Content Specific Standards

Content Knowledge: The Candidate demonstrates understanding of the central concepts, tools of

inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that

make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of

the content in the areas below.

Mathematics

Candidates demonstrate and apply understandings of major mathematics concepts, algorithms,

procedures, applications and mathematical practices in varied contexts, and connections within

and among mathematical domains.

My philosophy of teaching mathematics is consistent with my overall teaching

philosophy in that I believe that for students to be successful in math, success must be attainable

to all students, instruction must be relevant, and it must be engaging.

First and foremost, for students to experience success, success must be attainable. We

must teach to students just above their current level while providing them with the necessary

tools to build on their knowledge. Educators should use a variety of formative assessment

throughout lessons to help guide instruction and identify any gaps in understanding. This sample

lesson plan demonstrates my ability to check for understanding. “Assessment that includes

ongoing observation and student interaction encourages to articulate and thus, clarify their ideas”

(Van de Walle, Karp, & Bay-Williams, 2016, p. 5-6). If a student doesn’t know the answer to a

question or gives an incorrect answer, I rephrase the question, give a clue, ask a classmate part of

the answer and then come back to the original student for the rest. All of these strategies along
with other scaffolding techniques help the student achieve some level of success. If they are just

really stuck I may ask if they want me to ask someone else, and then I return back to them to see

if they agree with what the other student said. I may or may not ask them a new question to

attempt now that they have more information to base their response on, but either way, I

continually strive to leave every student with a positive experience. This idea of “No Opt Out,”

as described in Doug Lemov’s book, Teach Like a Champion 2.0 (2015) sends the message that I

have high expectations for my students and that active participation is required. By sticking with

students we help them achieve the math standard to make sense of problems and persevere in

solving them.

Educators should encourage questions and discussion to keep students actively involved.

Lemov (2015) advises teachers to “create an environment where your students feel safe making

and discussing mistakes, so you can spend less time hunting for errors and more time fixing

them” (p. 64). Creating a culture of error within the classroom normalizes voicing questions

when concepts are not fully understood. In her book, Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live

Without Barriers (2019), Jo Boaler emphasizes the importance of fostering flexibility and

adaptability in thinking in helping students developing a growth mindset, a concept developed by

psychologist Carol Dweck. Dweck (2006) describes a growth mindset as a perspective of

viewing challenges as opportunities to grow rather than threatening situations where weaknesses

are exposed. Encouraging questions is also a key element to creating an environment that

promotes success for all students. Through discussion students learn how to verbalize and

explain their thinking and to be respectful of the perspectives of others. In order to achieve the

math standard of constructing viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, students
must have opportunities to make conjectures and justify arguments. Being able to use data and

logic to support claims is a valuable critical thinking skill across all content areas.

When educators make instruction relevant they are teaching how to model real-life with

mathematics. By teaching the concepts, rather than the algorithms, students can apply

mathematical concepts to everyday situations or problems. “This approach means students learn

mathematics through inquiry. They explore real contexts, problems, situations, and models, and

from those explorations they learn mathematics” (Van de Walle, Karp, & Bay-Williams, 2016,p.

37). Students will learn that math is useful in their own lives and be motivated to understand the

concepts behind the numbers. A firm grasp of concepts helps students see the relationships

between numbers and mathematical steps which is the foundation for being able to approximate,

estimate, and identify whether solutions make sense. If students understand the process and the

concepts clearly then they will be able to make adjustments or use short-cuts that allow them to

solve problems as well as notice when a solution doesn’t make sense. They may be able to

anticipate a likely answer or a set of possibilities prior to attempting the problem. “[S]tudents

learn by doing mathematics, engaging in challenging but accessible tasks, and employing their

own ideas and strategies” (Van de Walle, Karp, & Bay-Williams, 2016, p. 34). By translating

real-life problems to math problems and vice-a-versa students are learning how to reason

abstractly. The use of manipulatives in representing and solving problems is an effective way of

help students visualize a problem as well as keeping them engaged.

