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before. Based on the pre-assessment, the majority of students (if not all) had not heard of
geometric sequences before. Some had heard of the term geometric before because they tried
to use their background knowledge of geometry and shapes to answer the first question on the
pre-assessment. This also told me that they had not heard of sequences before because they
focused on the geometric part of the question rather than trying to figure out what sequence
means. This also gave me some insight about their lesson the day before: they were still unsure
understanding of what a geometric sequence is and how to identify one when given a sequence.
Students also used the their mathematical skills to accurately find the common ratio. Some
students multiplied numbers together while others chose to find the common ratio using division;
either method is correct and students were able to pick one without feeling the need to ask me or
the people around them. I believe the students were able to successfully complete the
post-assessment because the questions were directly related to my lesson. I did not attempt to
trick the class because I did not believe that would be effective on the first day of learning this
concept. Also, I believe it was helpful for students to keep the pre-assessment and
post-assessment the same to better assess their growth. This allowed me to see how their
approaches changed when they attempted the questions the second time.
One weakness of student performance was the exact wording of their answers for the first
question. Student responses consisted of statements similar to if it is multiplied (or times) by the
same number. While I could tell what the students were saying and it was mostly correct, the
wording could have been more sophisticated. However, this improves with repeatedly hearing
the correct wording and also using it. Since this was the first day of their learning of geometric
sequences, I understood where the errors came from. Some students had also responded by
listing the four basic operations because they had learned that with arithmetic sequences they can
add or subtract the common difference to get the next number. So, naturally, they also listed
division as an operation. While this is technically wrong, I can understand why some students
were confused on this. Two of the problems presented in class had students multiplying by a
fraction, and many students think of multiplying by a fraction as dividing by the denominator
(when 1 is the numerator). To address this weakness, I would make some slight changes in my
In order to improve upon the way students talk and write about math, teachers must
model this. Many students will not have had many opportunities to talk about mathematics
themselves because most of class time is spent on practicing solving problems instead of writing.
own words is also an important part of mathematical learning. When students are able to express
mathematical concepts themselves, they are able to take ownership of the content. Also, since
they are able to think about math in their own way, this gives them an advantage when faced
with completely new problems. Furthermore, this also allows students to better help each other.
If a student is struggling with a concept, the one thing they may need is a new perspective on it.
Therefore, I would start by modeling using mathematical jargon in the classroom and have
students repeat unfamiliar words after me. I would also give students more opportunities to write
about math, so I can read it and give them feedback. This is a gradual process, but may prove to