Week 3

Welcome back to the Alge-blog! This week's class was eventful! We explored the grade 7 and 8 math curricula and their connections to the secondary curricula, went over the difference between learning goals and success criteria, and what they should look like, and had our first presentation, where we led a learning activity.

What stood out and what I learned

            At first, I didn’t think the grade 7 and 8 documents would be very relevant for me since I plan to teach secondary school. However, I quickly realized just how important they are. These years provide the foundations for secondary math courses, and if I am not familiar with the content students would have already learned, I risk reteaching content or jumping too far ahead and overwhelming students. 

By becoming familiar with the concepts covered in other grades I can:

• Make connections to content they already know and keep students engaged

• Set achievable and effective learning goals

• Support smooth transitions between courses

This session reminded me that it is important to look at the bigger picture, not only at the grades I am assigned. Understanding these connections will help to create seamless transitions for students between courses and keep them engaged with the material. I am now looking forward to continuing building my familiarity with the math curriculum in the grades leading up to mine and those that follow.

We also revisited the difference between learning goals and success criteria. This was something I encountered in a Child and Youth Studies class last year, but  it was an important reminder. Learning goals identify important skills and knowledge that the students should gain by the end of a lesson, while success criteria is what those achieving those goals actually looks like. As a teacher, understanding this distinction will help me to set attainable goals for students and determine ways to identify student success more effectively. 

My Experience Leading an Activity

This was also the week that my partner and I led a learning activity based on a specific expectation from the grade 11 college math course. We had the class work in pairs to create a floor plan under certain constraints such as room size, required furniture, and number of rooms. Going into it, we were nervous as we weren’t sure how it would go, however, once we got it started and saw the class collaborating and problem-solving, we were relieved by how well it turned out. This experience gives us insight into the realities of teaching. Sometimes, we may not know how an activity will play out in the classroom until we try it. Once we try it out, we will be able to determine what works, what doesn’t, and make any necessary changes to improve it. 

    

            My key takeaway is that teaching is an ongoing process. Sometimes you have to try something, reflect on the outcome, and then make adjustments. As we work on our lesson plan, we are going to make changes to align better with what we observed in the classroom to improve the activity further. 

            Overall, this week reinforced the importance of making connections in curriculum across several grades, distinguishing between learning goals and success criteria, and embracing the ongoing process of learning in teaching. Thank you for checking in for this week's Alge-blog!