Running head: LEARNING MAP: ANALYZE, REFLECT, AND APPLY 1

Learning Map: Analyze, Reflect, and Apply

Richard S. Sorich

National University
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a. What new information did I get about my students in relation to their learning

preferences?

During my field experience teaching the Integrated Mathematics II class, I learned a few

things about the students. First, as a group, they were not eager to volunteer to do examples in

front of the class, even to cover review material that they already know. I also learned that

unless notes were required, students did not write notes during the lecture covering new material.

Finally, I learned that when the students were working in groups (of four students), that while

there were some groups that collaborated and worked together to solve the problems, there were

other groups that were negatively affected by a single group member that was causing

distractions.

b. What new information did I get about effective teaching practices for the whole class,

small groups and/or individual students?

While watching the film of my field experience, I noticed that I spent a substantial

amount of time with my back to the students as I was writing problems and solution on the

board. A much better practice is to use a document camera with the projector to display

problems so that I am more engaged with the students. Additionally, I found that, overall, the

students were much more engaged in the lesson when they were working on the group

assignment.

c. How was the student learning data collected in alignment to content area standards for

this grade level?

For the lesson, I collected and graded the small group assignment. The students were to

factor seven problems using different methods. The data collected was an indicator of students

ability to meet the standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.SSE.B.3.A, which is to “Factor a

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quadratic expression to reveal the zeros of the function it defines” (National Governors

Association Center for Best Practices, 2010).

d. How were the language and literacy scaffolds effective for student learning given

language diversity in the classroom?

There was only one EL student in the classroom and they were classified as having a

proficiency level descriptor (PLD) of “Bridging” (California Department of Education, 2014).

To support language and literacy, I stated the lesson by reviewing material that students already

knew. Then I was able to relate the new material within the context of the familiar material,

including common terms and phrases.

e. How will I use this information to plan my future instruction?

When planning for future instruction, I will identify words that have different definitions

depending on the context and provide examples to minimize possible confusion. Also, I will

make note of which peers the EL students are most comfortable working with to be sure that I

put them in pairs or groups together.

f. What did I learn about my own lesson planning from this teaching activity?

One thing I learned is that I need to write down everything in my lecture notes, no matter

how obvious or simple. I also learned that it is important to establish procedures for having

students transition from rows into groups and then back into rows efficiently. Additionally, I

learned a new way of assigning and grading group activities that emphasizes participation and

collaboration. Instead of grading the entire assignment, Mrs. Holmes, the regular teacher for the

class I taught, would randomly select a single problem number after the assignment were turned

in and grade that one problem from each group.

g. Focus Student #1, briefly describe how this student performed.

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Focus student number one has a 504 plan that provides them with additional time for

quizzes and tests. This student performed well, actively engaged with their group, and

comprehended the material that was covered.

h. Focus Student #2, briefly describe how this student performed.

Focus student number two is designated as an English learner (EL). This student was

able to follow along with the lesson and contributed to their group’s successful completion of the

factoring problems.

i. How effective were my practices? What will I keep, what will I improve and what will

I discard?

The most effective practices were the direct instruction lecture and the group assignment.

I will keep both as part of my regular lesson planning but will continue to make modifications to

them to increase efficacy. The only practice that I will discard is writing notes and examples on

the whiteboard with markers. Instead, I will use a document camera and projector.

j. What new understanding do I have about my own teaching practices?

This was the first time that I recorded myself teaching a class. I found that I was much

more nervous than other times that I have taught lessons as a substitute teacher. I believe that

this was due in part to the fact that I did not have an established rapport with the students. This

reinforces the importance of the “Learner” element of the learning map.

k. What have I learned about myself as a teacher?

Through the field experience, I learned that I have a good understanding of the learning

map process and ability to execute a successful lesson. I also learned that I have minor

adjustments to make to continually improve my lesson planning process and execution.

Continually striving to be a better teacher is an important factor for the success of my students.
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l. As a professional learner where do I need to continue to grow and strive for?

As a professional learner, I need to continue to ask questions of my colleagues, especially

regarding best practices for the areas of formative assessment and classroom management. I also

need to continue to analyze my performance in the classroom to identify any weakness that need

to be addressed. If I continue to grow as a learner, I will become a teacher that positively impacts

the successful education of my students.

m. Select two California Teaching Performance Expectations. Discuss how this activity

helped you grow in regard to each of the selected TPEs.

The field experience helped me to grow in regard to California Teaching Performance

Expectations (TPE) 1.8 and 3.7. I grew as a teacher-learner in my ability to “Monitor student

learning and adjust instruction while teaching so that students continue to be actively engaged in

learning” (Commission in Teacher Credentialing [CTC], 2016) because throughout the lesson I

taught, I sought and received feedback from students through formative assessments. This

included check for understanding during lecture, selecting student volunteers to solve problems

in front of the class, and a group activity that was collected for assessment, but not assigned a

grade. I also grew as a teacher by including in my lesson plan opportunities to “Model and

develop digital literacy by using technology to engage students and support their learning” (CTC,

2016). The lesson that I planned included a presentation of a Khan Academy instructional video,

as well as Khan Academy articles and exercises for students to complete individually using a

class set of Chromebooks.

n. Conclusion, what are few new understandings you are taking away from this whole

experience?
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My biggest takeaways from the activity are that I have more experience and a better

understanding of the learning map model and implementation process. I also have gained

confidence in my abilities to effectively provide Mathematics instruction to students while also

acknowledging that I must continue to analyze and develop my processes for planning and

instruction in order to become a more effective educator.

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References

California Department of Education. (2014). California English Language Development

Standards (Electronic Edition). Retrieved from:

file:///C:/Users/so_ri/OneDrive/Desktop/National%20University/ITL5

22/Week%202/CA_ELD_Standards.pdf

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2016). California Teaching Performance Expectations

(Electronic Edition). Retrieved from: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-

source/educator-prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2016.pdf

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School

Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Washington, DC:

Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/HSA/SSE/