Standard4

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**Standard 4**  ** Teachers know how to teach. ** // The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. //

**Evidence 1: Advanced Algebra 9.2 Conic Sections Lesson Plan [|PDP - Advanced Algebra 9.2 Conic Sections Eviden]**﻿**[|ce.pdf]**

** Rationale 1: ** This lesson is designed for Advanced Algebra students who are in grades 10-12 in a block format setting. It is a common format that I use in my daily instruction. I try to incorporate one activity per lesson that engages students and helps them develop a deeper understanding of the content. In this instance, I am introducing conic sections, which we will study for the next five lessons, with an activity where the students go around and take pictures of different curves found in school using digital cameras. Using the SMART Board we upload the pictures during class and discuss properties and I have the students classify them based on their differences. We then get into the daily instruction, which incorporates links of videos found on the internet, which animates the creation of conic sections. I end the lesson with the highest level of critical thinking (application) for the lesson and tie it into the opening discussion. I have adapted this lesson over the years and continue to build upon it to avoid mediocrity in my instruction. I also have spare examples available for more of a variety to support different level learners. I have found that the more engaging aspects that I incorporate into the lesson, the students’ overall engagement and achievement increase for the rest of the entire chapter. The mean test score grew almost eight percent higher than the previous year’s sections and increased every term. In the future I hope to expand the lesson with the use of the iPad 2.

**KSD**

// 4.K.2 The teacher understands principles and techniques, along with advantages and limitations, associated with various instructional strategies (e.g. cooperative learning, direct instruction, discovery learning, whole group discussion, independent study, interdisciplinary instruction). //

In this lesson I allot time for independent teamwork and collaboration with the opening activity, facilitate a discussion that provokes student discovery, instruct on the formal definitions and characteristics and allow for independent individual work during reinforcement time.

// 4.S.2 The teacher uses multiple teaching and learning strategies to engage students in active learning opportunities that promote the development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance capabilities and that help students assume responsibility for identifying and using learning resources. //

Throughout the lesson the students have problem solving opportunities and students receive initial evaluation through discussion and review problems that they answer in class. They then have notes created by themselves along with online resources that they can use for future studying.

// 4.D.2 The teacher values flexibility and reciprocity in the teaching process as necessary for adapting instruction to student responses, ideas, and needs. //

At the beginning and the end of the lesson we have engaging discussions that tie everything together. I have additional files containing a variety of other reinforcement problems that I can access based on where the student struggles are. I have given these to some students individually in the past.