Alex Barker

08/29/2016
MATH 431
Week 1 Lesson Reflection
The first few lessons we covered gave us insight into the various approaches to
constructing the area of a circle. I enjoyed experiencing multiple methods because they each
differed in types of instruction and we got a feel for which approaches would be most effective
for students. Although all four types of instruction were useful, I preferred the last three over the
first. I am a big fan of a hands-on, manipulative type of approach and so combining lessons 2
and 4 in my opinion would be most effective for students. Lesson 2 consisted of revealing that
the area of a circle is not lost when cut into smaller pieces as long as they stick together. There
was Piagets law of conservation at work here as different shapes were constructed using all of
the pieces cut out of the circle. Piecing together the circle fragments in a parallelogram structure,
we were able to derive the formula for the area of a circle. In lesson 4, we derived the number of
radius squares it takes to fill the area of a circle. I believe this approach gives the best insight
into how pi relates to the formula for the area of a circle. This lesson does the interconnecting
portion of the NCTM standards justice as it brings the elements of radius squares and circles
together. The third lesson would not be my first choice of instruction not because it was more
student-led discussion, but because I think the other two methods are more effective in
facilitating understanding. Through viewing these lessons, I got a stronger grasp that pi is the
number of radius squares that fit in a circle and the area of a circle is defined as the number of
unit squares that fill the circle.
Prior the lesson introduced on Friday, we did an entertaining exercise where we tried to
determine if a million of our textbooks would fit into our classroom. I thought this was another
good hands-on type assignment where students are asked to experiment and discover answers
on their own. Not only does this give students a clue to how much a million of something really

Alex Barker
08/29/2016
MATH 431
is, but it also encourages them to ask questions of their own and broaden their understanding.
The activity on integers with two-colored chips was an alternative approach to the adding
positive and negative integers that I really liked. When compared to assigning students
worksheets with problems on them and having them crunch out operations, the chip approach
definitely cultivates understanding better. Students discover the overwhelming integer will
cancel out the smaller integer and the leftover chips, or integer, is the result. The described
number line approach in class is also perfect for this type of lesson where students would stand at
a number on the number line and move forwards or backwards based off of the operation. I think
these two approaches are superior to worksheet type integer lessons in every way. Students are
given better explanations into how numerical operations work. I intend to use a hands-on chip
type approach or a number line approach when teaching an integer lesson to students, I have not
decided yet. One thing I have learned about myself in my educational schooling is that I am a
strong advocate for hands-on experiences. These types of methods help students learn
organically by strengthening understanding.