Reflection
Asking questions is an integral component to teaching, and it cannot be just any question. The phrasing of a question is a huge part of teaching because it can be such an effective tool. At times my questions fell flat in this lesson, and moving forward, I need to make sure I use wait time, revoicing, asking students to restate someone else’s reasoning, partner talk, and other strategies to facilitate classroom discussion.
This experience raised the question of pacing myself as a teacher. It might not even be pacing that is the issue because I am usually aware of the time; it might be more along the lines of flexibility. When students are engaged in an activity and they are learning from it, I need to figure out if it is more important to get through a lesson and move on to the next part, or allow the students the opportunity to really dig deep and explore a concept. This comes back to depth over breadth, but when there is a curriculum and a schedule to honor, it is difficult to make the decision that is best for the students.
I will work on my pedagogical focus by continuing to assess student understanding in various ways until I find what works for me and continue to ask questions and draw connections between mathematical concepts. When the opportunity arises, I can refer to teen numbers as “ten and then some.” Phrasing it like this can help those who have seen the ten frame, picture it as one full frame and then some more.
There is quite a gap in kindergarten when it comes to student knowledge and competence; therefore, I was surprised that everyone in this randomly-assigned group was on a similar level in the sense that no one had heard of a ten frame before. Among many other things, I am reminded that “less is more” when it comes to introducing a brand new skill or concept to students. It would have probably been better to cut out some of those Tell-Me-Fast cards and spent more time practicing strategies related to the ten frame.
I am thrilled to say that my teacher did her introduction lesson to ten frames about ten days after I did my small-group. She did it on a Monday when I was not there, but she later told me about it. She gave me three students’ names and asked if they were in my group because they were the ones who helped explain to the group what ten frames are and what they are used for. She specifically told me that Musa told the class, “It has ten spaces and it helps us count.” It is said that learning takes place over time, so the fact that he was able to reiterate that after days without talking about it, shows there is a level of understanding there. Not only did he remember it days later, he was able to organize his thoughts, put it into words, and share with the class exactly what its purpose is. Although this is not an official assessment, it is a good indication of what information was retained by Musa specifically.
This experience raised the question of pacing myself as a teacher. It might not even be pacing that is the issue because I am usually aware of the time; it might be more along the lines of flexibility. When students are engaged in an activity and they are learning from it, I need to figure out if it is more important to get through a lesson and move on to the next part, or allow the students the opportunity to really dig deep and explore a concept. This comes back to depth over breadth, but when there is a curriculum and a schedule to honor, it is difficult to make the decision that is best for the students.
I will work on my pedagogical focus by continuing to assess student understanding in various ways until I find what works for me and continue to ask questions and draw connections between mathematical concepts. When the opportunity arises, I can refer to teen numbers as “ten and then some.” Phrasing it like this can help those who have seen the ten frame, picture it as one full frame and then some more.
There is quite a gap in kindergarten when it comes to student knowledge and competence; therefore, I was surprised that everyone in this randomly-assigned group was on a similar level in the sense that no one had heard of a ten frame before. Among many other things, I am reminded that “less is more” when it comes to introducing a brand new skill or concept to students. It would have probably been better to cut out some of those Tell-Me-Fast cards and spent more time practicing strategies related to the ten frame.
I am thrilled to say that my teacher did her introduction lesson to ten frames about ten days after I did my small-group. She did it on a Monday when I was not there, but she later told me about it. She gave me three students’ names and asked if they were in my group because they were the ones who helped explain to the group what ten frames are and what they are used for. She specifically told me that Musa told the class, “It has ten spaces and it helps us count.” It is said that learning takes place over time, so the fact that he was able to reiterate that after days without talking about it, shows there is a level of understanding there. Not only did he remember it days later, he was able to organize his thoughts, put it into words, and share with the class exactly what its purpose is. Although this is not an official assessment, it is a good indication of what information was retained by Musa specifically.