EDUC 450: Final Reflection

Looking back through the many blog entries and reflections on course readings and experiences, there is one moment when I feel that I finally understood the importance of incorporating inquiry into the classroom. On October 15, I posted my thoughts concerning the article "Technique Isn't Everything, But It is a Lot." It was through this author's articulation of inquiry, how it can be described from the point of view of both students and teachers, and the analogy of the 'inner voice' that allowed me to fully understand the impact inquiry can hold on a child's long and short term education. In my opinion, this was a turning point that allowed me to better appreciate not only what this course had to offer, but all of my other courses.

Two Things That Have Stayed the Same:

• After reading past blog entries regarding my philosophies, reflections on student interactions and topics regarding classroom managements, etc., I believe that my desire to maintain an honest and encouraging classroom environment remains intact. I still believe that at the core of learning mathematics, student's need to feel a sense of confidence so that they are motivated to learn material as well as to not feel intimidated by what is to be introduced. 
• At this point, I still remain hesitant as the long practicum nears. Perhaps not in the sense as unsure about where to begin, rather more  that there are so many options available - it is now the time to shape what I want my classroom to model.

Two Things That Have Changed:

•  Have discovered that my biggest struggle will be changing the attitudes of my students towards math (instead of understanding).
• My idea of teaching concepts in different ways has changed to include multi-modal methods of instruction and understanding.

EDUC 450: Reflection – Inquiry Question and Article

Does homework, specifically within the math classroom, significantly improve student achievement?

I have found the following research brief published by the NCTM concerning homework.  I plan to use it as a starting point for my research and discussion of homework and its effectiveness.

Cooper, H., & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2008). Homework: What

the research says. research brief.().National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics.

The article summarizes four aspects regarding approaches and limitations of studies and interpretations made:

• Studies attempt to diagnose effectiveness of homework by assigning homework to some students but not others.
• Interviews of students (or parents) to describe and report on their study habits and how much time is allocated for homework.
• Simple correlation between homework and achievement (I assumed this to be test scores or overall course grade). Differences between effectiveness at the elementary level versus the secondary level was acknowledged.
• Discussion as to which subject areas benefit the most from requiring homework practices.
• The amount of homework recommended at various grade levels as a result of developmental abilities and encouraging performance and confidence.

The general conclusion was of an affirmative stance that homework will help students to better achieve, specifically with high school math students, given consideration for special cases (IEP, quality of homework, etc.)

As I was looking for articles and browsing through different pieces written on the area of inquiry, I found that the author of this article, Harris Cooper, is traditionally accredited with as the expert in the field regarding homework. More extensive research however also reported that some believe Cooper to have a bias view on the matter of homework. (This caught my attention as in the article, Cooper references two of his published pieces.) Further exploration, reading of more studies and articles, and interviewing of working Mathematics teachers could result in an opinion far less decided then what is presented in the NCTM article.

EDUC 450: Reflection – What assessment issues interest/concern you?

• Corrections – when allowing students to do corrections, to what extent should we reward them with marks? (Quizzes vs. Tests)
• Besides quizzes and tests, how can we assess student math understanding?
• When allowing students to work in groups, how can we best account for each students participation in the work or attempt to understand concepts?
• Do students better respond to general marking (0, 25, 50, 75, 100) or should we continue to support traditional marking schemes that they are more familiar, and therefore more comfortable with? (These methods may also be used in other subject areas.)
• Reusing tests – is it acceptable for a teacher to use the same unit test, midterm, or final from year to year, or would it not be better practice to adapt testing to each classes response to material, to what was focused that year?
• Teachers seem to keep old tests and do not allow students to review them.

EDUC 450: Reflection #9 – Refocusing our Efforts

Similarly with Heather Robinson’s article assigned this week in EDCP 342, “Using Research to Analyze, Inform, and Assess Changes in instruction”, this stance regarding grades also reflects the philosophies that my Sponsor Teacher holds and follows with her math classes. Again, while I understand the need to decrease the role that grades play toward student motivation, I am also beginning to question the greater cultural need to further develop such a paradigm shift.

