My second teaching practicum is at Ridgemont High School. I will be part of the math department this year, and the courses I will teach are Grade 9 Math and ELD Math. The math teachers in Ridgemont uses the Thinking Classroom model. This model is inspired by Peter Liljedahl's Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics. He has suggested 14 teaching practices for enhancing mathematical thinking and learning in classrooms. As this is the model I am learning in the math methods course at UOttawa, I am excited to be part of this department to witness how the model is implemented in action.
First week of school is always an important week for students, especially for grade 9's. They are going to a new school and starting a high-school life. To try to ease some nervousness,
my Associate Teacher, Maja Villarroel, planned ice-breakers activities so everyone can get to know each other. We explained how the timetable works and the rules of the classroom so students know what to expect. They also filled in get-to-know-you worksheets so we can get a glimpse of their backgrounds and learning styles.
Growth Mindset
As math is a subject that many students are nervous about, Maja spent some time to help students recognize and identify their emotions about math. Developing socio-emotional learning skills is essential for a student's learning journey. One will often meet obstacles and challenges in this journey, and so learning to recognize these challenges, to be self-aware of the emotions that arises from these challenges, and to identify the resources and supports that aid perseverance in mathematical learning could aid in their future success. As a small activity, Maja asked students to write three emotions or feelings they have about math on a post-it note and stick them on the board. She then read the notes aloud so that students know they are not alone in what they are feeling and to ensure that it is alright to feel this way.
At another instance, Maja discussed about the "Growth Mindset" by showing a video of a person learning bike jumping. In the video, the person made many attempts before he finally succeed in jumping over a ramp. Students noticed how he slowly improved after each attempt, and he persevered even though he has fallen many times. This video and discussion allows students to understand that learning math is similar. We will often get errors when solving math problems, but growth comes in small steps. As long as students put in the effort and try, they can improve and eventually succeed. If they are stuck, there are always resources available.
*Class discussion on how to be successful in math and the resources available if students need help.
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