MAT Program: My Plan To Teach Middle School Math

When I finish the MAT program, I plan to teach middle school math. After looking at several different teaching models, I feel that there are two models that will be the most effective models for me to use to teach my math lessons. One teaching model that will be the most effective for me to use is the model that I am the most comfortable using, the Direct Instruction Model. I feel that it is a great model to use to teach middle school math because it “teaches specific content while allowing students to develop knowledge and skills that can be practiced independently” (Kilbane & Milman, 2014, p. 85). During many math lessons, students are presented with rules and steps for how to apply math procedures or for how to solve math problems; these

This model “teaches thinking skills—specifically how to solve a problem, explore a question, or gain more information for understanding” (Kilbane & Milman, 2014, p. 242). During many math lessons, students are presented with a question or problem to solve. The students have to think through what the question is asking, what information is given in the problem, what formula is the best to use, along with many other things. Another reason that I feel that this model will be a great model to use is because it nurtures active, engaged learning. Students are expected to think through what they are doing. They have to contemplate different ways to solve problems or to put problems together to be able to solve them. Students have to take active roles in figuring out what to do rather than letting me or another classmate tell them how to set up the problem or what the problem is asking. By following a process to solve a problem, the Inquiry Model makes sure that the “students’ natural curiosity is activated, and they participate in discovering the answers to meaningful questions rather than simply absorbing information passively” (Kilbane & Milman, 2014, p. 263). A third reason I feel that the Inquiry Model will be an effective model to teach middle school math is because it makes student understanding easier. “When students have the opportunity to

Some of these have been very interesting to me while others did not grab my attention as well. One of the activities that we were introduced to was micro-teaching, an activity in which students learn by teaching. To complete this facilitated activity, my partner and I had to research a model of teaching and plan a lesson using that model. We then had to present our lesson to the class. I think that micro-teaching is a great way to facilitate a student’s learning. It requires students to get to know the information well enough to present and explain it to their classmates. I could use the micro-teaching activity in my math class by having my students each take turns teaching how to solve different math problems. After presenting the initial introduction to the lesson, I will have the students research how to solve a problem, along with a mini tutorial session with me; then I will have the students present the lesson to the class. By having to “teach” their classmates, the students are more likely to remember how to solve the problem and they are more likely to understand why they have to use the steps that they do to solve the problem. Personal model is one of my teaching styles; by explaining and showing their classmates how to solve a math problem, the students are modeling for their classmates. Expert is another one of my teaching styles. By having the