Domain+3+-+Instruction

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3b - Using Questioning & Discussion Techniques
A n example of me beginning a lesson during my student teaching can be found here, to the right. This particular excerpt is of me going through the previous day's homework with the students. It demonstrates examples of me giving instructions to students and having the students lead me through the problems, as I used inquiry to assist them. include page="HTML_div_close" include page="HTML_div_rightcolumn"

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Although not much of the SOTW warm-up is captured in this excerpt; I believe this video does demonstrate a proficient ability to give clear instructions to students and communicate to students what was expected of them. This video also shows off a little of the questioning I incorporate when teaching. Reflecting upon this excerpt I believe I should have made a greater effort in having students explain, in greater details, how they arrived at their solution to the problems. I believe in doing so it would help other students who have questions or were confused about solving the problems to clear up misconceptions. I however do recognize that in this lesson I was trying to manage my time and ensure I kept the pacing going, so we could get to notes and guided/independent practice. As a beginning teacher I realize that pacing is always an area that takes experience to master.

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3c - Engaging Student in Learning
H ere is another excerpt of me teaching, this time a closing of a lesson. Within this video is an example of what I believed was a meaningful closure to a lesson; by having students create a family tree of specific quadrilaterals. It was aimed to summarize & recap the quadrilaterals we learned about in class, as well as give the students an understanding of the different families of quadrilaterals. I had the students input the family tree I was creating on the elmo, into the end of their notes for the day. The video also highlights me giving students instruction on what work was expected from them the following day. Because I believe that we should be working from the moment you step into the classroom until the bell, I concluded the last minute in a half of class by reviewing prior content on flash cards. Once a student answered a problem correctly they were allowed to line up at the door. This simple, but meaningful activity, got the students motivated to answer questions and helped me to continually address any common mistakes and misconceptions. include page="HTML_div_close" include page="HTML_div_rightcolumn"

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There are a few things that I would have changed with my closure. A major part of that is making sure that I'm concise with my explanations, in regards to the different polygons in our family tree of quadrilaterals. I also recognize that this particular topic could have lent itself easily to much more concrete examples, and ensuring that students saw the relationship between the different quadrilaterals. As I observed other teachers later on in my student teaching, I really liked how they related tree of quadrilaterals to more specific names we give to people in our lives.

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3c - Engaging Student in Learning
T hroughout my coursework at NSC I've learned about various approaches and strategies which I can use and implement within my lessons. Writing is one of the key ways I believe I can help students grapple with concepts and refine their ideas of math. It's a valuable tool which can help me as a teacher check for understanding, and really help students check if they understood. I've included a writing portfolio that I prepared for my Writing Across the Curriculum class because it highlights effective strategies and activities which I will incorporate into my own instruction. Activities like RAFTs, reflective writing, and biocrostics are great writing activities which can be adapted for math content, and lend itself very much to the Kagan Cooperative methods, which I hope to permeate within all my instruction. include page="HTML_div_close" include page="HTML_div_rightcolumn" media type="custom" key="15551542" align="center"

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