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Math (Multiplication using box method)- Juliet Hazard Riley

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Math (Multiplication using box method)- Juliet Hazard Riley

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1. One strong instructional practice is
choice of method to use (box/standard algorithm). Students will be more likely to be successful when they are given a choice and can choose a method they know well to show their work. They can maximize their potentials using their preferences.
2. This teacher was proficient. She checked for understanding using a variety of ways (thumbs up/down);
Complimented students on hard work; explains why the task is important; monitors student work; students respond quickly when called them back to attention;  focused students so students participated actively when student worked on board; students discussed with partners (turn and talk, whisper to partner, group work); students clearly demonstrated routines and expectations; she did not negotiate as high quality was the only option,"If you don't have the box method, write this now"
I would suggest using a real world scenario to connect the problem. That way students will see it as necessary in a real world application.

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1. The teacher had students begin by solving a problem using a method of their choice.  After seeing what they wrote on their whiteboard, she decided to go over one method to reinforce how that strategy works.  However, instead of modeling it herself on the board, she called on a student to show the example of the box method.  This allowed her to circulate around the room to make sure students are engaged.  While the student used the box strategy on the board, she made sure to ask questions to check student comprehension instead of letting the student explain the whole problem himself.  She used language like asking why Oscar (the student) filled out the box throughout the problem.  She was supportive of her students, complimenting them throughout the mini lesson.  Students also get the chance to see their classmate showing off his knowledge in that method.  Instead of the teacher, who previously knew the strategies, having the student complete the problem is more powerful as they are more likely to picture themselves up at the board, showing off their knowledge too.  The students were then allowed work in groups to solve more problems.

2. Although we did see the end of the lesson, I would suggest including some sort of check-in at the end of the lesson like an exit ticket.  This could help the teacher see if the students that originally needed review in the box method are able to successfully solve it now.

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1. One strong instructional approach that I observed in the lesson was the clear and concise expectations of the standard that the students were working on in this social studies lesson. She first showed them and read to them the standard. Then, she had students repeat her. If a word was tricky she made sure to explain it so that they would know what the focus of social studies was for that day. This is helpful in meeting students’ diverse needs because they can see the poster, listen to the standard, and there are some visual cues and movements that could go with reading the standard. She also related the lesson of being dependable to the kids and how they are dependable before they went off and worked with a partner on how their historian they were studying was dependable.

2. One thing this teacher could strengthen is the part of the lesson where they went off to work independently and find certain circumstances where the historian was dependable. She gave them all two pages of a book to read and they had to pick out places where she was dependable. This might be hard for some students to use the skill of reading, comprehending, and picking out the important information they need to find. I might suggest giving them the books to read but maybe also a related video to watch that goes along with the same idea so that they can see it in action. The process of a second grader piecing through information to find certain things might be hard for a second grader struggling with reading or comprehension.

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I evaluated this 5th grade math lesson, using the effective inclusive classroom observation list; this teacher checked nearly every box.
1) One strong instructional approach was the frequent checks she conducted for student understanding. While the student was at the smartboard, teaching the method to the class, the teacher was able to circulate throughout the room, looking at each student's whiteboard and making sure that they were understanding and on task. In addition she gave multiple ways for students to check in about their understanding, including raising their hands, discussing with their partner, using double thumbs up or down, asking all students to raise their hands when only a few had been, etc.
This approach was helpful in meeting the student's needs because it allowed the students to show in a variety of ways their understanding. It interrupted the lesson in the right way to make sure that no one was getting left behind in the information. It established a rigorous academic atmosphere which was also positive. It allowed the teacher to assess the student's understanding and target additional instruction in small group settings to those who needed it.
2) One suggestion for strengthening inclusive practices in this lesson is to create connections with the students' experience and interest. Make connections between this content and real-world applications, so that the lesson becomes more interesting to them. Rather than just multiplying numbers, create story problems around them. Or share about a time that you used multiplication in the real world so that they can see it's use for their lives.

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1. One strong instructional approach that I noticed in this video was the connection to real world experiences. Making content relevant to real-life experiences is beneficial for students' learning because it makes the content easier to understand and relevant to students' lives and what they have gone through. In this video, the teacher tells students that they are going to be looking at how their historical figure in focus, Mary Musgrove, was dependable. Before sending students to conduct their research, so first had students define what it means to be dependable and to think about times in their lives, either at home, school, sports, etc., where they have been dependable. Students turn and talked to their partners about their experiences and then were able to share with the rest of the class. Relating this information and their focus for the lesson allowed students to know what to look for when researching how Mary Musgrove was dependable by reflecting on times when they were dependable and what it means to be dependable.
2. One suggestion to increase inclusive practice is to provide students with multiple means of accessing the text they were reading. From what I could observe, all students were using the same book to partner read and take notes together. However, I believe that it would be beneficial to provide multiple mediums to read the text, such as listening to it as an audiobook, larger text sizes and pages, or watching a video. Also, if there was a student who was visually impaired, having larger text or braille version of the book would be beneficial. Providing multiple means to accessing the necessary information allows students of all abilities and means of learning to equitably participate in the classroom and learn in the ways that work best for them.

