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Reflective Essay
EDUC3706
Reflective Essay
EDUC3706
There is a list written down in the table, write it down. For the patterns table, you
have counters, you can use these counters to write the many different ways you
can group using addition and multiplication to the number 12. Draw your
groupings and write a number sentence to match.
With explicit instruction, the students understood exactly what the manipulatives
were for and went quickly to work (Anghileri, 2006). Each table was accompanied
by a teacher, pre-service teacher (me) and a teacher aid. I sat next on the
colours table with the kilogram weights. Students began walking around the
classroom picking items up that felt heavy and bringing back to the table to
compare it to the 1kg. One girl, Sachini* began piling up all the textbooks,
holding them in one hand and 1kg in the other.
She appeared to be on the right track, but missed a vital piece of information,
one weight to one item. Although Sachini is one of the hardest working students
in the classroom, she often struggles with instructions as she is an ESL student. I
brought the investigation sheet and read out the instructions: Find items in the
room that weight the same as 1kg and write them in the list below. Through
modelling the appropriate actions, I began walking around the classroom with
her and picked up my computer, showing the weight similar to 1kg. She recorded
it in her table and then began finding other items that weighed the same as one
kilogram.
From the corner of my ear, I heard a student Maggie* an exceptional quirky
(2 X 3)
+
(1 X 3)
+
(1
+ 2)
= 12
bright student in the classroom begin to explain her findings with counters. I
walked over to Maggie and saw her notations.
I saw evidence that she was using multiple number patterns with addition and
multiplication and was impressed and pleased to see her explaining it to her peer
Charli.
I then glanced at Charlis counter drawings and number sentence.
Reflective Essay
EDUC3706
(4 + 6)
+
(6)
=12
Miss Dean decided for term three that the students be placed so that one
accelerated student sits next to a slower learner and another accelerated
student. In this case, Maggie sat next to Charli and recognised her number
pattern could be improved. Maggie looked at Charlis counter and showed her to
group them according to multiplication as well. She moved the counters around
to show (4+6) could also be grouped as (5X2). Charli recognising this, also
decided to write 6 as (1X6) developing her sense of number patterns and
multiplication.
As the lesson wore on, students rotated to different groups and conversations of
different mathematical brains began toiling. On the last rotation and before we
knew it, the bell had rung and students were expected at music class.
The kilogram quest still had not finished, but the students were well into their
journey, using the manipulatives and social interactions to guide their
mathematical path of guided discovery.
Analysis of Mathematics Teaching
Mathematics has a place in every school, curriculum and student in the world as
it develops the numeracy capabilities all students need in personal and
professional life. Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority aim to ensure
students are confident, creative users that are able to investigate and represent
situations that occur in real life. (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority, 2014)
With this in mind, Miss Dean used Kilogram quest as an investigative approach
to allow students to construct their own knowledge. Like the kilogram quest,
mathematical investigations are effective instructional tools to balance the level
of mathematical challenge as well as allowing all students to realise their
potential with varied levels of response. Investigations require students to
consider a particular object or situation, identify their properties and show
evidence of this to further construct their knowledge in mathematics. (Leiken,
2014)
In investigations, there needs to be a range of teaching approaches with an
environment that encourages constructivism. Constructivism which provides
flexible and dynamic scaffolding for students to become motivated autonomous
learners responsible and active within a social group. (Mooney, 2009) (Owen,
1993).
Cobb expands the idea of constructivism by explaining that as students observe
these relationships, identify patterns, make abstractions and generalizations,
students come to integrate this new knowledge into existing mathematical
schemas (2000). This construction occurs through engaging in the physical and
social aspects of mathematics, as the students are able to construct a deeper
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Reflective Essay
EDUC3706
Reflective Essay
EDUC3706
the lesson. Through active teaching she was able to explain, demonstrate
strategies (like how to group the counters into a number sense), allow students
to ask and answer questions and encourage students to think aloud when solving
problems (Leiken, 2014). According to Sullivans research, active teaching results
in higher rates of understanding and success for students as they are able to
gain a clear idea of where they are going, how they are going and what they are
going to do next (2011). The students were able to receive new information and
through guided discussion were scaffolded to recognise the focus of the lesson
and begin applying their mathematical knowledge.
Vygotsky also placed emphasis on the importance of observation for teachers.
Through watching and listening, teachers will understand each childs
development (Cobb, 2000). As the teachers observed the children, they were
able to assess what is within their zone of proximal development and help
students develop mathematically (Mooney, 2013). Having a teacher or adult at
each table, implied teachers observing each student, allowing intervention for
students to review their knowledge and verbalise their thinking. The pre-service
teacher in the classroom noticed Sachini not correctly following instructions,
allowing her to verbalise her thinking and noticing an error which resulted in
improved understanding of kilograms (Mooney, 2009).
Not just with adults but through peer collaboration, there was a co-construction
of understanding. Vygotskys theory agrees that children can help each other
learn, as they learn not only by doing but also through discourse and
persistence. As the teacher placed students at each table for optimal scaffolding,
improvement in the students concept of various grouping counters was made.
Through discourse, Maggie used terminology understandable to Charli, allowing
Charli to remain a positive attitude towards mathematics whilst challenging her
mathematically. (Tella, 2013)
Open-ended approach to constructivism
Throughout this lesson, evidence of constructivism with student engagement in
the physical and social aspects of mathematics allowed for students to explain
their knowledge. The teachers use of manipulatives and scaffolding created a
learning environment for students to create new mathematical understandings
(Jorgensen & Dole, 2011). However within this lesson plan, it was assumed that
the teaching of the concepts was through the development of ideas proposed by
the teacher. Conversely, constructivism recognises that there will be a
multiplicity of understandings constructed by the range of students in the
classroom (Cobb, 2000).
Traditionally, the view of schools (especially private schools like this one) prepare
the youth through acquisition of organised bodies that are able to learn skills to
comprehend materials of instruct (Visnovska, 2014). Miss Dean expected
students to adhere to proper conduct and obedience and what knowledge is
being taught is the finished product. An evident example in this lesson being the
objective written on the board created by the teacher as the end product of the
lesson (Dewey, 1986).
As this school was a private all-girls school, all the students came from similar
cultural capitals as their parents were all successful in playing the game of
school (Boaler, 2002). However as all students have been controlled by the
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Reflective Essay
EDUC3706
References:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2014) Mathematics:
foundation to year 10 curriculum. Sydney, N.S.W: ACARA.
Anghileri, J. (2006). Scaffolding practices that enhance mathematics learning.
Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 9(1), 33-52. doi:10.1007/s10857-0069005-9
Boaler, J. (2002). Learning from teaching: Exploring the relationship between
reform curriculum and equity. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education,
33(4), 239-258.
Reflective Essay
EDUC3706