Louzon_Week 2

From the Lester article I was really surprised to see math as being taught through a conversation. Not only did she just give them problems, she also asked them if they felt “comfortable” with the answers that some of their classmates gave. She asked them why/why not they did/didn’t feel comfortable with the answers given by other students. I think that this type of math really allows for a deeper level of thinking. What surprised me was the way she got the students engaged and comfortable with talking about math. I have never experienced a “math discussion.” When I think about math and my past math classes, I think of worksheets and story problems full of math problems, not math discussions. On page 17 in the Rosebery, etc. reading they talk about the importance of knowing your students and their families. Students learn a lot better when they are able to build off of prior knowledge. Along with this, students learn best when they are interested in the lesson. Therefore, the best way to allow students to learn to their full potential is to get to know students and their interests. In the Allsopp, etc. article I was really surprised to find out that it was a misconception that students with attention deficit disorder do not focus on anything. Instead, the students focus on everything that trouble their senses. After reading this, I realized that I have seen this going on in my placement. Whenever there is anything on the desk, a student with an attention deficit disorder is always pre occupied. For example, he will stack the markers or bang the markers against the desk. The only time that he pays attention is if he has everything cleared off his desk. Even though he has an easier time paying attention with everything off his desk, he still does things such as rocking his chair back and fourth or tapping his foot.