Reading Journal Week 2

  1. Complete the reading of Chapter 1, then respond to the following prompts (in your own words, of course).

  2. What was the point of Casey Rudd sharing his interaction with Irene? What was he communicating to his colleagues?

I think the main point of Casey Rudd sharing his interaction with Irene was to emphasize the importance of inquiry-based learning. His colleagues seemed to suggest that the needed algorithmic skills for the state tests would be sacrificed if Casey involved inquiry-based learning too much. Through this example, Casey was communicating that inquiry-based learning and direct instructional strategies should both be present when teaching mathematics. Of course students need algorithmic skills, so this teaching style should be incorporated. However, it is the inquiry-based learning that should be emphasized because it reinforces algorithmic skills as well as solidifies true understanding of concepts. Not only will students gain a better understanding of math with this approach, but they will also yield higher test scores because they are learning how to think critically rather than just memorizing algorithms without knowing how to apply them.

  3. Summarize Vanessa’s advice regarding Don’s advice to Casey. What does teaching the “right way” mean to you?

In regards to Don’s advice to Casey, Vanessa advised Casey to not expect to have it all figured out right away. She validated that his preference for inquiry-based instructional strategies is legitimate because, from her experience, it works. However, he needs his own evidence for which instructional strategies work and which do not, and the only way he can find what works for him and for his students is to try out different teaching methods and learn from successes and failures. She advised him to start off conservatively, with things the students are used to, and try out different things along the way without assuming that there is a “right way” to do things.

To me, teaching the “right way” means that there is only one way to go about teaching; there is only one way to achieve success, and any other way will result in failure. I agree with Vanessa’s inference that there is no right way to teach, but I think there is a best way. By “best way” I do not mean that there is one most successful way for teachers to teach a given concept, but rather that the “best way” to teach is to instruct and direct students in a way that makes concepts understandable to as many students as possible. In other words, that a teacher would make it his/her goal for every student to understand their lesson, and get as close to this goal as possible, to the best of their abilities. Of course, you won’t always be able to give every student a solid understanding of every topic, but I agree with Vanessa in that it is important to try different methods and continually learn the ways that students learn, and apply this knowledge!

  4. Activity 1.2: click here to download draft #1 of the syllabus. (This and subsequent drafts are also listed under "Grade 7 Syllabus" in "Cognition, Instructional Strategies, and Planning" section).

Activity 1.3: Computerized Management System (this blog).

Synthesis Activity 4 (pg. 48): click here to download draft #1 of the opening-day tasksheet. (This and subsequent drafts are also listed under "First Day Tasksheet" in "Motivation, Engagement, and Classroom Management" section).

  5. Why is your classroom’s physical arrangement (e.g. desks, etc.) so important? Be specific and thorough.

Your classroom’s physical arrangement is extremely important because the environment will either aid or hinder students in engaging with the lesson and staying on task. According to the text, these two things, along with how to effectively discipline students, are the foremost concerns of teachers. Having a room that is arranged well would help in all of these issues. For example, in effectively disciplining students and in helping them stay on task, it is necessary to be able to walk to any point in the room without disturbing other students. This allows you to talk to any given student without causing a scene, and also allows you to walk around the room and ensure that students are on task (and also to move a conversation with a student to a classroom discussion, as I have learned in our class!). Ensuring that each student can see all of the instructional tools (such as the white boards, projector, etc.) is essential for obvious reasons. They will struggle learning the material if they don’t have access to the tools you’re using to teach them. It is also beneficial to have desks arranged in a way that they can easily be rearranged for group work, so that transition from individual to group work doesn’t unnecessarily disrupt the lesson. It is also necessary to arrange the classroom to accommodate for any students with special needs. Another necessity in the classroom is a way to respond to an emergency, in case of some crisis. These are just some of the reasons that well thought out physical arrangement of a classroom is essential.

  6. What are the three varieties of paperwork described in the text? Which do you think teachers least expect? What does Casey Rudd create to help him manage it?

The three varieties of paperwork described in the text are the following: (a) the routine paperwork that requires no imagination, such as administrative forms, (b) the nonrepetitive creative paperwork, such as creating lessons plans or interacting with parents, and (c) the repetitive but interesting paperwork, such as grading tests.

