Interview Write-Up 3

My name: Jenna Graziadei

Initial to Address the Student: J

Age of Student: 6

Gender of Student: Male

Grade of Student: 1

Pertinent Information: This child is an English Language Learner. He moved to the United
States from Korea one year ago. Through language specialist services, his English speech
development has improved to the point that he no longer qualifies to receive individualized
attention.

Time of Implementation: During the morning routine, 8:30-9:00 on October 17, 2017

Questions asked:

1. How high can you count?

2. What number comes after 8?
3. What number comes after 19?
4. What number comes before 21?
5. What number comes after 27?
6. What number comes before 30?
7. What number comes after 73?
8. What number comes after 100?
9. Can you count by twos?
10. Can you count by fives?
11. Can you count by tens?
12. Can you count by one hundreds?
13. You have 5 apples. Your mom gives you 3 more apples. How many do you have altogether?
14. You have 4 toy cars. Your friend gives you 7 more toy cars. How many toy cars do you have
now?
15. You have 14 toy cars. You give 5 toy cars to a friend. How many toy cars do you have left?
16. You have 6 marbles. How many more marbles do you need to buy to have 13 altogether?
17. There are 8 boys and 5 girls in the room. How many children are in the room today?
18. A pack of gum has 5 pieces. How many pieces of gum would you have altogether if you have
3 packs of gum?
19. On Monday you played Nintendo for 20 minutes before school and 10 minutes in the
evening. How many minutes did you play Nintendo on Monday?
20. Can you tell me how many 10s are in 32?
21. Put out a set of 16 chips; ask the child to count the chips then to read the numeral written on
the card. Circle the 6 with the eraser of a pencil and say, Show me that part of the number
with the chips. Then circle the 1 and say, Show me that part of the number with the chips.
22. Give the student digit cards 0-5. Ask the child to make the largest 2-digit number possible
from those cards.
23. Show the child a drawing of a circle. Say, Imagine that this is a cookie. Can you show me
how you would share this so two people can each get the same amount?
24. Show the child an assortment of shapes. Ask, Which of these figures are triangles?
25. I left the house at 7:00 PM and came home at 9:00 PM. How long was I gone?
26. I have $27 and then my brother game be $45. How much do I have now?

Analysis:

Item 1:

Question 14 written above, a situation that required addition, helped me learn about the
mathematical thought processes of J. Given that he is an ELL, I spoke slowly to allow him to
absorb the details. He requested that I repeat it to recall the important parts of the problem. Once
understood, I observed J attempting to use mental math through his mouthing of the problem.
Initially, his response was 10 total toy cars. He quickly changed his response to 9 toy cars calling
his answer into question. He again doubted his mental math and proceeded to check by using his
fingers. J began with 4 fingers up representing his initial 4 toy cards. He proceeded to raise one
finger at a time counting up to 7 to simulate the addition of 7 toy cars. As his counting surpassed
10 fingers raised, one hand replaced the 5 with a 1. J acknowledged that although he did not have
enough fingers to hold up for the full value, a whole set of 10 was counted before carrying on to
a new set of 10 within which there was only 1 count. This finger-checking resulted in Js final
solution of a total of 11 cars that was accurate.
Through Js approach, I had the opportunity to analyze the usefulness of a mathematical
strategy that Jo Boaler of Stanford University has researched and found to be of importance for
new math learners. She argues that visual cues and pathways in the brain are key to the teaching
and understanding of math (Cooper, 2016). Consistent with this is Js choice to use his fingers
to solve the problem. He was able to understand the need for addition and the resulting value by
utilizing the visual established by his fingers in front of him. To equate Js practices to peers of
the same age, in a separate study of 47 six-year-old pupils, researchers found that participants
arithmetic knowledge increased once they had been trained on how to differentiate between their
fingers (Cooper, 2016). Therefore, his knowledge and skill set available to complete this
problem that was verbally presented to him allowed me to observe his ability to differentiate
between his fingers and use for mathematical purposes display the representation of each finger
as one value. This was important for me to acknowledge as the observer because in recent years,
educators have attempted to deter students from using their fingers. However, this situation was
evidence of need to prevent the discouragement of the use of fingers to count, which is
essentially a way of halting their mathematical development (Cooper, 2016). J chose to use this
strategy as a result of feeling unconfident about his previous responses. It is evident that he felt
this visual tactic was efficient and more accurate. His choice to check his answer displayed
thoughtfulness in reflecting upon ones work and trying alternative methods. While mental math
was understood to be unsuitable, J was an effective problem solver (who) persevere(d),
focuse(d) his attention, test(ed) his hypotheses, (took) reasonable risks, remain(ed) flexible,
trie(d) alternatives, and exhibit(ed) self-regulation (Copley, 2010). Therefore, he proved to me
he has the ability to approach more advanced problems in a tactful manner acknowledging that
there are many techniques typically available, some of which may be helpful while others are
not.

