Slides

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nt9gjfx8m0j2ovu/Presentation1.pptx?dl=0

Entrance slip: Max Van Manen article

I found several useful insights in van Manen’s interesting paper. For one thing, I never thought that praising a student for his or her remarkable performance might have negative and unintended consequences. But I learned that “giving praise is not without danger. [and] it is important that teachers understand the positive as well as the possible negative consequences of praising students.” (p. 2). I become aware of the fact that untactful recognition might lead to feeling of inequality and therefore, as a teacher will try to understand the particularity of any and every situation and act accordingly and hopefully tactfully.

I also found the discussion of the frustration that novice teachers face at beginning of their carriers very informative.  “Why is it that I received top marks in my courses on educational psychology--but I did not know what to say when one of the students broke down and told me to “get lost” when I tried to help her?” (p. 9) I leaned that to overcome this problem and several other problems that a teacher encounters in classrooms, having the theoretical knowledge is not sufficient and a teacher needs to acquire, through practice, the “practical- knowing-in-action”.

“[T]eacher is so effective precisely because she can forget herself and completely absorb herself in this situation with her students.” (p. 18). I really liked this point. Once a teacher acquired whatever that is needed to be a tactful teacher, the best strategy to perform it, I think, would be to act naturally.

I also found it very useful that, although tact cannot be reduced to set of techniques, the author nevertheless suggested several creative abilities (p. 16) that are required for acting tactfully.

Entrance slip: Ancestral genres of graphs

I found one of the main claims of the paper that “mathematics as a human activity and mode of thought, intimately bound up with the physical world and human cultures” (p. 19) very reasonable and interesting. I think that one method that math teachers can use to help learning math a fun and enjoyable experience for their students is to tell them about the historical and cultural contexts in which the mathematical questions and concepts are originated.

I first stopped when I read  “Quite consistently, those students who placed the x-axis low with reference to their bodies, who kept the gestured graph “within reach,” and who described themselves as “being (in) the graph”, were the ones who had been rated by their teachers as showing in-depth understanding of mathematics.” (p. 14). I found this observation and the distinction between ‘being the graph’ and ‘seeing the graph’ very interesting. I’d like to know more about the study and look forward to reading the forthcoming paper.

Another thing that made me stop was the point that “This physical, horizontal grid, which was now thought of as extending continuously to the horizon, was intimately connected with the expansionist, colonialist program initiated in 15th century Renaissance Europe.”(p. 17). I wish this point were explained in more detail and were elaborated. I’d like to hear more about the relation between the practical use (surveying) and the value-laden evaluation of the tool used.

Lastly, I found the table at bottom of page 18 very helpful. It makes the connection argued for clear and convincing.

Annotated Bibliography

1- This book demonstrates how philosophical thinking can be used to improve children   thinking.

Lipman, M. (1980). Philosophy in the classroom. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

2- This book provides methods of teaching that improve reasoning and judgment.

Lipman, M. (2003). Thinking in education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

3- This paper describes what makes a discussion philosophical and also presents different types of philosophical discussions that can be used in the classroom.

Lipman, M. (1996). Philosophical discussion plans and exercises, Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 16(2), 64-77.

4- This paper discusses how philosophical dialogue helps students avoid developing negative attitudes toward mathematics by forging a meaningful connection between math and everyday experience.

Fisherman, D. (2013). Philosophy and the faces of abstract mathematics, Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 37-45.

5-This paper discusses how engaging students in philosophical dialogue enhances autonomous and critical engagement with mathematical problems and a deeper understanding of concepts.

Daniel, M.F. (2013). Engaging in critical dialogue about mathematics, Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 58-68.

6-This paper explores the applicability of the philosophical approach (philosophy for children) to the teaching of mathematical concepts.

Roemischer, J. (2013). Can philosophic methods without metaphysical foundations contribute to the teaching of Mathematics? Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 25-36.

7. This paper presents an approach of using philosophical inquiry in the math classroom through modeling activities that require interpretation, questioning, and multiple approaches to solution.

 English, L. (2013). Modelling as a vehicle for philosophical inquiry in the mathematics curriculum. Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 46-57.

8- This paper shows that awareness of crucial philosophical questions that have arisen during history of mathematics is essential for teachers who intended to teach math.

Chassapis, D. (2013). The history of mathematics as scaffolding for intro­ducing prospective teachers into the philosophy of mathematics. Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 69-79.

Exit slip: long sword Locks activities

The sequence in which activities were ordered and of course the activities themselves were interesting. Once I saw the shape on the screen, I though it would be easy to me to make the eight-pointed star with stir sticks. But when I tried to do it, I found out that it was much more difficult than I expected. Watching the sword dance video after replicating the eight-pointed star made me focus on the dancers steps; it made easier to figure out how they were making those geometric shapes. Finally, learned the steps and realized how the dancers was making those geometric shapes.

Using this way of teaching, I think, helps student to appreciate the fact that actually doing something sometimes is harder than it seems when they just watch how it is done. 

Entrance slip: Three key papers

 

1.

Fisherman, D. (2013). Philosophy and the faces of abstract mathematics, Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 37-45.

This paper discusses how philosophical dialogue helps students avoid developing negative attitudes toward mathematics by forging a meaningful connection between math and everyday experience.

2.

Daniel, M.F. (2013). Engaging in critical dialogue about mathematics, Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 58-68.

This paper discusses how engaging students in philosophical dialogue enhances autonomous and critical engagement with mathematical problems and a deeper understanding of concepts.

3.

Roemischer, J. (2013). Can philosophic methods without metaphysical foundations contribute to the teaching of Mathematics? Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 34(1), 25-36.

This paper explores the applicability of the philosophical approach (philosophy for children) to the teaching of mathematical concepts.

