Reflections on Practice

Lesson Plan for [First year, introduction to algebraw]

For the lesson on [18/03/2015]
At [Colaiste Bride, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford], [Ms. McGuinness’s] class
Teacher: [Olive McGuinness]
Lesson plan developed by: [Aidan Roche, Olive McGuinness, Julie Duggan]

1. Title of the Lesson: My first algebra class

2. Brief description of the lesson: Students will be introduced to algebra and the concept of
a variable through some simple visual patterns.

3. Aims of the Lesson:

 I’d like my students to appreciate that maths can be used to solve real life problems.
 I’d like to emphasise that there are several correct ways to solve that same problem.
 I’d like my students experience meaningful mathematics
 I’d like my students to see algebra as a tool that can be used to make sense of concrete
problems.
 I’d like to give my students opportunities to discuss mathematical ideas in small groups and
in front of the class.
 That students understand that a pattern exists if you can predict the next stage.
 That students understand that patterns can be approached numerically or by considering
changing shapes/pictures.
 That students could predict the shape/value of any stage in a given pattern.

4. Learning Outcomes:
As a result of actively participating in this lesson my students should be able to:
 Convert pattern images into numbers and visa-versa.
 Recognise that there is a pattern.
 Recognise what changes and what stays the same in a pattern.
 Understand that as stages got bigger it was easier to use a formula rather than the picture
to predict the value/number of tiles in a stage.

5. Background and Rationale

This lesson was designed to:
 Meet syllabus needs as students and teachers engage with new maths syllabus in a more
hands on, interactive, real life approach.
 Maths is seen as something that can be applied to understand the world around us.
 Approach algebra in a new way that has been suggested might increase students
understanding, by considering changing stages in a pattern.
 Approach algebra in an active, practical and visual way to engage all learners in a mixed
ability class.

6. Research
This relates to Section 4.1 and 4.2 of the Common Introductory Course for 1st Year maths
students.
7. About the Unit and the Lesson
The lesson is designed to
 Help students realise that you can create numerical patterns using tiles and vice versa.
 Students will look at various patterns and make predictions about what comes next.
 Help students understand that in patterns somethings remain constant while other things
change.

8. Flow of the Unit:

Prior to this lesson the students will have studied Strand 3.1 Number Systems.
This is an introductory lesson to algebra. The next lesson will look at further patterns and
introduce the concept of the nth term.
# of lesson
Lesson periods
Patterns and algebra
1 These lessons will involve the students in investigating and 6 x 40min. of
understanding: which the
research lesson
 The use of tables, graphs, diagrams and manipulatives to represent is the first
and analyse patterns (e.g. using unifix cubes) and introduce concepts lesson.
of variables and constants

 A relationship as that which involves a set of inputs, a set of

outputs and a correspondence from each input to each output ( e.g.
“money box” problems as in the teaching and learning plan),
identifying variables and constants

 Relations derived from some kind of context – familiar, everyday

situations, imaginary contexts or arrangements of tiles or blocks.

 The use of tables, diagrams and graphs as tools for analysing

 relations

 How to use patterns to make predictions about what comes next

 How to develop and use their own generalising strategies and ideas
and consider those of others

 How to present and interpret solutions, explaining and justifying

methods, inferences and reasoning

 How to generalise and explain patterns and relationships in words

and numbers

 How to write arithmetic expressions for particular terms in a

sequence, linear only

 Change and rate of change linked to slope

9. Flow of the Lesson

Teaching Activity Points of Consideration
1. Introduction
Students are presented with 3 stages of a Do students recognize the presence of a
geometrical pattern and are asked what they pattern?
see. Can students explain what a pattern is?
The teacher asks students to explain what they Do students understand that a pattern is
mean by pattern? predictable?

2. Posing the Task Can students complete the two missing stages
The teacher asks the students to use their tiles to of the pattern?
construct the missing stages of the pattern. Can students explain their reasoning behind
The teacher asks students to explain how they the patterns they created?
reasoned to construct their patterns. Do students work together effectively in
completing the task.
3. Anticipated Student Responses It is important that the teacher supports
Most students should be able to complete the students in developing their reasoning through
missing stages of the pattern. suitable questioning.
Students may find it difficult to explain their
reasoning / thinking.

