Chapter 10: Going Beyond the Classroom

Who wants to sit in desks all the time to learn something? Learning can come in many forms and can take place everywhere. Students want teachers to take advantage of these outside learning places so that they can learn better.

In math, I’m always thinking about ways to connect the in class lectures to things outside of the school. It helps me remember and it’s nice to know I’m not the only one. Even if it is just measuring the perimeter of a building, students like being able to apply their knowledge and I hope that I can do that for my students.

Chapter 9: When Things go Wrong

Students and teachers alike get discouraged when something doesn’t go right. However, this chapter talks about what teachers can do for themselves and their students to get through the difficult time.

It’s nice to see that students want you there teaching them. They want you to make it through the problem and keep teaching them. I know that I tend to get down on myself when something goes wrong. It is awesome to know that my students will have faith in me to get through it and get back to normal so that I can keep teaching them.

Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers who are still learning English

English language learners struggle in the classroom for a variety of reasons. The students mentioned not being able to understand because they are bored or because they are underestimated.

I cannot believe that teachers just pass English language learners without actually seeing if they learned anything. Anyone can learn and I feel they should have the same opportunity as everyone else. I hope that if I ever had an English language learner in my class that I would do everything in my power to help them learn math and not just blow them off as hopeless.

Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

All subjects have difficult areas that students have a hard time learning. However, in this chapter, students give examples of good and bad ways to gain understanding from students over this difficult material.

I found it interesting that in the math section students see a difference between drills and practice. They want the practice problems to be relevant and not simply repetitive drills. I will have to take this into consideration when I assign homework.

Chapter 6: Motivation and Boredom

Chapter six covers an array of topics that get brought up in a classroom. The co-authors say that teachers should be passionate about their subject, but also remember that students have a lot going on besides that one subject.

I totally agree with the students when they say teachers should communicate with one another when assigning a big assignment or just lots of homework. I remember getting so much homework that I was working on it during break and anytime that I had an extra few minutes. If teachers were to talk then students wouldn’t be so over whelmed.

Chapter 5: Teaching the Individual, Working with the Group

In a classroom, there are individual assignments and then group assignments. This chapter talked about the many different ways that a teacher must include individuals when they work alone and when they work together.

I was not surprised when students said that they wanted to work with their friends more. However, I was in utter shock to why students wanted to work with friends on projects. They said they didn’t mind working on in class projects with randomly assigned groups, but if they have out of class projects they would prefer to work with friends. These students said it is easier to work outside of school with friends since they already know where they live.

Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success

A safe and encouraging classroom environment is very important for students to do well. Caring about students and pushing them equally to succeed is the best ways to gain this environment.

I found it unbelievable that some teachers don’t push students equally. I can say as a future teacher, I cannot imagine not pushing my students to succeed. That means all my students. Everyone can do math and I want to instill this confidence in every single student.