EDCP 342A Micro-teaching lesson plan

EDCP 342 Microteaching Lesson Plan

Course: Apprenticeship and Workplace 11	Subject: Geometry	Date: Wednesday November 1, 2017	Duration: 15 minutes
Lesson Overview	Students will learn about the different views of 3-D objects: side view, top view and front view. Students will translate the various views into 2-D nets, which can represent 3-D objects. Students will be able to transform these 2-D nets into physical 3-D objects, which distinguish different faces. Students will explore more complicated 3-D objects and their different views.
Class Profile	7-9 adults who could speak English at university academic level.
Big Idea(s)	Modeling and drawing 3-D objects and their views.

Curriculum Competencies and Content

Draw a 2-D representation of a given 3-D object. Draw, using isometric dot paper, a given 3-D object. Draw to scale top, front and side views of a given 3-D object. Construct a model of a 3-D object, given the top, front and side views. Draw a 3-D object, given the top, front and side views. Determine if given views of a 3-D object represent a given object, and explain the reasoning. Identify the point of perspective of a given one-point perspective drawing of a 3-D object. Draw a one-point perspective view of a given 3-D object.

Materials, Equipment and Resources Needed for this Lesson

Powerpoint on different views of 3-D objects Laptop, cords, projector Matching nets and 3-D objects flashcard game Handout of pre-cut nets Tape Coloured blocks and tiles

	Lesson Stages	Learning Activities	Assessment	Time Allotted
1.	Top View, Side View, Front View	Explain why we need different views of a 3D object and introduce the top, side and front views.	Ask students to describe the 3 views of a simple 3D object.	2 minutes
2.	2-D Nets to Drawn Images of 3-D Objects	Students will understand that the top view, side view, front view model translates to a 2-D net. Then students will take nets and try to match them with their corresponding 3-D shapes in a flashcard game.	Students play a game to see if they can match images of nets and 3-D objects.	5 minutes
3.	Nets and Building 3-D Objects	Explaining how we could “fold” the net into 3-D objects and how face could connect. A net of cube will be handed out for students to try on their own. We also do a small activity to build a small dice (and there are different number of dots on each face).	Ask students to try with the net and see the procedure of building a dice.	5 minutes
4.	Complicated 3-D Objects and their Corresponding Views	Describe a complicated object using the top, side and front views.	Give a complicated 3D object and ask students to describe the 3 views using colourful tiles.	3 minutes

Leo’s PowerPoint:

This is the slide for the last activity:

Ashley T.’s flashcard game:

Ashley W.’s net of cubes.

(Students can choose the net they want - and they all make up a cube).

Math that matters - social justice and math curriculum

I think mathematics can be connected with social/environmental justice. The author tries to connect mathematics with the society and environment. We can relate mathematics to daily examples so that students understand how mathematics can be applied to their lives, helping them solve many problems. Social justice can be introduced in word problems but I think the focus of mathematics should be the mathematical knowledge and skills. Generally, I think the mathematical analysis of data is most suitable for society/environmental justice. Students can understand more clearly about the social situations with the support of the mathematical analysis.   

Reflection on my math/art project

In the project of Distorted Dimensions, I realized how mathematics can be integrated into art. We put the normal and distorted images of a 2D shape together to create a unique 3D image. This image transformation arouses my interest of creating more diverse 3D images using some simple 2D shapes. I can apply the idea of this project to motivate students to learn the mathematical concepts of 2D and 3D shapes. They would figure out mathematics is not only related to numbers, but also the source of creating beautiful and amazing art. 

Reflection on micro teaching

If I were to teach this lesson again, I would still use the song because my audiences were interested in listening to the song and this could arouse their interests in learning, but I would change the way I play the song since the song is a bit too fast in saying the numbers in Cantonese. I would divide the song into 4 or 5 parts so that the audiences can listen to the song more clearly.

Micro teaching

Lesson title: Counting in Cantonese

Objective	Teacher Activity	Student Activity	Materials	Time (mins)
To “hook” students to learn counting in Cantonese.	Play a Cantonese song about numbers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPLtoCZBxys)			1
To pronounce 1 to 10 in Cantonese.	Use index cards to teach how to say 1 to 10 in Cantonese.	Follow the instructions to pronounce 1 to 10.	Index cards	5
To give students time to practice.		Practice how to pronounce the numbers.		2
To assess the student learning.	Ask students to say certain numbers in Cantonese.	Pronounce the numbers accordingly.		2

Battleground Schools

When I was reading the article, I was first astonished that before 1910, many mathematics teachers did not have strong background knowledge of mathematics and mathematics teaching, and math phobia with the lack of understanding of mathematics concepts was endemic among many elementary school teachers in North America. Also there was a presumption that mathematics was hard, cold, distant and inhuman. I can't believe these negative images about mathematics could be seen in North America as US and Canada are always viewed as technologically advanced countries whose people should have a decent background of science and mathematics.

Then when I read about the New Math Initiative, I was glad to see that the university mathematicians were involved in improving mathematics education at the K-12 level. I always have a thought that mathematicians mostly focus on their research of some abstract concepts which most people do not understand. However, in this initiative, they would help students, including those in kindergartens and elementary schools, learn mathematics and this action considerably change my perception of mathematicians who are the scholars of the ivory tower.

Lastly, when I found that California state tried to instill in students an appreciation for the power and beauty of mathematics, not just the fluency in calculation, I thought this idea was beneficial not only to students, but also to society. Mathematics is an important component of many scientific subjects like chemistry, physics and computer science. If mathematics is not appreciated by students who would be the future pillars of society, the development of science and technology in society will be hindered.     

Eisner's Three Curricula

When I read the article, I was first stopped by the reward system. I understand rewards are used to extrinsically motivate students to achieve certain goals which they may not know those are important to them. This is an effective strategy for young students but it should not be a long-term method to motivate students. As schools are the place where kids and teenagers spend most of the time there, schools should find a way to intrinsically motivate students to do what they are interested.

Then I was stopped by the differentiation of classes into ability groups. I think schools employ this system because they want to motivate students to get good grades. However, I do not like this system because it would make some students feel superior whereas some feel they are dumber than the others. This differentiation would make some students have low self-confidence, discouraging them to learn.
Regarding the null curriculum, I agree with the author that schools should not be restricted by the traditional views of teaching. Schools should offer some courses or subjects that are not popular in traditional education but practical/important to students when they are working in society. If students can have opportunities to try these nontraditional courses, they may discover their potential to pursue their dreams. 

After checking the new BC curriculum, I found that besides the traditional education about language, mathematics and science, it emphasized the hands-on experience in collaboration, critical thinking and communication, which are the important skills for students to succeed in their future. It is also aimed at the personalized learning of students and this is quite connected with the Eisner's ideas about education with the three curricula. 

My TPI

After checking my TPI, I think the results quite agree with my teaching style. My two lowest scores are transmission and social reform. I also think I am not a good memorable presenter and I do not make use of the class time very well. I quite often cannot completely present all the materials that I plan for the classes. I am also weak at raising student's awareness of society since I am not good at social science. Actually I do not have an effective way to integrate the social issues into my teachable subjects.

My highest score is apprenticeship. I also believe I am good at understanding the capabilities of my students and I will customize my teaching method to fit their needs. In general, the TPI can show my current weaknesses and strength of my teaching.