Read the following vignette and identify the factors that threaten the activity flow of the lesson. Once you have identified the problems, explain how you would avoid the problems if you were the teacher.
Here is the story
Mrs. P.waits while her second-grade students take out their fraction circles to begin
the math lesson. When most of the children have placed the circles on their desks,
she begins to remind the class of the work they did on fractions the previous day.
As she explains the tasks they are about to do, she notices that Jack doesn’t have his
circles.
“Jack, where are your circles?”
“I don’t know.”
“This is the third time you don’t have your circles.You didn’t have them last week,
and you had to stay in at recess one day and you also lost free time.What did I tell you
would happen if you lost your circles one more time?”
“You were going to call my mother.”
“That’s right.Now go and write your name on the board while I see if I have an extra
pack for you to use.”
Mrs. P. goes to the supply closet and pulls out a pack of fraction circles for Jack.
She then instructs the class to place the bag of shapes on the top left side of their
desks.
“Take out the blue circle and place it directly in front of you.”She checks to see that
all students have complied.
“Now take out one of the four red pieces and place it on the blue circle. Be careful
not to drop it, and do this without talking to your neighbor.”
Mrs. P. circulates to see if the children are following directions.“Now take out another
red piece and place it on the blue circle.”
The children do so. Mrs. P. then directs them to take out two remaining red pieces
and place them on the blue circle,“one at a time.”
“How many red pieces did you use to cover the blue circle?”
The class responds,“Four.”
“And what is one piece called?”
“One-fourth.”
“I’d like everyone to say it together, please.”
“One-fourth!”
“Did I hear the back table? I want everyone to repeat it with strong voices!”
“ONE-FOURTH!”
“Excellent.Now what are two pieces called?”
“Two-fourths.”
“I still didn’t hear everyone. Let’s hear Rhonda’s table. [Rhonda’s table responds.]
Okay, how about Shakia’s table? [They respond.] And now Reggie’s table. Good.”
As she passes Rob’s desk, she notices a pink slip of paper.“Class, I almost forgot.
Those children who have permission forms for the zoo trip need to give them to me
now, so I can get them to the office.”
Children proceed to hunt through their desks. Several ask permission to go get
their book bags. Once all the slips are collected, Mrs. P. returns to the lesson and goes
on to talk about thirds. She directs the children to put away the red pieces, to take out
the three green pieces, and to cover the blue circle with the green pieces. Mrs. P.
checks that students know each green piece is “one-third.” At the completion of this
activity,Mrs.P. directs the students to put away the fraction circles and to take out their
spelling books.
“Okay, children, turn to page 37 in your spellers and let’s review the words for this
week.Tanya, please read the first word and use it in a sentence.”
As Tanya begins, Mrs. P. interrupts:“I’m sorry, Tanya, but I just realized that I forgot
to tell you all what the math homework is.Everyone, take out your assignment pads and
write down the assignment as I write it on the board.” She takes a piece of chalk and
writes,“Math—page 25, even problems only.” The children copy the assignment. Mrs. P.
scans the room to make sure everyone has written the assignment. When all the children
are done, she directs them to return to their spellers.“All right, now where were
we? Tanya, you were doing number one.” When Tanya finishes, Mrs. P. has the class spell
the word out loud and then moves on to the next word. The class is on the fourth word
when the bell rings for lunch.
“Oh my, I don’t know where the time went. OK, boys and girls, get ready for lunch.
We’ll continue with spelling when you get back.”
All I find is that she jumps around and is not on task with the students. I also find that she is easily distracted.
Mrs. P needs to learn to stay on task, manage time, prioritize time/activities.
ok thank you i couldn't figure out the other one
The factors that threaten the activity flow of the lesson in the vignette are:
1. Poor preparation and organization: Mrs. P starts the lesson without ensuring that all students have their fraction circles, leading to disruptions and delay in getting started.
2. Lack of classroom management: Mrs. P spends time disciplining Jack for not having his circles and incurs further disruptions by calling his mother, which takes away from instructional time.
3. Ineffective instructions and monitoring: Mrs. P does not monitor the class adequately to ensure that all students are following directions. She misses that Rob has a permission slip, causing further interruptions when she asks for the slips.
4. Inadequate time management: Mrs. P realizes she forgot to communicate the math homework during the spelling review, leading to additional interruptions and wasted time.
To avoid these problems, if I were the teacher, I would take the following steps:
1. Preparation and organization: Before starting the lesson, I would check that all students have the necessary materials, such as fraction circles. This would involve distributing materials at the beginning of the class or having a system for students to retrieve them easily.
2. Classroom management: Instead of disciplining Jack in the middle of the lesson, I would address the issue after the lesson or during a designated break time. This would prevent disruptions and maintain the focus on instruction.
3. Clear instructions and monitoring: I would give clear and concise instructions, ensuring that all students understand the task and are following along. I would also actively circulate the classroom to check on students' progress.
4. Time management: I would allocate time specifically for administrative tasks, such as collecting permission slips or communicating homework assignments. This would ensure that instructional time is dedicated solely to teaching and learning.
By implementing these strategies, the teacher can maintain a smoother and more focused lesson, allowing for an uninterrupted flow of activities.