It is vital that educators incorporate the cultural standards into their practice. These

standards are present in what my students are taught and the way I teach them; the classroom

culture that I establish; the collaborative relationship with students, their families, and the
community; and in the creation and adaptation of curriculum. They can be embedded into any

math lesson at any given grade level. One place they are found in my practice is within the

writing of story problem scenarios. Cultural standards for curriculum standard A states that

“culturally-responsive curriculum reinforces the integrity of the cultural knowledge that students

bring with them” (Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, 1998, p.13). I created

this math test for my students using their names and things that I knew about them as individuals

making the story problems relevant to their lives. When I am attentive to the home and

community culture of my students, as well as, their personal knowledge and interests I can adapt

curriculum to reflect their experiences. Rather than trying to decipher meaning from the

textbook’s generic story problems for which they had little to no contextual knowledge for, they

were able to focus on the mathematical procedures necessary to solve relevant real-life scenarios.

The story problems made the class period enjoyable as they laughed out loud after reading

problems and excitedly moved through the test to see what the next problem said. In addition,

each student earned an “A” on the test. Relating math to the cultural lives of students creates a

stronger connection and increases student engagement.

Instruction for math, and all content areas, should be engaging. That is not to say,

however, that it should consist of pure games and fun activities. Instruction should be driven by

content standards, with specific goals and objectives. It should be deliberate and purposeful. This

kind of intentional teaching does not negate the possibility of engagement. Educators can still

make lessons interesting by hooking students. They should activate prior knowledge; make

connections to past experiences, other content areas, and real-life scenarios; and they must

provide an appropriate level of challenge as well as support. One of the most interesting things
about math is its structure and predictability. When students begin to recognize patterns and see

regularity it is extremely satisfying because they experience those light bulb moments where it

all makes sense. Every time a student has one of those moments they become more excited and

more engaged. Then they begin to see connections, make generalizations, and take risks. These

are the moments that I teach for.

Integrating technology into math instruction and practice can increase student

engagement. However, its use should always be intentional as a practical and purposeful way to

use technology to enhance learning. Many apps can be used independently to develop fluency or

teachers can use programs like Kahoots™ or Quizlet™ for large group activities. Explain

Everything is a tool that allows for mobility in the classroom, opportunities to see

misconceptions in action, and for students to share and explain their thinking. Actively Learn™

can be used for story problems which can easily be scaffolded to individual students and allow

for timely feedback and identifying misconceptions. Whenever integrating technology, it is

critical to ask yourself if you are teaching the technology or if its purpose is as a tool as well as if

it is the best way to teach the content.

It is imperative that educators be apt at identifying strengths and areas in need of growth.

This case study assignment is an example of my ability to recognize the standards of

mathematical practice in action or in absence. In addition to the standards for mathematical

practice, each of which has been discussed briefly above, elementary and middle school math

instruction should be guided by the grade specific common core standards. The common core

standards are designed to progress during each grade and to build on prior knowledge. While

there is a natural progression, there will be some skills that overlap across multiple grades as
children hone their practice. The Alaska State Standards for Mathematics (2019) and associated

standardized testing ensure that students at each age level all over the state are progressing along

this sequence of skills. It really is amazing how much math skills can progress in the elementary

and middle school years.

Mathematics should be taught through inquiry. To accommodate the diverse learners of

our classrooms “it is important to use problems that have multiple entry points, meaning that the

task can be approached in a variety of ways and has varying degrees of challenge within it” (Van

de Walle, Karp, & Bay-Williams, 2016, p. 38). Students should be given ample opportunities to

explore and discuss problems. “As students describe and evaluate solutions to tasks, share

approaches, and make conjectures, learning will occur in ways that are otherwise unlikely to take

place. Ultimately, curriculum and instruction should be relevant to the students and teachers

should establish and maintain an environment in which students enjoy mathematics.

 References

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. (2012). Alaska state mathematics

standards. http://education.alaska.gov/standards/mathematics

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. (2012). Overview focus of

mathematical content standards progression K-8. http://education.alaska.gov/

akstandards/math/resources/Overview-of

Mathematical-Standards-K8.pdf

Alaska Native Knowledge Network. Alaska standards for culturally-responsive schools. (1998).

http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/Publications/culturalstandards.pdf.

Boaler, J. (2019). Limitless mind: Learn, lead, and live without barriers. New York: HarperOne

Publishers.

Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

Lemov, D. (2015). Teach like a champion: 2.0. Jossey-Bass.

Van de Walle, J.A., Karp, K.S., & Bay-Williams, J.M. (2016). Elementary and middle school

mathematics: Teaching developmentally. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson

Education, Inc.