Jaime Murphy Furst

Chapter 6: Reflection and Self Evaluation

Overall I was happy to see the student progress over the course of the past few weeks and

while there were times that I was frustrated, thinking the students were struggling,I was greatly

satisfied when I found that all the students made improvement on the post assessmeat- There

were several concepts covered during unit but it was the questions that required critical thinking

that posed the most difficult for the majority of students.

Interpretation of Sludent Learniryg

I found thatZ particular questions posed the most diffrculty, those questions related to

Objective 2 (benchmarks) and Objective 5 (visually comparing items and connection to addition

and subtractiozJ. These 2 concepts reqwired mare time, more practice and canstsnt repetition.

Additionally, I had to come up with creative ways to get the students to see the concept and

make it their own. I started the unit discussing the concept of how units on a ruler sre the

spaces between the numbers. Once they were clear, lshowed the studeats that different units of

measure had different amounts of space between themie: centimeters are smaller units then

inches. While, the students were comfortable with this material and were able to apply it in a

basic way, the difficulty arose when the students had to make visual distinctions between the

units. Understanding the critical thinking application, I knew that this would be a struggle for

several students and was not surprised that the majority of students had difficulty with it.

Through several scaffolded lessons we practiced; but it wasn't until I incorporated a

lesson where the students measured several items around the room in two dffirent units of

measure, that the concept started ta talkhold. It was not easy; it was ftustrating at times. The

maioritv of studenls however overwhelminslv enioverl the inferacfive learnins exnerience I had

Jaime Murphy Furst

the students work in groups of 4 to measure and take notes of the length ofthe particular unit.

Some students were excited, some were disinterested and some didn't apply the concept

correctly (they did by the fourth workstation). By offering the students a mini-lesson, followed

by student exploration, the majority of students were able to take the abstract idea and make it

concrete-

I was disappointed by Gianna's results in the area of critical thinking, getting both

questions incorrect on the post-test as well as Clara, who showed very little growth between pre

and post test results. Both students were inconsistent throughout the entire unit. One day they

were raising their hand with the answer, the next day, they were unable to apply the concept to a

new problem. For example, with the lesson on measuring curves vs straight lines, both girls

were able to measure the lines, but even with repeated practice and repetition, they did rot

believe that the straight line was the shortest distance. Jabez, Arthur and Alexis also continue to

struggle with the critical thinking concept. I realized that while many of the other students did

get the correct answers on the test, there is a possibility that they may not be able to replicate it

in the future withaut continuous acposure to similqr questions to reinforce the concept.

Aaother thing I noticed was that the boys on average did much better overall than the

girls and that those with in-class support did better on average than the average student. I believe

the in-class support offers the sfudents more one on one time, which is advantageous when a

student is learning a new concept. This also poses that possibility that the in-class support is

leading certain sfudent to the correct ansvrer, but from what I have seen, that is not the case. I

learned to put the question back on the student to help themfind the answer. Moving forward, I

will be incorporating more critical thinking concepts throughout the rest of the unit, to keep the

students practicing with these new concepts. I think overall, this was a new way of thinking for

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the majority of them and found that during the lesson, more of the girls said, "Mrs. Furst this

doesn't make sense," after first reading the problem. Overall, the boys were more likely to try

the problem while the girls were more likely to question the accuracy of the question.

Insights on Effective Learning and Instruction

As mentioned earlier, I found this to be a rewarding experience because it taught me how

to work through the difficult days, when I felt that the concept was too hard. It also taught me

that as a teacher you need to keep track of all your student's learning abilities and modify your

lesson to meet each individual's needs. Learning is ongoing, and the process dffirs from

student to student.

Addressing the needs of the students at the same time was not easy but it was beneficial

to them and me as well! As I moved from student to student during the independent activity, I

would have to quickly adjust my strategy to help themfigure out how to salve the problem. I

think the idea of having the students explare to understand, using hand-on concrete objects was

very beneficial for the class overall. Once the students had a unit of reference to recall, they

were able to apply the concept; but it did take time and they are still working on it. Exit tickets

were very helpful in providing me with feedback that I needed about which students needed

more practice with a concept. Additionally, I learned a lot about student understanding by

collecting and reviewing the student's homework each day. You could see, who had help and

who tried it on their own and who was genuinely having difficulty.

Implications for Future Teaching

Moving forward, I will continue to keep the lesson structure in place, mini-lesson,

partner activity/exploration, class discussion, independent octivity as I found the process was

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I also found myself lopking at the youtube videos for ways to explain concepts, such as how to

explain measuring straight lines vs curyy lines and how to introduce the lessons about word

problems where you are asked to compare the difference. There is a lot of very good information

on the web, the ability to find it and tweak to meet your needs is key to success and I think that

in itself takes time, practice and a keen eye.

If I found that most of the students did a very poor job or showed very little growth

between the pre-assessment and the post-assessment, I would have to evaluate the material and

the student- I would staxt by thinking about what I know about my students;what have they

shown me in how they learn. Then I would look at the material artd see what I cauld do to make

it easierfor them to digest. Is there a fim game to incorporate, or is there a hand-on component

that could bring this lesson to life? I would build on what we practiced and reinforce through

active participation. The most important thing for me is to get the students to benefit from our

time in the classroom.

Overall, I found the TWS to be a challenging yet rewarding experience, something that

made me question myself and force myself to "think like a second grader." Going through the

experience, I learned that to be s teacher, I need to adjust myself and my lesson to meet the

students' needs. I learned that the teacher's role in dfficult but necessary and in mony ways

fuffilling. I also learned tltat some lessons tafu time for students to fully get it, but the kids are

smart and even when you think the lesson was lost, they surprise you.

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very effective. I will continue to use exit tickets, but I think that I will use them more

strategically throughout the lesson. During the unit, I was giving exit tickets every day even if

we were going to continue to work on the same concept the next day. Between the exit tickets

and the homework, it became a bit cumbersome. If I frnd that I have several students that are

struggling with a concept (Alexis, Giana, Clarq Jabez, Arthur, Amari, Bianca Kendrick), I will

bring the lesson back a few days later to reinforce. Every few days will incorporate an aspect

of the prior lesson. For example, if we are working on measurement word problems, I may

spend two days in a row to teach and explore. Then I will move on to another lesson or concept

for a day or two and then come back to the measuring word problems. I think, given the age and

cognitive development, reinforcement id key to making a connection to the lesson. Additionally,

I think the majority of students learn better by experiencing the lesson, rather than listening to

facts. They are young and have a lot of energy, the only way to make something stick in their

mind is to make it exciting for them andvisible and concrete.

Implications -for Prqfe s s ional Development

There were several times, during the unit, where I was a bit stumped about how to further

breakdown a simple concept. I found myself using the visual and explaining again...only louder

and slower!! From that point, I learned that the best way to address what they do not know is to

throw the question back at the student and help them work it tltrough as they talk to me. For

example: I would say, "Okay, tell me what you do know about a centimeter and a meter?" Then

I would guide them to answer their own question. It was not easy and I took advice from my

supervising teacher when she said- " Do less talking and let them just try and figure it out; they

need to play around with stufffor a bit before it takes hold. " It was very true. I relied on some

very good Common Core based material including the Georgia State Standards and EngageNY.