Lesson Plan Reflection 1

Module 2 Reflection Assignment

Lesson Plan Reflection

Samantha DiMatteo

Marygrove College
Lesson Plan Reflection 2

Implementing and recording a lesson that incorporated the components of differentiation

helped me to identify areas of in which my teaching successfully addresses my goals, and areas that I
need to focus on to better serve my audience.
Numerous assessment strategies help me to gain a solid perspective as to the level of
comprehension the class had on the new material. Heacox (2009) notes, Informal strategies gather
information about students understandings and learning progress, but demand little teacher
preparation or analysis time (p. 41). First, the students participation during the warm-up showed that
they were competant in previous material. The direct instructional period of the lesson helped me
gain insight as to their comprehension of the topic. Here, feedback was provided through open
response or as facilitated by myself: calling on students at random and by a show of hands. Secondly,
the Collins Writing assignment was used to assess their understanding of how todays topics relate to
the real world. When they were working in cooperative pairs I was able to monitor their progress on
the topic. A few groups of students needed some redirection, but the majority, along with the
assistance of their peers, were able to approach and solve the assignment with confidence. The exit
ticket was very useful in determining the students comprehension of the material. Heacox (2009)
explains, The purpose of the slips is to gather information to determine what the next days plan will
be (p. 43). Lastly, the homework assignments were also a good assessment tool. Homeowork allows
me to see which problems the students attacked with ease and which problems need to be revisited.
Heacox (2009) states, You may also use scans of homework to sort out where students are in their
learning (p. 41). I learned that my students did gain an understanding of how to design a net and
determine the surface area and volume of a rectangular prism. This allowed me to move forward the
following day and offer more challenging application problems that built upon skills from this lesson.
Among the most successful aspects of the lesson was the fact that students own personal
interests were engaged. Tomlinson (2010) notes, When student interest is engaged, motivation to
learn is heightened, and learning is enhanced (p. 17). Each member of my class brought in their
favorite cereal and used that product during the classwork activity. I noticed a number of students
discussing their favorite cereals at the beginning of class, this posed as a good anticipatory set
because it got their attention. Heacox (2009) explains, hooks increase motivation for learning as
they engage students in an introduction to the days work (p. 59). Another reason this lesson went
well was because of my classroom procedures. The routines that I have established are familiar to
each member of the class. Student behavior can dramatically influence the productivity and fluidity of
a lesson. Every day students are to begin class by checking the board to see who they will be working
with for their classwork assignment, they then proceed to try the warm-up, in todays case it was the
SAT problem of the day. During the lesson they are expected to take notes and participate. If group
work or an exit ticket follows it is graded on completion; and since they know these expectations they
often put forth great effort to complete the assignment. Having these procedures in place help create
an environment conducive to learning.
Lesson Plan Reflection 3

Additional components that worked well included the plastic models of the prisms. These
helped the students visualize the different types of prisms. Heacox (2009) explains, You can
differentiate the instruction and modeling lesson component by presenting the content, skills, and
processes in various ways that reflect the Multiple Intelligences (p.60). Also, I taped the net shapes
of each prism from our lesson on the side board so the students could refer to them throughout the
lesson. The directions on the cooperative pair activity asked the students to construct a net of their
cereal box and label its corresponding dimentions. Since there are a number of ways to do this it
allowed the students to be creative with their net design, thus cognitively engaging the students. The
team activity also required students to consider how they would design a box that had the same
volume but differed in surface area. This portion of the activity created insightful discussion amongst
each pair of students as it encouraged them to think deeper about the material. The exit ticket
required the students to design a net of a shoe box with no lid, this concept was slightly different than
the nets that were discussed in the cooperative pair activity, which required the students to put
thought into their design and show a solid understanding of todays lesson. Each of these methods
provided me with evidence that the students accomplished their learning outcomes of this lesson on
surface area and volume.
When reflecting on my lesson, there are a few things that I would have approached differently.
To close the lesson I had wanted to revisit and discuss the exit ticket and restate the objectives that
were accomplished. Heacox (2009) states, closure reinforces what they have learned (p. 61).
Unfortunately the bell rang moments after the students had completed the ticket and thus I failed to
discuss the closure activity and did not get to summarize the lesson or restate the objective. I would
have eliminated a couple of the PowerPoint slides that were repetitive in nature, thus having the
students start the activity earlier. This would have left ample time to revisit the objective and discuss
the key components of the exit ticket.
This experience helped me to be more aware of the ways in which I approach the different
types of learners in my classroom. Differentiated instruction was addressed through grouping
strategies, student interest, and allowing a choice on the homework assignment. I find that giving
students choices can require a lot of prep work outside of the classroom, making this technique
challenging to implement on a daily basis. However, I can begin to build a bank of assignments and
add to it with each passing year. Secondly, after watching the video I noticed that the ways in which
the desks are structured are not conducive to the students ability to maneuver around the room. In
order to turn in their exit ticket and choose a homework assignment students had to get out of their
seats. Because they were in cooperative pairs many of the students had to climb over the sides of
their desks to leave their seats. I need to structure the seating in a way that makes it easier for
students to get in and out of their seats. Revisiting my lesson through a lens gave me a new
perspective as to how I structure my lessons.
Lesson Plan Reflection 4

Through teacher centered direct instruction and through facilitating the student centered
activity I was able to contribute to my students learning experience. During the cooperative pair
activity they resorted to asking me questions only after discussing the question with their groups. I
avoid giving them final answers and work to redirect them in the right direction. When a student can
work to obtain the correct solution on their own they are more likely to retain the information than if
they are simply given the answer. In addition, one of the most effective ways in which my lessons help
my students learn is when they build on prior knowledge and real life experience. This lesson
intertwines geometrical and algebraic concepts. Throughout the course of this year my focus has been
to revisit prior knowledge and expand upon those concepts. This is emphasized with an SAT problem
of the day and through the algebraic skills that were needed to complete the cooperative pair activity,
both required the students to revisit key skills from past lessons. I feel that when a curriculum is
spiraled the students retain the information on a deeper level because they are being constantly re-
exposed to certain topics, which leads to a mastery of those topics.

References
Heacox, D. (2009). Making differentiation a habit: How to ensure success in academically
diverse classrooms. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.