Mathematics Instruction for Elementary Teachers has been a class that I have learned more than I thought I ever would have. This class gave me the ability to look at what I was doing and how I was doing it, in different ways.
Standards
I have found throughout my years of teaching that the standards have given me a guide. I know where my students have come from and where I need to take them. I have always tried to tell parents who were not on board with our state common core standards, that they basically tell me what to teach, not how and to what extent to teach. The standards facilitate success in the classroom because, “it puts it back into the hands of teachers, who know what information is best for students and how best to deliver that information.” (Long, 2013) The standards give me a focus for everything from my lesson plans to my students learning goals. My students and I are held to a higher standard but with a more controlled number of things to be taught/learned. With the implementation of the standards I know where I need to get my students and that alone helps me improve my student’s academics in the math classroom. Just like Cindy Long says, “The Common Core allows educators to take ownership of the curriculum.” (Long, 2013)
Formative …show more content…
I believe that without things like exit slips, think-pair-share, and whiteboards I would have a hard time keeping my students engaged and me informed. Formative assessments not only give the teacher information about the lesson learned but allows students to hopefully understand what they are learning. I whole heartedly agree with Kathy Dyer when she says, “Formative assessment is a proven strategy for engaging students, eliciting evidence of student learning, and moving students forward to meet their learning targets and personal goals.” (Dyer, 2013) That is exactly what I envision for implementing formative assessment in my math