Item 2:

My understanding of this childs mindful mathematical processes was expanded upon

within question 22 above, which entailed asking the student to make the largest 2-digit number
possible with the given digit cards. J chose to think aloud that helped me observe his thought
processes better. After the cards had been placed in front of him, he scanned the digits available.
J voiced to me that 5 was the largest value. He acknowledged that a 2-digit number contains a
tens and a ones place that was evident in his following comment that this 5 would represent 50.
Placing this card aside, he scanned the cards that remained. J told me that the largest value that
remained was the 4, which he would then place in the ones place to create 54 as the largest 2-
digit number possible.
The successful completion of this problem was surprising to me because Js peers had yet
to be taught about place value, which is the main topic this math problem was associated with.
Not only did he exhibit to me an understanding of this advanced mathematical concept through
the movement of the cards and his final response, but also his ability to verbally articulate his
thoughts to arrive to that solution displayed to be a strong and developed understanding. I kindly
inquired about his mathematical abilities to which he explained that he began school earlier than
students do in the United States, and academic development takes place at a faster rate.
Therefore, the topics involved in these mathematical problems and their associated skill
requirements were things that J had been taught one to two years ago while he was still attending
school in Korea. I proceeded to do my own research to learn more about his advanced
mathematical thought processes. In Korea, many children begin kindergarten at the age of three,
but they remain at that grade level for three or four years before entering first grade. During this
period of time, Korean kindergarten teachers are intended to educate the students on topics such
as counting, adding, subtracting, reading and writing in Korean, and also reading and writing in
English, as well as Chinese. His prior experience with the English language helped prevent a
significant language barrier during our discussion, and also his early exposure to mathematics
enabled him to complete a challenging question, like that mentioned, and articulate his advanced
thought processes in a manner that a child his age would typically be unable to do. Most of the
first graders in the classroom articulate their thought processes or understandings through
showing with tools. However, J was able to verbalize why the 5 and 4 were selected and what
they represented within place value. This verbal communication made it clear that his
mathematical model was well-developed that enabled him to visualize the meaning of the
question. It was evident that his experience within the Korean curriculum encouraged skill-
development in an alternative manner.
Discussion

What you learned about the challenges of mathematics teaching and learning:

Analyzing this interview from the position of working with an ELL, mathematics
teaching and learning can be a challenge if a language barrier exists, but due to the numerical
base of the subject, it would be likely that the language barrier would not significantly impact the
learning of more basic, numerically-based math concepts. J had a strong enough English
vocabulary to be able to work through the word problems and communicate his solutions.
However, for a newer ELL who had a limited vocabulary, these word problems would have been
more challenging. Therefore, it would have been more appropriate to approach this interview
with such a student by using number sentences and other similar techniques to represent these
questions. This is similar to accommodations that are often made during lessons and other
assessments for ELLs and other diverse students. Depending on the strengths of a given child,
these activities could be tailored to their needs. For instance, there is even the option for
standardized tests to be given orally should the student qualify within a set of qualifications for
this service. In the case for an ELL, if the assessment could not be given in their first language, it
would be ideal for the educator to accommodate their needs by presenting the material in an
alternative manner that could gradually be modified as his or her English vocabulary improved.
Unfortunately, although the situation of conducting this interview in a purely numerical way
would benefit a student who is new to the English language, this approach would inhibit the data
that could be gathered to develop a true sense of the childs thought processes. Circumstances
can be a double-edged sword, but the most appropriate decisions must be made given the childs
development and progress.

