Exit Slip: Jo Boaler on student inquiry.

Today we spent the first half of the class exploring the different ways we can manage our classroom time. We found that on average, the teacher spends roughly 125 hours of classroom time with their students, and how to efficiently make use of this time is an important question to reflect on. Here are a few of the many ways by which one can manage to have a multidimensional classroom.

11. Starting the class with a reviewing of the previous class content and also bridging their gaps in knowledge by making analogies based on their common experiences.

22. Hands-on demonstrations wherever possible, so that students can have a better understanding by experimenting on their own.

33.  Peer group discussions to encourage their core competencies of communication, critical thinking and building up social and emotional relationships by helping each other.

44.  Incorporating learning activities through the use of technology, gaming, coding, visual manipulatives.

Although, I am thinking, how pragmatic it will be for me to actually apply all of these in my classroom considering time and curricular constraints.

Video by Jo Boaler was very informative and prompted me to inquire more about the various researches done on math and science education in order to understand the mindset of the students. Moreover, it was interesting to know how essential it is to track the student's approaches to different questions. For instance, children with fixed mindsets think that math is gifted and asks for help without even trying and students with a growth mindset approach the questions more conceptually and urge to learn more with a positive attitude. Now the big question arises is how to change the fixed mindset of the students and make them realize that no one is born smart and anyone can be good at math by practicing more and having an optimistic approach towards problems. As a prospective teacher, I will make my best efforts to create a multidimensional active learning environment in my classrooms rather than direct teaching.

In addition to this, Video by Alfie Kohn motivates me to be an affectionate parent in my future life. It inspires me to listen and reflect whatever my child says, which will help me in making decisions more meaningfully.