Ms.

Ps Grade 9 Applied Mathematics Course

I observed the first half of a grade 9 applied mathematics course. Ms. P was a substitute
teacher during the time that I was observing the classroom. The seating arrangement in the
classroom was very tradition: nice neat rows that filled up the space. There was a very high ratio
of boys to girls in the class. On the walls of the classroom there were boards stating What Are
We Learning Today? and The Big Ideas. The teacher began by introducing us, explaining to
the students that we were students from LU who were looking to become teachers. Most students
ignored us, while others spent most of the class gaging our reaction on certain parts of the lesson.
Many of the students did not come prepared for class so Ms. P circulated the room and
distributed paper and pencils for note taking. I noticed that before she began the lesson she did
not introduce the topic in an engaging way. She did not explain the purpose or the relevance of
the lesson. She attempted to relate scatter plots to grades in the class versus homeworking
accomplished but did not spend much time on relating the lesson. She used a direct approach to
teach and used the smartboard to present the lesson on Scatter Plots. She stood at the front of the
class and did not circulate while she was explaining the lesson. She insisted that the students
wrote the note on the board and would circulate to make sure everyone was following along. One
student in particular was off task through the use of his laptop. She politely asked to put the
laptop aside and write the note but he refused. She asked again and walked away hoping he
would listen to her firm voice. When he clearly was not listening, she told him she would send
him to office if he did not write the note. During the entire time I was there, I did not see him
pick up a pencil. Ms. P did not end up sending him to the office. She allowing him to slack off all
class; she had given up on that individual. Most students did not enjoy writing notes and would
have preferred a more interactive way of learning. Teacher Talk discourages class discussion
and I believe social development of adolescent is crucial in the early years of high school.

Mr. Js Grade 10 Applied Mathematics Course

I observed the second half of a grade 10 applied mathematics class. Mr. J was the
permanent teacher of that classroom and the dynamic was so different from the class I had
previously been observing. When we walked into the class Mr. J was in the middle of a lesson on
solving linear systems by substitution. From what I saw, all the students were paying attention to
the lesson and writing the note down. One large difference between Ms. Ps class and Mr. Js
class was the way the note was taken. Ms. P assumed the students would write the note down on
a blank piece of paper. Mr. J gave everyone a worksheet that had each step of the lesson already
jotted down. It was the students job to fill in the missing steps and examples. The benefit of
having the worksheet for the students is the crucial steps are already laid out in black and white
and they are in charge of their own examples and extra note taking. The classroom seating
arrangement was set up in the same rows as the previous class. The traditional method of seating
arrangements seemed to be very popular in all of the math classes at the school. One aspect I
enjoyed from observing Mr. Js class was the learning assessment he handed out in a previous
class that was due during my time there. The assessment highlighted four key goals from the
previous unit and how the students felt about their knowledge. The goals went from thorough
understanding to no understanding. This is a great example of something I would implement in
my own classroom to get an idea of which students are still struggling. Mr. J also mentioned at
the end of the class the difficulties of working in a grade 10 applied math class. Elementary
school students are passed along the grades whether or not their knowledge of math is up to
Ontario standards. When they get to high school if their marks were not up to standard, they were
place in an applied course. The range of student knowledge becomes very evident and it becomes
difficult to teach to so many different levels. Mr. J presented his information lecture style, but
made his learning objectives very clear in his classroom and described in detail how each one
related to the environment around them. He was often asking students if they understood and was
open to any questions. He always moved around the room when presenting his lesson and kept
the students engaged. It was clear that he had built a rapport with the students from his open
attitude and willingness to stay during lunch of after class for further questions.

Review of Teaching through Problem Solving: Three Part Lesson

The lesson begins by reviewing the definition of a three part lesson. Each lesson is
broken up into a beginning, middle and end. The beginning is where you present the problem;
ensure students understand the tasks and their responsibilities. The middle is an opportunity for
students to work together. The teacher moves from group to group supporting the development of
conceptual understanding through the use of guiding student questions and positive affirmations.
The end involves the sharing of solutions. Teachers carefully select pieces of work from students
for discussion. The goal of debriefing is to move all students forward in their thinking. In this
particular video, we sat in on Mr. Ps math classroom where he performed a three part lesson on
optimization. His classroom was set up in groups of desks to promote social engagement.

