Mathematics and statistics

Summary of the lesson

Grade two students at Lincoln school started their mathematics class on the topic of addition and subtraction. The study was based on a question of how many beans did not sprout after 56 beans were sown and 27 of them sprouted out. The teacher grouped the class in twos so as to help them grow their ability to share ideas that could help in getting the answer (Annenberg Media, n.d). She also assigned them to explain the strategy that each group would use in order to come up with the answer. The teacher listed the rationale for each group’s answer as the students explained their strategy of subtraction. The classroom was consisted of diverse students of a deaf, a Chinese and the Native Americans were the majority (Annenberg Media, n.d).

As anyone would expect, some students were fast learns while others were a bit slow. Some were confident while others were shy. The teacher opened a forum whereby a student would present his or her strategy on the blackboard with an aim of building their confidence. The students exhaustively expressed their thoughts as the teacher kept encouraging and congratulating their ideas. The teacher ensured that all the students have participated in the problem solving (Annenberg Media, n.d). The next question was requiring them to express the strategy they used to subtract 28 from 56. One student gets troubled and stuck in this problem claiming that her strategy did not make sense. The teacher however gives a chance to another student who comes and successfully manages to solve the problem. Finally, the teacher concludes by reflecting on what is expected of them in the subtraction problems. She was able to identify their strengths and weakness for the problems.

Analysis

There are numerous tips that one can borrow from how the teacher conducted the lesson. First, the teacher initiated the discussions by posting three questions concerning the beans that sprouted and those that failed with respect to those that were sown. This is a good start off since it specializes on a specific area of study that is exploited until the students get it right. The teacher has also embraced the concept of student involvement using effective teaching techniques.  First, she allows the students to discuss in groups of two which encourages the sharing of ideas and use of collaborative intelligence to come up with a solution. It is also achieved using presentations where students write down their strategies on the black board (Annenberg Media, n.d).

Focusing on how the students were handling their problem, the approaches indeed differed. Most of them brought to the table the correct answer while few did not. Sub subtracted first the tens then ones while others did the vice versa. Some did the subtraction directly but the teacher insisted on the rationale for their answer. The context of the study has a significant part to play in the student’s understanding. It is a classroom context where a student can easily mingle with his or her age mates and share ideas. Unlike while the student is at home or another setup, the classroom environment is suitable for student’s learning and understanding (Annenberg Media, n.d).

From this lesson, the teacher has intervened the learning of the students effectively. For instance, she has connected the lesson to the prior knowledge of sprouting and sowing of the seeds. She has also intervened through grouping the class for effective learning. In every group, the teacher has monitored its progress and words motivation was heard throughout the lesson. These are just a few of the numerous intervention strategies that were used by the teacher (Annenberg Media, n.d).

Reference

Annenberg Media, (n.d). Teaching Maths: Bean Sprout. Retrieved from: http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1736