Lesson Reflection

Lesson Plan Review

I taught a lesson on subtraction to my kindergarten class. The lesson utilized the technology of the internet website www.brainpopjr.com, to introduce the basics of subtractions. It also used an online subtraction game called balloon pop from www.abcya.com. First, we introduced subtraction by having a class discussion to see what the children already know about the topic. After this we watched the ‘basic subtraction’ movie, and answered the quiz questions at the end as a class. I introduced the center activities that the students would be doing to explore this topic further, including the smart board game that they would get a chance to play. The more extensive center choices were added from the previous lesson. Students had subtraction with flash cards and teddy bear manipulatives, the smart board game and subtraction with flash cards and whiteboards to draw pictures. Another revision that I made was that this lessons centers were repeated multiple on different days in a row, as I felt only having one day with the three centers was not enough for them to fully gain the knowledge and experience needed to master the concept of subtraction.

Implementation

My lesson was given to a class of 25 kindergarten students. These students come from a very low income area where they do not have much exposure to technology. I have two students in my class that are English language learners and many students have not had previous educational experience. I think that the lesson went pretty well. The students enjoyed the subtraction video as they thought they were watching TV. They also enjoyed the learning centers, although it was a little hectic at first for them to understand what to do at each, but repeating the centers for the 2^nd and 3^rd time you could see the learning really start to take place.

Lesson Reflection

The main goal for the lesson was for the students to be able to recognize the parts of a subtraction problem, as well as fluently subtract with in 10. The objectives for the lesson were identified and posted on our ‘what we are learning’ board. At the end of the lesson we gather on the carpet to see what the students can review about their learning from every lesson we teach. The assumptions are that the students have the knowledge of basic addition and the activities we did to learn addition. Many of the activities are the same you just have to do the opposite.

Learning takes place in the form of constructivism, and behaviorism.  Behaviorism takes pace when I go through the smart board game and demonstrate how to play the subtraction game while they watch. The game also will tell me and them if a mistake is made or if the answer is correct. Demonstration will tap into the prior knowledge of using the smart board as well as their knowledge about numbers and addition as addition and subtractions are opposite operations. Constructivism takes place when students are actively engaged in the SMART board game and BrainPOP video. Scaffolding also occurs in this lesson if a child is having difficulty using the SMART board I will step in and show them how to use it or give them reminders of what to do.

My school does not have a set curriculum. We are asked to look at the standards and find various materials from many different sources in order to meet those standards. With this being said this lesson was intended to supplement existing materials, manipulatives and worksheets that I had available to me in order to meet the common core standards.

Differences among learners were taken into account in many ways. Not only does the brain pop video meet the needs of visual and auditory learners but it offers a closed caption option for those that prefer to see the written words, although at the kindergarten level it is hard because many of the words they do not know how to read. The website provides different activities for you to do after watching the video, talk about it, draw about it, and read about it. Also for kinesthetic learners we have the smart board game where they are up moving and using the body to pop the balloons to solve the subtraction problems. This lesson was also taught utilizing differentiated instruction through cooperative groups, independent work and using hands on manipulatives.

The teacher needs to know how to use the technology successfully in order for this lesson to be a success. Students also need to have a basic knowledge of how to use the smart board. The teacher needs to monitor all three center activities at the same time while keeping a close eye on the smart board game to informally assess student learning.

Assessment was done through teacher observation during the lesson. I watched the students complete the task on the smart board to informally evaluate how their learning was going. I too notes on a chart based on how students were doing in order to regroup them into leveled groups for the second and third day that we did the centers. This helped me re-teach to the group that needed this. For the formal assessment students did not have the option of the technology but were able to choose from using the teddy bear manipulatives or using the white board to solve the problems. Students were held accountable because they had to record their problems and answers on a record sheet that they gave to me at the end of the centers. I also had to circulate throughout the room to monitor on task behavior.

The technology is used to introduce the idea of subtraction the students. Technology is also used for students to practice their subtraction skills and explore the topic on their own. The advantages are that brain pop jr. is standards based, it is interactive and engaging. The disadvantages are that the students have to take turns using the technology and therefor you are unable to track just ones students’ progress on the subtraction game.

I expected the students to use the technology through viewing the video as well as using it as one of the centers throughout the week. The students loved using the smartboard game and popping the balloons to solve the subtraction problems. The students questions mostly happened when they game told them to try again they were unsure what to do or what they did wrong but after explain it to them a few time they got it.

