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Methods course documentation
Planning and implementing a new inquiry unit (D7.5)
Description of expectations for the design and monitoring of a new inquiry
unit
(From Implementation C -- Appendix to the course description for the
"Implementing Innovation in the Mathematics Classroom" course
that followed the Methods course and was concurrent with the secondary math
pre-service teachers' full time student teaching experience)
Guidelines for planning the "innovative unit"
- Each student will be expected to develop a written detailed plan for
an instructional unit (minimum duration: 1 week each) incorporating
the NCTM Standards on a topic of their choice;
- This plan should include: an overview and rationale for the unit; a
clear statement of the expected audience and instructional goals for the
unit; detailed "daily plans" (including all the instructional
materials needed to carry out the lesson, directions for tasks the students
are expected to do in class, homework assignments, etc.) for at least the
first day or so AND another sequence of at least 2 consecutive days;
- student teachers are encouraged to use this assignment to prepare the
"innovative unit" they are expected to teach as part of their
student teaching experience, although they are not required to do so;
- The following sequence of activities is recommended in order to successfully
plan an innovative unit:
- Choose the topic and scope of your unit. (NOTE: if you are teaching
and plan to use this unit for your study of a classroom implementation,
it is important that you first consider the whole curriculum you are expected
to teach during the semester, so as to determine what you can actually
implement in one of your classes BEFORE April 1.)
- Reread the sections of the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards
for School Mathematics (1989) that are relevant to the topic you have
chosen to focus on.
- Do some preliminary readings about relevant instructional ideas, materials
and experiences; (choose among the reading list made available by the instructor;
talk to the instructor for further suggestions)
- Articulate in more detail the audience to whom you want to teach the
unit, the time and curriculum constraints to be considered, and the goals
and scope of your unit.
- Plan a sequence of activities that would enable you to accomplish your
set goals (given the selected time frame and audience), taking advantage
as much as possible of the ideas collected in your readings. (This would
be a good time to present your preliminary ideas to the rest of the class
for feedback)
- Concretize this initial plan in a day-by-day plan, complete of homework
assignments and assessment tools, and all the materials necessary to conduct
the lesson (e.g: worksheets to guide student activity; overheads; kind
of manipulatives needed; etc.) at least for the first few days
- Prepare a first written draft of your plan, including: identification
at the beginning of your audience, goals and constraints; overview of the
unit; daily lesson plans and materials. (To be handed in to the instructor
for feedback before you implement the unit)
- Revise your written plan on the basis of the instructor's feed- back
and suggestions.
- the evaluation will be made on the basis of the final written plan,
looking mainly at the extent to which the unit goals and activities reflects
the NCTM Standards and would provides students with good learning opportunities
to accomplish the specific goals set forth -- but also taking into some
consideration the quality of the writing and the level of detail of the
planning
Guidelines for documenting and evaluating the implementation of an
"innovative" unit:
- This project will involve the following components:
- In consultation with the instructor, select the implementation of the
innovative unit that you are going to study (making sure that it could
be completed at least a week before the end of your student teaching experience)
-- this discussion is intended to ensure that the experience you are going
to study is indeed "innovative" at least in its plan and intentions;
- While the unit is implemented, collect a rich set of data about the
experience including:
- daily notes about what happened in class (if you are teaching, you
may need to use some form of recording in order to do this and make sure
you have some time as soon as possible after the class is over to sit down
and write about it);
- a copy of the students' written work;
- your daily reflections on what worked or didn't work, surprises, new
insights, etc.
- When the unit is over, review all the data collected and write a final
report including:
- initial goals and plans for the unit (if this is the same unit for
which you have prepared the written plan for the previous project, just
refer to that document);
- a daily account of what happened in class, including as much as possible
students' reactions to the activities, selected illustrative student work
and reflections;
- an analysis of what the students gained from the unit;
- a critique of the instructional design of the unit, including suggestions
about how it could be improved.
- up to 10 points will be assigned on the basis of the quality of
the documentation and analysis provided in the written report according
to the previous guidelines; up to 10 points will be assigned on the basis
of the quality of the presentation of this experience given in class.
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