Running Head: Class Makeover 1

Assignment 4B: Class Makeover

Jeff Holtzclaw

National University

ITL 516 Mathematics Integrative Design

Melissa Tanaleon

March 27, 2022

Class Makeover 2

After watching Dan Myer’s video on how math class needs a makeover, I was really

motivated to make a change. Thinking about how math has been taught in the classroom and

how students lack initiative, perseverance, retention, and have an aversion to word problems and

have an eagerness to find the formula that works really hit home. I could really see how we rush

through problems, giving too much information and expecting too little understanding

conceptually. Students’ understanding of mathematics, their ability to use it to solve problems,

and their confidence in doing mathematics are all shaped by the teaching they encounter,

(NCTM). In the video Dan says this is an impatience with irresolution, or we are impatient with

things that don’t resolve quickly (TED, 2013, 2:46). Our students are unengaged and

uninterested in the problems, especially word problems.

I don’t have a classroom right now, but the vision I have for my classroom is where my

students take a journey of discovery, that they lead themselves, where everyone feels equal, and

where they have spirited conversations or debate, develop authentic questions, design ways to

solve those questions, and then present their answers in a way that they select. I want my

students to be able to take time, not rush when working on problems. I want to utilize open-

ended questions, problem-based as well as project-based activities. In order for this to take place

I see myself having to spend quite some time creating new situations from problems in the

textbook that will allow for this transformation. I will then present those open-ended questions

or situations to my class and help with the conversations where students decide what matters and

what doesn’t. Students will also need to come up with the sub-steps on their own. I want to try

and make situations that are relatable to their lives so that all students take part in the

conversations. They don’t feel intimidated by the textbook questions because they will be real

life situations that will be relevant to all.

Class Makeover 3

I plan to use technology as much as possible in my classroom. I think that Google

Jamboard, Google slides, digital manipulatives, math games, seesaw, canvass, peardeck, kahoot,

quizzes, Quizlet, padlet, and youtube will be a great way to get students engaged and vested in

the class. I want to utilize math centers in my class in a way that allows for the use of

technology, textbooks, manipulatives, and creativity in my classroom. Since, as stated by

Coddington & Dickenson, “daily routines spiral curriculum to support students in acquiring

skills they need to be successful”, I will have centers on specific days of the week or even times

of the day. The way this might look is, I have two person stations. In one station they might

have a threading station with number cards building a string with number cards with matching

manipulatives. In another station I will have a hands-on building game where students use dice

and take turns building a city out of Legos. In the next station I might have popsicle sticks that

they create a number line with numbered clips. In another station I might have colored beaded

neckless cut into different number groups and they have to role a dice and figure out how to put

the different beaded combinations together to create the number rolled. In another station my

students might use their tablets to play a math game, quiz, or work on slides.

I know that when I was learning math, eons ago, my teachers did problems on the board

as examples and then gave us problems to do for homework. There wasn’t any deviation from

this, no real world situations, no manipulatives, just worksheets or textbooks. I plan on having a

completely different classroom. I plan to start with having an inclusive classroom with flexible

seating, where students enjoy coming to learn while they are having fun.

In order to be a more effective teacher I will need to continue to grow in all of the NCTM

principles which include equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology. I

will also need to continue to improve on the NCTM process standards of problem solving,
Class Makeover 4

reasoning and proof, and representations. Teachers should be lifelong learners, and that is what I

intend to be.

After reflecting on the TPE’s, I find it difficult to choose one area I have made the most

growth in. I think that in this course I have made the most growth in TPE 1 Engaging and

Supporting all Students in Learning-Element 5, TPE 3 Understanding and Organizing Subject

Matter for Student Learning-Element 6 and 7, TPE 4 Planning Instruction and Designing

Learning Experiences for all Students-Element 4, 7 and 8, and TPE 5 Assessing Student

Learning-Element 4. Although I have made progress in many TPE’s and their corresponding

Elements, I still have a long way to go. In order to continue to grow and stay effective I will

need to work on all elements of TPE 6 Developing as a Professional Educator. I will need to

constantly reflect on my own knowledge, recognize my own values and bias, establish

professional learning goals, communicate effectively with adults and family, demonstrate

responsibility for student learning and understanding and complying with all laws and

professional responsibilities and moral fitness and conduct to include social media.

Example of my future classroom:

Class Makeover 5

Resources

Dan Meyer (2010). Ted Talk: Math Class Needs a Makeover. Retrieved from

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_class_needs_a_makeover?utm_campaign=tedsprea

d&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare#t-676946

NCTM Principles and Standards (n.d.). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.

Reston, VA.

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2016). California Teaching Performance Expectations.

Sacramento, CA.

Dickenson-Coddington (2021). Technology-Infused Math Instruction: Teaching Outside the Box

- Grades K-12 (2nd Edition). Kendall Hunt Publishing.

https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781792485329