David's EDCP 342A Blog

As the lesson was only 15 minutes long, our group discussed which concept to cover in our curricular micro-teaching. We chose the concept of arithmetic sequences that is introduced in the B.C.’s new grade-10 math curriculum, because we thought that the concept is quickly delivered in a short amount of time. However, we encountered the most difficult challenge. It was not about the level of difficulty of the course material that we struggled to explain, but the time management. Before the presentation, we thought that we would have enough time to cover the history of Gauss, derivation of formulas, and the in-class activity. It took us, however, more time to derive formulas than we expected, and we only had few minutes to do the in-class activity, “mathe-magic”, which we felt was the most exciting part of our presentation. Overall, I think our group planned well our entire lesson, but we should have cut our presentation shorter so that every audience had a chance to ...

1.      If there is no longer external reward, students lose their motivation in learning. -        I can relate myself to the above statement that is mentioned in the paper. External reward comes in various forms. It could be sweets, trophies, scholarships, praise or recognition. For me, it was marks and grades that motivated me the most to study subjects in high school. I tended to study certain subjects – biology, chemistry and mathematics – in which I got high grades, while I avoided studying subjects – especially literatures – that I did poorly in exams; ultimately, I lost my interest in literatures. -        While reading this paper, I was able to relate myself as to my “fear” in literatures and relate to the reading that was covered in the inquiry class, which was about our current grading systems. Most students, including myself, get discouraged when they receive low grades in their assignments...

Our group's lesson plan: LESSON PLAN – INTRODUCTION TO SEQUENCES Lesson Overview This microteaching session is designed to introduce the concept of sequences in mathematics and its possible applications. Duration 15 minutes Materials and Equipment Needed for this Lesson  White board,  markers & TCs’ cell phone(s) Lesson Stages   Learning Activities Time Allotted 1. Warm-up Background In-real life examples: paychecks; as you work more hours, you get paid more. Brief Introduction Definitions and differences between set, sequence, and series Set is a collection of numbers Sequence is a set, but with order Series is the summation of all the terms in a sequence Today we are focused on arit...

If a circle is labeled with two numbers, then the degree between them is 180 degrees. If a circle is labeled with three numbers, then the degree between any two numbers is 120 degrees. If a circle is labeled with four numbers, then the degree between any two numbers is 90 degrees. … If a circle is labeled with thirty numbers, then the degree between any two numbers is 12 degrees. Let’s define a function f(n) = 12*(n-1), where n is from 1 to 30. Since, f(7) = 12*(7-1) = 72, we should find an n, such that f(n) = 72 + 180 = 252. Solve for n: 12*(n-1) = 252 n = 22 (answer) Extensions: 1.      What if the total number labeled on the circle is increased to 60? 2.      What if the total number labeled on the circle is odd, instead of even? This puzzle is geometric, as students can easily visualize and identify the patterns to solve it.