Video Analysis - Grade 4 (#1)

The purpose of the activities portrayed throughout the videos was to encourage student learning through their own findings. The teacher was there to guide the students in the correct paths, but she stated that her main goal was for the students to find things out for themselves. In this type of environment, both the teacher and the students are learners of the material. Of course, the teacher knows the material well already, but goes about the activities in ways that encourages student involvement and thinking. The teacher spent much of the time having the students explain their reasoning for the answers that they had come up with and always had them "digging" for more information. Questions upon questions were thrown at the students in hopes that they would encourage more analyzing of the material.

(Orchestrating) : How do you determine whether group work is appropriate?

In the first scene of this section, the teacher is working with the students in groups. I feel that the type of activity that they were doing in these videos was very good for group work because each student could learn from another. I enjoy activities where I am able to teach students in groups because I feel that I am able to reach more of them directly. Unfortunately, it may take a little bit of time before the students feel comfortable working together. It was stated that if this activity were done eight months ago that the outcome and flow would have been completely different. I determine if group work is appropriate by how comfortable the students feel together and also how comfortable to students feel towards the material presented for the group work.

(Questioning) : What kinds of questions predominate in your classroom? Single answer? Short answer? Explanation?

The kinds of answers that predominate in my classroom would be short answer. Having short answer questions gives the students the opportunity to always give their reasoning for the answer that they have come up with. Single answer questions I feel do not get the students involved into the material quite enough. Short answer questions also leave the window of opportunity for a two-way discussion involving both the students and the teacher.

(Evidence) : When during a lesson do you check to see what students have learned?

Periodically throughout a lesson the teacher should check to see how the students are coming along. It is always nice to pose questions to them to make sure that they understand the objectives and are on track to complete the lesson correctly. Towards the end of the lesson it would be smart to have a class discussion that includes the students thought processes as they came to their conclusion. Also, it would be beneficial for the students to talk about what they were having problems with and how they eventually found a way around that barrier.

The overall use of the video was very beneficial for me. There was much information throughout the clips that I can see myself including in my own teaching someday. Including the hands-on visualization of the bands toward end of the connections portion was nice to see as I really enjoy activities such as that. Students were able to see how the variables worked, were able to show how the variables worked, and they were able to talk about how the variables worked. There was a little bit of each learning aspect incorporated into the lesson and proved to be very effective.

Exploring the Volume of Mayan and Egyptian Pyramids - M. Alejandra Sorto

Sorto shows how the information presented through out the article relates to the information regarding the connections portion of the process standards. Making up tactics to find out the volume of prisms and pyramids around the world is a major component of the article. I really enjoyed the portion that spoke about having the students make three-dimensional illustrations to help them see and find out solutions related to area and volume. Not only will the students by compiling their information on a sheet of paper, but they will also be actively engaged in the activity as they build their prisms/pyramids. Another major component of the text that I enjoyed was the application of real-life situations and places. Students that are engaged in the activities are linking relationships associated with other areas included throughout their educational curriculum. Prime examples expressed were the relationships built through art, science, and other aspects of daily life. All of the aspects in the course of the article are meant to enhance a students learning and understanding of the material. Also, the connections that the students make from the activities hopefully will stick with them for the duration of their education careers and beyond!

Sorto, M. A. (2010). Exploring the volume of Mayan and Egyptian pyramids. Mathematics teaching in the middle school 15(5), 294-297.

Connections - Process Standards

The connections portion of the process standards outlines three main components that all students from grades K-12 should be able understand use. Through the connections principle the students should be able to familiarize affiliations of mathmatical ideas and use them. Students should also be able to make connections among the mathematical ideas and bring them all together to form the "big picture". Lastly, students should be able to use the concepts of the connections standard in their daily activities and lives. Connecting ideas to the real world is something that can go a long way and is vital as students go through their education careers. Mathmatical connections help students learn how different things are connected in different ways.

Instructional Games With Calculators - Wallace Judd

From the beginning of Judd's article to the end of Judd's article there was a strong message regarding the use of technology and the many ways that technology uses can make learning fun for all. These games could be presented in many different ways to meet a students learning ability. All of the games presented in the article can be completed in less than five minutes and could be done on almost all basic calculators. These games teach students the basics of mathematics along with calculator functions. The relevancy to mathematics is that these games will teach students place value concepts including decimals, counting, and addition. These games seem like they would be a quick fix for a student that has finished his/her work before the rest of the students. A direct quote from Judd stated, "The Mathematics requirements for all of the games are minimal" (Judd, 2007). I look at that statement and see that all students could learn from these games and take advantage of their engaging qualities.


Judd, W. (2007). Instructional games with calculators. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle
School 12 (6), 312-314.

Principles and Standards - Technology

The technology priciple of mathematics is meant to help further a student's understanding of material presented to them. There are many forms of technology that have been used over the years and are still very helpful tools in the education field. Examples directly expressed in the text were the help of calculators and computers. With the help of technological advances students are able to use the abilities of these mechanisms to make their learning more enjoyable and to make better use of their time. With the aid of technology in the classroom a teacher will have more of an opportunity to reach each student's special needs. The use of technology in the classroom is mainly the teacher's responsiblity. If a teacher does choose to make use of technology in the classroom then they must be able to find a positive way of using it, rather than having it be a negative teaching aid. Technolgy is a component of the education process that becomes more and more andvanced as the years pass. As these advances come about, they give future generations of students the opportunity to learn and to keep raising the bar (climbing to greater hights).