The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
We believe strongly that all teachers must have extensive breadth and depth of the content area they are teaching. The task of each teacher is to connect that content in meaningful ways to the lives and experiences of each student.
From the first contact with prospective M.A.T. candidates in both SIMAT and FLEXMAT, content area coursework and previous experiences are carefully evaluated. At the secondary level, the transcript and experience assessment focuses on the specific content area (English, mathematics, science and social studies) in which the candidate will be certified. Early childhood and elementary certification requires a strong foundation in the liberal arts. If necessary, the advisor and the candidate develop a supplemental program plan to strengthen content knowledge. All supplemental content courses must be completed prior to beginning the internship. During the internship, the mentor/supervising teachers, instructors, university supervisors and coordinators monitor the intern's ability to make content meaningful to students.
(A)
In this lesson, the students were fully engaged because they were stimulated
and excited about the use of the Beanie Babies in the lesson. I realized that
the students were still at the concrete level of understanding and using Beanie
Babies as a manipulative would stimulate their curiosity about solving math
problems. The students can make a connection because they could see and use the
Beanie Babies to solve the word problems given to them. I wanted the students
to capture some key ideas for solving the problems. (B) I allowed students to
ask questions and manipulate the Beanie Babies any way they wanted to solve the
problem. I wanted the students to ask questions so I could evaluate their
understanding. The students can create meaning because they were solving the
subtraction problems using something with which they were familiar. -Glenn
Hayes
The significance of including this writing prompt/collage is to show how I provided the students in my Sixth Level Reading Group an opportunity to Write for Personal Expression and to compare a situation in their life to the challenges Jim Abbott met through his childhood. The students that comprised the group were able to learn about a real life challenge, compare the situation to themselves, and express their personalities via a "Real Me" collage.
-Susan
Schisler
In concluding a math lesson on symmetry I sought to have students realize the everyday application of this concept. I created a journal prompt that asked the students to identify an occupation and explain how symmetry could be used by this profession. A. The task added meaning to an abstract concept as students considered how they have seen symmetry used or hypothesized on potential uses. B. The assignment also provided an interdisciplinary learning opportunity for the class. Students had to combine knowledge of a math concept and writing skills to express their ideas in the journal entry. -Bill Selak
I-4 Introduction to Calculus – Transparencies
I believe that learning the historical perspective of a mathematical topic often makes it more interesting as well as easier to understand and remember. When I taught sequences, I began the lesson with a sequence associated with an anecdote about the famous mathematician, Carl Gauss. During the lesson, I was surprised to realize that the students were not familiar with another very common sequence, the Fibonacci sequence. So, I prepared the Fibonacci transparencies for day two of the lesson. Using stories and the historical perspective are ways that I can build connections in mathematics. -Maureen Honeychuck
I-5 Mysterious Matter – Science – Curriculum Guide, Student Work,
Observation Sheet, Internet Material
In order to prepare for the science unit on mysterious powder, I reread my college textbook to understand the basic concept of matter and read the county curriculum guide. Also, I surfed the Internet to gain information on the chemical and physical changes of matter. Even though such changes were not addressed in the curriculum guide, I believed that they were essential concepts in the exploration of matter (Science Outcomes) and could be meaningful to my students. Students used microscopes and electronic scales to make predictions, and recorded their observations about mysterious powders. Because of my knowledge of the content, I led the discussion to higher levels of thinking. For the lesson on the interaction with iodine, we experimented not only with several powders, but also with fruits, vegetables, and food, which led to a discussion of nutrients, mainly starch. I wanted to connect the lesson to the real world. The following day, students brought empty boxes and bags of food from home that had the ingredient of starch. Throughout this unit, the students actively explored hands-on materials, made observations, and attempted to find answers to questions, constructing their own understanding of the concept. -June Han
I-6 Social Studies Unit Plan on City Government
(a) the daily objectives for the unit; (b) photographs of the students engaged in campaign and other activities; (c) student work for the campaigns; (d) student work of a proposal for the city council meeting; (e) student evaluation of course.
I believe valuable information about content becomes more meaningful when students are actively engaged in lessons. During a three week unit at Celebration School on city government students actively participated in a variety of hands-on educational experiences. They organized an election for a mayor and city council, formed campaign teams and campaigned, addressed a crisis when their city was overrun by a flood, and formed special interest groups to create proposals to the city council for city improvement. In my previous jobs I analyzed situations, formed strategies, worked on teams, and actively promoted change in either the government or society. I applied my solid understanding of how citizen action can effect change to this unit. Students learned how to become active citizens, they organized themselves around candidates and issues they cared about, and they compared our class simulation to real life. -Debbie Delavan