SED 535 Contemporary Mathematics Teaching Assignment Due: October 28, 2008
Read:
á
Chazan, D. (2000). Beyond formulas in mathematics and teaching:
Dynamics of the high school algebra
classroom. New York: Teachers College Press. pp.
112-147 (Ch.4). (Reader)
á
The
Video Analysis Assignment criteria sheet (emailed
and on my Website)
Do:
1) Write to submit:
á
How
well does Chazan convince you that the discipline of mathematics is uncertain
and open for negotiation? What
parts of his argument did you find most convincing and why?
á
What
advantages do you see in bringing a perspective of mathematics as uncertain and
negotiable to a low-achieving mathematics class?
2) Bring any questions about the Video Analysis
Assignment next week.
3) Start the process of selecting a class for the
Video Analysis Assignment, developing a release form, and passing it out to
students.
8:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., Saturday, October
25, Business Building NOSKI Auditorium (BE 101)
SED 535 Video
Analysis Assignment Fall
2008
Draft of Analytic Report Due: November 18
(Earlier submissions are welcome and are
likely to be returned earlier!)
Presentations: December 2 & 9
Final Analytic Report Due: December 9
This assignment is
the culmination of all youÕve learned in SED 535—about teaching for
understanding, how students develop algebraic and geometric concepts, and how
to create environments that are conducive to the development of understanding
and mathematical power. This
assignment is modeled on a major ÒentryÓ for National Board
Certification—a step many of you may take in the near future.
The focus of this
assignment is your ability to facilitate a whole-class discussion that develops your studentsÕ understanding of a central
mathematical concept. You will
video-record a discussion in one of your classes, prepare a written analysis of
a short segment of the video, and present your analysis and reflection to a
small group of classmates. (You
will not show the video in class, so any format is fine.)
The Video
The lesson you record should show how you
involve the entire class of students in mathematical
discourse, both with you and each other, using targeted prompts and questioning. You should orchestrate this discussion to encourage the widespread and autonomous engagement of
your students and their deep
understanding of a mathematical concept that is central to your course and
to the CA content standards. As you facilitate the discussion, you should
adjust the content and pace of the discourse according to your ongoing assessment of student
learning.
You will choose, for analysis, a 15-minute
(uncut) segment of video that best demonstrates your proficiency in
facilitation. Therefore, the
lesson should include at least a 15-minute stretch of whole-class discussion.1
The National Board suggests these activities as conducive to whole-class
discussion:
á Introduction
of a concept with student interaction
á Demonstration
with discussion
á Open-ended
problem solving
á Conjecture
and analysis of data previously collected
á Homework
review with discussion about conceptual understanding and methods
á Discussion
about journal entries
á Post-activity
wrap-up
Poor choices for this assignment would include:
á Lecture
with little student input or interaction
á Group,
pair, or individual seatwork
á Student
presentations with little contribution by classmates
Analytic Report
You will analyze and reflect on the 15-minute
video segment and prepare a written report with four parts.
Instructional Context (2 pages)2
This section should include
pertinent background information about the course, the students, and your goals
that are necessary to understand the analysis. This should include:
á
The name or topic of
the course and a brief description of the unit
á
Student demographics
(age, grade, total number, numbers and needs of ESL and SPED students)
á
Your learning goals for
this lesson
á
Information about
studentsÕ prior understandings, misconceptions, and learning needs that
influenced your plan for this lesson.
Planning (2 pages)
Here, you provide more detail
about your plan and intentions for this lesson. This should include:
á
A description of the
overall lesson
á
Your goals for the
whole-class discussion part, both conceptual and behavioral/social
á
A description of your
plans for facilitating the discussion, including key prompts and questions;
strategies for encouraging student engagement, interaction and autonomy; and
considerations for students with special language or learning needs.
Analysis
(4 pages)
In this section, you interpret
and assess the interactions and learning, referring to specific actions and
dialogue in the video as evidence.
Discuss:
á
How well your
facilitation engaged a range of students, and what specific decisions you made
(both in planning and on the fly) that did or did not enhance this engagement
á
How well your
facilitation promoted mathematical thinking and concept development, and what
specific decisions you made that did or did not enhance this development
á
Evidence of student
autonomy, and what specific decisions you made that did or did not encourage
autonomy.
Reflection (2 pages)
In this section, you consider
the overall success of the discussion and plan for the future. These conclusions should be supported
with literature from this course.
Discuss:
á
What you regard as the
major success of your facilitation of the discussion, and why?
á
What you regard as the
major shortcoming of your facilitation of the discussion, and why?
á
How what youÕve learned
from this analytic process will influence your teaching in the future.
I will collect a draft of this
report to provide guidance and feedback. This must be submitted by Nov. 18th.
Scoring
Criteria for Analytic Report
Completeness of instructional context and
planning sections 5 points
Completeness and quality of analysis section,
supported by evidence from the video 12
points
Completeness and quality of reflection section,
supported by literature 10
points
Clarity and quality of writing
3 points
Total:
30 points