Reflection, Self-Evaluation, & Professional Development

Video Analysis:
The lesson being recorded covers finding the vertex of a quadratic
b
equation using the formula x= 2a and with a calculator, identifying the
minimum/maximum, and domain and range. The students had already
learned in the previous lesson how to find the vertex with the formula and
how to find the minimum/maximum. I wanted them to know how to use the
formula first so they could find the vertex when a fraction is involved, but I
did want them to see that they could find the vertex using their calculator as
well. At first, there was definitely a bit of confusion with how to find the
vertex using the calculator. Clearly, walking them through the steps did not
help everyone remember it. The students had a few problems because some
calculators had windows where the graph was not visible, others did not type
the equation in correctly (some forgot to square x others forgot
parenthesis), and some just did not follow the steps very well.
Although it took up some time, I felt it was best to go to each student
who had calculator problems and figure out what went wrong. This also
seemed to help the students who were struggling to remember all of the
steps they needed to take to find the value. After seeing that many of them
forgot to press enter a third time to find the vertex, I decided to write out the
steps they needed to follow in order to find the vertex.
During the lesson, I had the students work through each problem with
me. This helped keep each student focused on the lesson, and allowed me
to see where the students were having problems during the lesson. I also
made sure the give each student enough time to copy down all of the notes;
it helped that this group was willing to ask me to wait when they were still
copying something down. Not all of these students are able to write and
listen at the same time, so it is important that I work each problem slowly
and give them enough time to process the information.
There will always be room for improvement in any lesson being taught.
To prevent so many issues with the calculator I could have made sure each
student made the window for their graphs the same at the very beginning. I
also could have made sure to have a calculator downloaded onto the
computer before the lesson so the students could easily follow along with
me. When problems did arise, instead of addressing them all on my own I
could have asked students who had gotten the correct image to help some of
the ones who were having problems. It may have helped the students
understand how to use the calculator a bit more if I had asked them to hold
questions until the end and make sure to walk through the steps at least
twice before helping the students fix the issues. Some questions could have
been worded differently to help the students understand what was being
asked of them.

Reflection of Experience:
There were several times throughout the semester where I had
to push back a quiz or test day and give the students extra
practice on the material for each class. In order for this
modification to be made, I focused on the class as a whole; if
around 85 percent of the students were able to perform the task
asked of them, I would continue the lesson as planned. Most
often, when the majority of the class was meeting the goal, the
students who were behind did not ask questions, did not take
notes, did not pay attention, or missed many of the days in the
lesson. If a student had missed the lesson, I would allow them to
make up the assessment on their own time, after they have
learned the material.
I only had two lessons during the semester where I had to move
on to the next lesson ahead of schedule. This only happened
when it was clear that all of the students had a good grasp of the
material. Shortening these two lessons ended up working out
great because the students needed extra practice with the
following sections, and I was able to give them this time since we
had not used it in the previous section.
Whenever I had to extend a lesson, I always made an effort to
explain the material in a different way than it was first
introduced. A few times I tried to use a visual representation to
help the students see what was happening. Some of the
students responded well to the visuals, while others were more
confused by them. Something I did find that worked for two of
my classes was to present the important information with a black
background. I am not sure why the color of the background
helped them, but it was clear that some of them were able to
understand the concept better when it was presented this way.
In order to motivate students, I worked to build relationships with
them; if I was willing to listen and pay attention to them, they
were more willing to return the favor. At the beginning of every
class, I would always talk to my students for a few minutes
before beginning the lesson. I did this to show them that I was
interested in what they are doing outside of my classroom so
they would be more willing to work hard in my class. This was
effective with most of my students, but there were some who still

did not want to complete their work. I would also talk to my

students during their independent work, after they have finished
the problem(s). Doing this helped to keep the talking to a
minimum in most of my classes since the students were given a
chance to talk without being disruptive. I also made it very clear
that they were always welcome to come by my room and talk to
me whenever they wanted to, which several of my students did
on a weekly basis.
There were some lessons where I had the students play a game.
In order to ensure they were focused and benefited, I would offer
extra credit for the next test to the winners of the game. Each
game was played in groups. This gave them a chance to work
together and assist each other in learning the material, and it
ensured that the students who were still struggling were not
going to be embarrassed by having to give a wrong answer each
time. Two of my classes worked well with these games, one class
was unwilling to participate in any activity, and the other two
classes had too many groups where one person did all the work.
With my Algebra 1 students, I attempted to use Algebra Tiles to
help enhance their understanding of factoring. This was not a
good idea; the students were very lost and expressed how the
activity confused them more. Some of my other classes had a
similar response when I tried to give them an activity; most of
my students learn best through practicing examples on their
own. I did use the calculators a lot with my students to help
them solve/check problems easily. All of the students enjoyed
using the calculators. I used the Promethean Board for every
lesson. In some of my lessons, I allowed students to come up to
the board and work out problems. I also had a few days where,
when a student asked a question, one student would ask if they
could come up and show them what to do. I was always willing
to allow the students to teach each other the material.

Professional Development:
Although most of the things I did during the semester seemed to
be beneficial, there are still things I could improve on. When it
comes to student involvement, I am continuing to find better
ways to have every student participate. I have begun calling on
students to answer questions, yet there are still times where the
student refuses to answer a question. The improve this I plan to
implement my plan for student participation on the very first day
with my students. This will help set a foundation for the students
from the start. I will need to be consistent and follow the plan
every day to make sure it is followed properly.

I am also working to improve my classroom management. As the

semester as gone on, I have gotten better at addressing students
who are disrupting class, but I know that I can still improve more.
In order to improve in this area, I will start out the year by
addressing each problem that arises. I will be consistent in the
way that I address the problems. I will also implement a system
of consequences for students who have to be addressed. These
consequences will need to be followed every time, and no
student will be exempt from any of them.