*sigh of relief*

Well I got to try some of the things I've learned so far on human guinea pigs. That was pretty fun. They were just what I expected from middle grades: energetic, open, and well -sharp. I didn't manage my time quite as well as I had hoped but I think we made some major progress. Preparation was a huge thing here, I will definitely do more prep work next time. I thought I was asking good questions but they weren't probative enough so I still had to be more involved than I had hoped. The students didn't read the problem as I did so that was different. It was hard to get them to understand what was going on in the problem without just telling them. It's funny because they made it MORE complex than it was written. Weird. I think my interaction with the students was good. I felt comfortable talking to them and listening to them. I found that they did better when they all worked together and bounced their ideas rather than just the small groups. I had one antsy student that was wrangled after he saw the other students interest in the task. I am looking forward to the notes from my observers on my performance. I do think the kids had a positive experience though and that means a lot to me.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

I believe that one of the best ways to learn something is to do it. You can get all the lectures, notes, and discussions but eventually you need to actually get your hands dirty. Well I'll be honest I am scared to death of this activity. I liken kids to an audience at a stand up comedy club. If you aren't funny it will be painfully obvious. But if you kill the feeling will be unlike anything else.

My expectations are that I can first identify with the students. We all have something in common, its just a matter of tapping into it. I hope to get off to a good start and set the tone for the hour. Next, I really want the students to get a sense of 'there is more than one way to do it'. I think the idea that there is only one 'right' way is a major obstacle to true progress in mathematics education. Lastly, I hope to build my confidence behind the wheel in a classroom.

Currently I have a good deal of anxiety about the process. I worry that my group and I aren't working as a group and therefore won't perform well. I don't want to flounder like a fish out of water. I am really concerned that our differences as individuals are getting in the way of completing this task. I thought that by Graduate School we would understand how to work in a group. How do we expect our students to master it if we can't? Charles, I hope you are right and everything will work out fine.

Relevent is relative

In my experience learning math, I wouldn't say that my teachers ever really made an attempt to make the material relevent to me and my life. It was more a matter of this is what you should do and you are going to do it. On the contrary when my mother tutored me all her examples were based on how this could be applied to real life. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't but it gave me the understanding of the neccessity. Now in my tutoring experiences I make sure to say 'suppose you were going to do X' or 'ok think about when you do Y'. I feel like these statements make the concepts more tangible and therefore more likely to stick with them. Both students went on to excel after our work together so I think that is at least a small indication I am correct.

The little lesson plan that could

Honestly when I turned in my lesson plan I felt like I had had a stroke of brilliance. I felt very clever and sure that I had done a good job. Much to my dismay my feelings weren't really shared. I don't mind constructive critism and I am in no way suggesting this feedback was not constructive. I did feel deflated and dejected. I think my philosophies were reflected in my lesson plan but I think my personality was as well. I don't think that's a bad thing but it left some holes that in my mind were not holes. The comments helped me to focus on them and hopefully the refinement plugged some of them (fingers crossed). I did discover in this process that I feel more comfortable coming up with probing questions based on student participation rather than anticipating what they may say and they what I would say. Its a strange conversation with yourself that I admit I am uncomfortable with.

You gotta know when to hold em...know when to fold em

I think the key to letting go is your definition. Some people have the misconception that 'letting go' is synonymous with sitting back and doing nothing. My definition I believe is closer to our goals. Kids will not do all the work for you. But you have to let them make mistakes and really get their hands on the problem: cognitive struggle, right? Asking questions is the biggest part of the letting go that does not involve sitting and your desk and checking email while they work. Why did you do that? How do you know that? What do you think? I don't think this will be a problem for me, conceptually for sure. In the time that I have been tutoring I already ask my students some of these questions and I want them to think about their answers instead of just giving them. I know being in a class with 30 kids is much different than sitting at a kid's dining room table with their mom in the next room but at least I have a start. On the other hand I think there will be times when you have to put the train back on track. You may have to stop them for a second if they have gone awry and nudge them in the direction of the point. This may not be totally in line with constructivism but they don't know everything, that is why they are there, right?

During the fraction teaching excercise I received the great compliment that I asked good questions. It was a great boost and let me know that at the very least this doesn't just sound good in my head. :-)