At
first, the main goal of the video seemed to be getting students to distinguish
between perimeter and area. However, after the initial task was asked and the
teacher began to walk around the room and question student thinking, the focus
shifted to getting students to explain how they knew the area of the square was
9 and to help them understand the concept of square units. The teacher in
charge of the lesson sequenced student responses in a way that ended with her
showing a picture on the board of the 3x3 square divided into 9 smaller
squares. She used this to guide students in the direction of figuring out that
we use individual square units to measure area.
The
Making Mathematical Arguments article that we read this week showed several
examples of effective questioning by a teacher during a lesson. The article
stresses the importance of getting students to go in-depth into their thinking
and back up the claims they are making. As the authors explain, having a
student explain their ideas is “an essential part of developing mathematical
arguments” (Whitenack & Yackel, 2002). The example dialogues in the article
are good models of questions that prompt student thinking and require children
to be explicit about their thought processes and agree/disagree with ideas from
peers. These are things that the group member who is actually teaching during
the lesson study will need to keep in mind during the lesson. Those of us who
are observing will take note of how these types of questions affect student
thinking.
I
noticed both similarities and differences between the debriefing protocol
document we were provided with and the youtube video we watched. Like the
document suggested, the debriefing video started off by reminding everyone in
the group what the overall goals of the lesson were and what they were supposed
to focus on during the group discussion. Also, each person who talked was
sharing specific, concrete evidence of what they witnessed during the lesson.
One difference I found was that the first observer shared several things that
he noticed during the lesson rather than mentioning one positive idea and then
letting the other observers talk. Additionally, the teacher who taught the
lesson was not the first one to speak and share her ideas on how it went.
Overall,
I think the most challenging part about the lesson study will be remaining
uninvolved as an observer. After having numerous classroom placements in which
we have been expected to assist the teacher as needed and offer help to
students who are confused, being completely removed from actually participating
in the lesson will be a change. Even though it will be a different type of
activity for us to get used to, I think it will be really beneficial in the
end. It is good practice for working collaboratively as a team to come up with
research goals and instruction and activities that can assist us in reaching
these goals. It is also helpful in reminding us to place more of an emphasis on
student thinking and processes rather than just what the teacher does in the
situation.
I also think that it will be hard not to get involved in the lesson as an observer. Like you said, I am so used to interacting with the students it is going to take a lot of self control on my part to just sit there and observe. However, I also agree that this type of lesson study will be beneficial to our understanding student thinking better because as observers we get to focus our attention on what exactly the students are going and learning instead of focusing on the actual lesson. It is definitely something different to experience and I think we will all learn a lot from it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the student thinking goes, I think this weeks readings and the video will help our group collaborate more and include more questions that focus the students attention. A good goal to have is to not just lead the way for the students but have them come up with answers and new knowledge on their own. This way we as teachers and observers can see what they came up with without much adult involvement.
Initially, I agree, it seems as if the lesson in the video is going to focus on differentiating between perimeter and area. However, the task really delves further into conceptualizing area as students are asked to prove their reasoning. It is not clear if this was an initial focus of the lesson or if as Emily mentioned, a focus that arose once the teachers talked with students. I may argue that the focus was also on understanding that area involves square inches rather than simply inches, as this was strongly stressed in the introduction as well as when questioning students. It was clear most students understood how to calculate both perimeter and area, but when asked to prove and thus demonstrate understanding of the concept of area as involving square inches, students were not as successful.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad I watched the debriefing video, as I feel more clear on what our own debriefing will “look like.” It is clear that similarly to our own lesson study, each colleague focused on certain aspects of the student’s work. The observers also took detailed observation notes as to be prepared to discuss what was witnessed, which is very beneficial to conducting a thorough debriefing session. However, like Emily mentioned- the teacher who taught the lesson was unable to share their views of the lesson initially, which seems important to me as one’s position as a teacher and an observer vary
The article certainly stresses the importance of student thinking, as Emily discussed. However, one aspect of the article’s discussion that we have not really thought about in our lesson study, is whether to determine if a student is “explaining or justifying his or her reasoning.” This article explained the importance of these elements of discussion, but more so in a way that stresses the ways in which both explaining and justifying work to help students formulate mathematical arguments, the main goal of a task and follow up discussion.
I agree with Emily that remaining uninvolved will be incredibly difficult as I know I will want to ask students questions, push their thinking, and essentially, involve myself in the lesson that I have worked so hard to help create. However, I think the most beneficial part of the lesson study is the fact that I will have learned how to work with a group of colleagues to really engage with a concept. Through discussions and deliberations our lesson has transformed with a variety of input from everyone. Participation in this lesson study really helps one understand the power of working together to “do great work.” While it is important to commit yourself to effective teaching, I think it’s just as important to involve yourself with other great teachers to improve your own work as well, as demonstrated in the lesson study project.