Reflection 5

September 25, 2012

There is an unspoken inequality which seems to silently hover over distinct groups of people, towns, and cities across America who are in some ways limited by their circumstances.  In fact, society has a way of blocking those who have limited resources from access to improving their situation.  Possibly, not intentional but none the less, a system whereby escape is difficult and can seem impossible.  Those living in poverty must deeply desire a change and be able to endure challenges and hardships while obtaining their ticket out.  I recently heard the comment, “They should go get a job and move to a different part of town.  They are there because they choose to be there.”   Yet I do not believe social class or poverty is a conscious choice any one would make.  In fact there are many individuals considered working poor living below the poverty threshold maintaining full-time employment with enough to barely live day to day, but never enough to get ahead.  I am curious if becoming math literate for this next generation is the key to make a change in a system of reoccurring poverty?   I believe, becoming math literate is a piece to the puzzle, but a teacher’s ability in the classroom as the only implemented change is not enough.  One can make all the necessary adjustment in education and teacher requirements it wants.  But, it is necessary to go beyond the teacher’s ability to reach the student to change the mindset of this county related to one’s ability to excel in math.  Change has to be across the whole system.

The Algebra Project, Cobb and Moses article resonated with many ideas I believe are true, specifically the statement, “Math illiteracy is not unique to Blacks the way the denial of the right to vote in Mississippi was.  But it affects Blacks and other minorities much, much more intensely, making them the designated serfs of the information age…”  Not everyone would agree with me, but I feel the United States has an unspoken class system which people refuse to acknowledge.  A system which is nearly impossible to change and to change it will take determination and a will which cannot be tackled by teachers only. Yes, math is a key component in education and with the advancement of technology in all fields the need for math and science literacy is here to stay.  Yet, becoming math literate is not going to change a system of generational poverty.  Perfecting one’s teaching technique, style and use of technology is not going to be enough.  I have spent fifteen years working with children from all socio economic levels.   There are always the few who can be reached, but I continue to see middle class and wealthy students doing much better than their peers living below the poverty threshold. 

And, teachers continue to work endlessly to plan and labor to generate lessons which provide better understanding of concepts in an attempt to give equal access for learning to all students using hands on and real world applications.  This is a great benefit to students yet on the other hand, schools can offer waivers and vouchers to cross zones and bus students to the so called better schools, provide the most up to date advance technology, and use best plus practices.  But the outside resources available to students living in poverty do not currently and will never equate to the resources of middle and upper class students.   Annette Lareau, (2003) author of unequal childhoods references Paul Kingstons, The Classless Society stating, parents’ social class position predicts children’s school success and thus their ultimate life chances.  In essence, where people live, parents education level, income earning potential all determine one’s social class which in turn is going to impact a child’s ability to get into the better school leading to the better college thus the better college determines the future income potential (2003) which in turn determines social class.    I believe Cobb and Moses are suggesting to truly change to an education system where everyone becomes math literate, there must be a whole system change such as a change within the community and family value of education.  In my opinion to make this switch of mindset, those in the classroom must make every effort to collaborate and build relationships with our students and their families.  This, I believe, is another crucial piece in the conquest of students becoming math literate.

Additionally, Drew Polly points out the importance of two teachers working together and preparing questions in advance of the lesson in order to more effectively present and instruct while using technology to improve student ability in mathematics.  Definitely, co-teaching is an effective and resourceful way to present a lesson.  However, to be successful, this style of teaching will work well only when being prepared.  Impromptu and poor planning will lead to organized chaos.  These two teachers must share the same goals and be able to work together in a flexible and respectful manner.  It can be difficult to place two adults in one classroom when teaching styles and perspective of education are different.  Using this style of instruction should be well thought out and when administration places teachers together it should be purposeful.    Also, the approach of the teachers and classroom diversity may determine which style of co-teaching is used.   I have worked in a middle school which used co-teaching across the curriculum in all grades.  And some of the best lessons presented were by two teachers who were using best practices and up to date technology.  I witnessed students able to work in small groups and receive more one on one instruction during the lesson.  These teachers used a drifting method.  While one teachers focused on the main instruction and presentation the other drifted from group to group ensuring each student understood and was able to move ahead in the lesson.  At varying times, both teachers would be interacting with the groups.  It seemed all children’s questions were answered and everyone had opportunity to present ideas and show progress.  If at any time a student found the work difficult or did not understand one teacher could focus on the specific needs of that child while the other teacher continued to move forward with instruction.  With two or more teachers in a classroom, students are monitored more closely, grouped heterogeneously, and student centered instruction is easier to conduct thus giving students more time and access to explore, think, and analyze solutions.  This setting would be my preference given a choice.

