MAT104 Blackboard Assignment 1
Sample Student Response:
1. I was in the fifth grade 24 years ago.
2. I did attend elementary school in the United States. I went to school in Queens, New York.
3. a) As I remember, it was a mix of both teacher-centered and student-centered classroom. The
teacher would usually begin the lesson by asking to see the homework assignment and then
proceeded to review the homework assignment. The teacher would then put an “Aim” on the
blackboard and we would proceed with that day’s lesson. The students copied and then we were
given examples to solve within a time frame. Once the time was up we would take turns going up
to the blackboard and working out the problems in front of the class. The teacher would ask the
class for their input if anyone at the board got stuck. I remember that for the last 10 minutes of the
class the teacher would have us do mental math. It was in the form of a math bee. That is when
you are given oral math equations to solve without the benefit of scrap-paper. You only had a
certain amount of time to answer correctly. If you got the right answer, you would go on to the
next round.
b) The interaction between students came mostly from the time we had to work out the problems
on the board.
c) My homework consisted of drill questions, word problems and “Think Questions.” These
questions usually came at the end of the particular lesson. I have to say that those were the most
difficult because the question could not be answered with a numerical equation. I was never really
sure what I was supposed to say.
4. I am not so confident that I would be able to explain to my class the “why” behind the
mathematical operation. I believe I have a solid mathematics background, but I could use a
refresher on the elementary level mathematics. I have been brushing up on percents, decimals
and fractions.
5. I think that more emphasis on the “Think Questions” at the end of the lesson would have better
prepared me in terms of retaining the mathematical knowledge I acquired. Although the question
was always there at the end of the lesson, most the children never answered it. The teacher
never really got to that part either.
6. I actually have two children in elementary school. One of them is a fifth grade, the other a third
grader. I would like them to learn reasoning behind their answers. I think that would enable them
to retain the information longer. Understanding why you do or don’t do something helps you to
use this information and apply in the future regardless of the numbers that are put in front of you.