Lesson Plan

Day: Tuesday Date: 29/8/17 Lesson Duration: 50 min

Year: 10 Strand: Statistics & Probability Topic: Chance

Curriculum Content Description ACARA Code: ACMSP247

Use the language of ifthen, given, of, knowing that to investigate conditional statements and identify common mistakes in interpreting
such language.

Purpose of Lesson
Understand the definition, terminology and formula of Conditional Probability and apply the formula to probability data, Venn Diagrams and
two-way tables.

Students Prior Knowledge & Experience What the students already know about the topic
Students have experience with determining discrete probabilities of events.
Students have experience with unions and intersections of events.
Students have experience with Venn diagrams and two-way tables.

Learning Objectives On completion of the lesson students will be able to:

Objective Blooms Taxonomy Level of Complexity
1 Define the formula for Conditional Probability Understand
2 Determine probabilities of conditional events from given information, two-way tables and Venn Apply
diagrams.

Evaluation How will you know the lesson objective has been achieved
1 Students will complete and hand in the exercises in the textbook associated with the Conditional Probability section.

Preparation & Resources

Students will need: Textbook: 10 & 10A Essential Mathematics for the Australian Mathematics
Teacher will prepare:

Catering For Diversity what adjustments or considerations will be made to ensure equitable outcomes for all students
Prior to the class I will have a discussion with the teacher to identify if there are any students with special needs/requirements with respect
to adjusting the learning experience or the learning environment and if there are any students on an Individual Education Plan or Behaviour
Management Plan.

Timing Lesson Experience

1. Introduction how will I engage the students?
5 mins Ensure students have textbooks
Discuss learnings in previous lesson relating to probability
2. Sequence of learning activities how will the students gain the skills and knowledge to meet the lesson objectives?
25 mins Define Conditional Probability: the probability of an event occurring given that another event has already
happened.
Example - classroom exercise - What is the probability that a person is male given they are wearing shorts?
Recall definition of probability
If we want to know the probability of an event A occurring given event B has already occurred we write:
P(A|B) and say Probability of A given B
Refer back to the Soccer/Basketball example
Consider n(B|S) => the number of people who play basketball given they play soccer
Ask students what they think the answer is and why/how they determined it
Lead discussion to shade the B portion of the Venn diagram, then double shade the S portion within this area
Lead conclusion to show calculation is # favourable outcomes / total # outcomes
Apply conditional probability theory to two-way table
20 min Textbook exercises

3. Conclusions summarise the learning and relate it to learning objectives

We now know that Conditional Probability is written P(A|B) and is the same as any other probability. However, with
Conditional Probability our Universal Set is reduced because the given condition reduces the total # possible outcomes.

Lesson Evaluation reflect on what did/didnt work, what would you change, why?
How did I feel the lesson went?

I felt my lesson ran smoothly and adhered to the lesson plan. As it was the first time I had taught a high school maths lesson, I was quite
nervous so felt I spoke a bit fast. I was assured by my mentor that even though I spoke quite quickly, I was easily heard and understood.
Were potential problems predicted?

Prior to the lesson my mentor reviewed my lesson plan. Based on his past experience, he predicted I may have an issue with the students
struggling to understanding a complex concept and suggested I simplify my explanation. I followed his advice and modified my lesson plan
accordingly.

A problem I did not foresee is a shortage of textbooks in the classroom. It is usual practice for the students to learn the theory for the first
part of the lesson then do practice problems from the textbook. Students are not required to purchase textbooks as they are supplied in
the classroom, however, I did not anticipate there would not be enough to go around. Students solved this problem by using their iPads to
photograph the necessary pages.
What were the most effective elements of the lesson? Why?

I felt one of the effective parts of the lessons were the real world examples I used, all of which involved the probability of selecting certain
students at random from the class. The examples included the probability that students liked soccer and/or basketball, was female or male,
or owned a pet dog at home. I believe it made the theory seem more authentic to them and they were more able to grasp what the
probability questions were asking.

The most effective element of the lesson plan came as a result of the advice given to me by my mentor. Instead of using the standard and
often confusing probability notation, I continually reinforced the idea that probability is simply about the ratio of two numbers: the number
of favourable outcomes divided by the total number of possible outcomes. This greatly simplified the concept I was trying to teach and
believe it improved the student understanding of the theory being taught.
What were the least effective elements of the lesson? Why?

I felt the least effective part of the lesson was the time spent in the second part where the students were left to independently complete the
practice problems in the textbook. This is standard procedure in my Mentors classes. I felt that I was no longer directing the class at that
point and could not influence their choice of activities. Many did the right thing and set about completing the problems, however, some of
the students had a test in the lesson immediately following, so were distracted with studying their notes in preparation.
Was your lesson plan effective for managing the class? How did your students react? Was there a high level of participation?

I felt I was adequately prepared with the lesson plan I had created. I managed to follow the plan and even though it was a little slow to
start, the students became more and more interactive as the lesson progressed. Their initial reticence may be a result of the uncertainty of
having a new teacher or simply because I have a different teaching style to what they are used to. I am curious to gauge the interaction the
next time I teach the same group.

I had no behavioural issues and felt the students were engaged for the portion where I was discussing the theory.
Were you satisfied with your timing?

I think the timing in my plan was pretty close to actuality. As mentioned previously, I was nervous so spoke quite quickly which resulted in
the theory part taking slightly less time than predicted.
If I were to repeat the lesson what would I change? How could I improve it?

My Mentor commented that I missed a necessary explanation of different ways conditional probabilities can be expressed in English, eg.
given vs if. I had not thought of this prior to the lesson so if I were to repeat the lesson I would ensure I covered it in the theory. In general,
I will be more mindful of the different ways mathematics problems and expressions can be worded.
I believe I can improve on my delivery of the lesson by concentrating on speaking a bit slower and taking the time to think about what I want
to say. In addition, at the completion of the theory portion, as the students begin working on their practice problems, I need to explicitly
state my availability and willingness to assist them and my expectation for how they use their time.