Lesson Plans and The Ontario Curriculum
This page will identify artefacts and relate them to my experiences with lesson plans and The Ontario Curriculum. While these two subjects are naturally mutually supportive of each other, I will address both of them as independently as much as reason and necessity will allow for. I believe that both lesson plans and curriculum standards are essential components to the successful implementation of pedagogy. Therefore, knowledge and application of both of these subjects provides the foundation for both student learning and instructional application.
Lesson Plans
Ministry Lesson Plan
Lesson plans are a necessary component of any organized and, arguably, effective pedagogical practise. Their purpose and application are multifaceted. Furthermore, their capacity to systematize and structure information rigorously make them an essential tool for any instructional application. In terms of mathematics, lesson plans offer an opportunity for teachers to identify components productive to student learning and to apply these elements in comprehensive manner. In my opinion, structuring lesson plans in this way is perhaps more important for teaching mathematics then in most other subjects. I believe this is true due to the nature of mathematics.
More so than most other academic subjects mathematics relies on precision. Numbers tend to be very precise things and solutions to problems, while sometimes varying in the method of approach, will always be consistent. This is not the same in, for example, the language arts, where the answer to a question such as: "What does the White Whale in Moby Dick represent?" Can have varying answers achieving similar levels of validity. While, on the contrary, mathematics tends to thrive on uniformity and consistency providing support for its veracity. Further, while most academic disciplines tend to build on foundational knowledge to help develop and support higher-order reasoning in their respective subjects, no academic subject quite builds on and depends on the understanding of its foundational knowledge for higher-order reasoning as does mathematics. For these reasons, and others, I think lesson plans are imperative for effectively teaching mathematics to students.
Lesson plans are a necessary pedagogical tool for mathematics instruction because they have a lot to offer in terms of organization. They also provide structures for systematic assessment of student learning. Both organizing mathematical lessons cogently and assessing students effectively are key products of successful lesson planning. The ability to assess students for prior learning is paramount for an instructor's understanding as to where to begin with students. Lesson plans also offer the opportunity to track and organize the progress particular topic, a larger unit, and of the course in general. Tracking this progress is not only the key to delivering on the curriculum expectations of the Ontario Curriculum, it is also fundamental to organizing and establishing the foundational knowledge students require in order to successfully deal with increasingly complex problems. Finally, lesson plans offer...
The Ontario Curriculum
The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics document is a crucial component to every elementary mathematics instructor in Ontario. My studies in 8P29 have allowed me to become familiar with this indispensable policy document. Significantly, the document identifies specific and overall curriculum expectations for mathematics in Ontario. These expectations are not suggestions for pedagogical practise, rather, they are necessary constituents of instructional goals and practices. Identifying and teaching curriculum expectations is the general objective of instructors, while understanding and learning curriculum expectations is the general goal of students. The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics sets up and defines these expectations in a clear manner and provides suggestions for how these expectations might be taught to students.
Along with curriculum expectations The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics also provides an account of the Ministry program, mathematical process, and assessment standards. The Ministry of Education's program and process explanations provide a useful general account for how mathematics pedagogy is to be implemented in Ontario. It offers a clear statement on the theoretical foundations for the practical application of mathematics instruction. While these explanations are informative, there intent is to provide a basis for mathematics theory and the programs foundational basis. They are not, however, intended to be an exhaustive account of the Ontario program or mathematical theory. Rather, they are intended to guide instructors and assist them in their understanding of mathematics and their development of instructional comprehension.
The other important aspect of the The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics document is the content of its assessment standards. In particular, the achievement chart it provides is a crucial tool for evaluating student learning. The descriptive nature of this assessment rubric is intended to guide teacher's as to how they should understand the degree of student learning and achievement. This method is useful for minimizing personal basis in regards to evaluation and it provides more details for student feedback rather then simply offering them a non-descriptive number or letter grade on their work.
As a whole, The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics has been an essential aspect of my learning experience as a teacher candidate. I believe that a solid comprehension of its contents is crucial to successful pedagogical practise. Through my constant interaction of this document I now believe I am capable of accessing this document's contents and applying the curriculum expectations through instruction.
Along with curriculum expectations The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics also provides an account of the Ministry program, mathematical process, and assessment standards. The Ministry of Education's program and process explanations provide a useful general account for how mathematics pedagogy is to be implemented in Ontario. It offers a clear statement on the theoretical foundations for the practical application of mathematics instruction. While these explanations are informative, there intent is to provide a basis for mathematics theory and the programs foundational basis. They are not, however, intended to be an exhaustive account of the Ontario program or mathematical theory. Rather, they are intended to guide instructors and assist them in their understanding of mathematics and their development of instructional comprehension.
The other important aspect of the The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics document is the content of its assessment standards. In particular, the achievement chart it provides is a crucial tool for evaluating student learning. The descriptive nature of this assessment rubric is intended to guide teacher's as to how they should understand the degree of student learning and achievement. This method is useful for minimizing personal basis in regards to evaluation and it provides more details for student feedback rather then simply offering them a non-descriptive number or letter grade on their work.
As a whole, The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1 - 8 Mathematics has been an essential aspect of my learning experience as a teacher candidate. I believe that a solid comprehension of its contents is crucial to successful pedagogical practise. Through my constant interaction of this document I now believe I am capable of accessing this document's contents and applying the curriculum expectations through instruction.
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