Portfolio Page:Victoria Keller
I am an AIS Math Teacher.
My Design Project will be Word Problems in Mathematics:Teaching/Student Strategies to Comprehend Word Problems.
Many students have difficulty with solving mathematical word problems. Students may have difficultly with reading comprehension or have trouble understanding the mathematical concept. As teachers we want to gather strategies to expand the student's understanding of word problems and use the math they have learned to solve the problem. Currently, mathematics has become abstract. Students are being asked to apply their understanding by utilizing their intellectual skills. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has issued the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. The goals of these principles explore meaning engagement in mathematics; problem solving and reasoning; communication and connections (Hammond, 123).
Research relating to student critical thinking skills and their ability to gain new learning have helped in understanding the root to this difficulty and how we can assist students through problem solving. Various teaching strategies have been implemented to assist students in working through the problem independently.
Needs Assessment
1. Instructional Problem
In today's Mathematics curriculum students are being assessed in applying math concepts in real world situation. Therefore, students are to solve word problems related to math notions. My project will convey how students and teachers can engage in word problems.
2. The Nature of What is to be Learned
Students will become acquainted with various studies related to problem solving. Students will learn various teaching and student strategies to assist them in solving word problems.
3. About the Learner
The students participating in this course are elementar teachers or math teachers, primarily acquainted with children from kindergarten to 8th grade. Learners will have experience with teaching studnets mathematics. Learners will be comfortable sharing their experiences and thoughts. Students must currently in a classroom environment.
4. Instructional Content
Students will begin with an overview of the issue pertaining to word problems in the classroom. Students will share their prior knowledge and experiences of their experiences with this topic. In Unit 1 students will learn about teaching strategies. Information will be communicated through professional articles and videos. Students will develop the motivation and objectives in a problem solving lesson they will create by the end of this course. In Unit 2 students will learn about student strategies. Students will be be given various resources related to solving word problems. Teachers will utilize these strategies in their lesson to create the procedures and evaluation. As an evaluation students will complete their problem solving lesson and write a reflection on their observations during the lesson. Students will then complete a survey related to the course to share their thoughts on the course and provide suggestions.
Learner Objectives
After completing this course, the learner will be able to:
1. utilize teaching strategies to create a motivation and learning objective for a problem solving lesson.
2. differentiate various student strategies to create effective activities and evaluation
3. assemble a problem solving lesson by utilizing strategies they learned in the course.
Prerequisites
Student taking this mini-course should have previously been acquainted with:
- teaching mathematics and problem solving.
- creating lessons for children.
- analyzing references in order to utilize strategies in their lesson.