Math Minutes:

Choose 6 to complete while at clincials

1. Would you say that your classroom teacher is a constructivist? Why or why not? Give
examples to support your answer.
a. After spending the semester observing my teacher, I believe that she
incorporates many constructivist approaches into her teaching. One way that
she does this is by leading her students through guided discover lesson as
opposed to using direct instruction. By using preplanned activities with
appropriate scaffolding, she is able to help students discover certain concepts on
their own. For example, when teaching students to multiply she builds on
students prior knowledge and helps them use their knowledge of multiplying by
2 to help them multiply by other multiples of two such as 4 and 8. Many teachers
would not use this approach, and would instead have students simply memorize
the multiplication tables for each digit. Another way that I have witnessed her
using constructivist practices is when teaching her students to tell time. She
allowed students to apply their previous understanding of fractions and whole
numbers to the concept of telling time. This approach helps students to make
connections with concepts they had already learned and also helped keep them
engaged in the lesson.
2. Choose a math lesson from your class and make a list of 3 possible childrens books to
enhance/enrich the lesson.
a. I spent the semester in a third grade classroom. The students spent a majority of
their math time on learning multiplication. These are three childrens books that
could potentially go along with learning how to multiply:
i. 2x2=BOO! By Loreen Leedy. This book provides students with a set of
scary Halloween themed multiplication stories. This book focuses on
multiplying the digits 0-5. This book uses great visuals for the students
about how to multiply.
ii. Minnies Diner: A Multiplying Menu by Dayle Ann Dodds. This book uses
great visuals to demonstrate how to double numbers and what they may
look like using food.
iii. NowFor My Next Number! By Margaret Park. This book teaches the
students their multiplication tables in a fun way. The book comes with a
CD that goes along with the book. A song is a great way for students to
get excited about multiplying and to remember their multiplication facts.
iv. Books from: http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/Now-for-My-NextNumber.html
3. Make a t-chart showing examples of both summative and formative math assessments
used in your classroom.

Summative Assessments
Tests over multiplication
The teacher gave the students
quizzes at the end of each week

Formative Assessments
The students completed daily
worksheets in class
The teacher gave the students
more practice by giving the
students homework.
Turn n Talk about different ways
to do a problem
Creating arrays to demonstrate
multiplication
The students and the teacher made
a poster to demonstrate how many
different ways there are to get to a
specific answer.

4. Make a list of technology observed and how it is used in your math class. Develop a
chart to indicate:
a. Chrome books- Students use IXL to work out problems that go along with the
daily lesson. Students can move at their own pace and tackle more difficult
problems if they feel they are ready to move on.
b. ELMO camera- The teacher uses this technology to show students example
problems or to show them the directions for what they will be doing
c. Projector- The teacher uses the projector to show the students math brain pop
videos and to project what she is putting on the ELMO camera.
Is it contributing to the
attainment of the lesson
objective?

Is it for individuals or small

groups?

Is a management plan
needed? If yes, is one
used?

I believe that the use of

Chrome books helps the
students to grasp the
lesson objective. The use
of IXL gives the students a
chance to practice these
problems over and over
until they fully grasp
them. The students are
able to move at their own

Chrome books can be used in

groups or they can be used
individually. I have seen these
Chrome books used in groups
in other parts of the class but
not in math. The students work
on their Chrome books
individually when they are
working on IXL and are
practicing telling time or

Using Chrome books is

definitely a privilege that
these students have. The
teacher has very strict
rules about what is to be
done with the Chrome
books. The students can
only take them out a
particular times
throughout the day. The

pace and tackle more

working on their multiplication
simple or more
tables.
challenging problems. The
use of this technology
helps to reinforce the
ideas that are being
discussed in class.

students must carefully

take the Chrome books
off of the charger and
grab it with two hands
and slowly go back to
their seats. After they
use them, the students
must return them to
their charger until they
need them again.

