Phase 2 Micro Lesson Plan Reflection

Instructional Decisions/Teaching: 

I decided to do my micro lesson about Slope for 8th grade. The lesson was based around the idea that the students already understood slope and the activity was to further their understanding and having the students demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. I had each student use the notebook program on the Mac computers. I modeled using the smart board. I had the students review what slope was and the equation for slope. The students used algebraic knowledge as well as graphing knowledge to determine the slope and create their own "slope stories". The students typed up their own stories and graphed the slope of the stories using information from the word problems as well as their knowledge of the algebraic use of slope. The students created positive slope stories, negative slope stories and if time allotted the students also create a undefined slope story. 

From attempting this lesson I believe that there was enough information for the 30 minutes we had to complete the lesson with the students. I believe that with the malfunctioning technology in the beginning of the lesson I adapted to the time given pretty well. I believe at times I sped through the material which now reflecting I believe was not the best idea. I had the students do several problems as a class and then I had the students begin to work on their own. I believe the idea of modeling with guided instruction and then having the students begin independent instruction was the best way to execute this particular lesson.

I believe that I aligned the objectives and goals with the lesson fairly effectively. Reviewing with the students slope and the formula for slope before attempting problems helped students to remember how to properly work through the processes. In addition the students were able to more freely work on their own. I believe walking around the room and reading the slope stories helped me to understand how well each student understood the lesson and in turn the concept of slope. The students were able to effectively write their slope stories after the instruction.

With such a small group of students there was not a lot of modification necessary for the lesson. I believe that some students needed more one on one aid with the lesson however they were able to receive teacher-student attention because the lesson had a great deal of independent learning and activities. I believe that individual instruction helps students to shy to ask and work with others. In addition I believe that students who did not remember working with slope were able to have group class practice as well as individual practice with the teacher. 

Assessment of Learning:

For individual assessment, I made sure each student was able to send me their slope stories which was a great representation of individual student work and understanding of the concept. 

After looking at each student's work I believe the majority of the class benefited from the lesson and gained greater understanding of the concept. After looking at my reflection form the majority of the students replied with positive outlooks on the lesson and gained further knowledge. I realized through individual reflections that the students liked the one on one attention each student was able to receive, in addition students were able to further their understanding by creatively demonstrating knowledge. When referencing fellow classmates reviews I found that most students enjoyed the lesson. The main concern was the speed of the lesson. I agree with my fellow student, I definitely should have slowed down. In addition many comments were made about the visual aids of the lesson. I believe that the smart board was one of the best technology tools I could use for the lesson.