school. Parents

I will also be looking at how pupils’ mind-sets towards maths affect their overall performance and understanding. The class were I’ve spotted a majority of popular misconceptions is a Year 9 mid achievement class, whom most are willing to get involved and engage with the lesson, unperturbed if they get an answer

Many educators will argue what makes an effective teacher and how that correlates with the function of the classroom. When we talked about how to be an effective teacher we discussed three components, teaching through problem-solving and selecting appropriate tasks, creating appropriate environments and using appropriate interventions. In my field experience, I was able to observe these three effective mathematics teaching components and understand how they apply to the classroom. After leaning about these components, I was then able to use them in my personal experience and see how they

From the pre-assessment, we learned that teachers needed to learn more about intervention strategies-61% of those surveyed could not name an intervention strategy, steps in the referral process-89% of those surveyed could not accurately list the steps in the referral process and understanding an