Kathryn Parker

9/24/15
PRQ #3

There are many ways in which I can take ownership of the

subject matter and make it accessible and memorable to students.
From the way that I present the content to the activities I use to allow
students to practice, I can show my students that learning is supposed
to be an enjoyable experience. As my weakest content area is math, I
will have to work harder to ensure I am teaching in a way that makes
math accessible and understandable to all students. This can be done
through using manipulables during the lesson so that students can see
and feel how the concepts work. Another way this can be done is to
review the lesson multiple times before teaching to ensure I
understand the concept.
I have struggled with math from the first day I entered a
classroom. In order to improve my teaching in this area, I will
remember that some students will struggle with math just like I did. I
can assure them that they will eventually understand the concept and
tell them that I struggled as well, but eventually understood the
concept. To reach the different multiple intelligences (Gardner), I will
bring in different activities to teach the concepts in math. When we are
learning how to count, I can bring in marbles and use them as a visual
to help my students learn to count. This will help my spatial learners as
well as my bodily-kinesthetic learners. My goal in each class will be to
reach as many of the different intelligences as I can.

Another way I can improve my teaching in math is to review the

concepts multiple times before teaching. This will ensure that I
understand the concept and can teach it effectively. I can also review
past lessons to determine what method of teaching helped students
grasp past concepts. For example, if I noticed that visual examples
(such as writing and solving equations on a SMARTboard) helped my
students, I will be sure to include written examples in my lesson plan.
By reviewing what has worked and not worked in the past, I can ensure
that I am using the best method to reach the greatest amount of
students. I will keep track of how many students have met a standard
so that I know if I need to review a concept.
Allowing students to use the computer in order to practice
concepts is another way in which I can improve my teaching in the
area of math. Computer games are enjoyable for the students and they
allow me to see which students are struggling with certain concepts.
These games can also be a great way for students to apply what they
have learned in class in an informal setting. Computer games allow
students to learn without them realizing they are learning. Using the
computer also can also build a foundation for 21st century skills in that
they are gaining digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem solving
(Burden and Byrd, p. 67).
When planning my lessons, I can use backwards mapping in
order to always keep the objective in mind. By doing this, I ensure that

the activities I plan are in line with the objective. This will allow
students to feel like they have closure at the end of a lesson. They will
not feel that a task is simply busywork because they know it is a
means to achieve a goal. This will motivate them to do well on the
assignment. By keeping the goal and standard in mind throughout
planning, I ensure that my assessments prove whether or not my
students have met the goal or standard.
I will try different strategies in order to reach multiple students
during my lesson. I will strive to gain an awareness of when my
students are not grasping the concept so that I can teach them in a
way they understand. The materials I use will be at a level that they
can understand. When planning lessons and assessments, I will
remember TPE 8.2, which states, Using formal and informal methods,
they assess students prior mastery of academic language abilities,
content knowledge, and skills, and maximize learning opportunities for
all students. (Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), 2013)
In conclusion, there are multiple ways in which I can make
content accessible to students. I must be willing to try different
methods of teaching in order to reach the greatest number of students.
I can use backwards planning to ensure that I am always keeping the
end goal in mind while planning activities. I must also review past
lessons to see what did and did not work. Doing all of this will make me
a better teacher.

Bibliography
Burden, P.R., & Byrd, D.M. (2013). Methods for effective teaching:
Meeting the needs of all students (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2013). California teaching
performance
expectations. Retrieved from http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/TPAfiles/TPEs-Full-Version.pdf
Gardner, H. (1991). Creating the Future: Intelligence in seven steps.
Baltimore, MD: New Horizons for Learning.