Lets Work Together!!! 1510 Post #2

Cooperative Learning- Does it benefit all students? I have had discussions in the past on if cooperative learning is really a beneficial teaching strategy for all students, or just beneficial to lower level students while holding back higher level students. I personally think that cooperative learning is beneficial to all students in a variety of different ways. The benefits seem endless! Regardless of academic level, cooperative learning can benefit all students in many different areas of life.

You often see math being taught in a very traditional way. The teacher goes over the required information, and the students work on assignments and worksheets. I found it a little difficult to come up with cooperative learning lessons for math, but with a little research you can find all different kinds of ideas to incorporate cooperative learning into a math lesson. There are also strategies that you can look at when planning cooperative learning lessons to ensure that they will suit the needs of the classroom.

One extremely important part of cooperative learning that needs to be taken into consideration when planning cooperative learning activities is the grouping of the students. This can either make or break the experience that you are trying to create for your students. It is hard to know the best way to group students. There are a number of different tips for creating learning groups that you can follow. I personally feel that it is important for the teacher to know their students. By knowing the students in your classroom you are very likely to know what students will be able to work well together and what students will not be able to work well together.

More Topics / Less Depth? 1512- Post #1

There are so many topics that need to be covered in math. Looking specifically at the Minnesota Math Standards you can see all of the different topics within math that need to be covered. Each topic has standards that need to be reached. The same the topics reappear year after year, and the standards change slightly. Topics are often reintroduced many times for review. During our first week of class we read an article which touched on the set up of math curriculum in the United States. The article was called, A Coherent Curriculum, The Case of Mathematics. It was written by William Schmidt, Richard Houang, and Leland Cogan. The article described the math curriculum that is in place in the United States to be "a mile wide and an inch deep."

When it comes to education, what does that mean, being a "mile wide and an inch deep?" Basically the author explained that the U.S. covers many topics within a years time. Then these same topics are reintroduced many times throughout a student's education, but never really in much more depth than it was the previous time. Many other countries cover less topics within a years time, but cover the topics in much more depth. With the way that the academic standards are set up for the U.S., it is hard to eliminate any of the topics covered. The curriculum is based on and around what needs to be covered and reached through the standards. So while the standards are a wonderful guideline that is used to make sure students are where they need to be, do they contain too many topics per year? Is it better to have less topics that are covered more in depth?

I am honestly on the fence about this. The way I see it, you can look at it two different ways. First, you could say yes, our students are missing out on learning these topics in the depth that they should be due to the amount of topics and information covered in a years time. Second, you could say no, being there are so many different topics being covered our students are receiving a nice, well-rounded education. Each approach seems to have its benefits, so it is hard to say what works best for the math curriculum of the students of the U.S.

Educational Standards 1510- Post #1

Standards, standards, standards.... It seems that in studying to become a teacher you hear a lot about standards and benchmarks. There are standards for every grade level, as well as each subject that is covered. You can access the Minnesota State Standards to view a list of each standard and benchmark for each grade level, subject, and topic. There is no escaping them!

There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings and opinions among teachers, parents, and students on the topic of standards. What is the overall purpose of a standards based education? Well, the overall purpose is to set a guideline of what students are expected to learn and be able to do by a specific year in their education. Requiring them to show completion in all of them in order to graduate. This holds all teachers accountable for teaching and covering materials that cover all of the standards. The students are also accountable for learning information that covers all of the same standards across the state. Having standards in play help teachers and students to move along together, by creating plans and goals of what will be completed. This helps to keep everyone on the same page within the school as well as across the state.

There were readings about educational standards for both of my math classes this week 1510 & 1512. They are a very important part of learning to become a teacher as well as actually being a teacher. There is a lot of information to understand and to grasp when it comes to standards that at times I feel can be confusing. However, the overall purpose of standards in positive and important in education.

Kicking Things Off - General Introduction

This is a very busy time in my life. The past few years have been full of major life changes and decisions in all aspects of my life. From getting married, buying a house, many remodeling projects, adding a dog to the picture, the birth of my first son, going back to school, and awaiting the arrival of my second son (which I am getting very impatient about) it has been a crazy but wonderful time.

I decided to go back to school to be an elementary education teacher about 2 years ago. I am very happy with my decision. I attended college right out of high school, but was not 100% sure what I wanted to do for my life. I took some time off of school and ended up working as a paraprofessional for a while. I absolutely loved it! It helped guide me back in the direction of school. At this time I was already married and my first son was on the way.I guess you can say "life happens." I knew attending a university would mean either a lot of travel, (being the nearest university was nearly two hours from where I lived) or it would mean moving my family to a new town. Neither choice seemed to be a good option. This is why I am so thankful for online programs and classes. I am able to earn the degree I want while being at home with my family.

I am currently enrolled in 3 summer courses. One health class and 2 math classes. I am taking Math for Elementary Education Teachers 1510 and 1512 through Central Lakes College. This blog will focus on what I am learning in my math classes, the ways math is relating to my life, and overall thoughts and experiences that I may be having relating to math and what we are currently covering. I am very excited to see what learning opportunities these classes have in store for me.