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Quality Indicator 5

Submitted by: Megan Jones

Middle School Mathematics

Education 343: Content Literature

Missouri Southern State University

Instructor: Dr. Jeanie Cozens

May 6, 2010
The fifth quality indicator for a pre-service teacher is to use a variety of

instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical

thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. Throughout this course I

was able to grow professionally though knowledge and disposition. I offer

the following evidence to demonstrate my knowledge of the subject area, by

meeting the performance indicators.

During this course I worked with two other middle school math pre-

service teachers to create several different lessons that then were

incorporated into our final project, the literacy project. The literacy project

included the following information: alternative text list, vocabulary word sort,

question and answer relationships, creation of graphic organizers, how to

properly take and make notes, modeling writing, constructing a response,

and then developing a mini-lesson. During this course we read several

books to use in our discussion groups, read a book electronically, created a

blog and created an electronic response to learn how to incorporate

technology through literacy into our own classroom.

The literacy project shows my knowledge of the subject area, how

middle school math can be supported through content literature books. I

met the first performance indicator, 1.2.5.1, by selecting appropriate

alternative text and then using them to create different learning strategies;

not only was I able to meet the GLE’s for a middle school math class but I
was able to meet the GLE’s for language arts as well. I met the first

indicator through developing word sorts, graphic organizers, and

demonstrating how the question and answer relationship work together.

As a pre-service teacher I was always aware of how important it is to

read. But I had this mental block that I was going to school to teach math

and how to properly act as a successful citizen, not to teach anything else.

After this course I realized that it is not only my responsibility to teach math

as well as morals, values, and manners, but I am an educator that will

support my math students in their learning reading techniques and how to

take proper notes.

Growing up I knew what graphic organizers were, and I knew that they

were very helpful in language arts and science classes. But now after this

course I realize that I can use graphic organizers in my classroom. I can also

read a book to help show how math is applicable to real life, helping students

connect better to something as abstract as math.

One of my favorite chapters that we studied was how to take and make

notes. As a pre-service teacher I had full understanding that taking notes is

a very important tool when it came to teaching. I had no idea the variety of

notes that a student could take and it never occurred to me that some

students will need to be taught how to take notes properly. Now that my

eyes are opened to this challenge I will make sure to teach my students how
to take good notes, and how to use those notes to study and be successful

on exams.

When helping to create our lessons and artifacts for the literacy project

I was able to meet the second performance indicator 1.2.5.2, by learning

how to engage students in active learning that promotes the development of

critical thinking, problem solving, and performance capabilities. It is

overwhelming how often students use technology in their everyday lives.

Students can be watching television while reading, listening to music and

playing on the internet all at the same time. Regardless of what content a

teacher plans on teaching it is necessary for them to realize that students

learn when they are ‘plugged’ in.

As a pre-service teacher not only was I allowed to be part of several

technology learning methods, but I was able to witness firsthand how

students of today learn. When I read Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli on an

electronic device, my ereader, I was able to experience what it is like to be a

student in today’s society. Many students, even those who prefer not to

read, will enjoy reading electronically. Not only did I have to read Milkweed

in a non-traditional way, but then my response and reflection of the book had

to be submitted in a non-traditional method as well. While reading

Milkweed we were asked to keep a blog, or an online diary of our thoughts.

After the completion of the book we were then asked to create an electronic
response of the book. We were allowed to work with partners; my partners

and I created a ‘Glog’ or an interactive poster that was online.

Blogging was not a challenge for me; however, when asked to respond

electronically, I became a little bit nervous. At the end of creating the Glog I

was incredibly impressed with the free online program and plan on using the

learning tool in my classroom whenever possible. Not only will the students

enjoy ‘playing’ and creating something on the computer, but they will be

having so much fun and will be so engaged that they won’t realize they are

learning. Through these hands on experiences I grew professionally to meet

the 1.2.5.2 performance indicator.

While creating a blog and taking notes in different styles, I was able to

develop my disposition as a reflective decision-maker. I reflected on the

style of notes, what we were studying in class, the way we responded, and

then reflected over an entire book electronically; giving details of what to

improve, what to keep doing, and how to modify for improvement in my

classroom. Although there were challenges at times, such as finding enough

books that had mathematical information in them, I came to realize that it

takes an open mind and a variety of methods to help teach students with a

variety of backgrounds and needs.

Successfully, this literacy project met all of the performance indicators

and therefore meeting the quality indicator. As a pre-service teacher this


course opened the door to my understanding of teaching, and helped me

become a better educator.

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