Discussion Post
o Of the five areas of math disabilities mentioned in this week's readings, which do you think would be the most challenging to teach and why? Identify and describe two strategies, specific to your choice, to help students who struggle in this area.
o With a technology-focused generation in the classroom, should we be teaching primarily using technology or is it better to teach math through pencil and paper? Support your argument with research.
o Through your field experiences in this program, what strategies have you observed that have hindered or helped students to generate meaningful questions that develop their mathematical thinking? How will these observations affect your future practice?
o Describe how to generate questions for students while addressing a variety of levels and capabilities of mathematical thinking in an inclusion setting. Explain your choices.
o "We must differentiate our mindset first and our lessons second." (Dweck, 2012).
What does this saying mean to you? In your own words, what is the difference between differentiation and tracking?
o Describe an experience where you have seen monitoring and adjusting of instruction that met the needs of students. What worked in this situation and how can you apply what was learned in future practice?
o In your field experiences for this course, what type and level of interventions have you observed with students who are struggling in mathematics? Why is it important to understand the tiers of intervention to help differentiate struggles associated with content, application, or delivery (for all content areas)?
o Describe a strategy that you could use if you were teaching a first grader, a third grader, and a sixth grader about geometric shapes/concepts. Explain why differentiation is important in this instance. In addition, describe a strategy that you could use if were teaching, or reinforcing, geometric concepts at the high school level (grades 9-12).
o In Leviticus 27:12 (New Living Translation) it says, "He will assess its value, and his assessment will be final, whether high or low." Should a single assessment ever be a final measure of a student's abilities? Why or why not?
o How can you collaborate with colleagues and families to make academic decisions for individuals with exceptionalities? How can you provide feedback and engage individuals with exceptionalities in working toward quality learning and performance?
o What resources and criteria might you use to locate and evaluate the usefulness and appropriateness of a math-related technology resource in a classroom? Include any helpful resources.
o Research suggests that computer-based mathematics programs, in addition to direct teacher instruction, lead to higher success rates for students in their math classes. What are your thoughts about the use of computer-based math programs and how they should be incorporated into the classroom to support teaching?
Homeworks:
Part I: Operations and Algebraic Lesson Plan
It is important for all students, especially students with disabilities, to be exposed to content-based lessons that promote critical thinking and problem solving. There are many areas that a student may struggle in when it comes to mastering complex mathematical tasks. For this reason, it is imperative that teachers are equipped with various instructional strategies for handling these situations.
Part A: Operation and Algebraic Thinking Lesson Plan
Using the "COE Lesson Plan Template," design a lesson for the 1-5 grade level of your choice and a corresponding Arizona or other state math standard within the Operation and Algebraic Thinking domain.
Locate four lesson plans that focus on your chosen grade level and math standard from four different websites to review.
Using the lesson plans as resources, design a new operation and algebraic thinking lesson plan that encourages critical thinking. The lesson plan must include differentiated strategies for students who struggle with perception and attention as well as differentiation strategies for students who struggle with memory and retrieval.
Part B: Instructional Strategies Rationale
In 250-500 words, reflect upon your instructional choices and rationalize the appropriateness of each strategy related to the specified student needs and learning target. Describe how each strategy encourages critical thinking specific to your lesson.
Support your choices with this topic's readings and a minimum of two scholarly resources. In addition, cite the websites you used as references to develop your lesson plan.
Part II: Drafting Essential Questions
When students are learning mathematical operations and skills, the concepts and skills will build upon each other. It is important for teachers to plan meaningful learning progressions in their lessons to help with this learning process. Higher-order questioning within a lesson plan can help ensure skill mastery before the next learning concept is introduced.
Part A: Partial Lesson Plan
Select a 1-5 grade level and a corresponding Arizona College and Career Ready Standard or other state standard based on the Number and Operations in Base Ten domain.
Using the "COE Lesson Plan Template," complete the lesson plan through the Multiple Means of Engagement section, making sure the activities are supported by the recommendations found in the topic Resources.
Include appropriate support and guidance to help students learn related academic language.
Part B: DOK Essential Questions
Upon completion of the partial lesson plan, draft 20 essential questions to guide meaningful learning progressions and foster problem-solving for students with disabilities, using the "DOK Questions Template." Five of the questions should activate prior knowledge and the remaining 15 questions should be based on the progression of the lesson activity, probing the four Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels.
Using four of the questions you drafted, one from each DOK level, identify the following using the DOK Questions Table within the "DOK Questions Template":
o Examples of student responses
o Rationale of why chosen question meets DOK level
Part III: Differentiating Math Activities
Lesson planning is not just about planning what you want your students to know, but also planning for possible situations that might arise and solutions that can be used. Using academic and behavioral data, a teacher must plan for what each child is going to need to help them access the curriculum as well as any individual accommodations that will be needed. The time spent on planning helps to ensure successful delivery of the lesson.
Select a 3-5 grade level and a corresponding Arizona or other state standard based on the Number and Operations-Fractions domain.
Compose an aligning learning objective and design appropriate activities for a selected group of 3-4 students, of varying academic levels, from the "Class Profile."
Using the "COE Lesson Plan Template," complete the lesson plan through the Multiple Means of Engagement section, making sure the activities are supported by the recommendations found in the topic Resources.
