Phase 3- Action Plan
Desired Results
My goal is to facilitate a classroom environment that allows student connect math in the real world to fundamental concepts in Algebra. I want students to recognize the mathematics when presented with a real life situations, themes, and/or events. I want students to evolve from just doing math to understanding the purpose and connection to everyday life. Learning to think and identify mathematically is molding and exercising the brain to think deeper and connect the “why” to the discipline`. By the end of my class I want students to immediately be able to connect mathematical concepts in a real world perspective. I want students to complete their freshman year having a better appreciation for my beloved discipline -Mathematics.
Evidence of Understanding
I will use formative assessments from performance tasks (CPS Knowledge Center) that can be used in various ways. At the beginning of each unit a performance task can be used to determine prior knowledge, building student capacity and then assessing at the end of a unit using a performance task to measure growth. At first as the instructor I would present problems and in an instructional task asking student to identify the math, real life connections, explaining or defending an outcome. Several projects in collaborative groups where student will create or identify real life examples that mirror the major mathematical concepts. In Wiggins and McTighe “If understanding is about making meaning of facts and transferring knowledge to other problems, tasks, and domains, what does such understanding (or lack of it) look like? What should we be seeing if our students are getting better at understanding what they are learning? To pose this question is to shift from talking about our aims to talking about the evidence of whether our aims have been met” (pg. 10).
From here I will collect evidence from the beginning and ending performance tasks to measure improvement and growth. I will also analyze each task per desired outcome to determine the level of understanding collectively. The results will be used to dive deeper or clarify any misunderstandings.
Context
The BIG Idea will be implemented to three year long Algebra I classes. On average most students that will enter this year are what I call the “middle student” - not low or very high performing. Most student enter my high school performing at the same level however with various degrees of strengths and weaknesses. The year is is divided into four major units that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards Mathematics. Within each unit covers several key ideas that are parallel to content needed to advance the next level of math course (Geometry), ACT to SAT shifts, and district mandated testing. My students enter from many feeder elementary schools and struggle with connecting the concepts to tangible examples. I anticipating encountering students who will have trouble identifying and creating examples of tangible connections to math in the real world. Currently, the freshman will have Chromebooks by the 5th week of classes,access to computer labs, graphing calculators and other materials chart papers, various office supplies. In addition we have access to the school grounds which could assist in capturing real life math.
Content
In my experience students are usually confident at the beginning of the Algebra I course at creating or providing concrete examples of connections to the concepts to the real world. Students struggle during the second half of the school year with Unit Three - Linear Functions- connections between various ways to graph lines and various ways to represent slope and Unit Four Polynomials. This where students begin to experience mathematical concepts that are somewhat new and abstract. Student begin to lose interest and focus and the evidence is lower grades, higher levels of student being remediated and student feedback.
Pedagogy
My pedagogy approach would be to to facilitate the concepts using collaborative groups: discovery, explanation and understanding the concepts first by survey, group collaborative questions or problems, to introduce, to gain prior knowledge. I can utilize performance tasks that are aligned with the concepts where students work together to present problems, and defend the process of their solutions. Student learn best from each other and encourages everyone to contribute. Using collaborative groups assist students with feeling comfortable to create, talk and present their thinking. Another pedagogy strategy is demonstrating a videos from youtube or create a video that will display a real life problem and use a inquiry based strategy to let students uncover the math and how it related to the current math concept. I can use this strategy at the beginning of the course so that students can get a feel for the logistics and then later incorporate this strategy during the second half of the year with the more difficult concepts. Lastly, our schools Targeted Instructional Area (TIA) is “ Conferring” where you facilitate opportunities with students to confer on their findings, projects, assessments to provide specific feedback to move the learning further. I will be incorporating this practice so that students can use me as a sounding board to explain their thinking and demonstrate understanding. Conferring will provide students with specific and differentiated feedback on relating math to the real world. Students can create or present a real world problem that n are related to the major concepts. Working collaboratively, allows student to consider other perspectives from their peers to create a better understanding of the concepts.
Technology
I will use any technology available to assist in implementing my BIG Idea. Students will have access to their own Chromebook to use for research and real life examples. However students will be encouraged to other means of technology that is available to them. Student are way more savvy at creating so I will not limit this to one form of technology. I have access to standard classroom technology such as supplies, manipulative etc. Students will be encouraged to use outside technology from their community to assist with creating real world mathematics. Parameters will be established to make sure students are ethical and not in conflict with the CPS Student Code of Conduct.
References
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. ASCD, pg 10, 2005.
