Thinking Through a Lesson
TTL 1 & 2: Due Week 3 by start of class...............10 points
TTL 3: Due Week 4 by start of class...............10 points
TTL 4: Due Week 5 by start of class...............10 points
TTL 5: Due Week 5 by end of class...............10 points
TTL Group Reflection: Due Week 5 by end of class..................5 points
An important part of teaching mathematics is understanding what is involved in the various stages of a problem-based, student-centered mathematics lesson. You will work with a group throughout the 5 weeks to prepare for these various stages and design a problem-based lesson plan that centers and builds on student thinking. You will think through all the parts of a lesson in explicit detail that normally isn't included in a "lesson plan." By making your thinking about how to prepare a lesson explicit, I will be able to provide you better feedback to guide your learning to teach mathematics.
You will follow the guidelines for lesson planning outlined in the 5 practices text and use the LAUNCH-EXPLORE-SUMMARIZE format for the lesson.
TTL 1: Select a high cognitive demand math task – Cognitively demanding tasks encourage multiple solution paths and allow students to draw on various strengths to solve problems. These tasks are at the center of problem-based lessons because they allow you to build on student thinking throughout the lesson.
TTL 2: Articulate learning goals – Articulating learning goals requires you to identify the mathematical thinking you want students to engage in, beyond what students will be doing. Beyond getting to an answer, you will consider the mathematical ideas that students will learn more deeply as a result of working on the task.
TTL 3: Plan for lesson launch – In this stage of the lesson, you will present the task to the whole class, help students understand the mathematical context and the problem posed to them, and clarify goals and expectations. To plan for this section of the lesson you will prepare to introduce the task without diminishing the cognitive demand.
TTL 4: Plan for lesson explore – In this stage of the lesson, students work (often in small groups or pairs) to solve the task, shifting the onus of the mathematical work from the teacher to the students. The teacher’s role is to encourage students to “get messy” with the math and support them to persevere in problem solving. To plan for this section of the lesson you will anticipate student solutions or solution strategies for the task.
TTL 5: Plan for lesson summary – This stage of the lesson is where the main teaching occurs. You will bring the whole class back together to follow up on students’ exploration and make mathematical connections towards your learning goal. To plan for this section of the lesson you will anticipate which solutions or strategies you'll select and how your sequence and connect them.
TTL Group Reflection – We often think of teaching (and reflection) as an individual activity, but collaboration is the key to successfully doing this job and continuing to learn from teaching. Thus, your lesson plan partners will provide a peer reflection of how you collaborated as you worked on the lesson plan assignment.
Learning Standard 1: Demonstrate knowledge of mathematics concepts and practices.
Learning Standard 2: Demonstrate pedagogical knowledge and practices for planning and implementing student-centered, problem-based mathematics lessons.
©Frances K. Harper, 2019