4. Comparing and Discussing

The teacher brings the class back together as a Do students offer different ways of looking at
group and asks a student to come to the board the pattern?
to draw in the next stage of the pattern. Are students comfortable explaining their
The teacher asks the class if this is the pattern thinking?
they got. It is important that students are given time to
The teacher asks different students to explain explain their approach to the problem.
how they reasoned that this must be the next
stage of the pattern.
The teacher asks another student to come to the
board and to complete the next stage of the
pattern.
The teacher asks the class if this is the pattern
they got.
The teacher asks different students to explain
their thinking.
The teacher reminds the class of the fact that
patterns are predictable in some way.

5. Posing the Task Can students complete the two missing stages
The teacher asks the students to examine a new of the pattern?
pattern and to use their tiles to construct the Can students explain their reasoning behind
next two stages of the pattern. the patterns they created?
The teacher asks students to explain their Do students work together effectively in
thinking in constructing the two missing stages of completing the task.
the pattern.
6. Anticipated Student Responses It is important that the teacher supports
Most students should be able to complete the students in developing their reasoning through
missing stages of the pattern. suitable questioning.
Students may find it easier to explain their
reasoning this time, having gotten some practice
with the previous task.

7. Comparing and Discussing

The teacher brings the class back together as a Do students offer different ways of looking at
group and asks a student to come to the board the pattern?
to draw in the next stage of the pattern. Are students comfortable explaining their
The teacher asks the class if this is the pattern thinking?
they got. Do students recognize that the numbers
The teacher asks different students to explain associated with the pattern themselves form a
how they reasoned that this must be the next numeric pattern?
stage of the pattern. Can students describe the key features of the
The teacher asks another student to come to the numeric pattern?
board and to complete the next stage of the It is important that students are given time to
pattern. explain their approach to the problem.
The teacher asks the class if this is the pattern
they got.
The teacher asks different students to explain
their thinking.
The teacher reminds the class of the fact that
patterns are predictable in some way.
The teacher asks students to think about the
pattern using the total number of tiles in each
stage.
The teacher asks students to write in the number
of tiles under each stage of the pattern and asks
students if they notice anything about the
numbers.
The teacher emphasizes the fact that this
geometrical problem may also be thought of in
terms of a number pattern.
The teacher asks students to use their traffic-
light boards to show how well they understood
what they just did.
8. Posing the Task Can students apply their understanding to
The teacher asks students to work together to work out the number of tiles in the 10th stage?
predict how many tiles are needed to build the Do students have to make the 10th stage to
10th stage of the pattern. answer the question?
The teacher asks students to explain the thinking Can students exploit the number pattern they
behind their solution. just discovered to predict the number of tiles
in the 10th stage?
Can students explain how they arrived at their
answer?
9. Anticipated Student Responses It is important that the teacher supports
Some students may construct the 10th stage students in developing their reasoning through
using their tiles. suitable questioning.
Some students may use the numeric pattern to For students who simply make the pattern, the
predict the number of tiles on the 10th stage. teacher should encourage them to think
Some students may use both approaches, with numerically about the problem.
the second approach providing a check of the For students who skip count (additive thinking)
first. the teacher should encourage them to think in
Some students may skip count to the solution. groups of two (multiplicative thinking).
Some students may think about the pattern as
groups of two.
10. Comparing and Discussing
The teacher brings the class back together as a Do students offer different ways of looking at
group projects the solution to the problem on the the pattern?
board. Do students think of the pattern numerically?
The teacher asks the class if this is the pattern Do students display evidence of additive
they got. thinking?
The teacher asks different students to explain Do students display evidence of multiplicative
how they reasoned that this must be the next thinking?
stage of the pattern. Are students comfortable explaining their
The teacher asks students - which is a better thinking?
approach – to construct the pattern using tiles or Can students identify the usefulness of
to predict the pattern using numbers. numeric analysis over simply constructing the
The teacher emphasizes the power of a pattern?
numerical approach to pattern prediction. It is important that students are given time to
The teacher asks students to use their traffic- explain their approach to the problem.
light boards to show how well they understood
what they just did.
11. Posing the Task Can students use numeric analysis to solve the
The teacher asks the students to work together problem?
to calculate how many tiles will be in the 100th Do students recognize that drawing out the
stage of the pattern. pattern is not practical here?
The teacher asks students to explain how they Can students reason what the number of tiles
reasoned to construct their patterns. must be?
12. Anticipated Student Responses It is important that the teacher supports
Some students may start by trying to construct students in developing their reasoning through
the pattern. suitable questioning.
Some students may think of the pattern in terms
of the number of tiles in each arm.
Some students may think about the pattern in
terms of jumps of two.
13. Comparing and Discussing
The teacher brings the class back together as a Have students gotten the correct answer to
group and asks students to write down their the problem?
answers on their show-me boards. Do students offer different ways of looking at
The teacher writes the answer on the board. the pattern?
The teacher asks students if drawing out the Are students comfortable explaining their
100th stage is practical. thinking?
The teacher asks students to describe how they Do students think of the pattern in numeric
got their answer. terms?
Do students use multiplicative thinking to get
to their answer?
It is important that students are given time to
explain their approach to the problem.
14. Summing up Do students recognize that they themselves
The teacher asks the students to summarise did most of the maths in the class?
what they have learned in the lesson. Do students recognize that maths is doable
The teacher emphasizes the fact that students with a little effort and thinking?
have solved problems based around patterns. Do students recognize that different
The teacher emphasizes that there are many approaches to solving a problem are
ways to solve such pattern problems and that acceptable and that there is more than one
often one approach is as valid as another. way to solve a problem?
The teacher emphasizes the fact that the
students solved these problems themselves, with
very little help from the teacher.
The teacher presents students with homework
and explains what they are expected to do.

