Modeling Integers Assessment

Modeling Integers Assessment

Intended Audience:

This lesson is intended for 7th grade math students of various levels.

Learner Objectives:

6.NS.5

Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
7.NS.A.1.D
Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract rational numbers.

Rationale:

This is an online assessment intended to assess students knowledge of the basics about what an integer is and how is it represented mathematically. This is necessary for students to be able to take real world situations and represent them mathematically. Therefore when student understand how to represent real world numerical situations mathematically they can solve problems containing integers. They also need to move to modeling Integers for adding basic examples using the Additive Inverse as the example.

Article Review

In the article by Wagget, Johnston, and Jones (2017), they discussed conducting a study about assessing engagement in a given activity. Wagget, Johnston, and Jones (2017) claim “‘true engagement’ extends beyond students keeping busy and includes psychological aspects including self-motivation”(p. 393). High school math and science teachers were assessed during a two week long professional development for Science-Math-Masters. Teachers were given the five questions that represented their level of engagement in the task of that day. This was done after four different model lessons. The data was collected and analyzed. The study determined that (2017)“the resulting data indicate a high degree of correlation between the initial and follow-up assessments thereby supporting the reliability of the assessment checklist.”(Wagget, Johnston, and Jones, p.397)

I found it to be interesting the assessment was on teachers engagement during professional development. I think it is interesting that they were looking for a higher level of engagement than just raising of hands and paying attention. They were looking for self-motivation. Wagget, Johnston, and Jones (2017) explain,“Self-motivation comes from a desire to understand something interesting or learning in order to achieve personal goals”(p.393) I think I would use a form of this assessment to check my students self-motivation. Instead of the five levels of engagement statements, I would put emojis. I think using emojis students would be more likely to be honest about their engagement in the activity. This would give students a chance to reflect on their learning.

References

Waggett, R.J., Johnston, P., & Jones, L. B. (2017) Beyond simple participation: providing a reliable informal assessment tool of student engagement for teachers. Education, 137(4) 393-397.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=13&sid=1417e281-4431-408e-96a2-1016a1483c5e%40sessionmgr4008

Modeling Integers Screencast

Modeling Integers

Intended Audience:

This lesson is intended for 7th grade math students of various levels.

Learner Objectives:

6.NS.5

Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
7.NS.A.1.D

Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract rational numbers.

Rationale:

This is an audio visual clip intended to help students review the basics about what an integer is and how is it represented mathematically. This is necessary for students to be able to take real world situations and represent them mathematically. Therefore when student understand how to represent real world numerical situations mathematically they can solve problems containing integers. They then move to modeling Integers for adding basic examples using the Additive Inverse as the example.

Article Review

In the article by Gormely and McDermott, they discuss how technology is part of our everyday life. They show how as time evolves so does the way we learn. The movement from clay tablets to the current digital age therefore as educators we need to (2011) “integrate the new various digital literacies” (Gormely and McDermott, p.13).  In the Common Core Standards, they have stated the need for students to be able to use technology to enhance their learning. This is becoming part of our norm. Gormely and McDermott continue writing about how every teacher have to be a teacher of the digital age. Students read online and find virtually any information they might need online. Therefore teachers need to move to meet the students where they are getting the information. Screencasting is a great to incorporate the digital age into the classroom. Screencasts can be used as a review tool, tell a story, answer extension questions, provide step by step instructions in math, and many more ideas. Students and teachers can both create screencasts.

Gormely and McDermott (2011) claim “Screencasting is one of the new literacies that offers many exciting ways to engage and motivate elementary and secondary students in learning.” (p.18). After reading the article, it is a great reminder that if I want to be a teacher of the digital age I need to embrace the tools allotted me. Screencasting can benefit the digital student, the special education student, and the ELL student. Therefore, I can see the benefits of using screencasting to help my class for many different reasons.

References

Gormely, K., & McDermott, P. (2011). Do You Jing? How Screencasting Can Enrich Classroom Teaching and Learning. Language And Literacy Spectrum, 2112-20.

Integer Review 

Intended Audience:

This lesson is intended for 7th grade math students of various levels.

Learner Objectives:

6.NS.5

Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.

Rationale:

This is an audio clip intended to help students review the basics about what an integer is and how is it represented mathematically. This is necessary for students to be able to take real world situations and represent them mathematically. Therefore when student understand how to represent real world numerical situations mathematically they can solve problems containing integers.

In the article by McDaniel and Caverly, they discuss the benefits of an inverted developmental math classroom. It is more of an inquiry model based class. The students are required to watch a podcast of the lesson before they come to class. McDaniel and Caverly (2010) state, “Students thus can "control" the lecture by reviewing each video as often as they need and receiving a first exposure to concepts before attending class.” This provides students the ability to learn independently at their own pace. The article continues to explain what the students do when they go to class, claiming “Because in-class direct instructional activities are removed, time is available for student teams to actively analyze and synthesize homework problems, to examine the process of learning math, and to increase the amount of student-to-student and student-to-professor dialogue.” (McDaniel and Caverly, 2010) This type of classroom work creates an environment where students are doing the learning and teachers are able to take on more of a facilitator role. The article continues by explaining the development of the inverted classroom. They explained they basics of what goes into creating the classroom. There is a explanation of software that could be used for teachers who wanted to do the inverted classroom.

After reading this article, I would be very interested in trying to have an inverted math class. I think it would be interesting to have students be able to take charge of their learning and I can be more of a facilitator for students. In class, it would be great to see students applying what they were suppose to have learned and instead of them getting frustrated at home without someone there to help.  The difficult part for me to get started in an inverted classroom would be creating several podcasts for the students to use to learn. I worry that it would be trying with students who did not watch the podcasts the night before to learn the lesson. There would have to be a procedure for those students and absent students. The success of the students would be a great motivator to try this new type of classroom style.   

  References

McDaniel, S., & Caverly, D. C. (2010). Techtalk: The Community of Inquiry Model for an Inverted Developmental Math Classroom. Journal Of Developmental Education, 34(2), 40-41.


http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=98f08f88-57c7-4b6c-9b6b-dae8aaa01e53%40sessionmgr103

In the article, Learning to Speak Math, Jennifer Demski (2009) discusses how “The presence of a bilingual educator is proving pivotal to the success of technology initiatives aimed at developing Spanish-speaking students' grasp of both the concepts and the language of mathematics.” This article discussed two different classroom situations that their was a need for students with low math skills to receive some additional help. In one class, the teacher used Help Math website to aid her students. Demski states (2009)“Badger found that the use of the software quickly sparked the students' enthusiasm for learning math.” The technology helped target individual math needs but they still needed the assistance of the teacher to aid with the technology.

The second technology tool they used in the article was called BrainX. They discovered this was designed more for ELL students. Therefore they found it was helping their students to be successful. Demski (2009) writes “Forty-seven percent of the school's ELLs--including students in ELD--passed the exam; per Phipps, that's a 10-point bump north from 2008.”

In my school, I deal with ELL students daily in every class I have on my schedule. This was a great read to help give me some tips on what programs I could use in my classroom that will help my ELL students to be successful. I will have to make some accommodations to assist those students who will need to use the program but I look forward to the challenge.

Demski, J. (2009). Learning to Speak Math. T.H.E. Journal, 36(8), 18-22.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=4baaab8a-20ef-4413-b900-7749c4bf2e23%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=EJ867160&db=eric