Van de Walle’s discussion of sequences and growing patterns in Chapter 9 is similar to learning the steps to read and write.  When learning to read and write there are essential building blocks necessary to learn before one can read to learn.  It seems this is similar to learning mathematics and becoming math literate with steps and sequences being introduced early in education to establish a strong foundation and build on a child’s existing knowledge.  Realizing the importance of students learning math in stages going from concrete to abstract, I am concerned about providing the appropriate math instruction to students in special education.  Often students with disabilities may need additional support and resources when learning math.   So I question, is it the disability inhibiting the learning of math or is there another delay such as language attributing to a student's ability to learn math? In my experience it is not the students with physical disabilities or even sensory loss who necessarily struggle with learning patterns and sequences.  I know of many deaf students who excel in mathematics.  But for every one who excels there is one who struggles.  Often, it is the student who is identified with a secondary disability and considered to have a language delay or language impairment.  When the language and vocabulary to understand instruction and concepts of any core subject is missing – language instruction can become the focus of education with little emphasis on mathematics instruction.  Apparently, this lack of emphasis is impacting the futures of many students.  As teachers we must find a way to introduce building blocks of language and the building blocks for mathematics equally.  I am suddenly realizing the apparent need for teachers in elementary and special education to understand the importance of mathematics to the future of our students.  And understanding I need to move away from the mindset of math ability being set as ither good or bad at math.  Although, I have not specifically participated in planning lessons or instruction practices focused on mathematics, I can now understand the need to become an effective math teacher who is able to introduce students with or without disabilities to mathematics concepts as well as work with their families to change family minsets about math ability.

If math literacy for all is this generation’s focus, and if American students are to keep up with other countries, teachers must be willing to grow and change using different approaches for real life application and up to date technology.  Teachers must also be willing to learn to teach subjects to students with a new mindset.  Realizing all students have the potential to learn.  Additionally, for students of all socio economic status to be successful in any area of instruction, parents, caregivers and guardians are vital to a child’s academic success.  Until we can change the cultural idea that it is the teacher’s full responsibility to teach children and everyone begin to recognize the role of parents as teachers, I am expecting reform to occur at a much slower pace than is needed.

Session 4 Reading Reflection

September 19, 2012

As teachers, we want students to excel in the classroom, and we want them to have the same desire for learning educators have.  And, I believe parents, in general, want children to be successful in education.  But, not all parents know what to do, how to do it, or feel comfortable communicating with their child’s teacher or school personnel.  Often one’s culture will dictate how a parent responds to teacher contacts.  Therefore, before I begin to understand what my student knows about math or their motivation for math, I must consider how a student’s social class or culture impact motivation in the mathematics classroom.  I need to understand, from a social perspective, students, their parents, and family culture.  I must be aware of what parents understand about math concepts as well as the parent’s motivation and value of education before I can work to change student views.  Home environment, social class, and family culture have an impact on student understanding of math as well as student motivation and desire in being academically successful.

The information, ideas, and fraction practice presented by Van De Walle on pages 65-75 discuss a variety of issues related to the concepts of solving problems using fractions.  The idea of the inverse relationship between the number of parts and size of parts, according to Van De Walle, is a difficult concept for students to understand since elementary grades focus mostly on whole-number concepts.  I am curious, in earlier grades, the teachers approach to fractions.  I would imagine a lot of hands on and use of manipulatives with guided instruction are used.  In contrast, most of my elementary experiences in the general classroom were focused on language development.  And often when a deaf student is in the elementary grades, the focus of instruction is to provide as much teaching in language as possible.  Delayed language impacts every subject area.  But math, I believe, tends to be focused on much less than it should be.  This is not always the case, but does happen often.   Yet even with language delays, how do I get students and parents to understand the importance of math education for deaf students, more specifically understanding of inverse fractions?

