Professional Learning

Questions How may I continue my professional learning to support student learning in the classroom? Answer: What learning need would you address in your professional experience class? I have realized that the class I am teaching Math in is a mixed-ability class, as the students in my class differ from each other in terms of their skills, potential and power of understanding. While teaching my math lesson, I have realized that all the students were not capable of comprehending the lessons I was teaching. In addition, I have also realized that there are a group of students in my class for whom English is but a second language, and as such they encounter enough problem in retaining the mathematical concepts explained by me in English in my class (Burr et al., 2015). Support with evidence : I have faced a couple of ELL students, who have completely overlooked the fine line of demarcation existing between a Rhombus and a Parallelepiped. So, when I asked the class students to solve a problem, asking them to find out the area of a rhombus, some of the ELL speakers tried to solve the problem, by applying the formula of a Parallelepiped. So, I have realized that while teaching in my class, I should have stratified the whole class, based on their potentialities and those who lack in the comprehension power of the subject, should have received special attention from me. Significance (review relevant research/policy): Scaffolding, is a very important pre-requisite in the process of teaching. It is an indisputable fact that each student in the class has a different set of skills, abilities and potentialities, and hence the same teaching method for teaching all will never suffice. According to a research conducted by Mattews and Horne, not only do the various students in a class differ in their comprehension skills, but also in their listening skills (Radford et al., 2015). When a teacher is deliveruing lectures in a class, all the students are not necessarily listening to what the teacher is saying, although they are apparently hearing. This usually happens when the teacher is not being able to present his lectures in an interesting way. For this reason, scholars like Blair have suggested the use of visual literacy tools, whereby a teacher can employ a more interesting approach to the method of teaching, with the help of visual aids. The use of such devices assist in allowing the students to intera ct and participate in a more engaging way in the class. Blair has maintained that it often happens that the ELL students cannot completely comprehend the mathematical terms explaining the concepts in English, and they tend to get distracted (Smit et al., 2013). So, keeping this in mind, MIND Research Institute , has already collaborated with some international schools, to offer a wide range of interesting Math Flash games, by incorporating the use of ICT in the academic curriculum. It has often been found out that in teaching Math, teachers are often unable to demonstrate the exact way of defining and measuring an angle; in such situations, Robinsons Whats My Angle? is a brilliant digital aid, to explain the whole idea, as well as to keep the less responsive students of the class, participate more in the problem-solving method (Campbell et al., 2015). While the students who are not great achievers in the class, not only lack in merit in the present situation, but they also lack in motivation. Vygotsky maintains that while teaching mathematics to a novice, a teacher should remember that a student in order to be able to solve a mathematical problem, will require to connect the higher order scientific learning knowledge with the familiar, everyday concepts. Vygotsky claims that math should be introduced more as a fun subject, in a more innovative way. For example, a teacher may find difficult to explain Geometry to the ELL students, and hence may show a shoe box to the students, while explaining Geometry. He may ask the students to bend the shoebox like a rectangle, and then ask them to write what angle will they get. For this, they may refer to the book or the class notes, and if necessary may form groups and solve it, but must ensure that they independently work for it (Abdulwahed et al., 2012). While teaching in my class, I have realized that there are certain students who are not being able to grasp what I teach, and they find it difficult to get to the depth of the concepts. Although some of them are able to vaguely remember certain concepts, they are unable to have an in-depth knowledge of the lessons being taught. Keeping this in consideration, I have decided that I will make an inquiry into the needs of the weaker students, asking them personally where do they think my method of teaching is lacking, and I would be glad to take their suggestions (Hassard et al., 2013). Further, I am going to take more frequent help of audio-visual aids for teaching these students conceptually, rather than using the verbal method of teaching. I think I should adopt the method of Pre-teach vocabulary, whereby I , before initiating a chapter in class, shall pull out complex concepts and tough words from the lesson, and explain the meaning first. For example, before starting a chapter on Ge ometry, I shall primarily explain the meanings of words, such as area, Diagonal, Angle, Perimeter, Volume, etc. Further, each of the geometrical concepts should be demonstrated with the help of diagram, as well as visual representation through the use of digital media. Again, as part of the scaffolding technique, I will teach and explain a concept, and before proceeding to start a new concept, I shall ask the slow learners, to re-explain the idea, and to demonstrate the whole concept by solving a mathematical problem. Only when the students will be able to demonstrate the concept clearly, then only I should proceed on, as otherwise, they will be de motivated and perplexed, in their struggling efforts to learn a new topic, when the last one was not clear in the first place (Clark et al., 2015). Further, I should ask the students to explain familiar and related concepts on their own; for example, while teaching the concept of Average, I may ask one of them, to find out the average of the age of any of his three friends in the class. This will help the student, to gain a more comprehensive idea of what he is learning in class (Ellis , 2014). Reference List: Abdulwahed, M., Jaworski, B., Crawford, A. (2012). Innovative approaches to teaching mathematics in higher education: a review and critique. Burr, E., Haas, E., Ferriere, K. (2015). Identifying and Supporting English Learner Students with Learning Disabilities: Key Issues in the Literature and State Practice. REL 2015-086.Regional Educational Laboratory West. Campbell, C., Cameron, L. (2016). Scaffolding Learning Through the Use of Virtual Worlds.Learning in Virtual Worlds: Research and Applications. Clark-Wilson, A., Hoyles, C., Noss, R., Vahey, P., Roschelle, J. (2015). Scaling a technology-based innovation: windows on the evolution of mathematics teachers practices.ZDM,47(1), 79-92. Ellis, A. K. (2014).Research on educational innovations. Routledge. Hassard, J. and Dias, M., 2013.The art of teaching science: Inquiry and innovation in middle school and high school. Routledge. Radford, J., Bosanquet, P., Webster, R., Blatchford, P. (2015). Scaffolding learning for independence: Clarifying teacher and teaching assistant roles for children with special educational needs.Learning and Instruction,36, 1-10. Smit, J., AA van Eerde, H., Bakker, A. (2013). A conceptualisation of whole class scaffolding.British Educational Research Journal,39(5), 817-834.