Second to Last WMS Visit

This visit was organized very different than the visits I have made in the past. The middle school class that I am typically assigned to observe were taking the SBAC testing, so I was placed in the math lab at the high school. Essentially, the math lab is either a full class or a study period dedicated to math projects that are presented to students via google docs. For example, many students were working on finding squares and cubes of smaller numbers in larger numbers. For example, 125 can be rewritten as 25*5, and 25 can be broken down into 5*5, thus 125 is equivalent to 5 cubed. In the google docs, students have problems and examples on topics that range from inequalities to trigonometry, and students are assigned roughly 20-25 problems that range from drawing diagrams, to fill in the blank, to short answer, to multiple choice. Students were given an hour in their block to work on their google doc projects.

It was very interesting to be able to observe a class who were working independently on math projects. Students seldom needed help on the problems and each student was encouraged to work at their own pace and ask their friends for help which they did often. These types of projects encourage individual development by going into immense depth such that students are able to highlight frequent mistakes that are made in their mathematical procedures. This also ensures that students are learning the math themselves rather than being led on and aided by fellow peers and instructors.

Although I am not a fond believer in hours of individual work on worksheets or projects within the classroom, in the field of mathematics it is inevitable that many students will need to utilize worksheets in order to get sufficient practice of various math topics. I believe projects and group work to be a more beneficial study habit because it allows students to reiterate topics in their own words to each other, they also amplifies teamwork skills, and promotes positive, fun ways of thinking and working. Worksheets tend to leave students feeling fatigued, bored, and disengaged. Although I understand the importance and relevance of worksheets in a math classroom, it seems like these students spend hours and hours per week in the math lab, and I will ensure that my students in the future experience a variety of mathematical practices and study techniques.

The Effectiveness of the Scavenger Hunt Activity: WMS Visit #10

Today the students had a scavenger hunt activity involving fractions. There were twelve stations set up around the room, and each student was assigned a number which correlated to the station where they were supposed to begin the scavenger hunt. Each student would rotate through all twelve stations before bringing their work to the teacher to check for correctness. The teacher would evaluate the students’ answers, and the answers that the students got incorrect would require another attempt at the problem by the student. They did this process until they got all of the answers right, or until the class period was over. What the students were solving on each card regarded how to apply all four operations to word problems that involved fractions. On their papers, the students were given three columns to answer each question. One column was for which operation the students thought they would use, another column was for their work, and the final column was for their answers.

The first class focused on this task better than any other time I had visited. They listened and understood instruction, they cooperated together to derive answers for each question, and nearly every student was so engaged in their learning to the degree that almost every student in the class finished their worksheet. This assignment was a great way to get the students moving around the room rather than sitting in their desks, and that component took away from the restlessness that many students in this class feel after sitting for an hour. This assignment also allowed for students to work together, and I think this aspect of the task really helped students figure out ideas for the solutions that they might otherwise had not known if they were attempting these problems by themselves. The students seemed to really like this activity and take it very seriously, and I was very impressed to see how focused, engaged, and enthusiastic the students were towards their learning.

It is hard for me to determine whether the activity was genuinely engaging for students, or the entire class was having a good day behavior wise. I would like to assume the former to be true, and in doing this I can gain great insight into how I could implement an activity like this into my classroom. Getting the students moving around and doing real-world activities rather than doing worksheets helps students understand the importance, uses, and significance of mathematics. Also, the organizer that the teacher used gave students a clear path as to exactly what the teacher was expecting for answers. Also, allowing students to utilize different stations and work together was beneficial to maintain focus, but also come to some exciting conclusions with their friends. This class has shown clear advancements in teamwork due to the activities that the teacher has implemented, and I am stoked to see some more engaged students next week!

How Much is My Life Effected by Technology?

I have seen our society make vast advancements in technology throughout my years as an adolescent. In my childhood years my family owned a desktop computer that required a dial up connection to access the internet. In the last few years, what seemed to take hours of waiting to connect to the internet, can now be performed within a few button presses using a device that is fractions smaller than a desktop computer. It is incredible to see the technological advancements that have been made in my lifetime alone, but now our society is seeing a transition from utilizing technology for gathering information, to using technology for a variety of purposes. Social media has now transformed into a second identity for many people, it also allows different generations to connect to others that are in the same age group and that have similar interests, while Netflix and other media sources allow many individuals to escape the realities and stresses that are going on during the day and submerge themselves into a new reality through television programs.

In my experience and in reference to my technology log, social media is used as a form of entertainment that distracts me from the stresses and the reality of school. At the same time social media also gives me a sense of identity and connects me to the other individuals in my generation. I often search through my Instagram feed and YouTube to connect myself with other individuals in my generation as to different topics and stories that are trending. It furthers my connection to the youth culture that I am a part of. Netflix is used as a form of entertainment as well. I listen to a lot of music during the day, and music is a huge part of my identity. If I am feeling angry, there is a set of songs that I will play to help me cope with this emotion. If I am feeling sad, there is another set of songs that I can listen to. Music plays a huge role in how I view myself and my emotions in relation to the world around me. Through hard times, music is a huge help in allowing me to persevere through the difficult period. Thus, music plays a huge role in shaping my identity and how I cope with many situations. Technology has advanced greatly throughout the past few decades. However, with the great increase in daily technology use, it is becoming apparent that technology is beginning to influence many aspects of our lives both positively and negatively.