10. Evaluation
Students learning will be assessed through:
 Verbal responses
 Student questioning
 Observation of student group work
 Successful completion of tasks
 Completion of homework worksheet

11. Board Plan

12. Post-lesson reflection

All observers felt that the lesson was a great success. Here are our main findings:
 The timing of the lesson was very good. Students were challenged throughout but not so
rushed as to find the concepts being investigated difficult to absorb.
  Students understood the content of the lesson. This was observed through their responses
to questions, their questioning and their work as a group.
 Students were engaged with the lesson. They enjoyed the lesson. More lessons like this
would be useful.
 Students were challenged by the tasks in the lesson, particularly the more difficult task.
There was a noticeable rise in the levels of “noise” in the classroom when students were
challenged. This “noise” was a result of students increased efforts to tackle the problem.
Students willingly discussed maths.
 Students used the tile resources well. This helped them engage with understanding the
pattern.
 The language used during the lesson by the teacher was of the highest order. Students
were constantly reminded of the fact that they were dealing with a pattern and what this
meant.
 The language used by students during the lesson was excellent. Students drew on the
language of maths to describe what they saw in front of them. One student commented
that the number of tiles in each stage of a pattern were prime numbers. Students showed
little hesitation in making connections between the lesson and prior knowledge.
 The range of answers / approaches suggested by students was excellent. With little
support many students developed their own reasoning to solve the problem. Most students
had no difficulty sharing their reasoning with the teacher and the rest of the class. Some
students naturally tended toward a geometrical solution to the tasks while others preferred
a purely numerical approach.
 The use of traffic lights to assess student understanding was excellent.
 The learning environment was excellent. Students worked independently, stayed on task,
asked questions when needed and shared their thinking with the entire class.
 Questioning was used very effectively throughout the lesson to encourage students to think
more deeply about a concept. The use of appropriate wait time was crucial in this.
 Students were comfortable questioning other students’ reasoning and had no problem
stating that they didn’t understand where this reasoning came from. The teacher gave
plenty of time to discuss the various approaches used by students.

There are a few changes we would make if the lesson was to be taught again. These are:
 We thing the Introduction to the lesson should be altered because the students were not
sure of what was expected of them for the first few minutes. Setting the scene of the
lesson is difficult as we don’t want to use the word “pattern” at the start, rather we want
students to come up with this term themselves. We think that presenting students with the
first task and saying something simple like “We are going to look at a simple problem to
start today’s class. Have a look at the screen and using the tiles in front of you, I want you
to make up what goes into the missing spaces”. Having completed the task, the teacher
can get students to then come up with the word pattern themselves by asking simple
questions such as “How did you know what to make?” and so on.
 To help with this change to the launch of the lesson we would recommend changing the
first slide in the PowerPoint to include boxes around the first three stages of the pattern
and empty boxes for the missing stages. This might help students understand what they
are trying to do a little more easily.
 Students worked well in groups, but in some cases there was a clear leader who seemed
to be doing more of the work. This would need to be monitored to ensure full engagement
of all students.