Research Purpose : In grade school, I held the notion that girls werent as good as boys in math.

Im not even sure who said it, I just knew it applied to me. It was no surprise that I received an F in Algebra during my 9th grade year in high school and had to drop the class. The next year I had a different teacher and he believed in me. I received a B in Algebra that year. I went on to tackle Geometry and received an A. To this day, I still have the nagging feeling that I wont be successful in math. If I can overcome this obstacle, I believe that anyone can. I would like all my students to feel successful, no matter how they view their ability in math. Research Question: How will the application of curriculum and instruction that focuses on importance in mathematics, effect K-8 students involvement and achievement? Subquestions 1. MIAA 320 How can I develop strategies that will nurture relevant dialogue and encourage critical thinking skills? 2. MIAA 330-How can I help students use their assessment results to help improve their own understanding of mathematics? 3. MIAA 340-How can I design interventions, accommodations and variations of my lesson plans to target instruction appropriate to meet the differing levels of my students? 4. MIAA 350-How will a focus on relevance in math effect K-3 students understanding and retention? 5. MIAA 360/370-How can my unit design provide relevance to the cultural needs of the diverse student population with which I am working with? DATA MIAA 310 Through my Action Research Project, I will have the opportunity to work with diverse student populations and differing grade levels. My goal is to present information that is relevant to each of these groups. By providing instruction that is applicable and meaningful, I hope that each student will gain a connection to math and therefore an understanding of the concepts being taught. MIAA 320 This course will allow me the opportunity to develop meaningful strategies and promote expressive discussions that are relevant to my student population. I will also look to promote positive attitudes among my students and help them progress towards critical thinking skills.

MIAA 330 Through this course I will seek to analyze assessment results to help students understand and improve their own comprehension of mathematics. I will seek to take the information from the assessment results and use the outcomes to design appropriate coursework in the future. MIAA 340 This course will allow me to view results and assessments and make adjustments necessary to target instruction to reach all levels of student learning. I will alter the direction of my instruction, as I deem appropriate to meet individual needs. MIAA 350 Through this course, I will seek to instruct students through information they find relevant and relatable. I would like to bridge the gap between concepts that are abstract, and often hard to understand, and present them in a concrete and comprehensible level when possible. MIAA 360/370 This course will aid me in answering my research question. As I work through each course, I will be able to implement the knowledge acquired to design unit plans that use information relevant to my student population. It is my expectation that as students study information that is applicable to them, they will become proficient in mathematics. Reflection In my opening purpose, I described myself as a person who would not do well in math because of my gender. It is my desire through this course, to dispel this myth and exceed my expectations of becoming a proficient mathematician. I look forward to learning new ways of presenting conventional instruction in mathematics.