Geometry: How to find the area of a parallelogram
Standard:
Goal: My goal for this topic was to identify misconceptions when finding the are of a given parallelogram. Additionally, I want to make a point during my mini lesson and guided practice to share and use a helpful list of 'Steps for Understanding.' Hopefully these strategies will accommodate more students and will allow for more independent thinking, especially when a student is stuck on a question. The 'Steps for Understanding' will be the first resources students will (with lots of practice and redirection) go to if they're confused on how to start a question or if they're in the middle of solving one.
The following are a couple problems from the lesson packet related to this standard, beginning with finding the area of a parallelogram.
Additionally, I've provided the incomplete template (below) that my students will receive to be completed during the Mini Lesson/Guided Practice.
I've additionally added my answer key which includes the misconceptions to keep in mind and address while going over this problem, in addition to the 'Steps for Understanding' filled in.
Reflection:
For this weeks Personal Learning Path, I decided to focus on ways to aid students during the problem solving process. I've focused on thinking of misconceptions students may have and to address them during the mini lesson/guided practice. I understand that when a teacher lectures for a while, (and my classes are 90 minutes long so lesson can be pretty long) students tend to lose the strategies or step by step process of problem solving. Identifying and addressing misconceptions alleviates that burden on students. Additionally, creating a step by step process (Steps for Understanding) alleviates the burden of over repetition of a lecture and excessive dependency on the teacher. This lesson is a great example of how I get my students to work more independently and practice their critical thinking skills. Additionally, I'd like to incorporate a section for misconceptions and Steps for Understanding in more of my lessons/answer keys.
Goal: My goal for this topic was to identify misconceptions when finding the are of a given parallelogram. Additionally, I want to make a point during my mini lesson and guided practice to share and use a helpful list of 'Steps for Understanding.' Hopefully these strategies will accommodate more students and will allow for more independent thinking, especially when a student is stuck on a question. The 'Steps for Understanding' will be the first resources students will (with lots of practice and redirection) go to if they're confused on how to start a question or if they're in the middle of solving one.
The following are a couple problems from the lesson packet related to this standard, beginning with finding the area of a parallelogram.
I've additionally added my answer key which includes the misconceptions to keep in mind and address while going over this problem, in addition to the 'Steps for Understanding' filled in.
Reflection:
For this weeks Personal Learning Path, I decided to focus on ways to aid students during the problem solving process. I've focused on thinking of misconceptions students may have and to address them during the mini lesson/guided practice. I understand that when a teacher lectures for a while, (and my classes are 90 minutes long so lesson can be pretty long) students tend to lose the strategies or step by step process of problem solving. Identifying and addressing misconceptions alleviates that burden on students. Additionally, creating a step by step process (Steps for Understanding) alleviates the burden of over repetition of a lecture and excessive dependency on the teacher. This lesson is a great example of how I get my students to work more independently and practice their critical thinking skills. Additionally, I'd like to incorporate a section for misconceptions and Steps for Understanding in more of my lessons/answer keys.
Hi Eleanor!
ReplyDeleteI think your goal for creating a resource that students can continually utilize and reflect upon is a great idea. You were correct in assuming that they will need a lot of practice in taking the extra step to find this resource when they are stumped. I’ve found that rather than utilize the resource, students will instead find a student who knows, or ask the teacher. It takes discipline for us, as the teacher, to continually point them back to the resource they created! Nurturing their independence is a crucially development point for our students in high school. Good ideas!