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One strong instructional practice the teacher used was allowing students the choice of how to solve the math problem (box method vs standard method)  She gave students a choice so show they could solve the problem with the method they preferred.
The teacher utilized a number of inclusive practices in this video. Students worked in groups of 3, she complimented students on their effort, had a volunteer at the front board demonstrating to the other students, she addressed mistakes and offered feedback. One suggestion to strengthen the inclusiveness of this math lesson may be to incorporate some type of practical application in a visual way to make the learning more "active" and instead of encouraging participating by noting (60% of the class or 40% of the class), to make it around the room to each group of students.

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In the video recording of an 8th grade math lesson, I observed how the teacher presented curriculum content through multiple means and provided scaffolds and support for the metacognitive process. She first supported the metacognitive process by asking students why they thought about this math problem in their own thinking. One way she could have improved was when she said, “Everybody understand that?”. Rarely a student who does not understand will raise their hand and have the teacher go through it again. The teacher could have used another type of formative assessment like through thumbs up, thumbs down, or through individual check ins while students are working.

The teacher presented content through multiple access points. She taught vertical and horizontal on the board visually, with her words verbally, and with the students’ hands and arms physically. She also presented content through multiple access points by asking students about interests, specifically music. This helped students gain interest in the assignment and connect to it personally.

She scaffolded the math lesson by first inviting students to think quietly and independently about the math problem. Then, she told them to get into groups and present the problem. And finally, asked them to put findings and thoughts on a poster board. This multi-tiered instruction helped see the math assignment in three levels.

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1.) This teacher used various strong instructional approaches throughout the lesson. I particularly like that she embedded a very applicable real-world connection into the lesson by asking students to share ways that they are dependable. By establishing that real-world connection, students can create parallels between what they’re learning and their own experience. Drawing connections to daily life and personal experience makes the content more relatable and increases student engagement. Instead of just lecturing, the teacher drew students in. She engaged students in the discussion and learning by helping them make connections outside of the lesson. The teacher made the content of the lesson transferable by showing how it relates to people and life today. Helping students make these connections also makes people that live a long time ago seem more real and relatable. Historical figures come to life when students can connect their own life experiences and characteristics to that of others. Making rich connections to student experience and interest not only reflects an effective inclusive classroom, but also helps to meet the diverse needs of students. During the lesson, students have various options for expression and communication. The teacher sustains effort and persistence by fostering collaboration and community and additionally focuses on the transfer and generalization of skills and knowledge through real-world connections. Relating the idea of dependency to the lives of students additionally helps learners activate background knowledge, reflective of the representation component of UDL. I also like that this teacher had students first turn and talk to their peers for one minute before she had everyone collectively share their thoughts. This collaboration provides an opportunity for students to hear different thoughts, perspectives, and ideas while engaged in thoughtful discussion. At one point in the video, a student says that he’s dependable because he watches the family dog. I loved how this teacher specifically asked the student how he watches the dog. She wanted him to show rather than tell and use detail to respond.

2.) To strengthen inclusive practice in this lesson, I would have offered or provided alternatives for auditory information as well as visual information. I specifically thought of a student I spend a considerable amount of time supporting in class. He’s in second grade, but largely reads at a kindergarten level. He can read very little and often asks myself or the teacher to read him the directions and words on the page. He would struggle with this assignment and largely rely on a peer to read the assigned section of the book. He most likely wouldn’t be able to read it on his own. While it wouldn’t necessarily be the worst thing for his partner to do the reading, it’s not ideal. Therefore, it may have been beneficial to have alternatives for auditory and visual information available during the lesson to support learners like this, or who have difficulty seeing or hearing.

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1. One strong instructional practice I observed was how the teacher allowed the students to choose between methods to solve the multiplication problem. Giving students choice can relieve a lot of stress. It can also allow them to show what they know. If students are forced to use a method they do not entirely understand, they may not be able to solve the problem correctly.
2. Overall, the teacher was very professional and did an amazing job with this lesson. It is great to have the students come up to the board and show their work to the class. However, I feel as though the student was not able to talk through his work. It was more like he was just writing work and she would pause him and explain his work. In order for this lesson to be more inclusive, I would have liked to see her give the working student and other students more chances to explain his work.