I think that technology is nice to incorporate into teaching a concept but cannot replace, a teacher. The technology was a great introduction to subtraction but then actual instruction also needed to follow in order for the students to fully understand the topic. The technology also provided a great tool for them to practice this skill in another way. Many students needed many days of practice and multiple lessons in order to grasp a concept and with the students not having access to individual technology tools for repetitive individual practice, we had to use other activities during centers such as worksheets and small group instruction.

Evaluating Technology for Teaching

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Establish Goals (G)Common Core Standards: –          K.OA.A.1 Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds(claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions or equations –          K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, by using objects or drawings to represent the problem. –          K.OA.A.5 Fluently add and subtract within 5
Enduring Understandings (U)Students will understand that… Subtraction means to take object away.	Essential Questions (Q)–          How do we find out how many objects are left after we subtract?-          What does the minus sign tell us? –          How can we use real objects and pictures to subtract?
Students will know… (K)Students will how to subtract.	Students will be able to… (S)Students will be able to describe what a minus sign means Students will be able to subtract using manipulatives.
Stage 2: Determine Evidence for Assessing Learning
Performance Tasks (T)Students will watch: BrainPOP Video on basic subtraction –          Students will watch the video to understand what subtraction means. Balloon Pop Game –          Students will watch a demonstration of how to use the game, then will participate in the game themselves in small groups.	Other Evidence (OE)
Stage 3: Build Learning Plan
Learning Activities (L)W – Introduce topic of the day to students. Read kid friendly objectives to the students to inform them of the learning goals for the day. Ask questions of students about what they know about subtraction already.  H – To hook students I will use BrainPOP (cartoon type) video to introduce and explain subtraction to the students.   E – Students will watch a BrainPOP video on subtraction. Then have a class discussion about what they learned and answer the 5 quiz questions as a class. Students will watch the teacher introduce the smartboard game, balloon pop, and how to use it. Students will observe as the teacher does a few examples to scaffold learning.  Then due to technology constraints students will be split up into 5 different groups working on different subtraction activities using hands on manipulatives while one group at a time can use the smartboard to solve subtraction problems. The teacher will be observing the  group at the smartboard to take notes on the progress of students learning to decide if re-teaching is necessary.   R – The smartboard game does not allow the student to submit a wrong answer there for causing them to rethink the problem to try to solve it correctly.   E – Students will use our class evaluation system with thumbs up, down or to the side signals to decide how comfortable they feel they are with understanding what they are learning. T – Through teacher observations of students using the smartboard game, I will be able to tailor the lesson or extension of the lesson to meet the child’s needs.  Tailoring will also take place through small group work and scaffolding, such as the use of images, video, technology tools and manipulatives.   O – Student friendly objectives with pictures will be posted and visible in the classroom for students to understand learning objectives. Groups will be pre-arranged with the different table activities. Teacher will have a pre-made note taking sheet on student learning progress.

Content: What is the content you are teaching and what are the big ideas? What are the challenging concepts that students struggle with or are difficult to teach? Consider your state standards (GLCEs or HSCEs) as you develop the essential questions you are trying to address.

Common Core Standards:

–          K.OA.A.1 Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds(claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions or equations

–          K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.

–          K.OA.A.5 Fluently add and subtract within 5

Essential Questions:

–          How do we find out how many objects are left after we subtract?

–          What does the minus sign tell us?

–          How can we use real objects and pictures to subtract?

Pedagogy: What pedagogical strategies are you using and why? What theories of learning inform your strategies? What learner characteristics did you take into consideration?

I believe that students learn most effectively when a variety of activities are included to draw upon different strengths. I took the learner characteristics into consideration that my students are only 5 and 6 years old. Taking their age and learning styles into consideration I knew that I needed something that would engage them visually and kinesthetically. Learning takes place in the form of constructivism, and behaviorism.  Behaviorism takes pace when I go through the smart board game and demonstrate how to play the subtraction game while they watch. The game also will tell me and them if a mistake is made or if the answer is correct. Demonstration will tap into the prior knowledge of using the smart board as well as their knowledge about numbers and addition as addition and subtractions are opposite operations. Constructivism takes place when students are actively engaged in the SMART board game and BrainPOP video. Scaffolding also occurs in this lesson if a child is having difficulty using the SMART board I will step in and show them how to use it or give them reminders of what to do.

Content & Pedagogy: How do these particular strategies help you teach the content mentioned above? Why choose these strategies over other approaches? Are there any technical or physical constraints that figured significantly into your choices?

Students will be actively engaged through the BrainPOP video, which scaffolds off their prior knowledge of the world and explaining subtraction to them using examples. They will be able to learn how to play the smartboard game through my demonstration as well as the fact that the game does not allow them go the answer wrong but directs them to ‘try again’ until the figure out the right answer (behaviorism). I feel that these strategies incorporate technology in an active and engaging way which creates a better learning environment. Taking into consideration the students ages, and ability to use technology independently, and limited access to different types of technology, these were constraints that affected my choices.