In order to get children to understand any concept or idea, I feel parents are a vital asset in a child’s education. Thus as I begin planning for instruction, for example, fraction activities or lessons, I would send home a list of terms and matching math signs with activities for families to do together attempting to create opportunity for development of concepts in fun, stress free, and creative ways.   For instance, one activity I might suggest parents try is an activity my family always enjoyed doing together.  Most Friday evenings for most of my oldest daughter’s elementary and middles school years involved making and eating pizza at home.  Cooking and eating pizza is a great way for kids and parents to get involved in conversations and discussions about fractions.   In fact, any kind of cooking or baking uses not only fractions but inverse fractions.  Using measuring cups and measuring spoons are also great ways to introduce and practice inverse fractions.  Students have tangible items which serve a real purpose showing the use of inverse number relationships.  Furthermore, these activities give students and parents a chance to work together which provide opportunity for deepening and building family relationships and communication skills as well as helping students build an intrinsic motivation for math by showing usefulness and practical application of concepts.  It may take time, but I believe teachers can work toward helping parents understand the importance of their role in their child’s ability to value mathematics education.

In addition, the role culture plays in the way motivational strategies are implemented by teachers in classrooms is lacking significant research according to Middleton.  I ask, “what role a family’s culture, social class, and parent knowledge play in affecting motivation in the classroom”.  When I think about the role culture plays in my instruction style and the lack of research, I should also consider the role a student’s culture impacts their learning style and motivation toward education and the lack of research pertaining to this topic.  My parents taught and modeled the importance of a good education and passed the idea to me.  I believed in the value of education and passed that to my children.  Thus, I believe one’s social class, family, and culture impacts a child’s motivation or value of education.  The child’s value of education has the ability to impact the direction of the child’s future.   If I believe social class guides or directly impacts a child’s future, then I must consider how a parent struggling to raise kids with limited support and resources thinks about education.  If I am that parent, do I teach my children the value of a good education or how to survive?  If my children are dodging bullets on the way to school, do I teach the value of education or the value of survival skills?  If I believe ones social class impacts all areas of a child’s life, certainly motivation toward math education is impacted.   If the child’s social class is guiding their motivation then a concept of mathematical ability, positive or negative, has possibly been established long before entering my classroom.  What I must do is figure out how to undo the negative implications and work to instill a new value and understanding of the importance of math.  I must be able to teach math in a way students begin to feel it is beneficial to themselves, their family, and their social class.   Math has to become real for the students.  My strategies and instruction should relate to the likes and dislikes of middle school students as well as to their world, their culture, and their social class.

Furthermore, approaching math from a middle school student’s mindset may be necessary to appropriately motivate students.  I need to think about how middle school students feel, think, and react to situations.   Middle school is an awkward time with hormonal changes, puberty, and recognition of self in relation to groups.  Middle school students need stability and guidance in developing good self concepts and relationships among other peers.    Middleton's example, Grace, from chapter one seems to be motivated more by the first group in which she is working and the topic of the lesson.  She also seems to function better when she is comfortable within a certain group of peers.  As soon as she is requested to change groups her whole attitude toward the lesson changes.  She shuts down and withdraws from the group.  This was of particular interest to me as I can imagine how I would have felt being the only girl in a group of boys when I was in middle school.  This would have caused me to shut down as well.  Although Mr. Lawson was trying to use Grace as a role model, she felt as she was being punished.  As a teacher using groups for instruction, I should pay attention to the response I am getting from my students when groups shifts are necessary.  Realizing, it may not be most advantageous to students to continually regroup based on, for example, not wanting them to get too comfortable with each other.   Since I believe group work not only benefits learning math and also helps instill values of teamwork and collaboration, I would establish groups for longer periods of time helping to establish stable, trusting relationships among students while providing guidance in how groups should function and perform. 

