As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?
I see my mathematics instruction being tailored to the students' needs. I think that what we have learned this semester about having great math talks is awesome and can be very useful for many mathematics topics, but I do not see it being practical for everyday math learning. For this reason, I see my mathematics instruction being similar to these talks in that I want my students to be able to discover mathematics on their own and find the ways that work best for them, but I want them to be able to do this in a more structured lesson that I can plan daily. I know that there are many ways to do the same things and I know that certain methods make more sense for certain learners. For this reason, I plan to do my absolute best to show my students the different ways in which math tasks can be accomplished and allow them to choose the one that works best for them. I also see myself holding my students accountable for more than what they have previously been credited with. By this, I mean that my plan right now is to have younger students, as in kindergarten or first grade. Although these students cannot outwardly produce multiplication and division work, they are able to understand story problems that ask them to do multiplication and division and can figure out how to solve them. By having them learn how to do these functions early on, the students will (hopefully) not have to stress as much as I have seen in my fourth grade class this year about multiplying and dividing.
What do you want your classroom to look like?
I want my classroom to resemble the students. I want there to be evidence that they are learning and evidence of what they are learning covering all walls of my classroom. I want my room to be bright and colorful and decorated with work the students have created. I feel like the more cluttered the walls look, the better when it comes to showing off what my students can do! In regards to mathematics, I would like a number line somewhere on the walls in my classroom. I want students to be able to refer to it if they need it for the method that works best for them. I want students to have easy access to manipulatives that they know they can quietly get up and retrieve while working on their math problems, without disrupting the class to ask or interrupting my instruction so that I can get them out for the students. I would also really like to have "comfy places" around the room for students to work at if they choose, rather than doing all of their work at there desks. Finally, there will be a large open space for the students to sit in a group and talk about their work, for the days that we do have mathematics discussions and present student work to one another.
What type of work do you want your students to do?
This may be a cliche, but I want my students to do the best work they are capable of, and I want all of my students to be able to produce something for every assignment. I want to plan so carefully that there aren't students who feel as though they can't even start the problem and turn in a blank paper. I want my assignments to be accessible to all students. I want my students to understand that they should be striving for their own best work, and regardless of the other students' work, their best is their best and it is something to be proud of. I want to empower my students and make them as proud of their accomplishments and learning as I am. I also want my students to do group work when appropriate, but I want them to do individual work more than I have seen in my placement. I want my students to be independent workers who understand what they should be doing and do it without issue. I see myself running what some would call a "tight ship" when I am a teacher and I want my students to feel like I treat them with respect.
What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?
I want my students to accomplish everything they are capable of accomplishing in my mathematics classroom. If my students are not accomplishing their goals, it will be time for my to re-evaluate my teaching strategy. I want my students to accomplish so much that when they look at their portfolios at the end of the year, they can laugh and say, "Wow! Look at how much I have learned, and how much I didn't know at the beginning of the year!" I think regardless of age or ability level, this should be an achievable goal for me to have for my classroom.
You have thought very deeply and in detail about what you want your classroom to look like, what you want your students to do and accomplish, and what you yourself will be doing as the teacher. It is excellent that you have such a concrete vision already and that you are already thinking about a number of different dimensions of classroom life.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like assessment will be a major focus for you next year as you attempt to enact these goals (e.g., formatively assessing your students on a day to day basis). Think about how this assessment might be linked to the specific mathematical goals you might have for the students...Some of this can be general, as in, don't turn in a blank sheet of paper, but also, what are the specific mathematical goals you want to see your students evidence on a day by day basis? This will be one of the key questions as you plan your math unit next year.