Group Microteaching

(from a long time ago!)
Group Microteaching Lesson Plan

Bridge: Our hook? Everyone loves the out of the norm problem solving. We'll have the students pair up and work on one of three problems for 5-7 minutes. They'll be using string to make lines of best fit.

Learning Objectives: Students will turn data from word problems based on real life and make a table. Students will have hands on experience on making a best fit line from the data they plot. Students will then extrapolate from the fit to answer other questions.

Teaching Objectives: Students will work in pairs. Students will be responsible for presenting their solutions.

Pre-Test: Ask students if they remember graphing from previous years.

Participatory Activity: There are three different worksheets for this activity. Each worksheet will have the students graph out a different type of graph.
Linear Function: Data is already given to the student. Students will plot out the relationship between payment for a plumber's rates at different hours.
Reciprocal Function: A class wants to buy the teacher $100 gift. The amount each student has to pitch in depends on the number of students that want to pitch in.
Quadratic Function: You want to carpet the floor. What is the area of the square of the carpet if we vary the length of the square?

Students will have to answer questions about their scenario and graph out the data. Students will plot out the data and do a best fit. Students would then have to answer questions based on their fit.

Post-Test: One student representing a different worksheet will present their scenario and their graphs. They explain and discuss their graph and give answers to their questions.

Summary: Students are learning from their worksheets and their peers. They will learn hands on one of the ways to do a best fit curve. At the presentation, students will be able to see the different types of graphs. Students will also learn the different types of real life problems, the mathematics they know already can handle.


Group Microteaching Reflection

I was feeling quite nervous and excited that day as we had to present in front of the whole class and that it was the last day of class before our short term practicum. One of our biggest enemies is timing. How will we gauge whether the majority of the class has finished their worksheet and that we should move on? If they are finished or not finished, they still look like they are busy chatting away. I think if their was a blank backside to their work sheet, we could get them to turn it over and sit quietly or for them to draw on it. We may have given them 2 extra minutes but in a 20 minute activity, that is a lot of time.

We didn't tell our class that this was a grade 8-9 activity. When the students presented, we had our trustworthy students answer in the class. In a real class situation, I learned from my practicum that before I hand out the activity, I would have to make sure all students are responsible for presenting and that they would be randomly called up to present their findings. Our first student that presented gave answers above and beyond the grade level and using big mathematical terms to explain the problem. I was mortified and a bit tired so I was quite stunned. I did not know what to do. The student became the teacher and was messing up the time allotement for the activity. If my mind was more cleared, then I would have stepped in and ask the student just to explain the scenario and how it relates to the graph that he has drawn. We wanted more on how the curve looked: Was it straight? Did it increase or decrease? All in all, that was probably our biggest problem of the presentation. In our responses, other students noted this problem. They did however also noted the relavency of the activity to real life.