Entrance slip- Sarte and Hughes

On my Tuesday school visit, I was told that more than 80% of their students were doing well with their homework and were successful in their exams, but there were not really interested in what they were doing. This indicates that schools are not successful in their main task, that is, inspiring students’ learning.

In our educational system, grades are identified as a main motivator for studying and doing assignments and assessing students’ learning. However, many studies show that grades are not only unnecessary but also harmful. Alfie Kohn points out that “kids who are graded – and have been encouraged to try to improve their grades – tend to lose interest in the learning itself, avoid challenging tasks whenever possible (in order to maximize the chance of getting an A), and think less deeply than kids who aren’t graded. The problem isn’t with how we grade, nor is it limited to students who do especially well or poorly in school; it’s inherent to grading.”  It seems that the problem is not how we grade, but using grades for accountability. Also Sarte et al study indicates that teachers, by avoiding using grades as an extrinsic motivator and focusing on engaging the students in learning, can increase intrinsic motivation in students and improve their feeling of success in their learning.

What teachers need is a method of evaluation that enable them to see how well their students meet measurable objectives – a method that improves instruction for each individual student and that allows students more ways to demonstrate that they have learned the materials.

Inquiry Project

Inquiry Project Idea

Philosophy for Children is an educational approach first developed in the 1970s by Matthew Lipman at Montclair State University “to help children learn how to think for themselves” (Lipman et al, 1980, p. 53). The main aims of Philosophy for Children are: improving reasoning skills, developing creativity, providing personal and interpersonal growth, developing ethical understanding, and developing the ability to find meaning (Lipman et al, 1980). The method of P4C is philosophical community of inquiry “characterized by dialogue that is fashioned collaboratively out of the reasoned contribution of all participants” (Sharp, 1991, p. 337).

Philosophy for children was adapted to different schools’ subjects. I am interested to do some inquiry to see how this program is adapted to math and how I can conduct a philosophical/mathematical dialogue among my students to improve their reasoning skills.

Experience as a teacher

I had the opportunity to teach philosophy for children (P4C) in an experimental class in Tehran.

Philosophy for children is an educational approach to critical thinking that have been largely developed and practiced in societies such as the US and Canada.

I conducted a class consisted of ten grade-four/five students from different elementary schools. After few months I noticed that students attending the program started comparing the values that this program taught them with the values that they received from the sanctioned Iranian educational system. For example, one of the students told me that in her history class, when she criticized her teacher’s claims about a historical feature, the teacher got angry and treated her badly. The student asked me why her teacher was not willing to discuss the issue with her the way we discussed things in the P4C class, and thought that she was right and the student had to accept her claims.

In the typical classroom, they were taught to be obedient and never question the authority of their teachers and books.  In contrast, the P4C program taught them that everyone can make mistakes, and they shouldn’t accept anything unless there are good reasons for it.

Having encountered several such cases, I realized that the children attending the program commonly experienced internal and external conflicts. However, while the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that P4C teaches are compatible with children’s interest, such knowledge, skills and dispositions run counter to the social norms and ideology of the society in which they grow up. This experience led me to this question: what is the good of learning to think critically when the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that P4C teaches are seriously at odds with the social norms and rules, and conformity with these norms and rules is also part of children’s safety, career prospects, and well-being? This question made me stop doing P4C in Iran and motivated me to purse my graduate studies.    

My take away from this experience is to be aware of the impact of what we teach as educators on students’ lives, not only in the short term, but also in the long run.

Exit slip - Alfie Kohn and Jo Boaler

I strongly agree with Alfie about the negative effects of praise on children.

I think it is important to support, encourage, and love children unconditionally, but praising children is completely a different story (as studies has shown). When we praise children for their generosity or works, we make them see these actions not as something valuable in themselves, but as something to be praised. Before being praised, an action might be seen an end to them, but after that it might become a means to an end.

Moreover, praising children frequently make them more dependent and less secure. We make them look at us for judgment and need our approval on what they do to feel good.

However, I think instead of praising their works, we can ask questions about their works and what they themselves think about their works and why.

I totally agree that one-dimensional approach in mathematics should be replaced with multi-dimensional one.  Multi-dimensional approach by engaging students in the learning process makes mathematics more enjoyable and much more easier to learn.

Entrance slip- Grant and Zeichner

I found the concept of reflective action completely relevant to our today classroom environment though it was written in a different time and place. One interesting topic that the authors brought up was that “the reflective teacher is dedicated and committed to teaching all students, not just certain students,”(wholeheartedness). I think that the main reason students come to class is to learn so the main responsibility of teachers should be to facilitate all students’ learning and thinking. Although it is not easy to find a way to reach all students, it is not impossible and I am sure that a responsible teacher always would be able to find a way to do what he or she is responsible for. As a math teacher in Iran, I always thought this was my responsibility to make sure that all students in my class learned the lesson before leaving the classroom. I was successful in doing with my students’ help. I turned my classroom into a friendly community that enabled my students to work together and help each other with their homework. They had no homework to do at home. In one of my classes, I even had a student that was a bit slow in talking and solving problems. At the beginning, she has no friend, but as time went by all other students really cared for her learning and homework.

Reflective teaching, a process of self-observation and self-evaluation, help me as a future teacher to look at ‘what I do’ in the classroom, to question ‘why I do’, and to think ‘if it works’. It helps me to challenge and test out my actions and everyday routines and to improve my teaching.

Exit slip: Frank McCourt

To McCourt, I think "teacher inquiry" meant:
to start thinking, searching for meaning,
to develop a sense of critical inquiry,
to learn about students epistemology of learning,
to let students explore, vent,
to be honest with students.

The most interesting idea I got from McCourt was never stop learning.