Reflection

In my clinical class, Math Workshop was always right after morning meeting. The
teacher creates a great transition from morning meeting to math by always having her students
read a morning message (which is the last part of the morning meetings) and at the end she
asks a math related question (typically a review question or a question about today’s lesson).
Then, students’ hands automatically go up and they move on to math. During this discussion,
the teacher makes sure she calls on every student who has something to say. She tries to make
a connection with each students’ answer and ask students to explain their reasoning. For
example, one of the question asked to write the fraction for the shaded part of this picture:

A student answered ½ and the teacher asked him to explain his answer for his classmates. The
students said that first, there are four equal parts and two of them are shaded which equals
2/4, but it can be reduced to ½ because 2 is half of four.

After the discussion, the teacher may do a mini-lesson or move onto Math Workshops.
If she does do a lesson, it typically lasts 10-20 minutes. The teacher will give students individual
white boards to follow along with her instructions. I’ve noticed
that the teacher likes to use a lot of visuals to help her
students understand. For example, students were given a
problem to draw 9 equal square and create 4 different shapes
with it. Her students were having a hard time understanding
how to complete this task, so the teacher gathered her class to
the back table and she used the wooden shape manipulatives to demonstrate what students
were supposed to do. Afterwards, her students understood and majority of them were able to
create their own shapes.

After the mini-lesson (if there was one), broke off into small groups. There were three
groups, the teacher’s group, the TA’s group, and con-academy group. The teacher’s group
would always start working with the teacher on the lesson for the day (they would complete a
worksheet). The TA’s group would work with the TA on EOG practice problems or review their
homework. And the con-academy group would complete activities on Zearn, or practice their
basic multiplication facts. Students will spend 20 minutes in each group/station then rotate.
This method allows the teacher to give each student more individualized instruction because
students are placed in groups based on their math skills.

I sat and observe the teacher working with the group who struggled with math, and the
higher-level math group, and there was such a big difference between both groups. The first
group required more direct instruction. The teacher had to work through each problem with
these students because they didn’t have the confidence to try it on their own. This group could
spend the whole 20 minutes working on 4 problems because they required more attention and
explanation. Whereas the higher-level math group were taught with a more indirect
instruction. The students worked on the worksheet alone or in pairs then checked in with the
teacher. The teacher would ask them questions to understand their answers. This group usually
finish their worksheet within 10-15 minutes, and the remaining time was used to give them
more challenging problems to solve.

After this observation, I’ve realize why small groups worked for this classroom. The
students were on such different levels that teaching a whole group lesson would not beneficial
to anyone. I am glad that I was able to encounter this challenge because it has made me aware
of another method of teaching. I’ve always learned that when it comes to teaching math,
indirect lessons and whole groups are ideal. However, in this case, teaching a whole group
lesson will not help any of the students learn and grow. The struggling students will continue to
struggle, and the higher-level math students will not have been challenged.

I was able to experience this myself when I was unexpectedly offered to lead a small
group because the TA was out. I first worked with the higher-level group and didn’t say much to
them because they already knew what to do. I mainly checked their answers when they were
done and addressed a couple of minor mistakes, but they were very independent. They finished
within 15 minutes and I didn’t know what else to do, time felt very long with them.

However, with the struggling students, I felt that I didn’t have enough time at all to
teach them; the 20 minutes just flew by. Once they settled down, I passed out the worksheet
and they waited on me for instruction. I suggest doing the first problem together, so they
understand what is expected. But, as I kept trying to explain the problem, a couple of students
seemed very lost. So, I used a white board to provide some visuals. The problem was labeling
two different fractions on a number line. Students had to partition a number line into fourths
and eighths, then label them. On the white board, I drew my number line then using a red
marker I partitioned the number line into fourths and label it on top. Using a blue marker, I
used the red markings as guidelines and partitioned the line into eighths. As I was doing this, I
was having students guide me by asking questions. One of the questions I asked was, “If I want
to partition my number line into fourths, how many equal parts should I have…which means
how many lines show I mark between 0 and 1?” The I asked students how I should partition it
to make the parts as equal as possible. I repeated these questions for eighths.

They were able to answer the first problem after 5 minutes. However, they still needed
more support for the rest of the problem, so we did it together. During this whole process I felt
very confused because from what I’ve learned, this shouldn’t be the way to teach students
math. However, these students needed so much support that I had to teach them this way.
Which made me realize that there is not 1 ideal way to teach students because they are all so
different and have different needs.

Creating my math lesson plan was challenging because it had to be indirect, but the way
my CT taught her lessons were more direct and small groups, so I felt uncomfortable to be
teaching her students in a way that was different than how she taught. Her students all know
the routine during math; mini-lesson  small groups. So, if I was to change this, they would be
confused and unfamiliar with my teaching method. I was scared to change anything in case
something was to go wrong. When I wrote my lesson, I tried to follow the same format the
teacher teachers but make it more indirect. So, I made all the students work more
independently or with a partner, and then we would discuss what they’ve done. When I was
done with my lesson and it was time for an exit ticket, the students were all very confused.
They were asking what an exit ticket was, and why they had to do it. However, they all still
comply and completed the exit ticket for me.

Overall, this clinical experience has been amazing and an eye-opener. I have learned so
many new strategies to teach fractions from my teacher and have gain so much experience
about the teaching field. I’ve experienced real challenges that teachers have everyday such as:
waking up as early as 6am every morning, coming home to write lesson plans, thinking on my
feet whenever unexpected situations come up, tending to all the needs of students,
differentiation, keeping students productive and busy if they finish an assignment early, and
this list could go on forever. However, I’ve also experience many unexpected and pleasant
surprises such as: having a terrible morning become better because of the students and
morning meetings, meeting parents and hearing them say how much their child enjoys having
me in the classroom, feeling appreciated during teacher appreciation week, having my days be
so unpredictable, and building a bond and relationship with students.

This experience has also taught me that, compare to the other content areas, I feel the
most confident teaching math. I am not great at it, but I feel the most familiar and comfortable
with math concepts. There is so much more to learn about teaching math but through this
experience, I was able to gain resources that could help with future math lessons. I have
enjoyed my clinical experience and feel that this two weeks was necessary to help me become
more confident in my decision to become a teacher. Before the two weeks, I’ve always
wondered if I made the right decision, but gaining this experience has made me feel like it was
the right choice after all because I enjoyed every moment being a “teacher.”