SED 525 Methods for Teaching Secondary Mathematics Homework due March 16, 2009

Read:

· Ball, D. L. (1997). From the general to the particular: Knowing our own students as learners of mathematics. Mathematics Teacher, 90(9), 732-737. (In reader)

· NCTM. (1999). Mathematics assessment: A practical handbook for grades 9-12, pp. 10-13, 15-16, 18, 34-35. (In reader)

Submit:

Choose one of the assessment tasks described in the NCTM reading. Analyze this task through the eyes of Deborah Ball: Describe the understandings and misunderstandings that you think this task might reveal if you were to have students do it.

Also:

· Add notes about Wiggins & McTighe and Ball to your Author Notebook. Summarize:

o The author’s (or authors’) main point (1-3 sentences)

o How the author’s ideas could be applied to the math classroom (for lesson planning, assessment, task design, interactions with students…)

· Begin work on Unit Plan Assignment

SED 525MA/L Unit Plan Assignment Due March 23, 2009

Purpose: To draw on what you’ve learned in this course so far to develop a unit plan that will immerse students in high-level thinking about important mathematical concepts and promote a deep, relational understanding of them. The unit should include tasks that actively engage students and vary in style and mode enough to offer diverse learners access to the content.

Description: The plan should correspond to the major concepts in approximately half of a textbook chapter. It should cover a 5-day period of time and address 2-3 California math content standards.

Required Elements: You may present your plan in any format that is organized and clear. You may use, adapt, or reject the format of my 3-Day example, but you should use this example as an indication of the level of detail I expect. Regardless of format, your plan must contain the following:

1) Name of course where the plan would be implemented (e.g., Geometry, 7^th-Grade Math, Calculus).

2) Two or three California math content standards that the plan addresses. These must be different from the two we used in class (Geometry 19.0 and 20.0). Please write the standards out; don’t just state the number. Not every part of each standard needs to be addressed in your plan. You may also list any NCTM standards that your plan addresses.

3) Learning objectives. Reframe the CA (and NCTM) standards in terms of what specifically you want students to understand about the concepts and be able to do with that understanding. These objectives should be verifiable (by your assessment methods).

4) Driving questions—Have one interesting question that drives the entire unit. Have others that motivate specific days or activities.

5) Brief descriptions of the activities, assessments, and homework for each day. Details are unnecessary, but your description must make clear what students are generally being asked to do, with whom they will do it, and what they are expected to produce or present.

6) A rationale for the unit’s design. Explain, in 3-4 paragraphs, how specific elements aim at high-level thinking, promote a deep, relational understanding, and help diverse learners access the content. Draw on ideas from (and cite) the authors we’ve read for this course.

Scoring Criteria:

Completeness and clarity of plan 2 pts

Potential of activities and questions to engage all students and promote relational understanding 7 pts

Potential of formative and summative assessment measures to reveal relevant understanding 2 pts

Validity of rationale and grounding in course readings 4 pts

Total: 15 pts

SED 525MA/L Micro-Teaching Assignment Due 3/30, 4/20, 4/27, or 5/4

Purpose: The Micro-Teaching Assignment is an opportunity to practice planning and implementing a greater part of a lesson than you did in the Activity “Into” assignment.

Step 1: Choose a CA math content standard, for a different math course than you planned your One-Day Lesson Plan assignment for. Develop a related learning objective for a one-period lesson.

Step 2: Outline a plan for an activity to help students meet the objective. For reference, you might examine a related section in a textbook. The activity can be original or borrowed/adapted from any source; please cite all sources on your plan outline. Do not use an activity you’ve already used for another assignment in this course. The plan outline need not be as detailed as your One-Day Lesson Plan assignment, but it is important to complete this step before preparing your microteaching. I won’t grade these outlines, but I will collect them to better understand your overall lesson.

The activity you plan should aim to accomplish several goals:

· introduce, develop, deepen, polish, or apply an important mathematical concept or skill

· promote deep, relational understanding

· engage students in high-level mathematical thinking and active learning.

Consider using a driving question to motivate mathematical investigation. Also, consider various strategies for engagement, such as manipulatives; graphing calculators; real-world connections; student-generated data; and modes that increase student interaction, i.e., group or pair work.

Step 3: Prepare for microteaching. You will play the role of the teacher of our class and implement part of your lesson as if we were students at the appropriate level. You’ll have up to 10 minutes total. In this time you must introduce and motivate the activity and get us started. This part should only take a few minutes (remember, you did it under 4 minutes for the Activity “Into”). After we have begun the activity, you may then let us continue to work as you coach, assess, or otherwise facilitate, OR you may “break” the time once and skip to the wrap-up of the activity. You must supply all materials.

Step 4: Micro-teach on your assigned night. You may rearrange our seating and set up equipment before your 10 minutes start, and you should tell us the course and grade level we are playing. After this, do not step out of the role of the teacher to give background or other information to the class. You will receive supportive and constructive feedback from your peers (and instructor).

Scoring Rubric

Quality of activity design: The potential of the activity, as planned, to engage students

in high-level thinking and to deepen their understanding of an important math concept 3 points

Motivation: The potential of the activity and the effectiveness of your presentation to

motivate students to engage in the mathematics (including your manner and voice tone) 3 points

Logistics: The clarity of your directions for students, the smoothness of your transitions

and distribution of materials, and your organization of the action 4 points

Total: 10 points