Edts 234 Journal 2

EDTS 234
Mentor Group
Liz Lobert
Journal #2 February 4, 2016

Retell
My first introduction to my mentor teacher and her methods of teaching was amazing.
She teaches two grade seven classes math and science on Tuesday mornings; it is the same
curriculum done twice in a row. Both classes were in the late stages of a unit on adding and
subtracting integers in math, and a project to design and build a thermos that will be effective in
keeping a hot liquid at a constant temperature.
The instruction on integers was done through a list of projects worth different amounts of
points. The students chose the projects they wanted to do and the point for those projects had to
add up to at least one hundred. For most students this would mean a total of at least four projects
of their choice. Fifteen minutes of class time was used to do a group activity called
Showdown. Word problems were presented via Google Classroom on Chromebooks to each
table. The students worked separately to answer the word problem and then looked at the work of
everyone else at the table. The table negotiated among themselves to figure out what the right
answer was.
MH used indirect teaching methods about eighty percent of the time. She did
direct teaching about twenty percent of the time. The largest amount of time was spent working
on projects that most of the students were really interested in. By using indirect methods, MH
made sure that the majority of the students learning was transactional, as the students worked
together to determine right answers, and transformative, as the students built their own
understanding of integers through the four projects they chose from their lists.
Reflect
My first day with MH was almost the opposite of my experience in my first practicum. It
was exciting to see students working, negotiating, and discussing the classwork. Some of the
students worked on their own, and some were in groups. There was structure in the form of
expected outcomes, but not in the ways learning happened.
My mentor teacher, MH, used several instructional intelligence strategies in her class. I
saw the students do Stand up, hand up, pair up, and Think, Pair, Share. The
EDTS 234
Mentor Group
Liz Lobert
Showdown activity was done instead of a worksheet to help the students apply what they have
been learning about adding and subtracting integers in real life situations. She also used the
group activity to promote her hidden curriculum; she is trying to teach her students good social
skills. MH moved between groups as they did their showdowns to assess for understanding. On
two occasions, she stopped the groups and went over the word problems she found most people
had problems with.
Assessment was ongoing as the teacher moved around the classroom and monitored the
work, as well as through the game she had them play. A summative assessment was planned in
the form of a quiz on integers at the end of the week, but the students also had the option of
taking the mark from their integer projects instead. So even in the type of assessment they
received the students had some control. They didnt have to work hard on their integer projects
because the mark from the projects would only come into play if it was better than their mark on
the quiz. But if the students didnt do the projects, then they didnt put the effort into learning
that would allow them to do well on the quiz. The students were completely responsible for their
own learning and they knew it.
If I were to base my assessment of the effectiveness of this type of teaching on the
activity happening in the classroom, I would say the students in both classes had really taken
ownership of their own learning. I am interested in how the students did overall on the quiz, as
well as how many students did much better on the quiz versus their projects, or vice versa. I
know the teacher, who has been teaching since 2003, is confident in her methods, but I would
like to see evidence that the methods translate into knowledge the students can communicate to
others.
Self-Analysis
I am both pragmatic and skeptical in my philosophical views. This means that I need the
evidence of my own eyes to fully believe that what I am being taught works, but if I can see that
some method does work, even if it is contrary to what I previously believed, I will adopt it.
My first practicum was in a classroom much like the one I sat in many years ago as a
student. It seemed to be effective without being much different from what I had experienced as a
EDTS 234
Mentor Group
Liz Lobert
child. This made me wary of the progressive views condemning the type of teaching I was
observing in my practicum.
I am excited that my current practicum is with a teacher who has embraced the methods
of constructivism and inquiry based learning because I can see what I have learned in theory
being played out in a real classroom with less than model students. For me, a theory is only as
good as the paper it is written on until I can see it in real life situations.
At this point I really have to consider: What are my driving goals as a teacher? My
mentor teacher felt that students need to learn social skills in order to find long term success so
she has purposefully included activities that will help achieve that goal in her students daily
schedule. If my goal is to help prepare students for the rigours of life after school I might
approach my lesson planning differently than if my goal is to help students stay in school until
they graduate. How can I best serve the students that are entrusted to my care? These are the
things that I need to consider as my teaching philosophy evolves with my increasing education
and experience in the classroom.

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EDTS 234

Journal #2 February 4, 2016

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