Instructional Planning: Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.

• The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals.

 

 

Assessment Summary:
Students are going to use math to help design a fair game after learning the basics of probability through playing a series of chance related games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Probability Unit for Pre-Student Teaching

Completed March 2005

I developed this unit for my pre-student teaching experience.  I hoped to use it in Ms. Good’s math class, but never had the opportunity.  I will keep it potentially to incorporate into my student teaching experience or my own classroom.

Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment

I believe this plan best aligns with standard 7; The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals. 

Within this unit, I described a few lessons that could be performed with students.  One involved using existing chance games, such as rolling dice, picking cards, shooting baskets, etc.  In another lesson, the students were to develop a “fair” game.  They needed to show evidence of how the game was fair using knowledge of probability.  This fair game also served as the means to assess the students on their understanding of the elements of probability and chance.

There were a few different instructional methods that were incorporated into this unit.  The lesson on making a fair game was an example of cooperative learning.  The research of David and Roger Johnson supports the notion that cooperative learning is an effective instructional method.  It has been shown to increase student retention as well as promote self-esteem.  It can help foster mutual responsibility.  Utilizing this method can help students learn to be patient, less critical and more compassionate.  There are a number of particular classroom activities which fall into this category including jigsawing and think-pair-share.  The jigsaw activity involves small groups of students.  Each student has an assigned area to become familiar with.  He or she will need to teach the other members of the group the material that is present.  Each of these students will get together with all of the other students from the various groups who have the same content area to learn.  They, in turn, will discuss best ways to deliver the material to the other students.  Finally the original groups bet back together and students take turns teaching the material.  Think-pair-share is an activity which has the students start by thinking to themselves about the subject or problem in question.  They then pair with another student and exchange their ideas.  Finally, the pairs share their responses with other pairs, other teams, or the entire group.

There are a few things to be careful of when using cooperative learning.  Some students don’t naturally work well this way.  Loners can have a hard time sharing with others.  Aggressive students will sometimes try to take control.  Bright students sometimes have the tendency to act superior. 

When planning a cooperative learning lesson, it is important to decide what skills and/or knowledge are to be learned.  Also, it most likely will take some time to prepare students to learn how to work in groups.

Students’ interests are a very important component in determining what sorts of lessons should be taught.  I believe in curriculum integration being a laudable goal to work towards.  The main concept involved in curriculum integration is that the students determine the various themes that they will learn about throughout the school year.  This is done in a democratic manner with input and involvement from all students.  Horizontal curriculum integration is where all the subjects that a student is taking in a given year are linked into discernable themes.  Vertical integration is where the linkages are carried through to the next year with all of the subjects.  Jim Beane has researched this method for his book, Curriculum Integration:  Designing the Core of Democratic Education.  He found it to produce great results in terms of student engagement as well as retention of and depth of knowledge.

The community is a vital aspect of a students learning experience.  John Bremer states that, “A new relationship between the school and the larger society is needed. The various programs such as schools without walls, community schools, and community use of schools are all indicators of the direction to be followed.”  Following Bremer, there should be a melding of the classroom and the community, such that one might not necessarily be able to distinguish one from another.  Students should be actively engaged in community projects through school activities, be they service learning projects or simple community service or volunteerism.  The community should also be integrally connected to the school.  Community members should be invited into the schools to volunteer as tutors, chaperones, cooks, etc.  Ideally, the school should also become a community center of sorts.  The Lake Local School District in Uniontown, Ohio provides a wonderful example of how this can be done.  The high school and middle school literally share library space with the public library, there is a partnership with the Lake and Cleveland Opera to work with students and utilize the performance art facility.  The YMCA as well as the Mercy Medical Center are also co-located with the school. 

UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment

 

KSD1.f.

One of the assessment mechanisms for this unit involved the fair game activity.  The assessment rubric for the game included the following components:  1) Level of understanding of probability, likelihood, and what makes a game chance game fair or unfair, 2) the accuracy of measures of likelihood and mathematical possibilities that are used, 3) the appropriateness and accuracy of organizers that are used, 4) completeness of the task, 5) the level of metacognition involved, and 6) the organization of the game (presentation matches topic, audience, and purpose.

What I learned about teaching

Through the development of this unit, I learned that unit and lesson plans take quite a bit of planning.  I had previously thought that it would be very natural to put these plans together.  I experienced some difficulty showing how various activities aligned with various state standards.  I found that working backwards was an effective way to put together lesson plans.  When I started with the intended goals, I could better visualize and plan how the students were to get to that end goal and how the assessment could best be organized.  I had previously worked on lessons in a relatively unorganized fashion starting with the desired activity.  Doing so, I ran the risk of not truly addressing standards in a meaningful way.

I learned that the accountability of the teachers is included in the lesson plan.  The standards that are addressed within a given lesson need to be highlighted to ensure that all of the needed standards are adequately delved into throughout the school year.  Not having this as part of the lesson plan would make the accountability of the teachers and, therefore, the school very difficult to see.

 

What I learned about myself

I learned that I will need to practice making lesson plans and unit plans much more before being efficient and feeling comfortable with the process.  From my experience putting this unit together, I will need to be ready with my lessons a few days in advance of the intended delivery date.  I learned that I need to gain more knowledge about appropriate and meaningful rubrics.  It took me a long time to put together the rubrics for this unit.  I need to develop more familiarity with various rubric designs.