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1. One strong instructional approach that I observed was clear objectives. The teacher had the objective posted. She read it to the students, had students repeat after her, and discussed specifically what they would be learning today. These clear objectives helps the students to take accountability for their learning. They know exactly what they will need to be able to do by the end of the lesson. This helps diverse needs because she presented the same objective in a few different ways for students to be able to understand what they need to be able to do. She also defined words in that objective that students may not know to break any language barriers.
2. To strengthen inclusive practice in this lesson, I would suggest that the teacher provides more ways to engage students. Maybe students could have had choice for identifying how Mary was dependable. For example, picking which pages they wanted in the book or who they'd like to work with. She also could have given choice for the assessment. Maybe some students would prefer to draw and write than act out a freeze frame.

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1. One strong instructional approach that was helpful to meeting diverse needs was connecting to students prior knowledge that they had formed in the classroom and in their outside lives throughout. When students have a schema on different tier 2 vocabulary words, it not only helps them unpack the standards that they’re trying to learn, but also understand the relevance of what they are learning in school.

2. One way that the teacher could make it more inclusive would be by finding different strategies for more shy students to participate in the classroom discussions. Some students do not feel confident or comfortable sharing their ideas in front of a large group of students. However, the lesson was very engaging for the students.

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Mogana
i. What is one strong instructional approach that you observed in the lesson? Why do you think this approach is particularly helpful for meeting students’ diverse needs?

The teacher started the class by introducing the standard and letting the students know what is expected of them from the lesson being taught. One strong instructional approach in the lesson was the emphasis on the word “dependable”. The teacher wrote the word on the board and made sure that the students understood the meaning of it and how it related to the lesson being taught. The teacher used various approaches to make sure the students learnt what “dependable” meant by first explaining what it means, partnering students in pairs to discuss real life connections, sharing their thoughts with the whole group and analyzing how it varies with each student. She asked the
students to read the text pages and discuss with a partner about finding
examples of when the historical character was dependable. This helped students
to relate to the meaning and understand as well as analyze what examples are
apt and find the reason behind their choice. The end of the class activity “Freeze
Frames” served as a summary to the lesson and this enabled the students to share their thoughts and understanding of the content being taught.

ii. What’s one suggestion you would give to strengthen inclusive practice in this lesson?

One suggestion would be to include more technology to enhance students’ learning skills. The teacher could use a short video, audio, Venn diagram to show the relationship, topic maps to further enhance the meaning of the standard being taught. Also, the video showed a whole group of students who did not have support or paraprofessionals. I wonder how the same standard would need to be modified for students with disabilities and what accommodations and modifications would be needed to achieve the same level of understanding for all students irrespective of their needs.

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1. Using music, mirroring, and just a lot of energy was used in this lesson. She engaged students with her movements, had students present materials, used visual aids, and clay all to teach the lesson at hand.
2. I did notice a few students not engaged in the lesson and I think this teacher could have asked them a question or two rather than wait for a volunteer to answer questions.

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1-One strong instructional approach that I observed is using students’ personal experience to relate to the historical figure in the trait of being dependable. This strategy helps students better understand the new vocabulary word “dependable”  and enables them to retrieve it in the future and use it in different situations when needed.

2- One suggestion to strengthen inclusive practice is the use of more visuals such as pictures or even a short video about Mary Musgrove.

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What is one strong instructional approach that you observed in the lesson? Why do you think this approach is particularly helpful for meeting students’ diverse needs?

The teacher unpacked the standard in a clear  and concise manner.  Vocabulary was reviewed.  She then explained relevance to the real world by having children give personal examples and applying to real life.  Students were then asked to be actively involved by doing a turn and talk with a partner.  Students then were given text books with sections marked by the teacher to help them answer a specific question.  They shared their findings orally. They then demonstrated their understanding in an activity which led to a formative assessment.  This scaffolding and making different pathways to answer the initial question meets students diverse needs. At some point, one of the methods/pathway will help each student.

One suggestion would to have more visuals for the visual learners. Slide decks are brilliant to show information. It can be presented in many ways.

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I felt that the teacher did a tremendous job establishing the expectation for the lesson. Once she did that, she had the students talk to their neighbors and share ways they are dependable in their own lives. That was followed by group share with focus on the word dependable. The teacher also had different passages prepared for each group. I felt like the expectation and conversation leading up to the work helped activate student engagement. If I could add one suggestion, it would be to add another layer of presentation for the students. Offering a video could help a student that is having a hard time visualizing or feeling engaged.

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1.  One strong instructional approach that I observed was that the teacher gave the students the choice of using the traditional method or the box method to solve the equation. After working in 5th grade for a few years it is very common for some students to still be using other methods to solve multiplication problems even after they have learned the faster US traditional method. It just takes some of them longer to feel comfortable using it.
2. This teacher really focused on making sure 100% of her students were engaged with what was happening at the front of the classroom. To help strengthen the inclusive practice in this class she could work with small groups of students to really check-in and give them the opportunity to ask questions. Those that have a hard time with focusing during whole class instruction are given a chance to learn in a smaller setting.