NARRATIVEREFLECTIONONUNITPLAN

SwethaNarasimhan
KateKinneyGrossman
TeachingandLearninginUrbanContexts
14August2015
NarrativeReflectiononUnitPlan
Throughoutthissummer,wehavebeentalkingaboutmanystrategiesforteachingin
inclusivewaysthatencouragestudentengagementandincorporatethebenefitsofthetraditional
educationaltheoriessuchasbehaviorismwithmoreprogressiveandcriticaltheorieslike
constructivismandsocioculturalism.Asweheldourdiscussions,Iwasconstantlywondering
howthemodelscouldbeincorporatedintomathclassroomsthatareoftenseenasapolitical
spacesunderthepressureofteachingtostandardizedtests.Creatingthisunitplanandlesson
planhashelpedmetoseeandbemoreintentionalaboutmakingspaceforstudentagencyin
math.Thepremiseofthelessonitselfisrootedintheideaofsocioculturalismand
constructivism,thatstudentsacquisitionofnewknowledgeisbasedintheirpriorexperiences
andknowledge.Thinkingaboutpatternsasacommonbackgroundsharedbystudentsinthe
class,itmadesenseforthattobeasteppingstonetothemorenittygrittymathconceptoflinear
equations.
Theideaofhavingsomecommonbackgroundknowledgeorexperienceisonethatcame
upwhenthinkingaboutmyplacementthissummer.Asmentionedinmyfirstblogpost,the
rationalebehindeverystudentbeingontheirChromebookandworkingonKhanAcademyfor
theentireclassperiodwasthattheywereallcomingfromdifferentmathbackgrounds,soit
wouldbedifficulttoconstructlessonstomeeteverystudentattheappropriatelevel.Therewas

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suchanemphasisplacedonfindingashared
math
backgroundthatIthinkitwashardtothink
outsideofthemathematicalbox.Isawanopportunitytodothisbyfindingasharedbackground
ofpatternsthatmightexistinamathsettingorotherwiseforallstudents,andfindingthe
correspondingmathtomakesenseofit.
Differentiationremindsusthatdifferentindividualswillconstructmeaningfromtheir
differingexperiences,abilities,andinterestsandalongdifferenttimetablesandwithdifferent
supportsystems.Weareadvocatesforconstructivism,butwealsounderstandtheteachers
essentialroleinhelpingstudentsconstructmeaning(TomlinsonandMcTighe,2006,p.85).
FollowinginTomlinsonandMcTighesideasofdifferentiation,encouragingeachstudentto
bringtheirdifferentexperiencesintotheclassroom,whileunderstandingtheroleoftheteacher
inhelpingstudentsconstructmeaningfromtheseexperiences,thegoalofbringingpatterns
fromstudentslivesintotheclassroomeffectivelysendsamessagetostudentssayingthatthey
arevaluedaswholebeingsintheclassroom,anditismorethantheiracademicknowledgethat
matters.Studentsarenotalone,then,intakingtheirexperiencesandtranslatingtheminto
academicknowledge,thetypeofknowledgevaluedintheschoolsetting.Thisiswheretherole
oftheteacheristomakethecontentexpectationsexplicitandhelpstudentsmakethe
connectionsnecessarytojumpfromtheirexperiencestothecontentrelevanttotheclass,inthis
case,linearequations.
Theemphasisonpatternsspecificallyasanentrypointtothinkingaboutlinearequations
isaveryintentionalwayofdrawinguponthevariedexperiencesofstudentsandvaluingthe
backgroundsandlivesstudentsbringintotheclassroom.Aswediscussedfrequentlyinclass,
creatingacommunityandasafespaceintheclassroominvolvestheteacherknowingthe

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studentsaswellasthestudentsknowingeachother.WhileIthinktheclassicicebreakersare
greatforchippingawayatthatsurfaceleveltensionthatexists,itmakessensethatbycreating
venuesforstudentstobringpartofthemselvestotheclassroom,studentshaveamoreorganic
andgenuinewayofgettingtoknoweachotherthanjustbytheirfavoritenumberorcolor.Delpit
says,Wemustkeeptheperspectivethatpeopleareexpertsontheirownlives.Thereare
certainlyaspectsoftheworldofwhichtheymaynotbeaware,buttheycanbetheonlyauthentic
chroniclersoftheirownexperience(2006,p.47).Thisperspectiveofpeopleasexpertson
theirownlivesiswhatmotivatesmyintroductiontothelesson,usingthepatternsthatstudents
seeintheireverydaylivesastheknowledgestudentsbringtotheclassroomabouttheirown
lives.
StartingwithDay1,webeginclassconstructingthedefinitionofapattern,buildingon
knowledgeandexperiencesofstudents,assupportedbyDelpitandTomlinson/McTighe.Also,
asTomlinsonandMcTighe(2006)describetheWHERETOframework,Ithinkthediscussion
anddefiningofpatternsettheexpectationsandrelevanceoftheunit,answeringthequestions
ofWhat?andWhy?(p.121)Theideaofgoingoutsidetofindpatternsinlifeisboth
excitingandscary,becauseitisthefirstdayoftheunitwithanewteacher,anditishardto
gaugehowstudentswillreacttoachangeinenvironmentwhentherehasnotbeenmuchtime
spentintheclassroomenvironmentinthefirstplace.However,Ithinkduetotheatmosphereof
ScienceLeadershipAcademy,aswelearnedfromtheethnographyproject,studentsareusedto
nontraditionaleducationalsettings,frequentlyutilizingthepartnershipwiththeFranklinInstitute
ortheFreeLibrary.WithintheWHERETOframework,beingabletoactivelyengagestudentby
takingawalkoutsideandhavealittlefunbeforereturningtotheclassroomsettingis