For your differentiated activities, specifically address:
o Fraction tasks, including area, length, and set/quantity models; or
o Equivalent fractions. In the Multiple Means of Engagement section, draft five questions you could ask students during the lesson that promote conceptual understanding related to fractions.
o In the Multiple Means of Representation section, describe five potential issues and/or roadblocks that might happen while delivering the lesson, based on the needs of the selected group of students. Provide possible solutions to each potential issue.
Part IV: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices
There are various methods and tools that can be used to improve the accessibility of curriculum for students with disabilities. Augmentative and alternative communication devices as well as other assistive technologies are often used for this purpose. It is important for teachers to understand the options that are available, and that they advocate for students to be provided with the best possible tools to assist them.
Part A: Measurement Data Lesson Plan
Select a 1-5 grade level, a corresponding Arizona or other state standard based on the Measurement and Data domain, and a group of 3-4 students from the "Class Profile" who would benefit from the use of augmentative and/or alternative communication devices or other forms of assistive technology.
With your identified learning target and small group in mind, complete a lesson plan, using the "COE Lesson Plan Template," that specifies applicable assistive technology and includes differentiated activities to facilitate students making measurement comparisons, and
o Using models of measuring units; or
o Using measuring instruments; or
o Representing and interpreting the data.
Part B: Communication Device Rationale
In addition to your completed lesson plan, justify your augmentative and/or alternative communication devices or other forms of assistive technology choices in a 250-500 word rationale.
Support your choices with 2-3 scholarly resources.
Prepare this homework according to the APA guidelines found in the Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
Part V: Benchmark - Algebra Unit Plan
Because lessons do not stop when a student leaves the classroom, purposeful collaboration with other teachers, staff, and families can help reinforce and expand the student's knowledge and skills. Whenever possible, teachers should try to engage families in ways that encourage them to have their child practice the math skills at home. Having both the teacher and parents/guardians on the same page helps to support the student.
Read the case study to inform the homework.
Case Study: Fiona
Grade: 9th
Age: 14
It is the beginning of the second semester, and Fiona is having a great deal of difficulty in her mainstream algebra class. Prior to this year, she was receiving instruction in the resource setting. At her eighth grade transition IEP meeting, her parents expressed their wishes that Fiona be in the mainstream algebra class, despite her special education teacher explaining that low reading comprehension negatively affects the understanding of math concepts. Fiona understands basic concepts of algebra but has not mastered the skills needed to move to the higher-level concepts her class is now working on. Currently, her math performance has been measured two years below grade level and her reading performance one year below grade level. Fiona's general education math teacher has spoken with her parents about the possible need for additional support, and her parents have agreed to help at home, as they do not want her being pulled out for resource at this time.
The following goals have been identified by the special education teacher collaborating with the general education math teacher for Fiona:
o Simplify addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations [e.g., (2x + 6) + (4x + 7) = 6x + 13].
o Solve expressions with variables (e.g., 3x = -24).
o Write and solve the algebraic equation in a real-life word problem.
Part A: Strategies
As the special education teacher, select two researched-based instructional strategies that could be used to help Fiona meet her identified goals.
Instructional strategies should include:
o Explicitly teaching related vocabulary
o The use of the concrete-representational-abstract strategies
o Graphic organizers
o Mnemonic devices
o The use of assistive technology
In 250-500 words, summarize the recommended instructional strategies, rationalizing their appropriateness for Fiona's goals and ability to help motivate Fiona to meet her goals. Include specific tips for implementation.
Part B: 3 Day Unit Plan
Design a comprehensive mathematics unit plan based on the goals identified for Fiona. Outline three sequenced lesson plans, using the "3 Day Unit Plan Template."
Your unit plan must include:
o Appropriate augmentative and alternative communication systems and assistive technology to make the lesson content more accessible.
o Integration of both formative and summative assessments to demonstrate mastery and support the generalization of learning for the student.
o Integration of an appropriate ELA writing standard related to Fiona's third identified goal.
Part C: Home Connection
In 250-500 words, explain how you plan to involve Fiona's parents in meeting her goals. Include a specific at-home activity to help in her continued success.
Support your choices in Parts 1 and 3 with 1-2 scholarly resources.
Part VI: Technology to Support Math Instruction
In special education, the use of technology is a necessity in every classroom. Such technology can take the form of digital resources (high tech) or other non-digital tools (low-tech). Teachers must take the time to be comfortable with the use of both types of technology in their lessons and instruction. While it does not replace quality instruction from the teacher, technology can enhance concepts and make the curriculum more accessible for the students.
Select either an elementary or secondary school context and create an 8-10 slide digital professional development presentation for school staff about high tech and low-tech tools that can be used to enhance math instruction and assessments for students with disabilities. Technology tools should also be useful when teaching Arizona or another state's standards from the Geometry domain and can include apps, videos, websites, etc. The technology selected should be developmentally appropriate for the school level selected..
The presentation should include the following:
o A detailed description of each technology tool
o An explanation of how each technology tool is useful for teaching to the geometry standards with specific examples
o An explanation of how each technology tool can be used to differentiate instruction and assessments for students with disabilities
o Presenter's notes, title slide, and reference slide
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
o The answer should be typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
o The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
o Also include a reference page. The Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.