What you learned that relates to your experiences in your mathematics course:

It was interesting for me to hear J explain why he had the math skills that I was able to
observe, all of which were due to his earlier years of schooling in Korea. I was able to relate to
this because I went through the British curriculum for four years as a child. Advanced much like
the Korean curriculum, the British system was also ahead of the school systems in the United
States. This was evident for me when transferring back to a public school in the American school
system in fifth grade when my skills were advanced compared to the typical student, which
resulted in the option of skipping the grade. The main focus was on challenging me, particularly
in mathematics that is similar to Js situation. The comparison between Js experience and my
own is consistent with the many studies that have been conducted and found that U.S. students
continue to rank around the middle of the pack, and behind many other advanced industrial
nations (Desilver, 2017). This country used to be a leader in schooling. However, our evolution
of education has not kept up with their of other countries. In a 2015 student, the average scores
for students around the world who took the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment
were calculated. Within the mathematics section, the United States was ranked at 38 with the
average score of 470 that was below the international average of 490 (Desilver, 2017). The
question then is, what are we doing that causes our educational system to differ so greatly from
the top scoring countries? This is something that I would be interested to study throughout my
career, and even experience by teaching in another country.

How the availability or lack of manipulatives affected the interview (same for 3 interviews):

The classroom resources allowed the students to choose from unifix cube ten-trains and
ten-frames with chips. These are manipulatives that the student have extensive exposure to from
both kindergarten and the time that they have spent in first grade. These are items that have been
used on a daily basis during math lessons since school began this year to help the students
understand the mathematical concepts in a more concrete, hands-on manner. They have been
carefully instructed and through practice have mastered the functionality of using these items to
visualize mathematical strategies, particularly in addition and subtraction. This description is
being included within each interview write-up because all three students chose to use their
manipulatives, especially the unifix cubes to complete the problems that I had asked. These were
particularly important in the interview because I was presenting word problems to them in a
purely oral form, which was an unfamiliar tactic for the children. Therefore, the availability of
items to create visuals with helped bridge this oral approach with prior experiences that they felt
could be utilized to devise a response that they were confident in. The students exhibit to me the
use of the unfix cubes for counting, as well as identifying the parts and whole of the problem. I
observed different color cubes being used to represented the different values to enhance their
visualization. This is evidence of the importance making manipulatives and other math tools
available to students during lessons that can enhance their learning and supports the goals of
research that has found that visual cues and pathways in the brain are key to the teaching and
understanding of math (Cooper, 2016).

What you learned about yourself (same for 3 interviews):

Through this experience, I learned that I have a strong interest and motivation to learn
about my students to a deeper extent that goes beyond what can be learned on an everyday basis.
This one-on-one attention with each student helped me work through their personal thought
processes to analyze strengths and areas of need. Each of the students went about answering
these questions and interacting with the tools, as well as myself in their own way. I wanted to
know more about these children, must like I would desire in my future classrooms. Numbers or
work shown on a piece of paper are not enough to understand the strategies that the child
understands and has the ability to use. Within the connectionist approach allowing to students
explore their own strategies while also instructing them through alternative methods, the
educator can encourage the students to think out loud or discuss and explain ideas to their work
groups so that when he or she moves around the classroom, the teacher can learn about the
unique thought processes. This information is important for the educator who not only values
learning about each student, but also acknowledges the critical aspect of tailoring lessons and
activities to the needs of the students. If it is made evident that there is a lack of clarity causing
thought processes to take place that are not as valuable to the given topic, the lesson the
following day should be a more detailed and focused approach to the concept. Furthermore, as an
educated adult, my mind no longer works like those of elementary-age students. Therefore, short
interviews and other methods of exploration to analyze the minds of these children will provide
me with valuable information to individualize instruction for each and every one of them, not
just the diverse students.