Technology: What technology will you be using and why? Is the use of this technology absolutely necessary to achieve your objective? That is, would be impossible to teach the lesson without it?

I will be using a SMART board to so watch a BrainPOP video on basic subtraction. The BrainPOP video is great for kindergarten students because it is cartoon based, which captures their attention yet it also please both visual and auditory learners. I will also be using the SMART board to play a balloon pop subtraction game. Students are more engaged when they are active participants in their learning therefore promoting student achievement. The SMART board allows the students to physically manipulate the images allowing for hands on learning hopefully leading to a deeper understanding of how subtraction works. It would be possible to teach these objectives without technology but I believe the technology enhances the lesson and engagement helping the learning process.

Technology & Pedagogy: How does the technology you have chosen fit with your pedagogical strategies and theories about learning? What types of learning strategies are employed by the technology?

The SMART board activities incorporate a variety of learning techniques to meet the needs of different learning styles. This includes kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning styles. The game has a control of error to prevent the students from getting the wrong answer by displaying ‘try again’ and giving them another opportunity to solve the problem correctly. This correlates the behaviorist theories about learning. Constructivism is present in the video. Brain pop uses situations that the students might encounter in real life that relate to subtraction to help them understand the concept.

Technology & Content: How does your choice of technology help you teach the “big ideas” and address the essential questions underlying the concept your lesson addresses?

The SMART board activity provides an exciting and interactive way of presenting the basics of subtraction in correlation to real life events. The game provides instant feedback (Try Again) to the students so they know if they did not get the correct answer and are given the opportunity to start again. Observations of students participating in this game will help me decide if a student needs me to reteach them the concept in small group or if they are ready to be assessed.

Assessment: What do you want your students to know, and how will you know when they know it?  How will you assess what students have learned?  What role does technology play in these assessments?

I would like for students to be able to use the virtual manipulatives to solve simple subtraction problems within 10. Due to the young age of my children and the limited ability for them to use technology on their own without issues, It is very important for me to observe the students doing the activity in order to ensure student understanding, success and achievement. I would like for small groups of students to take turns solving problems on the smart board while I observe them. In kindergarten we use M,P,NI grading system, M= Mastered, P=Progressing, NI = Needs improvement. I would be looking for the ease in which the students are solving the problems and if they are getting them correct or do the need a few tries to figure out a problem. From observations and if students are getting ‘try again’ frequently then that will help me decide which students need to be retaught, if they need more practice or if they have mastered the concept.

Digital Storytelling

For the past two weeks, I have been working on creating a digital story for my CEP 800 class. I choose to focus on the social constructivist theory while teaching a reading and writing lesson. My students are in Kindergarten and their writing ability varies greatly.  We focused on a lesson about text to self connections. To see the learning progression watch my digital story below.

Kindergarten Digital Storytelling

Passion Quotient and Curiosity Quotient

Passion quotient (PQ) and curiosity quotient (CQ) are ideas that were presented to us this week in CEP 812 through an article by Thomas L. Friedman. In the article, It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q., Friedman states that “The winners won’t just be those with more I.Q. It will also be those with more P.Q. (passion quotient) and C.Q. (curiosity quotient) to leverage all the new digital tools to not just find a job, but to invent one or reinvent one, and to not just learn but to relearn for a lifetime” (2013).

We were asked to create a visual representation about how we bring passion and curiosity to our work and how we use technologies to instill passion and curiosity in our students. We were allowed to demonstrate this using any medium of our choosing. I choose to create a Prezi as I had not used this technology before and was curious to try it to help me show passion and curiosity in my classroom.

Click here to check out my Prezi

 

Resources

Friedman, T. L. (2013, January 29). It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q.. The New York Times. Retrieved on March 4, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/opinion/friedman-its-pq-and-cq-as-much-as-iq.html?_r=0

Reimagine Online Learning

When most people think about learning they think of a traditional classroom where there students are sitting in front of a teacher but this idea is being challenging and is changing in today’s world. Students of all ages, all over the world are taking part in online learning opportunities. As online learning becomes more popular, educators need to consider ways to improve online learning experience for each student.There is no one solution to re-imagining online learning, that is why is is considered to be a wicked problem. Three CEP 812 peers and I brainstormed many ways in which online learning can be improved and decided to focus our research on the risks and rewards of online learning from the student perspective. To see our findings, check out our white paper, visual representation, and multimedia component on our blendspace.