I would guess that teachers least expect the routine paperwork (a), or at least are most surprised by how much of their time is devoted to it. From my experience, I think that much of the training teachers go through focuses on activities that would fall under categories (b) and (c). In other words, in preparing to become a teacher, you learn how to formulate lesson plans and unit plans, etc., and you also learn the importance of things like assessment. At least personally, I feel prepared to deal with nonrepetivite creative paperwork, and repetitive yet interesting paperwork, but I haven’t been as well prepared or informed about the routine paperwork.

Casey creates an organizational system of folders on his computer to help him manage his paperwork. Creating the categories beforehand will not only make things easier when the time comes to file his paperwork, but it also forced him to think ahead to different kinds of paperwork that he might encounter, and to prepare.

  7.  What does Casey Rudd do to immediately foster a business-like atmosphere on the first day of his classes? What are some benefits (later in the year) of having established that atmosphere initially? (Your text lists four, so you should include at least that many.)

Casey strategically designed his initial learning activity for each of his classes to immediately foster a business-like atmosphere on the first day of school. The text lists the following ways that Casey’s learning activities foster this kind of environment: (a) the directions are clear and simple, (b) the mathematical task is simple, but the students are likely to succeed at it, (c) every student is engaged in the same activity, and (d) the activity allows for Casey to walk around the room and initially observe his students. Another way that this business-like atmosphere might benefit the class and Casey later in the year is that students may not be as insistent about knowing how different concepts could apply to their lives, and becoming disengaged in the lesson if the answer does not satisfy them. If they know that they are there to do math and that is a beneficial task in itself, whether or not there are immediate exciting applications, they might be more inclined to stay engaged. Along with this, students will likely respond better to potential discipline if they know they are respected, as a result of the environment that has been created. In addition, the business-like environment will encourage students to be respectful toward each other and will encourage them to discuss different opinions and thoughts in a business-like manner (listening and respectfully arguing/debating). This will foster skills in mathematical argument, and logical argument in general. Finally, I think this environment will also motivate students to do their homework. Knowing that the teacher takes the subject seriously may cause students to take the subject more seriously and will push them to invest themselves more in the class.

  8.  What is “withitness”?

A teacher’s awareness of his/her students and what they are doing is defined as “withitness”. It means how involved they are in their classroom, and how observant and interactive they are with their students.

  9.  Study Exhibit 1.13. As a teacher, what is your favorite question on the tasksheet and why? Why do you suppose Casey Rudd chose to include that question?

                  My favorite question on the tasksheet in Exhibit 1.13 is the following:

         Fill in the blank with a number that makes the following statement true:

         7-       > 3

The number you put in the blank is not the only one that would have worked. But not just any number would have worked. Make up a rule for choosing a number of the blank that makes the statement true. Write your rule in the rectangular region below.

I like this question because the students can logically think through 7-       > 3 and find the answer. I particularly like that the tasksheet says, “The number you put in the blank is not the only one that would have worked. But not just any number would have worked.” I think that this understanding would come naturally to students when they solved for the answer, as they would have probably guessed a few numbers and found one or more that worked. In other words, I think that this is a solvable but challenging task for a student at this stage. It is a perfect precursor to the directions to make up a rule for finding the number. I think this is a great question that will introduce Algebra through a challenging, but doable, inquiry-based approach. I suppose Casey chose this question because he wanted to show his students how they already possess some necessary skills to do Algebra. The subject doesn’t seem as daunting when they have already solved a challenging question on their own!

 10. Study Exhibit 1.15. Why do you suppose Mr. Rudd included so many “same and different” questions on this Geometry tasksheet? (i.e. how does the tasksheet foreshadow Geometry?)

I think Mr. Rudd included so many “same and different” questions on his Geometry tasksheet because he wanted his students get a picture of how present Geometry is in our physical surroundings, even in the most common things. It foreshadows Geometry because comparing and contrasting force observation and analysis of characteristics of different things.  Observation and analysis of the characteristics of shapes is core to Geometry.

