In the first grade case study about teaching the class what a triangle is, I think that the student’s small group conversations and the whole class conversation were both helpful in the teacher’s understanding of student thinking. The small group discussions showed the teacher which students were having problems with the objective. I thought it was a really good idea for the teacher to ask each student in the group that was having the most problem for their individual opinions. I thought the fact that she was able to single out each student led her to understand even more that they all were having the same problem. The last student she talked to (Sim) responded with “I don’t think so. I don’t know” and then stated that maybe the turned equilateral triangle was really a triangle but he/she still did not know. She was able to hear that the students were not using any type of formal definition to categorize a triangle, and that they were just remembering triangles that had been taught or shown to them as a “triangle”. I think small group discussions are a great method because she could clearly see the group that needed the most individualized help, and she might be able to assume that the groups who categorized the triangles correctly had explained to the group members why each shape was a triangle.
This type of teaching led Mrs. S to her next activity which was having the students create many individual triangles so that they could discuss all of the types of triangles as a class, and not just equilateral triangles. Remembering what she had learned in small group discussions, she was able to show students differences between small triangles and big triangles, and have the students realize that all of the triangles they had created and put on the board were made up of three sides.
Laura-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and do believe in the importance of small group discussions as a great way for teachers to start to see various learners’ comprehension of a task. Just as Ms. S used the small group, it is a great way to provide some more individualized support and scaffolding for learners who need extra attention. I also think that it is an optimal time for teachers to gain a wealth of anecdotal records on what learners understand. What I really liked about what the teacher did was she used the methods of talk that facilitate discussion. For example, she asked Ollie to reinstate what Paul was talking about, the move of repeating. In doing this, the teacher can see if the other students are understanding a students reasoning, and can lay the ground for students to agree or disagree with another’s thinking. I also liked how she asked for others to add on, another move described within Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, by Chapin, O’Connor, and Anderson. She wanted Sim to further explain why she didn’t think it was a triangle. I thought it was really a strong case because it showed one teacher using three out of the five moves within just a short conversation. It really showed how natural the flow of the moves can be in a quick snip-it of a lesson. This idea of helping individual groups has actually got me thinking about whether there should be such a thing as guided math. In schools, especially in the primary grades, there is such a focus on literacy and helping learners at the same level accomplish the learning of literacy, however, so often math is taught altogether with not much individualized help. I wonder if guided math could be implemented into the curriculum. In that way, teachers could work with individual students, such as the group in the case study; work just on triangles, especially if all the other groups seemed to understand the concept.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI like that you took note of the use of the different types of teaching strategies that was presented in the reading. In my classroom, I get to see first hand the benefits of both whole group mini lessons as well small group lessons. These small group lessons come in the form of centers, workshops, and private conferencing. I completely agree with you that because of these small group workshops, it becomes easier to identify the strengths and weaknesses within the lesson as well as each of the students. It allows the teacher to easily identify the lower end students and help them in individual and small group conferences. It also identifies which areas of the lesson need to be worked on which can be covered in a whole group lesson. It also helps the teacher to see the different learning styles of her classroom so that future lessons can be adjusted to these diverse styles. It’s really beneficial to every teacher to get a glimpse of the teaching styles she should utilize to help her students reach their full learning capabilities.