Resources

Symposium on Wicked Problems (2013). Wicked Problems (Online Image). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from: http://www.wageningenur.nl/upload_mm/6/8/e/5b4f1638-eaa3-4610-ac67-e5490a2a5682_Wicked-Problems1_490x330.jpgg

Technology Survey Results

This week in CEP 812, we were asked to survey our colleagues in our communities of practice about their integration of technology in their individual classrooms. The questions I asked were centered around gathering information about the types of technology used, how often technology is used and professional development opportunities. I have summarized the data I collected which is outlined in my white paper, Technology Integration in my Community of Practice.

You can also check out an Infogr.am of some of the survey results.

Information Diets

This week in CEP 812, we learned about the importance of internet and “information diets”.  After watching a video by Nicholas Carr, I started thinking about my own use of technology.  Daily I am on Facebook, and Pinterest which are a part of my “information diet” as they help me function in my everyday life. I found it very interesting in Eli Pariser’s video on ted talks, he explained how Facebook and even Google can alter your search results of what you see based on your previous history, therefore showing you results you want to see (TED Talks, 2011). To broaden my InfoDiet we were asked to find three new sources of information that provide a completely differ take on professional issues what we care about. I choose to follow via Twitter, Common Core Ed Tech, the NEA and Edutopia.

@ccedtech provides information about using effective tools of technology to meet the Common Core standards. I found this to be very interesting as I am studying to get my masters in educational technology. My school just informally adopted the Common Core standards this year. I have been trying to implement the standards to the best of my ability with out having any training or previous knowledge about the Common Core. I feel that following this feed will open my eyes to better understand not only the Common Core standards but how to best integrate technology into my classroom to meet those standards.

@NEA is the National Education Association is the largest teachers union in the US. I never would have followed them if not for this class as I have always been very anti teachers union, which is part of the reason why I work for a charter school. While a union is great in some aspects it also promotes laziness in veterans teachers. Though reading their twitter posts there were some things that I actually agree with some things that they posted, such as supporting creativity and smaller class sizes.

@Edutopia is a site that offers hundreds of articles on education. To be honest, I never read articles about education unless asked to by my principal or for one of my masters classes. Before exploring this site I spent most of my time on the internet having to do with teaching exploring teacher blogs and Pinterest. I actually found myself spending quite a bit of time exploring this site and its many articles. For example one article that caught my interest was about digital writing workshops. I had not thought about using technology to help students with the skills of writing and giving them the choice to write with technology or on paper.

Overall this week’s assignment was very eye opening. I challenged some of my closed off views, as well as, realized the amount of information out there and that had not been utilizing the tools to grow as an educator. I primarily only use Twitter for my master’s classes but can see now that Twitter provides a powerful platform to receive all kinds of knowledge. I needed to be pushed outside my boundaries to explore twitter and it connections to websites to explore areas in education to provide myself a more “balanced” information diet.

Resources

Carr, N., (2011).  The Dark Side of Information Revolution. [Video File]. Retrieved from http://bcove.me/7j4zpzwz

TED Talks. (2011, March).  Eli Pariser:  Beware Online “filter bubbles.” [Video File].  Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html

Twitter (2013). Twitter Logo (Online Image). Retrieved February 16, 2014, from: http://upcity.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/twitter-logo.png

Using technology to support special learning needs

This week in CEP 812 we were asked to research a special learning need of our choice to learn more about it as well as find a technology to support this need. In my 3 years of teaching I have had multiple students each year that have been diagnosed with ADHD, therefore I decided to do some more research to better understand this special learning need. After doing research I better understand the effects of ADHD and can come up with ways to help my students. I researched technology to help keep these students focused and engaged for longer periods of time. I choose ABC Mouser that was geared toward Kindergarten, which is what I teach. To learn more about ADHD and the technology I found to help children with this special need, please read my paper.

A video provided by ABC Mouse Early Learning Academy to explain their site.

References

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy. (2012, August 3). What is ABCmouse.com?[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFcZX8Wr87Q

CEP 800 Student Undertanding Audio Productions

The second project in my CEP 800 class was to interview students about their understanding about a particular topic. I interviewed 2 of my Kindergarten students on their knowledge of living and non-living things. I hope you enjoy listening to their responses.

CEP 812 Response to Gee

In CEP 812 this week we were asked to write a 500-700 word essay in response to the reading multiple chapters from the book he Anti-Education Era:Creating Smarter Students Through Digital Learning by James Paul Gee. The questions we focused on was What limitations prevent us from solving, big, complex problems smartly? If you click on the link below you will find my answer focusing on the  idea of frozen thoughts.  If you are in education I recommend reading this book as it brought up a lot of good points.

Response to Gee