Standard+4

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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: Math Chants iMovie

Rationale 1: As a fifth grader teacher, I expect most of my fifth graders to have an understanding and a quick recall of the multiplication facts. However, students learn at various rates, and not every fifth grader at the beginning of the year efficiently knows all of their multiplication facts. A teacher friend and I created ‘math chants’,which are chants skip counting by 3,4,6,7,8, and 9’s. These chants based off of the melody popular rap songs aid in students multiplication tables and division concepts. Creating these math chants were not only enjoyable, but they allowed me to take the concept of memorizing multiplication facts and making that process more engaging for students. The student were thrilled to learn the math chants. Even my students that had a grasp on their multiplication tables looked forward to this activity. Not only did I have my class learn the math chants, I then had them use iMovie to create their own video. The students broke up into groups and were assigned a different chant. They were then responsibily for creating any props for their video and any necessary editing or transitions. Students took pride in their work and were eager to teach the other classes.

KSD

Having students participate in rote memory activities can be critical for students to partake in, however not aways authentic. Having my students create a video of their math chants Allowd them to their their knowelge and put it into a creative form that they could share with other classes.

4.K.1 The teacher understands the cognitive processes associated with various kinds of learning (e.g. critical and creative thinking, problem structuring, invention, memorization and recall) and how these processes can be stimulated.

At the beginning of the lesson I instructed the students in learning the math chants. When the students created their movie, I did not provide them with any instruction. Meaning, the students either asked a friend how to use iMovie or ‘discovered’ it on their own. This was a great learning process for my students. It required them to be independent learners.

4.S.4 The teacher varies his or her role in the instructional process (e.g. instructor, facilitator, coach, audience) in relation to the content and purposes of instruction and the needs of students.

When the students worked in groups to create their movie, they were not given any formal instruction. They were required to use their own problem solving techniques to complete their video. With not walking them through each step, I provided my students with an opportunity to take control of their learning and gain confidence in trying new things and being ok with making mistakes.

4.D.1 The teacher values the development of students’ critical thinking, independent problem solving, and performance capabilities.