5. Complete the Teacher Interview: An Environment for Learning. (choose this option only
if time permits)
a. Describe how a typical lesson is organized. What is your role? What is the
students role?
i. Mrs. Norris always begins her math lesson with a warm up to get the
students started. She then moves into guided practice where she allows
collaboration amongst the teacher and the students. After completing
the guided practice, she moves into independent practice where the
students are given the opportunity to practice the concept for
themselves. Her role is to be a facilitator. She guides the students to an
answer rather than just providing it to them.
b. How do you decide how much time to provide learners to explore a math task?
i. Mrs. Norris believed that this is very difficult because all students are at
different levels. She generally provides the students with 20-30 minutes
to explore a new math concept. Students attention span and other
factors interfere with how much time it spent on a task.
c. How does the way youve arranged the room (e.g., the seating, location of
materials) affect the students learning of mathematics?
i. The room is arranged in groups of tables to allow the students to
communicate and collaborate with each other at each of the tables.
There is an open area in the middle of the class for the students to meet
and talk about the daily math lesson.
d. How important do you think it to use real contexts or problem situations in
teaching a math concept or skill? How do you use contexts or situations to
develop mathematical skills and proficiency?
i. The book the students use, Investigations, provides them with examples
of real-world situations. Providing the students with real-world examples
shows them that math is applicable to their every day life. Mrs. Norris
believed that attaching a picture to a problem helped the students to
visualize the concept at hand.

e. What do you about the learner who says that he or she doesnt like math or is
anxious about doing math?
i. Mrs. Norris found that her students often say that math is too hard and
they do not understand what is going on. She believes that her job is to
push these students to do their absolute best and to try not to rescue
them when they need help. The teacher should not allow them to give
up. She must be a constant source of encouragement to her students.
f. Do learners ask questions or make conjectures during your math instruction? Do
you encourage this? How?
i. The students in Mrs. Norris class need more opportunity to learn how to
ask questions. The students are not quite at the level yet to ask deeper
level questions. However, they do ask questions such as how to do a
particular problem.
g. What do your learners do that helps you understand that they are making sense
of math? How do you foster and encourage those actions?
i. Many of the teachers in the third grade show their students multiple
strategies for different types of problems. The teacher can know when
the students are catching when they are using these strategies in their
practice work. It is important for the teacher to encourage the students
when they use multiple strategies to get to an answer. When you
encourage the students it lets them know they are on the right track.
6. Complete the Evidence of higher level thinking observation.
a. Did the teacher encourage higher-level mathematical thinking? If so, what were
some of the teachers actions? Cite specific examples and strategies (questions
posed, tasks presented, etc.).
i. Mrs. Norris often asked the students those higher level thinking
questions. She asked the students to think of a problem in another way
to make the students to think deeply about the problem. The teacher
also gave the students OGAP questions that were designed to spark this
higher-level math thinking. The problems in the OGAP are designed to
cause students to think about different ways to do problems and use
their math knowledge and apply it to the OGAP problem. These problems
use real-world situations that can apply to a students every day life.
b. Did the students make conjectures or engage in mathematical arguments? Were
they expected to defend or support their arguments and conjectures? How do
you know? Describe the students actions in this lesson.
i. Often times during class, Mrs. Norris asked the students to defend their
answers to multiplication problems and explain to the class how they got
to their answer. This allowed the students to hear each others thought
processes and to look a problem in a different way. The students were
very involved in all of the math lessons. The students participated in
many discussions with the teacher about multiplication. Many times Mrs.
Norris would also ask the students to come up with several different

ways that they could make a specific number. The student would then
have to explain to the class what method they used and why they used it.
c. Circle any of the verbs below that you think describe the activities students were
asked to do during the lesson
i. The students were asked to do the following: predict, solve, describe,
explore, construct, justify, use, and develop.
d. To what extent were all students expected to use higher-level thinking? In other
words, when a question or task was posed, what did the teacher do to ensure all
students were thinking about and answering the question? How was the
classroom structured so that all students were engaged?
i. To include all students in the discussion, she made sure that she called on
all students to answer a question. All the students must display their
knowledge to the class and defend their answers, even if they may be
wrong. This ensures that the students are engaged and actively
participating in this higher-level thinking. Mrs. Norris positions all of the
students on the floor in front of the white board. This allows them to
engage with the content and with one another. The circle is judgment
free and accepts that not every answer will be right.
e. What tools (technology, manipulatives, visuals, etc.) were used to support
higher-level thinking?
i. Mrs. Norris often used the white board to help support higher-level
thinking. The students could write a sentence on the white board to help
defend an answer. The teacher also used the program IXL, which allowed
the students to look at problems in many different ways. IXL provides
students with different types of problems that cause their brain to think
and that are outside of their comfort level. The students must use their
prior knowledge to determine the answer.