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definitelyahooktothelesson.Studentsarethenabletodescribethepatternstheyfindoutside
usingwhichevermediumtheyfindmostuseful,andthensharethatwiththeclass.Ithinkthis
differentiationfromDay1isimportant,especiallybecausestudentsaresharingwitheachother
indifferentformats,soitencouragesstudentsaswellastheteachertovalueallpresentationsof
knowledge.ThepresentationandwellasthesmallfieldtripfitintotheWHERETOmodelin
equippingstudentswithmaterialaswellasprovidingalearningexperience.
Inaddition,beingabletocomebackandrevisitthecoconstructeddefinitionofpattern
andreviseitasaclassbasedonthenewsharedexperiencesgivesstudentsasenseofshared
growth.Dweck(2010)writes,Studentsweregalvanizedbytheideathatthegrowthoftheir
mindswasundertheirowncontrol(p.28).Recordingthechangeinknowledgeasaclassand
buildingthatonthesharedexperienceoftheclassofgoingoutsidetolookforpatternsisaway
tosupportthegrowthmindset,asDweckdiscusses.Encouragingstudentstocontinuallyimprove
theirknowledgeandpracticesisawaytodestigmatizehavingananswerthatisnottotally
complete,whichIthinkisespeciallyvaluableinmath,wherethingsareoftenseenasblackand
white,orrightorwrong.IntheWHERETOmodel,weseethisasrevisingorrethinkingthe
priorknowledgeofstudents.TomlinsonandMcTigheadd,Ifitsworthunderstanding,its
worthrethinking.Ifitsworthdoing,itsworthreflectingupon(2006,p.124).Spendingtimeto
revisitthedefinitionofpatternencouragesstudentstoassignvaluetothecontentmaterial,
insteadofrelegatingittosomethingthattheymightuseonceandneverreturnto.
Day2buildsontheactivitiesandknowledgeofDay1tocontinuetowardsaconnection
betweeneverydaypatternsandmathematicalmodelsforthosepatternsthatexistaslinear
equations.IntheWHERETOframework,mostofDay2splansfallintherealmof

NARRATIVEREFLECTIONONUNITPLAN

selfevaluationandreflection.Byengaginginapeeractivitywherestudentsgettosharetheir
workandengageinconversationaboutthepositivesandareasforimprovementwiththeirpeers,
studentsareabletomorecriticallythinkabouttheirownworkindescribingpatterns.
Exposingstudentstonewpatternsindifferentcontextsandencouragingstudentstofind
waystoputnumberstothesepatternsisextremelyconstructivistinnature,whichisexcitingfor
amathclassroom,butIimagineitcouldbefrustratingforstudentswhoareusedtoamore
traditionalsettinginwhichtheteacherisalwaysleadingtheexplorationinsomeway.Ithink,
however,thatafterstudentshavespentadaylookingintopatterns,theywouldhavealready
startedtonoticethewaysinwhichpatternscouldbequantified,sometimesautomaticallydoing
itwithoutevenrealizing.Itbecomesempoweringforstudentstoconstructtheirownknowledge,
asconstructivismclaims.OakesandLipton(2013)write,Deweyemphasizedthesocialand
pragmaticnatureofschoolingandlearning.However,recognizingthatchildrensdevelopment
andlearningwereanythingbutrationalandorderly,heandhisfollowersadvocateda
childcenteredandcommunitycenteredcurriculumtogivestudentslearningexperiencesthat
makerigorousintellectualdemandsinthecontextofdemocraticsocialliving(p.70).Situating
studentsexplorationinthepatternsintheirlivesprovidesthecontextforstudentstotaketheir
knowledgetothemathematicalnextlevel,withoutfeelinglikeitistoofaraway.
AsDeweytalksaboutrigorousintellectualdemands,Ithinkaboutthemathdiscussions
gettingtothepurposeofquantifyingpatternsintherealworldandinthemoremathematical
examplesfromearlierinclass.Beingabletotakeastepbackfromcontentandseeitsuseinthe
realworldandwhereitmightnotbethemostusefulbecausetherearepatternsthatmaybe
cannotbequantified.Forstudentstocometotheseunderstandingsdemonstratesametacognitive