My goal is to facilitate a classroom environment that allows student connect math in the real world to fundamental concepts in Algebra. I want students to recognize the mathematics when presented with a real life situations, themes, and/or events. I want students to evolve from just doing math to understanding the purpose and connection to everyday life. Learning to think and identify mathematically is molding and exercising the brain to think deeper and connect the “why” to the discipline`. By the end of my class I want students to immediately be able to connect mathematical concepts in a real world perspective. I want students to complete their freshman year having a better appreciation for my beloved discipline -Mathematics.
- Application of real life problems to every major unit in Algebra I
- Student generated problem solving, solutions that connect to Algebra concepts
- Student recommended real life problems that can be presented and explored during classes
- Enriched performance based formative assessments using real life problems to math content.
Evidence of Understanding
I will use formative assessments from performance tasks (CPS Knowledge Center) that can be used in various ways. At the beginning of each unit a performance task can be used to determine prior knowledge, building student capacity and then assessing at the end of a unit using a performance task to measure growth. At first as the instructor I would present problems and in an instructional task asking student to identify the math, real life connections, explaining or defending an outcome. Several projects in collaborative groups where student will create or identify real life examples that mirror the major mathematical concepts. In Wiggins and McTighe “If understanding is about making meaning of facts and transferring knowledge to other problems, tasks, and domains, what does such understanding (or lack of it) look like? What should we be seeing if our students are getting better at understanding what they are learning? To pose this question is to shift from talking about our aims to talking about the evidence of whether our aims have been met” (pg. 10).
From here I will collect evidence from the beginning and ending performance tasks to measure improvement and growth. I will also analyze each task per desired outcome to determine the level of understanding collectively. The results will be used to dive deeper or clarify any misunderstandings.
Context
The BIG Idea will be implemented to three year long Algebra I classes. On average most students that will enter this year are what I call the “middle student” - not low or very high performing. Most student enter my high school performing at the same level however with various degrees of strengths and weaknesses. The year is is divided into four major units that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards Mathematics. Within each unit covers several key ideas that are parallel to content needed to advance the next level of math course (Geometry), ACT to SAT shifts, and district mandated testing. My students enter from many feeder elementary schools and struggle with connecting the concepts to tangible examples. I anticipating encountering students who will have trouble identifying and creating examples of tangible connections to math in the real world. Currently, the freshman will have Chromebooks by the 5th week of classes,access to computer labs, graphing calculators and other materials chart papers, various office supplies. In addition we have access to the school grounds which could assist in capturing real life math.
Content
In my experience students are usually confident at the beginning of the Algebra I course at creating or providing concrete examples of connections to the concepts to the real world. Students struggle during the second half of the school year with Unit Three - Linear Functions- connections between various ways to graph lines and various ways to represent slope and Unit Four Polynomials. This where students begin to experience mathematical concepts that are somewhat new and abstract. Student begin to lose interest and focus and the evidence is lower grades, higher levels of student being remediated and student feedback.
Pedagogy
My pedagogy approach would be to to facilitate the concepts using collaborative groups: discovery, explanation and understanding the concepts first by survey, group collaborative questions or problems, to introduce, to gain prior knowledge. I can utilize performance tasks that are aligned with the concepts where students work together to present problems, and defend the process of their solutions. Student learn best from each other and encourages everyone to contribute. Using collaborative groups assist students with feeling comfortable to create, talk and present their thinking. Another pedagogy strategy is demonstrating a videos from youtube or create a video that will display a real life problem and use a inquiry based strategy to let students uncover the math and how it related to the current math concept. I can use this strategy at the beginning of the course so that students can get a feel for the logistics and then later incorporate this strategy during the second half of the year with the more difficult concepts. Lastly, our schools Targeted Instructional Area (TIA) is “ Conferring” where you facilitate opportunities with students to confer on their findings, projects, assessments to provide specific feedback to move the learning further. I will be incorporating this practice so that students can use me as a sounding board to explain their thinking and demonstrate understanding. Conferring will provide students with specific and differentiated feedback on relating math to the real world. Students can create or present a real world problem that n are related to the major concepts. Working collaboratively, allows student to consider other perspectives from their peers to create a better understanding of the concepts.
Technology
I will use any technology available to assist in implementing my BIG Idea. Students will have access to their own Chromebook to use for research and real life examples. However students will be encouraged to other means of technology that is available to them. Student are way more savvy at creating so I will not limit this to one form of technology. I have access to standard classroom technology such as supplies, manipulative etc. Students will be encouraged to use outside technology from their community to assist with creating real world mathematics. Parameters will be established to make sure students are ethical and not in conflict with the CPS Student Code of Conduct.
References
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. ASCD, pg 10, 2005.