Along with providing guidance and stability in a class setting, students need to see their teachers excited about the subject being taught.  Am I passionate about my calling?  Are all teachers passionate about their calling? If I ever lose my passion for assisting students and families in learning to establish an effective means of communication in their homes and families, it will be time to leave the field.  How can I expect families to get excited if I come in with an irritated, stressed, pessimistic attitude about language?  I cannot.  I definitely found Fires in the Bathroom an interesting read.  Especially, the student comments about having a passionate teacher as one way to motivate school attendance, or to motivate a student to pay attention in class.  It is so true, when a teacher is passionate about a subject kids pick up on that passion.  I remember sitting in classes where the teacher followed the same boring pattern every day.  It seemed as if they hated their job.  It is also difficult to interpret for a teacher who is uninspired.  I am supposed to interpret in the spirit most like that of the teacher, according to ethical guidelines.   I know if it is difficult to stay focused when interpreting, I can only imagine how hard it is for a deaf student to follow along.

Kids need an exciting and encouraging school environment.  As an adult I can monitor myself, I can motivate myself knowing the initial outcomes.  Yet, I do not believe middle school students have a fully developed cognitive ability to process and analyze the future.  These kids are still in the here and now moments thinking from the deep limbic system and not the pre-frontal cortex.  I believe middle school students continue to need lots of hands on activities. They need activities, interactions, role playing, and time to think about it.  I know this works in English classes with literary terms and characters.  I suppose this concept could be used in any subject.  Math, I trust, would be a great place to role play.  Instead of students being characters from books, they could be characters from the math problems representing the algorithms being taught.  It’s a long shot and might not work, but I at least like the idea.

Thinking back over the past several week’s readings considering how motivation is learned by students , then as teachers and parents we should strive to instill this love of education very early, much earlier than middle school.  It needs to come not only from teachers and school, it needs to begin from parents and home.  If parents do not have a value for education they will not be able to teach their children to value education.  So I think the question or research needs to look at why parents do not value education or appear not to value education.  If it is my perception only, why does it appear parents do not value education?   Do they not value education or are they so burdened by low wage jobs, lack of enough money, or lack of sufficient resources their child’s education is left up to those who have the training.  I am certain I alone cannot fully convince my students to love education or to instill a value of education if the family does not change its own value system.   I believe parents are the key to improving student achievement across this country.  And if we cannot get parents passionate about education and collaboration, it will continue to be a challenge to instill the value of education to students.

Session III

With a background in deaf education, special education, and child and family studies it was especially exciting to read about mathematics teachers using issues of social injustice as group worthy task.  Prior to reading, it never occurred to use these concepts for math.  I never imagined I would teach mathematics. However, using these concepts I might be inclined to think about it a little more. Not only are these ideas presented and used in the classroom, the students are able to show their knowledge in a different way as well as relate and find significance in the math lessons.  

Logan suggests using routine math work continues to show the same students doing well and the same students doing poorly.  In contrast using correctly structured, defined, and explained group worthy task is a useful and vital tool in the classroom.  One reason I agree with using group worthy task is it allows students with disabilities or delays opportunities to provide contributions to class work and activities that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, while interpreting in general education classrooms for deaf and/or hard of hearing students, I witnessed students who normally excluded themselves from answering questions in a large group become involved in a variety of group experiments.  Often words for certain ideas are difficult to pronounce, spell, or talk about when answering questions.  Group work allows the student to physically show what he or she knows not only to their peers but to the teacher.  Furthermore, in a mainstream setting there is a term used by sign language interpreters, lag time.  A sign language interpreter must listen to the instructor, receive the information, process the information, and translate information to students.  Often by the time the information is passed to the deaf student, another student has responded and the teacher has moved on.  It may appear the deaf student is not understanding information or responding but it relates more to processing time than knowledge.  Thus having group work specifically designed for student diversity can offer a slower pace and time to think, analyze, process, and share ideas and information.  Using these kinds of task allow hearing students to recognizing the talents and abilities of their deaf peers.  Additionally, this concept of group worthy task goes beyond mathematics and begins to build skills required of students after high school such as building relationships with co-workers and learning to use collaboration skills which are necessary to improve social injustices in a real world setting.

