Short Term Goals:
To prepare 21st Century learners, teachers must come to the realization that the traditional way of teaching will not do the job. Within the classrooms students must take control of their learning, and the classroom style become student-driven inquiry. With that being said, the two short terms goals that I set for myself are, bringing more inquiry-based learning in the math classroom. The second goal is to use writing in math as a tool to assist teachers in accessing students knowledge about a specific concept/skill.
To begin with, the first goal will call for teachers to plan lessons differently. For example, if a teacher is teaching students how to understand functions they will start by looking to see how students understand functions. Secondly, teachers must choose mathematical tasks worth doing, a task that calls for students to explore and try to make sense of. Third, teachers must select a scenario that will introduce the task that has a dilemma that students must solve. the introduction should be well scripted with questions pre-selected, and misconceptions identified. While students work on task teacher generate a list strategies the students use and display them. At the end a whole group discussion is conducted to discuss solutions. That is a perfect picture of a inquiry based classroom.
My second goal, implement writing in the math class. "NCTM placed an emphasis on the importance of communication for learning and doing mathematics " (Steele 102) It has been said that students problem solving skills could improve with writing. It can also be a helpful tool in allowing teachers to see what a student know about a particular concept/skill.. The implementation of writing will be by asking students to explain, justify, or defend their answer.
Long Term Goals:
My Long Term goals are more leadership related. My first goal is to find a way to implement more self-care and SEL activities within the schools for the teachers. A way to implement SEL for teachers in schools will be to incorporate mindfulness and meditation activities such as memory minute, cool down breath, and equal breath into weekly meetings. Implementing activities this way allows teachers to practice that which they will be doing with their students. It is a fact that students are willing to try/buy into things that their teacher does. Also, a universal mindfulness practice activity can be done as a whole school at the beginning of each day. “Support for SEL skills must be embedded into the daily life of the school for everyone-students, teachers, administrators” (Jones 64).
My second goal is to assist STEM come alive in schools marrying Science and Math. This will look like the following: more student-centered classrooms, more inquiry based lessons,and inquiry-based class with unlimited resources. Also, more STEM fairs to expose the families and all teachers to the unison of math and science
Works Cited:
DeWitt, Peter How Lesson Imaging Brings Math and Science Instruction Into Focus. Education Week's blogs February 16 2007
Jones, Stephanie M. et. al. “Educators’ Social and Emotional Skills Vital to Learning.” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 94, no. 8, 2013, pp. 62-65.
Steele, Diane Understanding Students' Problem -Solving Knowledge through Their Writing. Mathematics Teaching In The Middle School vol. 13, No 2, September 2007
To prepare 21st Century learners, teachers must come to the realization that the traditional way of teaching will not do the job. Within the classrooms students must take control of their learning, and the classroom style become student-driven inquiry. With that being said, the two short terms goals that I set for myself are, bringing more inquiry-based learning in the math classroom. The second goal is to use writing in math as a tool to assist teachers in accessing students knowledge about a specific concept/skill.
To begin with, the first goal will call for teachers to plan lessons differently. For example, if a teacher is teaching students how to understand functions they will start by looking to see how students understand functions. Secondly, teachers must choose mathematical tasks worth doing, a task that calls for students to explore and try to make sense of. Third, teachers must select a scenario that will introduce the task that has a dilemma that students must solve. the introduction should be well scripted with questions pre-selected, and misconceptions identified. While students work on task teacher generate a list strategies the students use and display them. At the end a whole group discussion is conducted to discuss solutions. That is a perfect picture of a inquiry based classroom.
My second goal, implement writing in the math class. "NCTM placed an emphasis on the importance of communication for learning and doing mathematics " (Steele 102) It has been said that students problem solving skills could improve with writing. It can also be a helpful tool in allowing teachers to see what a student know about a particular concept/skill.. The implementation of writing will be by asking students to explain, justify, or defend their answer.
Long Term Goals:
My Long Term goals are more leadership related. My first goal is to find a way to implement more self-care and SEL activities within the schools for the teachers. A way to implement SEL for teachers in schools will be to incorporate mindfulness and meditation activities such as memory minute, cool down breath, and equal breath into weekly meetings. Implementing activities this way allows teachers to practice that which they will be doing with their students. It is a fact that students are willing to try/buy into things that their teacher does. Also, a universal mindfulness practice activity can be done as a whole school at the beginning of each day. “Support for SEL skills must be embedded into the daily life of the school for everyone-students, teachers, administrators” (Jones 64).
My second goal is to assist STEM come alive in schools marrying Science and Math. This will look like the following: more student-centered classrooms, more inquiry based lessons,and inquiry-based class with unlimited resources. Also, more STEM fairs to expose the families and all teachers to the unison of math and science
Works Cited:
DeWitt, Peter How Lesson Imaging Brings Math and Science Instruction Into Focus. Education Week's blogs February 16 2007
Jones, Stephanie M. et. al. “Educators’ Social and Emotional Skills Vital to Learning.” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 94, no. 8, 2013, pp. 62-65.
Steele, Diane Understanding Students' Problem -Solving Knowledge through Their Writing. Mathematics Teaching In The Middle School vol. 13, No 2, September 2007