Order Instructions:
Using the information in the course text (Van de Walle et al., 2013), An Exploration of Mathematics
Teachers� Reflection on their Teaching Practices (Maat & Zakaria, 2010
Your post should address the following:
- In looking at the unit you reconstructed, how did your outlook on your teaching process evolve? (If it
didn�t, why do you think that is?)
- What differentiation strategies are you most comfortable with utilizing now? Which ones do you need
more work with utilizing and why?
- What assessment strategies are you most comfortable with now? Which strategies do you feel you
would like to incorporate into your teaching practice and why?
- How do you see yourself transforming other math units of instruction in the future?
- What are you most excited about? What are you least excited about?
- What have you learned about yourself as a learner and educator that will help you be better
equipped to meet the needs of your students this year and in the future?
REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER IN A MATH CLASSROOM 2
Word count: 385
I learned that after creating a lesson plan, it is vital to reflect on the objectives that are
to be achieved. Furthermore, in order for growth to take place in the teaching process, it is
important to allow the students to give feedback (Garofano, 2014). The differentiation
strategies that I am comfortable using are equity sticks, sentence frames, and excerpt texts. I
find the strategies simple and more engaging to use when teaching mathematical concepts in
class.
On the other hand, the strategies that I find challenging are the share air time and
differentiate rubrics. The share air time requires full participation from the students. At times,
despite the other student’s encouragement some students may fail to open up. I find it
challenging to manage to get the students to open up and take part in the discussions. On the
other hand, the differentiate rubric is tasking when it comes to the time taken and the
resources required to implement it.
The assessment strategies that I am comfortable to implement in class are giving the
students’ quizzes and journal reflections on the unit. These strategies provide the students
with an opportunity to express themselves freely without fear of peer pressure. Contrariwise,
the strategies that I find uncomfortable are four corner and hand signals. The four corners
strategy requires that the students move to a particular corner when they are ready to answer.
REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER IN A MATH CLASSROOM 3
The challenge is getting the shy students to participate in the activity as they end up being
stuck in the same corner. The hand signal, on the other hand, does not provide an honest
feedback. It creates a lot of room for dishonesty among the students.
In my future math instructions to enable the students to comprehend various
concepts, I will incorporate technology into the teaching process as it is engaging. Moreover,
I am most excited about the application of technology in the teaching process. On the other
hand, I am least excited about the grading system being used in the schools. Finally, I have
learned that reflection is vital in the learning process and I need to record my thoughts in a
journal. In addition, I need to formulate strategies that promote the improvement of the class
in their performance instead of concentrating exclusively on individual students (Zakara and
Binti Maat, 2010).
REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER IN A MATH CLASSROOM 4
References
Garofano, R. (2014). Teacher Reflective Process. [YouTube].
Zakara, E., & Binti Maat, S. (2010). An Exploration of Mathematics Teachers’ Reflections
on their Teaching Practice. Asian Social Science, 6(5)