It is evident that relieving the pressure of grades and a standardized method of ranking student understanding can help students to enjoy learning. Yet, beyond the High School classroom setting, post-secondary institutions have yet to adopt these sorts of ideals. Professional programs, such as law, medicine, and engineering, are entirely structured on grade systems. It is imperative those students are either right or wrong and that they can be evaluated for a factual and conceptual understanding of their expert subject matter. If schools move away from helping students through testing experiences to increase student intrinsic motivation, will there be future repercussions as a result of not being prepared for future instances where testing is inevitable? Will students be prepared for drastically increased levels of stress? By including testing in classrooms, is there a way to “scaffold” stress levels of students as they enter other spheres of their lives beyond the monitored classrooms?

EDCP 342: Reflection #9 – Using Research to Analyze, Inform, and Assess Changes in Instruction

The article this week as especially interesting for me as I feel it is a summarization of one of my Sponsor Teacher’s teaching philosophies. Over the course of the practicum, we had many discussions regarding her approach to using inquiry based lessons to ensure student centered learning instead of teacher lead instruction. Students were continuously prompted through questions, activities, and discussions to explore the material presented in the class. The teacher intentionally made an effort to try and prompt students to develop the conclusion of the lesson. Homework policy, quiz marking schemes and correction opportunities along with seating arrangements that promoted group work all worked to creating this environment of exploration and discussion.

As a student who has had very little experience learning in this method, I can still appreciate the value that it olds to helping students strengthen their grasp of concepts and the relationships that exist in mathematics. However, as a teacher, I know that I will be challenged to try and create lesson plans that promote this type of research style thinking that show to better assist in student success as they encounter all applications of the curriculum material.

EDUC 450: Reflection – Inquiry Project

What is your question and how did it arise for you?

Question: Does the requirement and enforcement of homework in math classrooms result in significant improvement of student understanding?

When I first began tutoring students, I repeatedly found that when I helped students through concepts after they had already attempted their homework assignment, they had a better overall understanding of what was required and could grasp the concepts more quickly. Those students that wanted to work through their homework assignments together would begin to understand the topic, but would have a harder time working through word problems or applying concepts to different situations. The role of homework to act as practice was essential.

However, during my short term practicum, one of my sponsor teacher’s had a firm policy of not requiring students to complete suggested homework assignments. She passionately believes that students will accommodate their study habits to their learning needs depending on the subject being studied. While I understand her reasoning and evidence for incorporating this approach in her classroom, it fundamentally contradicted what I have experienced with my tutoring students. Yet, in a classroom, a different environment and rapport between students and teachers is created. I would like to further learn about different approaches to homework to better begin establishing my own personal opinion when entering the long practicum.

Why is your question significant (to you and/or others)?

Primarily, the question is significant for me as it is an essential aspect of classroom expectations that reflect my personal teaching philosophy. To best coach my students through understanding the material that I will be presenting, I must be able to assess the effectiveness that homework plays in aiding student understanding. As a result, this question influences student of my future classes and can help me contribute to discussions with my sponsor teachers concerning their positions. We are all working together with the goal of helping students to understand and master skills. Determining the importance of homework as a resource to ensure student comprehension is therefore an important question to pursue.

What resources will you draw on to explore your question? (e.g. journal, readings, curriculum/policy, documents, etc.)

To explore this question, I will draw on the following resources to gain a variety of perspectives and possible conclusions:

·      Interviews with three Sponsor Teachers

o   Interview teachers of other science faculties, e.g. physics

·      Research Papers – Education and Pedagogy

·      Theories concerning the scaffolding of math education

o   Theories concerning academic knowledge development

·      Student learning diversities

o   Aids for different types of learners – how homework is placed in these frameworks

What do you expect to find out?

I expect to find opinions found at all points of the spectrum. Homework policy may be a result of the teacher’s general philosophy, or the homework philosophy may guide a teacher’s general approach to the math classroom. The answer to the question may be to enforce a sort of consistency not only within the classroom, but within he math department at a High School so that students have clear expectations as they move to higher level grades.