Reflection on the Article 'Using Research to Analyze, Inform, and Assess Changes in Instruction' by Heather Robinson

 

            I really enjoyed Robinson’s article, she provided some good hard evidence to back up everything we have been learning about engaging students rather than lecturing to them.

            One point of the article I found intriguing was that as a teacher, Robinson had followed the curriculum and textbooks and had students that did very well on assignments and tests in the classroom.  What I found surprising was, that when it came time to take the final exam, even the students who excelled in the class failed them.   This example really shows that as a teacher you have to go above and beyond simple lectures and begin to engage and involve students in what you are teaching them. 

            I also enjoyed seeing the differences between exam questions Robinson used from her old style of teaching and new style.  I found it interesting to see that her style changed from simple, find the answer questions, to ones that had the students explain, describe and provide more information than just a numerical answer.  I found this comparison very useful and I can see from the two styles how one will have students reflecting on the knowledge they have learned rather that just memorizing a simple formula. 

            Robinson also used the Think-Pair-Share idea we have been learning about in our class studies.  I have been curious as to how you might use this in a math class setting and Robinson provided some great examples of how she used this technique in her own classroom. 

I found the Jigsaw approach discussed in this article so neat and exciting!  Who would have thought of having students become responsible for their own learning as a “topic expert” within a group and the teacher simply acting as a facilitator?  I have never thought of teaching a math class that way because I have never experienced that in my own educational experiences with math.  The positive implications of this method seem to be numberless, and I would be excited to try this method in my own classroom. 

            I found this article to be extremely helpful and motivating towards my own career as an educator.  I really found it useful to see the positive change in students’ learning  from a change in style of teaching by their instructor.  I plan to keep this article and hopefully use some of the ideas and tips it has provided me for my future teaching career.