Authors Eric Gutstein and Bob Peterson take group worthy task one step further using relevant social injustices for mathematics instruction.  I have read studies of teachers using culturally relevant social injustice issues in reading classes, but this is a first using it in mathematics.  What a tremendous way to introduce the concepts of math to students who otherwise might not be exposed to such pertinent issues.  In fact, I may have been more inclined to search deeper into mathematics had my instructors used social injustices to define the relevance.  As students of this generation deal with different and new struggles about the future, being able to use math to build student awareness of social injustices is tremendous.   Especially students in low socioeconomic environments, the ability to learn math and relate to their reality may instill a desire to increase knowledge which may later provide opportunities to improve their family’s situation and community survival.  

 Two examples of social injustice issues to use with students in mathematics especially with the increase of inclusive settings is special education and poverty.   But, with inclusion how do I make a general education math classroom socially aware of the injustice done to students with disabilities or families living in generational poverty.  I might not be able to change ideology, but I can certainly apply math concepts in groups that showcase social issues in a lighter, grade appropriate way.  I can show a student’s abilities and not their disabilities.  Consider working with students who have sensory loss, physical and cognitive challenges.  It occurred to me, math is used when reading and understanding , setting hearing aids, mapping cochlear implants.   Also, circumference, distance, radius, and diameter could be investigated using the wheels of someone’s wheelchair.  Inclusive settings can be frustrating for all students and teachers, but using a variety of resources not only helps to include students with disabilities it infuses the cohesiveness of a group.

 I should be able create classrooms sensitive to diversity of all kinds, even poverty. For instance, the math lesson provided by Leah McCoy does a superb job of using group task and social issues highlighting and explaining how to use poverty as the topic and a learning tool. I would like to see a lesson created after the teacher strike in Chicago ends using mathematical concepts to instruct and explain the consequences and necessity of strikes.  However, it is pertinent to understand and present a sensitive topic, such as poverty, without singling out students currently living in impoverished areas.  As well as being insensitive to students who have no concept of the term poor.  This requires preplanning and a strong sense of my students family settings. In addition to being sensitive to my students, as a teacher it is vital to see social injustice through the eyes of my students.  I must be able to change my social imagination or at least gain an understanding of diverse social issues in order to adequately instruct, lead, and choose group worthy task.  The lens in which I perceive the world may be sufficiently different than the lens in which my students see the world.   Task need to be relevant to student experiences, not my experiences.  For example, prior to entering education I knew poverty existed.  For me, poverty existed in places like India, Mexico, and Africa and not in my community or neighborhood.  Yet, some of my first experiences in education were with students who lived in abusive, addictive, and impoverished homes.  At first, it was overwhelming and I spent a great deal of time saddened by these situations.  Eventually, I came to realize my part in their lives.  Although, I could not change their immediate situations, my role was to help students complete a high school education and move into post secondary education settings or transition into a work environment which often had the potential to change the students future.   Using group assignments can be very important in helping students become aware of how their own life situations can be related to mathematics, reading, and science as well as providing awareness of ideas which help create a desire to make changes in our world.

Each of the assigned articles unites the importance of group worthy task and social injustice issues within our classrooms.  Students, whether impoverished or with a disability, can find ways of relating their life circumstances or situations to real life applications.  The real life applications and opportunities to collaborate more indepth about social issues and math are wonderful ways to encourage and build a cohesive setting which steps away from boundaries that society seems to continually put into place.  And, instill a love of learning for all students.

MathReally!

Welcome to my MathReally! blog.  I am excited to gain new insight for providing instruction to students.  Math truely is important to the world inwhich our students live, and I need to be able to create and instruct not only creative but meaningful lessons.