https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v Thanks for a great semester everyone! en-us 2017-12-09 20:06:23 UTC 2017-12-09 20:38:34 UTC hello@padlet.com laurajnaumann https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214741513  From experience, I have found that many students want an “easy way out”. Students want a quick and easily memorized way to solving problems. Many of my students suffer from a lack of conceptual mathematical understanding. They often have misconceptions about basic mathematical principles such as adding two negative numbers, or adding fractions.  In my opinion, these stem largely from a lack of conceptual understanding of what these problems represent. My students sometimes have a memorized bunch of information and rules they use to answer problems that may not always be correct.]]> 2017-12-09 20:07:11 UTC https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214741513 laurajnaumann https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214741611 Throughout this course I have thought of many misconceptions and memorized rules my students use that may not always hold true. I hear these in my classroom often and am trying to figure out a productive way to fix these misconceptions, and help increase students conceptual understanding of mathematics and the procedure behind them. Some examples include  
- FOIL and the reasoning behind it
- Integer math (two negative make a positive)
- Inverse operation of a fraction
- PEMDAS]]> 2017-12-09 20:08:33 UTC https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214741611 laurajnaumann https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214742059 The idea of complex instruction is something as math teacher I am very intrigued by. In a perfect world I would have my students discovering topics on their own and using complex instruction to reinforce ideas and topics students already know. However I often have trouble doing this because of the issues my students have with very basic math. One large problem in my class room is students poor understanding of integers and integer math. Students will be able to tell me the steps to solving a two step equation, but then will get solutions incorrect because their ability to perform operations such as addition, or multiplication with positive AND negative integers is poor. I often find myself just telling them to use a calculator to find the solution. This lack of understanding and misconception makes it more difficult for me to complete these higher thinking and higher cognitive demand problems. ]]> 2017-12-09 20:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214742059 laurajnaumann https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214742338 The "status" of a student in a classroom can have a major affect on the students motivation and performance in the class. I have noticed students with poor integer math skills receiving a "low" status in my class. I will ask a basic question to students such has "what is -12 plus -3" and a student with poor integer math skills will answer 15 incorrectly. This automatically lowers the status of that student in my class. They have common misconceptions of this topic, with positive and negative values. Reflecting on the idea of status during week 7/8 and also the common misconceptions in week 3 has allowed me to brainstorm with other Algebra teachers ways we can fix this problem. We will be trying to incorporate more practice with integer math built within our units. ]]> 2017-12-09 20:18:37 UTC https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214742338 laurajnaumann https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214742722 While reading through the study done by Jo Boaler on Phoenix Park and Amber Hill schools, I began to question what the ultimate goal of education is. Do we want students to gain real world skills and critical thinking skills done by group work and activities ( Phoenix Park) or is the goal of school to "teach to the test" and to have students practice till it hurts (Amber Hill). I like to think that all educators goal should be the first example of a school, however I think it is getting harder and harder for teachers to do this. School should be used to prepare students for their life after the K-12 education systems. This means students need to practice communication skills as well as working with a team. ]]> 2017-12-09 20:24:09 UTC https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214742722 laurajnaumann https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214743296 I think that Danny Martin's opinion on how the use of mathematics teaching and learning should be used to help students change their environment is very closely related to the idea of Phoenix Park and also Complex Instruction. Martin argues that students in minorities and difficult positions need to see how the mathematics they are learning could help them better their position in society. In order to successfuly do this I believe students need to see the benefit the math has on their everyday lives. They need to see how they can use math everyday in their outside of school worlds. This is accomplished through the use of complex instruction and real world problems. ]]> 2017-12-09 20:32:01 UTC https://padlet.com/laurajnaumann/89igm6pgxo5v/wish/214743296