Beginning:
o Identifies problems and gives an example to the class
o Explains the heart of the problem What is the main question the students will try
to answer?
o Teacher hands out problems after the introduction and instructions
o He allows 3 minutes for personal problem solving
o He then gives the students a chance to adapt the question if necessary
Middle:
o Allows students to start solving with group members
o Teacher gets down to their level by bending over and asks for them to explain
their thinking
o He makes sure student understand important vocabulary
o He ensures students that may not have been participating can explain the process
to the group
o Encourages students to discuss alternative approaches to the same problem
o Encourages cooperation in groups, explains the unfairness of one student
participating and not the others

End:

o Explains what will happen in the next couple minutes, and allots a designated
o
o
o
o
o

time for the summary on chart paper

Teacher walks around and hands out chart paper to groups
He ensures students are participating
Announces that he will began a debrief
He highlights a couple of charts to show the rest of the class
He makes sure students who are observing are thinking , listening carefully,
thinking thoughtfully about what theyve heard and to ask any questions they

might have for the group

o Large emphasises on student work and whether it supported the goals set out
o Asked questions such as What conclusion did you make? Is this enough
evidence to support the hypothesis?
o Asks the class to give a thumbs up or down if they believe in the work that they
have done
o Explains the next direction of the class
Overall the review of a three-part lesson was very informative and gave insight into what
a proper engaging lesson should look like.
Critique of Web Lessons
In this course there have been many relevant readings in regard to how to support
students in non-academic classes. These articles include Bolstering Resilience in Students:
Teachers as Protective Factors, Listening for their Voices: A Study of Intermediate Students AtRisk in Mathematics and the case studies of students at risk. The two web lessons assigned
demonstrated a teacher in a classroom presenting a lesson to their students.
In the article Bolstering Resilience in Students: Teachers as Protective Factors the author
Kingsley Hurlington suggests ways to support students in non-academic classes. It was stated at
the beginning of the article that students who exhibit good coping skills when faced with high-

risk situations were able to do so due to some character trait. If this trait were to be determined, it
may be helpful for less successful youth. As research progressed however, it was clear that it was
not due to one character trait but a combination of traits and external factors. At the end of the
research, the focus switched. Students who demonstrated high resilience were more likely to
have come from environments that promoted healthy living. By ensuring that your classroom
supports growth, teachers are aware of the challenges students have faces and there is a high
expectation of scaffolding students in non-academic classes should be well supported.
I believe that this idea was well supported in both web lessons. In the three part lesson,
Mr. P does an excellent job at promoting a classroom environment where students can explain
their ideas without fear. When Mr. P was circulating the classroom he would approach tables, and
ensure that all the students who seemed to be off track or not understanding the concepts were
involved in the process. He was supporting students and allowing each child to reach beyond
their abilities. This was the same as the grade 9 applied classroom. The teacher circulated and
confirmed that all of the students were working away at the problem and equally contributing to
the final product. One particular moment that helped support student learning was when the
teacher asked do you agree with that or do you want to challenge it? This allows students to
think critically and be able to second guess themselves in a positive environment.
Ann Kajanders Listening for their Voices: A Study of Intermediate Students At-Risk in
Mathematics also speaks on the strategies for supporting students in non-academic classes. A
powerful tool in the classroom is the use of visual representations. This element is useful for
students in applied or locally developed class as their attention spans are normally shorter and
are not as interest in the concepts. Concrete and real world examples are also fundamental for

engaging students in the classroom. When students interests are being determined and used in
the classroom, it will pay off in the long run.
While watching the web lessons, the teachers in the videos never related the work that
was being done to any interest of the students. They introduced the topic and explained the rules
but never touched on why it was relevant to learn the information. As Kajander mentioned,
students will be more interested in concepts when there is real world examples to engage them.
Many case studies were discussed in class with regards to students at-risk. In each
situation, students were not reaching their full potential for multiple reasons such as teacher
influences, friend influence, and lack of engagement. I believe that students in non-academic
classes need more help becoming interested in the discussed topics. If teachers made a stronger
effort to learn about what the students are interested, the classroom would be more successful
and students at-risk would interact more and learn more.

Critique of Observed Lesson

Mr. Js grade 10 applied mathematics course followed many of the suggestions made
from the relevant readings in class. From what I observed in the classroom, Mr. J made an effort
of keeping the students interested in his lessons. He knew from previous classes that taking notes
was not the most efficient way to engage the students. By creating worksheets to fill in, he
engaged more students and kept their interest. However, during his lesson on linear equations he
did not relate the information to a concrete example in the real world. This would help at-risk
students understand the concept by relating it to something outside of the classroom. Mr. J had a
wide range of learners in his classroom. He mentioned that many of the students were working at

a grade 6 level while others quickly grasped new concepts. This was a challenge to the teacher,
and he approached it cautiously. His assessment checkup task was a great way for students in
non-academic classes to let the teacher know how they are doing without being direct. The
students also worked in rows, and not in groups. This method does not allow students to engage
in social conversations. In at-risk classes, talking about a problem out loud will help students
understand the Big Ideas more clearly. One aspect of Mr. Js class I noticed that is very helpful
for students in non-academic classes is his relatability with the students. The students really
enjoy learning from the teacher and respect him. This idea of mutual respect is a large part of
teaching in applied classrooms. Many of the students would raise their hand and ask questions
and were not afraid to approach him.