NARRATIVEREFLECTIONONUNITPLAN

levelofenduringunderstanding,whichisessentiallyacriticallensonthecontentthatcomes
fromthestudentsbeingabletothinkabouttheirthinking.Day3involvesmanyofthesame
strategiesofmetacognition,especiallyasatoolforselfevaluationasitfitsintheWHERETO
framework.
Afterwalkingthroughamodelofconstructingalinearequation,studentsareableto
practiceontheirown,andthengeneralizetheprocessontheirowntocomeupwiththeirown
writtenprocedure.Thisisverymuchalongthesamelinesasthevideowewatchedinclass
showingthedifferentwaysstudentsthinkaboutadditionitsendsthemessagethatitisimportant
tovaluedifferentwaysofdoingthingsthatproducethesameresult.Thestructureofthelesson
followstheWorkshopModeldiscussedinclass,wherestudentsarepresentedwithasortof
minilesson,andthenhavetimetopracticeontheirownandconstructtheirownmeanings.It
alsofitsintotheWHERETOmodelofequippingstudentstoexploreatask,andthenlater
usingExitTicketasaselfevaluationorreflectionuponthetaskatsomehighercognitive
level.
Day4iscenteredaroundthefinalperformancetaskofcreatinganoriginalpatternin
somerealworldcontextandfindingalinearequationtomodelit.Studentshavethechoiceof
presentingtheseprocessestotheclassinanywaythatfeelscomfortabletothem.This
performancetaskrepresentsbothideasofculturallyrelevantpedagogy,multipleintelligences,
anddifferentiatedinstruction.LadsonBillings(1995)says,Culturallyrelevantpedagogymust
provideawayforstudentstomaintaintheirculturalintegritywhilesucceedingacademically(p.
476).Bygivingstudentsthespacetocreatetheirownpatternthatfitsinanyrealworldcontext,
studentsareabletobringpartsoftheircultureintotheclassroomiftheysochoose.Then,

NARRATIVEREFLECTIONONUNITPLAN

sharingtheirfindingsinanywaythatmakessensetothemcallsforstudentstodecidehowto
presentinawaythattheyfeelconfidentandgenuine,sostudentsmightpresentmusically,
dramatically,poetically,visually,oranyotherway,aslongastheyareabletodemonstratethe
samelevelofunderstandingthroughtheirpresentationandfinalproduct,abasictenetof
differentiatedinstruction.Creatingthesevariousmediathroughwhichstudentscanpresentalso
valuesmultipleintelligencesthatstudentsbringtotheclassroom,suchasspatial,
bodilykinesthetic,musical,linguistic,etc.(MultipleIntelligencesOasis).
Beingabletoputtogetheralessonlikethis,whichIknowisextremelyidealisticfora
mathclassinahighschoolsetting,wasdefinitelyagoodwaytosetmygoalsforhowIwould
aimformyclassroomtobe.Itwouldbeapositivedirectiontomovemyclassroomin,butof
courseitraisesmanyquestionsalongtheway.Ifstudentshavebeentaughtbymoretraditional
pedagogiesinthepast,howwilltheybeabletotransitiontoamoreprogressive,constructivist
classroom?Whatarewaystobemoreexplicitaboutpedagogicalstrategieswithstudentswithout
thatbecomingtootimeconsuming?Whatarewaystogatherfeedbackfromstudentsaboutyour
teachingwithouttakinguptoomuchclasstime?Howcanthisprocessofexplorationbeapplied
tootherhigherlevelmathematicalconceptsthatdonthaveasvisibleapplicationsinthelivesof
students?

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WorksCited
Delpit,Lisa.(2006).Otherpeopleschildren:CulturalConflictintheClassroom.NY:TheNew
Press.Excerpts.
Dweck,C.S.(2010).MindSetsandEquitableEducation.PrincipalLeadership,10(5):2629.
LadsonBillings,G.(1995).Towardatheoryofculturallyrelevantpedagogy,American
EducationalResearchJournal,32(3),465491.
MultipleIntelligencesOasisHowardGardner'sOfficialMISite.(n.d.).RetrievedAugust13,
2015,from
http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/
Narasimhan,S.(2015,July17).Makingsenseoftoomuchtechnology[Weblogpost].Retrieved
from
http://morethanmath.weebly.com/blog/makingsenseoftoomuchtechnology
Oakes,J.,&Lipton,M.(2013).
Teachingtochangetheworld
(4thed.).Boulder:Paradigm.
Tomlinson,C.,&McTighe,J.(2006).
Integratingdifferentiatedinstruction&understandingby
designconnectingcontentandkids
.Alexandria,VA:AssociationforSupervisionand
CurriculumDevelopment.