 11. In Case 1.12, Ms. Brown shares some fantastic insights with Mr. Rudd. Describe three of them, explaining what you found to be particularly fantastic.

I really appreciated how Ms. Brown described teaching as a complex art. She explained that in college, you gain the tools necessary to teach, but you don’t actually develop a talent and learn how to use those tools until you are able to practice them yourself. This is encouraging to me, because I feel overwhelmed when I look forward to my first few years of teaching. Looking at it as an art takes some pressure off, because it shows how teaching is something you enjoy and do your best at, but you won’t have it down right from the start.

I also thought it was very insightful that Ms. Brown talked about communication with students as one of the biggest struggles in her first few years of teaching. She said that students would often misunderstand directions or other things she would say, which would lead to discipline problems. This is something I have thought about quite a bit, because as a tutor I have seen how easily a message you mean to communicate can be interpreted completely differently than you intended. It takes awhile to learn how students think and communicate, and to learn to think before you speak.

My favorite thing that Ms. Brown talked about, though, was how big of a difference teacher’s really can make in a student’s life. She talked about how simple things like saying hello in the hallway, and using a student’s name can be so significant. It’s encouraging and hopeful to know that while I struggle through my first few years of teaching (and maybe many years after that!), I can still make an impact in students lives simply by seeking to know them as an individual and showing them that I care.

 12. What are the differences between assertive, passive, and hostile communication? With whom should teachers be assertive? Passive? Hostile?

I love the definition that the text gives for assertiveness, so I am just going to quote it rather than interpret it because it is so clear-cut. “People with an assertive style express their feelings, ask for what they want, and say no to things they don’t want.” The text goes on to describe that assertive people stand by their convictions, and are willing to speak up about them. Passive people are swayed by their fear of a negative reaction from the person with whom they are interacting. They don’t speak up because of fear. Hostile people, on the other hand, insist their way in an intimidating and sometimes hurtful manner. Teachers should be assertive with everyone, and passive or hostile with no one.

 13. Compare Mr. Rudd’s first and second interactions with Ms. Bomgars. How was one assertive and the other not (was the other passive or hostile and why)?

Mr. Rudd’s first interaction with Ms. Bomgars was definitely passive. He had an important issue to discuss, but let Ms. Bomgars treat the situation in a careless manner. He let her coerce him into talking about the issue in front of students, which led to interruptions and a lack of focus on the subject at hand. When he left, he did not insist on settling the issue but left with nothing resolved while Ms. Bomgars still didn’t understand the problem.

Their second interaction, however, was assertive. Mr. Rudd took action in calling her outside of class and insisted on dealing with the issue. This time, he ensured that they would be able to meet under circumstances where they could actually deal with the issue (i.e. no students present, and in his room so they could discuss the logistics). He communicated the importance of the issue to Ms. Bomgars, but remained polite, and she responded by taking him seriously.

 14. Mr. Rudd responded passively to Alphonse’s father. Write a script for Mr. Rudd in which he responds assertively.

Mr. Rudd: “I agree that memorization is good for the mind, and we certainly exercise our minds this way with Algebra. But Algebra exercises our minds even more so with critical thinking! We’ve also recently been learning about some applications of Algebra to the real world; maybe Alphonse could tell you about some of these at home tonight.

 15. How could Mr. Rudd have avoided his unfortunate experience with Christi, Livonia, and Brad? What does he decide to do the next day?

Mr. Rudd could have avoided his unfortunate experience with Christi, Livonia, and Brad if he would have corrected the small issues before they grew into big ones. Mr. Rudd let his class push him very close to breaking point before he addressed the issue.

He initially says that he is going to continue on with his lesson the next day, but we can infer from Ms. Castillo’s advice that he chose to clear the air first. Ms. Castillo advised him to talk honestly with his class about how and why he was upset with their behavior, and how he was upset with his reaction as well. After bringing this up, Mr. Rudd would need to insist on their cooperation.

 16. In about one sentence, summarize Mr. Ziegler’s advice from Case 1.14.

Mr. Ziegler advised Mr. Rudd to prioritize what needed to get done, to realize that he couldn’t do everything, and to be willing to say no when other are encroaching on his time.