According to the video we watched had to watch, both Ms. Jones and Ms. Warburton teach algebra to 8th grade classes. They teach the same things on the same days, have the same homework and as a result their program is very consistent. They plan their lessons together and then if they don't like something they did in that lesson, they can come back and talk about things they can change. They both want their students to know sometimes you don't always get the right answer but you just, as Ms. Warburton says it, "tiger up" and keep going. Ms. Warburton states that confusion leads to learning. She talks about how if they are confused, then they are learning. She also says that if they don't get something right the first time then guess and check until they get it right. They should expect confusion and expect struggle because its not going to come easy to them. Once they get and and move past it, that's what learning is. According to an online resource, Quantum Progress also agrees that confusion leads to learning. He states that
"Without some confusion, students can easily fall into seeing learning as simply a ladder to be climbed—a set of facts or procedures to be memorized. It is the confusion that pushes them to stop, assess what they know and with proper guidance and motivation, work toward deep understanding."He says that confusion gives them steps to follow which helps the students to learn better. One example I liked that Ms. Warburton used is that during warm ups when they are checking their own work in red pen they put two stars if they get it right, one star if they get it wrong but understand it after going over it and no stars if they got it wrong and still don't understand why they got it wrong. That way they can go back and go over that problem and understand what they learned. Another method that I liked about her teaching style was that she has four different gears she uses when doing work in the classroom. First is active listening. Then they go into independent work which is working silently by themselves. Then from there they go into a study group where each of them have their own work but can collaborate with each other to find out their answer. Finally is when they talk as a class which is good because they already have experience from collaborating with each other.
Ms. Jones on the other hand, has her own teaching style, too. She is very enthusiastic and loves to talk with her students. She focuses more on having them discuss so they can learn. She says that if they are engaged they think what they say really matters. She wants them to talk during warm ups and while they do that, ask how they are doing. She tells them that its good if their wrong so they can talk about it. According to the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan, they think discussions are a good way for students to get engaged as well. They said that
"Discussions help students apply abstract ideas and think critically about what they learn. In fact, studies show that discussions build students’ problem-solving skills more effectively than do lectures."
One example that Ms. Jones uses that after warm ups is she has them go into their notes to make ideas about what they are learning. It's not a lecture but more about them being involved. It gives them time to do math and more time for Ms. Jones and the whole class to record their work. Another method Ms. Jones uses that I liked was how she gave all her students roles when they work in groups. When they were working on factoring she assigned one person to be the multiplier, one person to combine like terms and two people to be the lead writers so they can check they have the right things written down. It's a way to build confidence because math is hard and sometimes students feel negative about it but when they work in groups they are prepared to be challenged and keep trying until they finally get it after doing the different things the group was communicating about.References
http://quantumprogress.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/embracing-confusion-as-a-necessary-part-of-learning-part-1/
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsd
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/what-could-be
http://www.123rf.com/photo_11679848_focused-pupils-working-together-in-a-classroom.html
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/algebra-team-teacher-collaboration?resume
