Math Matters

The Pre-Algebra class that I observe for uses the text Math Matters 2. The book is organized very well and gives clear examples for the students to follow for their homework. The book is easy to teach from, has a nice layout, and gives a good mix of homework problems ranging from easy to hard for the students to try. My personal experience with the book was teaching slope to the students; the book laid the lesson out in easy steps for me to teach and for the students to follow. My cooperating teacher really likes it and from what I can tell, I would recommend it to teachers also.

Not only is this book excellently outlined, but a computer program comes with it that can be projected onto the board. The program has every page that is in the students book. This allows my cooperating teacher to pull up the homework page really quick and the whole class can view it (good in case a student forgot their book). By using the Mobi, my cooperating teacher can do the problems really efficiently. It is so much easier to look up at the board, where the problems are being done, then to keep looking down at the book to see the problem. This computer program seems to work great for the students and the teacher. It is definitely a good addition to the book.

The School Enviornment

The building that I observe at is one huge building constructed for the elementary school, middle school, and high school. The arrangement of the building is set up fine; it's just two long hallways with classrooms on both sides for the high school part. I believe that my cooperating teacher does do student-centered teaching; he always pays attention to how much the students are learning and will take extra days to make sure they know the material if needed. The buildings windows are in weird places; they are way up high so the students cannot see out them. Administrators and teachers do greet students; my cooperating teacher always goes out in the hall during class changing times and talks to students. The outside appearance of the building is pretty normal; it's all brick, no landscaping, small windows, and weirdly shaped. The building is very clean; there are no papers in the hallway's, the floors are clean, and the desks are clean. The halls are extremely loud during class changing times; the kids are talking to each other and there is a lot of shuffling going on. My cooperating teacher usually greets his students when they walk in, if he does at all. There is definitely teacher-to-teacher interaction; my cooperating teacher is always talking to the teachers next door and I do as well. I have never seen any showcases or bulletin boards except for in the classrooms but it could just be my fault for not looking close enough. Overall it's a normal school with a normal set up.

A Different Type of Students

The students in the school that I observe are primarily all Caucasian, I actually have not seen one African American student or Asian student yet. The school is a mid sized rural farm school with lots of cornfields surrounding it. My cooperating teacher said that there is a separate location for the gifted students and even some of his students go to get help with testing, but not many students are bilingual (due to lack of diversity). The dress code is pretty normal: no flip flops, skirts/shorts two inches above the knee, or revealing tops (tank tops) but the dress code does not really seem to be enforced that much. Out of class language is absolutely horrible and it seems like the teachers just ignore it unless it gets said straight to their face. My cooperating teacher coaches jv boys basketball, so basketball, baseball, volleyball, swimming, track and field, and football are available for students to play; it seems like most students take advantage of the sports offered and choose to participate in them. The student handbook is similar to mine when I was in high school; there is a section about academic honesty, dress codes, a schedule of days off, an everyday class period schedule, and the grading scale, it's a very standard handbook. The school does have student recognition programs, it just had a banquet for the seniors and there is also an honors program award ceremony. Overall the students are different from what I'm used to but in other ways they are a lot like the kids I went to high school with.

Manuvering the Mobi

The Mobi is an excellent device for a math class. The Mobi can be hooked up to the teachers computer and then projected onto the screen for the whole class to see. The teacher can use the pen along with the program to draw triangles or numbers or even type text. It can do anything and it makes it very neat for the students to see. My cooperating teacher loves it because he can sit at his desk in his comfy chair and teach the whole lesson. This way he doesn't have to stand up at the board and get in the way of some students view. He also likes it because if he draws a really bad triangle the Mobi automatically makes it look nice with straight lines.

It's a lot to figure out and I know the first time he used it, he took up a lot of important class time to draw and label three triangles. Now that he has the hang of it, I can see how useful it is and the class also really seems to pay attention to it more. Now it takes less time to do a lesson instead of taking time to erase the board etc. You do not actually ever write on the Mobi, it just senses how you move the pen on the screen of the Mobi and then puts it on the computer so it's really funny to see him writing on it because his hand moves so fast and it makes no sense. The kids enjoy making fun of his bad writing and it makes math more fun to do. I would definitely consider using it in my classroom when I become a teacher, it is an amazing invention.

Not An Easy Day

So the day before spring break the class was taking a math test and I thought it was going to be a nice easy day. Boy was I ever wrong! My cooperating teacher caught this boy, whose about 16 years old, chewing tobacco while he was taking his test! I had no idea what was going on, I thought the kid might have gotten ill. I'm really proud of how my cooperating teacher handled the situation, he never got upset or yelled at the student in front of the class. He simply took the student out in the hall and when they were done talking he calmly walked in and acted like nothing happened. I only knew when the class left and he came back and told me that he caught the kid. I'm really not used to that kind of stuff happening, I'm from the city and hardly anyone chewed tobacco, especially at school. I do have to realize that this is a rural school because my cooperating teacher was not surprised like I was. I would have never caught it, I probably would have thought that the kid was chewing gum.

Cowboy Day?

It was very intersting the first of my observation. I walked in and all the students were wearing cowboy boots (some with spurs), cowboy hats, plaid shirts, and belt buckles. I understood that this was a rural farm school (I mean it's surrounded by a cornfield... really?) but I never thought that the students would dress like this. It was extremely weird for me because I went to a city school and there we would probably be suspended for spurs on our boots. I also went to a school in a very rich community so every girl had a coach purse and ugg boots, but here no one has anything like that, so it's an adjustment. My cooperating teacher saw me look at this kid like Why are you wearing boots with spurs on them??? So he finally explained to me that today was cowboy day but he assured me that the kids do not always dress this way. I was very relieved to know walk in the next day and see them all dressed normally. It was definitely a weird start to my student observation, my school would never have cowboy day, i can guarentee that only a handful of students (like 5 maybe) own a pair of cowboy boots. I do like it there though, the kids are a lot less snobby then at my high school and appreciate what they have.

The Classroom

The classroom that I observe is for Math, it is an average size I would say but has a lot of clutter in it. My cooperating teacher cannot even reach his window easily because of all the math books and calculator boxes lying around. The desks are arranged the only way possible because of the board and there is little walking room. The teacher's desk is overflowing with papers and is very unorganized. There is a projector that was put in just last year which is very nice for notes and homework review. In the back of the classroom where I sit is four computers for Math Lab, that's where kids can come in during their study and do homework with the teacher. On the walls is a bunch of sports stuff, he put up the Cavs, Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Cleveland Indians, etc... There are no Math bulletin boards or posters; there are also no rules anywhere. The classroom is the very last room on the left of the hallway on the second floor. It is very inconvenient for running to the copy room or teachers lounge or office, but is very convenient for the girls, because it is right across from the girls bathroom. All in all the classroom would be alright but it's definitely not anything special and could be improved a lot.