Log 12

Teaching Secondary and Middle School Mathematics Chapter 11

General notes on chapter 11 - The Teacher of Mathematics in the School Community:

This chapter starts with a discussion of working with parents.  It emphasized the following points:

  1. Communicate with parents - newsletters, math night, etc.
  2. Respond to concerns
  3. Consider student portfolios
  4. Involve parents in homework - maybe just through encouragement
  5. Involve them in teaching - invite to the classroom

Next the chapter talks about supervision and evaluation of teachers.  This section discusses the NCTM standards for evaluation:

  1. The evaluation cycle
  2. Teachers as participants in evaluation
  3. Sources of information
  4. Mathematical concepts, procedures, and connections
  5. Mathematics as problem solving, reasoning, and communication
  6. Promoting mathematical disposition
  7. Assessing student understanding of mathematics
  8. Learning environment

The next section is about function in a department - curriculum teams, watching peers, etc.

The next section is about ongoing professional development.  Some of the opportunities for development discussed were:

  1. Interact with colleagues
  2. Join an organization (NCTM)
  3. Attend conferences
  4. Read publications, the web, teaching books

Question 8 - Share your philosophy of mathematics education with a partner

[No write up for this question]

Question 9 - Which strategies for professional development are most appealing and why?

I think one of the very best ways to learn about teaching is to watch other teachers in their classrooms.  Every teacher has a little bit different way of doing things, and almost all of them have some little technique or procedure that can be instructive.  At the very least, watching another teacher is a good way to reflect on your own teaching a little bit - and think about what is working for you and what is not working.

I think it can be a very good idea to peruse possible techniques through journal articles and web articles.  However, I think it is important to be aware of the source and make sure that they have some empirical evidence that their approach works before you assume that the approach is good.