Objectives

Read and Reflect
I teach algebra to special education students, many of whom function at well below grade levels mathematically. My purpose for setting objectives is to help prepare students for the lesson that day, help them to understand what topic, algorithm or concept they will be learning. Most students want to know 'what's on tap" or "what is expected of me today" so having clear objectives helps to alleviate some of the anxiety they feel coming into my classroom. Because so many of them struggle in math, there is quite a bit of repetition, even when stating the objectives for the day, to ensure understanding.

I usually hand out "bell ringers" a few problems that cover previous material that hopefully we will build upon in the current day's lesson. These hand-outs prepares the students not only to think mathematically but also for the lesson at hand as well as assist them in recalling previous learning.

One aspect of setting goals that I hope to implement this year is the use of K-W-L and having individual contracts. Hopefully this will encourage my students to become more active and engaged in their education.

Apply and Reflect

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2112482&

I chose to use an existing rubric because it contained categories and description I wanted for the assignment for students. As you can see from the title, this assignment involves designing a concept map on simplifying expressions. The students have been working on this concept for over a week and many are still struggling with the algorithm for simplifying expressions. I hope that doing this assignment will help them to internalize the learning and be enjoyable as well. The end product will be judged by other teachers based on how well they understood the map. Unfortunately, we are working behind schedule so at this time there are no finished products to display on this site at this time.