EDE 4942- Supervisor/CT Observation Reflection #2

For my whole group technology infused lesson, I chose to use standard MAFS.K.NBT1.1 which states that students must “compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some further ones, e.g., by using objects or drawings , and record each composition or decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g.,18=10+8); understand that these numbers are composed of ten ones and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.” This lesson started with me having the students go over the classroom rules together. After this, I had the students review composing and decomposing numbers 1-10. The first equation, I modeled it on the board alongside of the students to allow them to see what I am asking for. They had to explain how we came up with the answer to their table partner. The next problem, they had to do on their own. Most of the students got the problem right but I few did not understand what was being asked. I went around and helped these students before moving on. After this, I had the students listen to a song on YouTube that goes over how to decompose numbers 11-19. Once the video was over, I had the students turn to their table partners and talk about what they think the word decomposing means. I gave them a minute to talk before asking the question again for the students to answer out loud. I had to get the students attention multiple times throughout this next part of the lesson because they got out of control. Next, I had the students model different ways to decompose the numbers 13 and 15. I called on two different students to model the notecard activity that we were about to do. I used the white board tens frames to break apart the number and had the students answer the different questions. They were confused at first, but they slowly started to get it. Next, I passed out the notecards and made them do it on their own. They had to chose between two numbers, write the number word down, break down the number into tens and ones and then create their equation using a ten and the respective ones. I made sure to put the number word on the power point next to the number so the students new what word corresponded with the number. The students were having a hard time seeing the word, so they started getting up from the seats and all gathered around the computer and it created quite a commotion. The students got out of control once again and I had to completely stop them to grab their attention before having them start back up again. A lot of the students struggled with doing this on their own. I had to walk around the class to help each student individually. It was awesome to listen to the students thought processes while helping them and show them what is being asked. I had to stop half way through to model how to use the pretzels and skittles. One student who is below level in math grasped this concept before the others and he went around and started helping his friends. He made a difference throughout the activity part of the lesson. There was a back side to the notecard activity, but I could tell that the students were not ready to do it yet. Once the students finished the front part, I collected the notecards and sent them by table to put their pretzels and skittles into their backpacks. I had the students answer a 6 question Plickers quiz as the assessment. We had been using Plickers for a couple week, so they did not act out like they did throughout the lesson. What blew my mind was that the students understood the assessment questions but could not answer it right during the lesson on the notecard. This showed be that they need to see it modeled more and work together to make the content connections.

I was very comfortable with the use of technology in this lesson and so were the students.The successes that I encountered was the use of the visual. The students could see what was expected of them and it helped them understand the lesson better even though it was rigorous. I encountered the problem of students not being able to see the PowerPoint well because of the blurriness of the projector. I dealt with this problem by allowing them to walk up by table to the screen to see it better. Technology definitely enhances instruction and motivates and engages the students greatly. Even with the rigorous content, the students learned more than I thought they would.

The aspects of my lesson were implemented differently than I planned was the notecard activity. The children were having a hard time doing what was asked of them, so I had to go around and help each individual student answer the questions and represent the number properly. There was a back side to the notecard, but they were not ready to complete it yet. If I was going to teach this lesson with the same group of students, I would sit the students down on the carpet and take time to go over the information with less distractions. The students were feeding off each other and not paying attention. If they would have been on the rug it would have been easier to keep their attention. The thing that surprised me most was a student understand the content before the rest of the class. He was struggling all year in math and is usually the last to speak but during the lesson, he picked up on the content quickly and began helping other students. It was neat to see the growth of this student throughout the year.

The FEAPs that I completed in this lesson are 2g, 2h, 3a, 3g, and 3h. I completed 2g by using the current information from many different books and websites to plan my lesson. I completed 2h by giving the students the tools needed for them to individually thrive in the lesson. I modify activities for these students accordingly. I completed 3a by giving the students a lesson that would really make them think. It was rigorous and challenged them greatly. I completed 3g by giving students the strategies and resources they needed to understand the lesson properly. The students had many manipulatives to choose from when completing the lesson. Lastly, I completed 3h by differentiating instruction for students on an individual basis. Each student is different and needs help in a variety of ways.

The students started to grasp the content that was being taught. They did not take as much as I wanted away from the lesson. I know this because their activity and assessment answers reflected it. My teaching actions were most effective when I went around and gave each student individual attention. This helped them grasp the concept better. I enjoy giving one on one attention to as many students as I can. The instructional materials were effective because it gave them many ways to represent their number(s). The tens frame, blocks, pretzels and skittles were really engaging and proved to be effective during instruction. I had to make sure that the food items had no egg in it because one of my students is allergic to eggs.

The group of remedial students had the most difficulty with the lesson. The lesson was extremely rigorous, and the students had a hard time picking up on the content. It was not until I got to work with them individually that they really started to make the connections to the content. The learning environment plays a big role in their lack of understanding because they are so used to being next to the stronger students. The remedial students cheat off them until they are called on and forced to learn. The student who did the best with this lesson is my behavioral problem. He usually has zero patience to learn new things but was very receptive to the content and wanted to learn. He was able to help the other students at his table and show them how to model the numbers with the blocks and pretzel/skittle combination. Based on their performance, my next steps would be to teach the content again. They had a hard time grasping the lesson, so I must continue to teach it until they show the growth that is acceptable to move on. I will make sure the introduce the rigorous lessons in smaller increments. The students will be more likely to understand the content if they have more time to learn and absorb it.

The most important thing that I learned from engaging in this lesson is breaking the information up into smaller increments. This is also the way that the lesson did not meet the developmental needs of my students. They immediately shut down when they started feeling overwhelmed. It is easy to stop the students from feeling this way if you take the content and mold it into what they are read to learn. It might take an extra day or two, but it will be worth it in the end. Like I stated previously, I would engage in this lesson differently by pulling the students into a central location, such as the rug, to teach the content. This would help me control all the students easier and the remedial students would not be able to cheat off the on level and enriched. A new wondering that I have is, how can the state of Florida expect these young students to grasp this concept before the end of the year? It is way too rigorous for them!

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