Inquiry and CMP Research

I have had experience teaching the CMP model in my Practicum for the past two weeks, so I have a little familiarity with how it is set up. The CMP model is inquiry based instruction. Essentially students are given basic tools to solve a problem, and then given class time to explore similar problems and solve them in a group setting. The problems are then summarized with a student centered focus (often with selected students teaching the class).

CMP uses the Launch, Explore and Summarize guidelines for instruction. Essentially, the Launch portion of the lesson is the "mini-lesson." The teacher guides students with a set, introduces them to the material and may even perform a guided practice of a similar problem to what the students will be exploring. In this portion, generally students are introduced to the material without much "entrenching" of knowledge. The Explore portion is the segment where student work on the assigned problems. The teacher circulates the classroom ensuring students are on task and asking questions related to the lesson. These questions should guide student thinking and answers to student questions should generally be in the form of another question. The summarize portion of the lesson essentially ties the lesson in a nice bow. This can be teacher or student lead. It also explores new ideas for solving problems and may introduce the next lesson to a certain extent. 

This is different to the direct instruction model because students are allowed to explore and then summarize their questions. Inquiry expects the students to make mistakes and learn "why" an algorithm works in math rather than just getting the algorithm and practicing.

 

In researching Inquiry based teaching and learning, essentially it is a teaching strategy centered around Constructivist philosophies. According to Wikipedia, "Inquiry learning is a form of active learning, where progress is assessed by how well students develop experimental and analytical skills rather than how much knowledge they possess." In sum, it is student centered and not teacher centered much like direct instruction. Inquiry based teaching presents a problem or question to students (usually in groups) and provides them the opportunity to solve the problem or question. Students use their life experiences and construct their knowledge with a teacher as a guide. 

Anticipatory Set and Closure

Anticipatory Set- From my research on the internet, I found that an Anticipatory Set introduces the lesson being presented and focuses students on the learning goal of the day. At times, it is the "hook" for the lesson. This can take on many forms. For example, in math, one can tell a personal story about the use of decimals in the real world. It can also be an engaging activity to help students focus their minds on the lesson. According to sothernct.edu, the anticipatory set is "A brief activity or event at the beginning of the lesson that effectively engages students' attention and focuses their thoughts on the learning objective" (http://home.southernct.edu/~gravess1/scsu_courses/edu493/as.htm). It can also serve to connect to previous lessons and previous experience.
In my personal experience with an anticipatory set in my middle school classroom, I brought in my framed police badge, patch, and card. I told them a life experience I had with math as a police officer and how that related to the learning objective. I had them hooked! It was awesome.

Closure- From my research on Closure, I found on multiple sites that it was not a lesson summary. It is student driven so they can internalize the learning target. According to the same website as above, "(Closure is) a natural stopping point in the lesson or especially at its end, which points back to the objective and captures its relevance to the unit. Closure keeps the big picture in view, either by relating the objective to other fields or topics, or by raising a related question to ponder in anticipation of the next lesson. Closure ensures that the objectives are met and applied, as students reapply or label the lesson for themselves." Like I said above, closure should be driven by examples of student work, or specific students teaching the class. It assists the students in applying the knowledge they learned so they can better internalize the lesson objective.

In my experience with closure and CMP, I have tried to do a number of things to bring closure. In general, I have them complete a summary statement, specific to the lesson objective. I have also included, student summaries and had them direct the questioning.

Practicum-Sharing a Lesson

Grade level: 6th				Unit: Decimal Operations	Lesson Title: Strategies for adding/subtracting decimals
Date		Time	60 min

Objectives: I can solve problems that require decimal addition and subtraction and develop an understanding for place values. Assessment questions, #1, #2, #4 and #5 Prior Knowledge: Knowledge of a decimal number, basic algorithm understanding for addition and subtraction.

Time	Lesson Plan	Monitoring/ Assessment
	Warm-up activity (written on the board)- Students work independently and solve the warm-up problems. Once completed, randomly select students to solve the problems in front of the class explaining their process. If a student gets stuck, scaffold learning. If a problem is wrong, ask for agreement and solve the problem. Anticipatory Set: Place value/addition activity Mini Lesson: Use the getting ready handout p.8-9. Examine the problem with the students. Think, pair, share.  Do you agree with the clerk? Why? Use non example…10+10 and misalign the place values Identify with the students what the clerk did wrong in the problem (place value, decimal alignment). Write on the board what the clerk did wrong. Ask why one cannot add eight dimes to one dollar. Guided Practice: Go over #1 in problem 1.2 with the students (student read aloud) and write the example of a table on the board with the answer. Group Work: Release students to solve the remainder of the problems in 1.2. Teacher circulates around the room to answer questions and gauge understanding. Ask why place value is important and what each place value is valued at. Identify groups with correct answers. Assist and focus groups on work. Summarize: Ask students to come up and explain how they solved problems 2-4. Assign independent practice Independent Practice: ACE questions Materials: Math journal, Transparency 1.2, Construction Paper, Markers
5 minutes 3 minutes 5 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes 12 minutes		Teacher monitors work Random students solve problems Asking questions to volunteers Teacher talking with each group/picking students with answers (charting groups/students with correct answers) Teacher evaluates homework and checks for understanding

 

Adaptations/Modifications:

ESOL	I have several ESOL students in my classroom. I will adapt by asking them specifically if they understand the content.
TAG	TAG students will be given more practice in group work (if necessary)
Special Needs	Any special needs would be addressed based on specific students
Literacy	Reading aloud, reading independently documenting math work

The lesson objectives to this lesson are listed in the "Objectives Heading" in the lesson plan. Essentially, I want students to understand the importance of place values in a decimal addition and subtraction problem. I will implement this strategy by using examples of proper place value alignment and "non-examples" and the effects of misalignment has on the result of the problem. I am using Connected Mathematics which follows the Launch, Explore, Summarize (Direct Instruction) style of teaching. 

So, what worked? I have only taught this lesson in my micro-teaching cohort activity. I think the portions of the lessons that really worked was the guided practice portion. In expressing the proper way of solving a decimal problem, and modeling this way with the students, they can see how to solve the problem effectively.

It is important to see if students are "getting the material." Checking for understanding is an important tool for knowing if students are meeting the learning target/objective. In my lesson above, I do this in a couple of different ways. The first way is through the warm-up activity. Since the warm-up activity will focus on the material covered, I can gauge how much of the material students know, and how much I need to teach them. In the warm-up, I call on random students, which holds them accountable to doing the work. In the group work portion, I walk around to each group and chart how each student and group is doing. I am asking specific questions related to the material to gauge this understanding. In the summary portion of the lesson, I am asking students who performed unique ways of solving a problem to teach the other students what they did. Independent practice will also be assigned and I will check for understanding in their homework assignments. 

As my lessons continue, I will evaluate the data I collect on the group work and in the homework. I will also evaluate through summative assessments as the unit evolves. I will use this data to format my lessons to come. If the majority of the class is not understanding a concept, it is my job to clarify that concept to the entire class.

If I were to reteach this lesson, I would probably use more non examples and invite more students to show me their work. Can I make time slow down? It seems that this lesson is fairly jam packed, so finding ways to reduce some of the "fluff" in the lesson without removing important ideas would probably help.