Where this is a final assignment of sorts, I am going to address it a little differently. For starter, kudos to Amy Wilson and Allen Smithee for making this post so easy! What I mean by this is that every one of these questions are something that we should have already addressed. If they haven't actually been discussed in an assignment, I know they are all things I have given some serious thought and consideration to in this class! So, with that in mind, here goes...
(I will be addressing these questions in relation to my math discipline)
- How will you choose and teach vocabulary words?
Part of me really wants to be sarcastic right here and say that I will help my students learn new words and terminology! While that is true ;), there is a definite process to doing this. I have spent a lot of time in SCED and methods classes learning about scaffolding. The way I see setting up scaffolding for my classes is this: If the scaffolding has a good solid base it can safely reach much higher! This is how I see vocabulary- it is the most important part when it comes to the base of the scaffolding. It is going to take time and work, but there are words and terms that my students will need to know, be comfortable with, and be able to actually use before they can actually understand higher thinking concepts in math. Not only is this important in my class, but these words will be used throughout their math career.
So, how are the words chosen? At the beginning of every new unit I plan to introduce any new or troublesome vocabulary at the onset of my lessons. By new or troublesome, I mean terms that are both new to the student and term that may not be new but that have a different meaning in math than they do in other disciplines. I have discussed vocabulary in other posts so I won't drag this on, but it is important for the students to learn the word, write it and the definition to become familiar with it, see it used as an example (many of these words/terms are actually math concepts and processes), and be comfortable with it in the context of a math problem/assignment. It isn't enough to introduce the word and then move on. It needs to become a part of the language of my classroom.
- How will you support your students in writing texts and producing other representations in your discipline?
This is something that I actually focused on in my text set, oddly enough. This may seem like an odd addition to a text set list, but
it’s one that will be a must in my classroom.
There is something to be said for journaling in a math class! I fully plan to have a day every 2-3 weeks
where we participate, as a class, in a lab/project and do all of our written
work in a journal. These will be projects
that include a central problem solving question, will provide opportunities to
graph, work through mathematical statements and equations, utilize charts
and/or tables, and take detailed notes on all of it. The purpose is 2 fold. Not only does this provide excellent notes,
but it also provides a sense of pride and completion. There is something to be said for looking over
a year of entries and realizing what you have learned!
While this is just one example of my students producing their own texts in my classroom I think it is one of the most important. Another is the use of GeoGebra to create visual representations of what they have learned. GeoGebra is something that I refer to in an earlier blog post.
- How will you support academically, linguistically, and culturally diverse learners?
Now this is something that every teacher needs to address. The truth is that this is one area that frightens me more than most, but also one that I really look forward to learning more about.
I have this huge advantage in my math classes that I don't exactly have with my ELA classes. Math is a universal language! That being said, math problems and text books aren't exactly universal in nature. One big thing that I have learned when working with culturally diverse students is the use of peers. I live in an area with a large hispanic population. Students are always ready and eager to translate for each other. The goal here is to make sure that they are having to translate less and less as the year goes on. Also, as we learned in class this semester, gesturing, visual representations, repetition, and continued practice go a long way in helping students from all backgrounds understand.
The other thing to remember in this situation is that learning goes both ways. I have as much or more to learn from my students as my students have to learn form me, and this is also the case with diverse learners! Also, when it comes to academically diverse students schools are equipped with wonderful Special Education programs that provide IEPs and 504 plans are also available to those students who meet different requirements than those offered by special ed. These programs provide not just guidelines for teaching these students, but resources in the way of classroom aides and added individualized instruction. Having been an aide myself I know how wonderful these resources can be when departments work together for the benefit of the student.
- What kinds of texts will you make available to your students?
Hopefully I don't seem like I'm taking the easy way out on this one, but I am very proud of the text set I completed this week. I think this is an excellent place to share that for some person that may find this blog in the future as well as my future students and their parents. I have a text set list that I am going to provide as a link titled "Math Text Set" and found on the right side of this page. Feel free to browse it and you will notice that I plan on using and having available a wide set of text for my students. This list is just the beginning. I am hoping this list will continue growing at a rapid rate as I continue to find more items to add to it and as the math world continues to change!
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