What you thought went well and what did not go so well (same for 3 interviews):

Throughout each interview I used encouragement frequently to not only help the students
remain positive and motivated, but to also ensure them that I valued all responses as they were
taking their time to help me out for this assignment. Encouragement is useful for all students
because those who excel, those who are typical, and those who struggle can all use reinforcement
from a teacher so that they know that their efforts are being acknowledged and are purposeful. It
gives them that extra push to keep trying within the growth mindset that is to be maintained.
Beyond this, it is not what did not go well, but rather something that I need more practice with,
which is allowing the students to work through problems on their own before repetition,
scaffolding, or offering prompts to guide their work. Given that this interview had specific
instructions to follow the script, I did not disobey these, but within each question posed I had to
remind myself to not speak until it was truly necessary. It is important to give students to explore
math in an inquiry process to become determined and self-guided. If the educator is consistently
present and not allowing gradual to complete freedom, the children will not benefit because they
will not always have a hand to hold when utilizing math skills in future situations. Therefore, I
need to make a strong effort in the future to continue to remind myself to not allow my good
intentions for the students interfere with their learning processes.

What you would do differently if you were able to conduct this interview again (same for 3
interviews):

Consistent within each interview was the issue of the environment it was implemented
within. Due to scheduling and constraints associated with my role as a pre-student teacher, the
interviews were conducted in the morning as students were arriving to school, getting ready for
the day, and completing their morning activities. It was a very busy location that contained many
distractions and a great deal of noise, which was not conducive to focus and learning. Therefore,
if I were to conduct this interview with a student of my own once certified, I would choose to
bring the child to a quiet location free of distractions that could impeded upon their thought
processes and solutions. Additionally, I would desire to have more time to conduct the interview
in a future situation to learn even more about the thought processes of the students. However,
considering the duties of a general education teacher, a longer time frame is not necessarily
feasible. Therefore, I would approach this by varying the questions to a greater extent to get a
better sense of how they approach problems associated with a variety of topics. Within this
interview, I learned a lot about the thought processes of these children when using cubes for
addition and subtraction, but I did not feel that I got a good sense of any other strategies that they
have experience with. For an educator to formulate a perspective of the student that encompasses
the child in a wholesome manner, it would be useful for him or her to make the list more concise
perhaps by focusing on a single mathematical concept at a time, or limiting the questions
associated with the same topic.

What you would do next if you were this childs teacher:

Similar to E, I often observe J not being on task during lessons. If I were his teacher, I
would be interested to use other observation, assessment, and analysis techniques to develop a
better sense of his prior knowledge and skills. Following this interview, I have been able to
conclude that his mathematical abilities are above the standard for a child in this grade.
Therefore, I would be interested to analyze this further within mathematics, as well as other
subject areas to make the appropriate conclusion of whether he would fair better in a higher
grade level, or if there must be differentiation to help J continue to grow mathematically as
opposed to halting the development until his peers reach the same level.

Resources

Copley, J. V. (2010). The Young Child and Mathematics (2d ed.). Co-published by NCTM and
NAEYC.

Cooper, M. (2016, April 24). A Stanford professor says counting on your fingers is critical to
understanding math. Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://qz.com/668828/a-stanford-
professor-says-counting-on-your-fingers-is-critical-to-understanding-math/

Desilver, D. (2017, February 15). U.S. students academic achievement still lags that of their
peers in many other countries. Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://
www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/

Education in South Korea. (2017, October 18). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_South_Korea