Clip 10/11: Post Lesson - Part 3 Lipman School

Overview

Teacher and coaches discuss structure of the lesson, starting with the concept map and definition. The purpose is to help level the playing field and ground students in the mathematics of the lesson. Coaches observe how one group derives their own term, "constant rate," such as minutes per hour which doesn't change as opposed to miles per hour that can vary. They discuss how the debrief from the public lesson at another school helped them think about types of questions to ask. Also in examining student papers and the posters from the Problem of the Month, they noticed common things that students were doing, common misconceptions. It didn't matter what school students were in; the ideas and misconceptions were similar.

While many students were doing less efficient strategies, they were making meaning. Now could we go ask them, given a set of numbers, which strategy is most efficient? Would it be most efficient with a different set of numbers?

Teacher Commentary

COACH LINDA FISHER: This segment gives insight into lesson development. Why is it important to start with the concept map and definition? How does that contribute to the lesson? When not using a textbook, how do you get ideas about the next questions to ask? The teacher talks about the importance of looking at student work and then using it to pose questions around common misconceptions.