Learning Map

Gordon Witt
National University
 STAGE 1: PLANNING
YOUR TARGET: Standard, Goals & Outcomes

Teacher:____Gordon Witt____________ Grade/Subject: _High School Math (Geometry)

TARGET: Unpack Your Standard(s)

Part 1: My Standards, Goals and Outcomes

Academic Standards: : STATE YOUR STANDARD

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.CP.A.2
Understand that two events A and B are independent if the probability of A and B
occurring together is the product of their probabilities, and use this characterization to
determine if they are independent.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.CP.A.3
Understand the conditional probability of A given B as P(A and B)/P(B), and interpret
independence of A and B as saying that the conditional probability of A given B is the
same as the probability of A, and the conditional probability of B given A is the same
as the probability of B.

*Highlight the main idea/knowledge (what) *Underline the skills/verbs (how)

Big Questions Knowledge (Concepts to Skills (what you will

(Questions to frame
student learning)
What does it mean for an
event to be independent?
Does it matter which order
events occur?
Hat factors can contribute
to the answer to the above
question?
be understood and
applied)
Independent events are
not affected by the
occurrence of prior events
Some events change the
outcomes of other events
by altering potential
outcomes, or altering how
many possibilities exist for
outcomes
explicitly teach)
Students will apply a
formula to determine the
independence of events
Students will determine
the dependence of events
based on how one event
affects possible outcomes

Student Learning Goal: STATE YOUR GOAL FOR STUDENTS TO SHARE

Content Objectives:

 Students will model several events, and compare outcomes.

 Students will determine the dependence of events.
 Students will model / predict general trends based on their assessments.

Language Objectives/Expectations:
  Students will understand how to determine general trends from a subset.
 Students will understand the academic vocabulary: sample space, event,
conditional probability, outcome

Literacy Objectives/Expectations:

 Students will describe events, or outcomes, as dependent or independent

 Students will explain why some events are independent while others are
independent
 Students will collaborate with others using academic math language to
describe outcomes of events, and to describe potential future questions

Student Social-emotional Goal (LEARNER):

Students will demonstrate appropriate social skills as they collaborate with group
members during discussions and exercises.

Barriers to learning (LEARNER): (level of literacy; language proficiency

levels; funds of knowledge; attention span)

Students tend to have limited attention spans, especially when they are not motivated
by the activity, so I will provide a variety of moderate activities so students do not
become bored.

Students may also struggle to understand abstract concepts and may give up if they
struggle too much. I will use real-world activities to connect the content to the
students’ lives so they can more easily integrate the content with their prior knowledge
and understand the concepts

Common Misconceptions (LEARNER & TARGET): (Subject-matter specific;

Related to academic standard; Knowledge gaps; Student confusion; multiple
meanings; cultural differences; misunderstand)

Some students may struggle to understand some of the vocabulary and their
concepts. Some vocabulary may have been used in other contexts, so refining the
meanings in a mathematical sense may be challenging.

Connecting the abstract concepts to concrete, real-world scenarios may be

challenging for some students.
Part 2: My Class
My Classroom Composite: (TEACHER & LEARNER) Whole group (Broad needs
of students; observable patterns & trends; language and literacy subgroups;
digital/technology fluency; emotional regulation)

My class has few students, due to the summer session in place. It consists of two
brothers; the elder brother was an excellent student in high school who took honors
classes, while his younger brother had a few special needs. The class is a high school
geometry class intended for 9th and 10th grade students, although some 11th grade
students can be in the class if they struggled with math before. Our school district
expects all students to continue, and most students will take algebra 2, although
many students will take precalculus, and the most motivated and well-prepared
students will take AP Calculus or AP Statistics. In a typical class, such as a class I
spent time in previously, it is common to have an ELL student or a special needs
student, such as a student with ADHD or a special physical need.

Students have been introduced to the basic ideas of statistics in Algebra 1, the
prerequisite course, and we will now extend the ideas and apply the concepts to
new situations.

Accommodations/Adaptations/Intervention (Teacher, Learner, Instruction,

Management)

Focus Student #1: Special Needs (IEP Focus Student #2: English Language
Goals;504;SST) learner (ELL); Standard English
learner(SEL);

FS1 has been listed as having ADHD,
and I have noticed that she can become
distracted easily by other students.
However, she is also a very smart
student, and she performs well in
group discussions and during projects.
I walk around periodically, and this
helps her remain focused; if left alone,
she will easily become distracted, so
she needs to be close to my desk, or she
needs projects and discussion groups
with students that help keep her on-
task during discussions. If the class is
made up of only lectures and
worksheets, the monotony can become
a challenge.
FS2 has immigrated from India within
the last several weeks and I have been
informed that she is an English
Language Learner (ELL). However, as I
have been working on the lessons and
providing worksheets, she has
performed perfectly, and I believe that
she has seen the content in her classes
in India. I will need to send her in to the
math department chair for further
testing, since she clearly qualifies for a
more advanced course, and we need to
determine which class to place her in.
 (TEACHER, LEARNER, TARGET, ASSESSMENT, INSTRUCTION, MANAGEMENT),
Multiple Means of How will the content be presented/shared in multiple ways to
Representation highlight critical features, represent different formats, media
(modeling & types and cultural diversity? How will you monitor and assess
practice)1 understanding of representation?
Academic vocabulary will be introduced early and pre-taught so that
students will recognize the vocabulary when they see it. A short
lecture will introduce the content to students so that they recognize
the objectives for the lesson. Graphic organizers will be used that are
largely filled out, so students have time to fill out new information
without slowing down the lecture and having some students become
bored or frustrated. In addition, the objectives will be listed on the
board so that students will easily recognize the intent of the lesson.
The lecture will involve interaction between the teacher and the
students using guided questions that will help connect prior
knowledge and real-world experiences to new content.
Student groups will work together with marbles and quarters to help
them understand whether some events impact the following events.
Group discussions will describe why they believe some events affect
other events, known as dependent, and why other events are
independent of each other.
A group project will use models to compare how probability in
general relates to a formula to determine independence or
dependence [P(A and B) / P(B)], and why it works.

Multiple Means of How will students engage in the process of new learning? How
Engagement2 will the content become accessible, meaningful, and relevant to
the learner? How will you monitor and assess this process?
Warm-up exercises and the initial lecture will be used to connect the
prior knowledge to the new content, so students have something to
build upon.
Humor and real-world examples will be included to help students
Simultaneously remain interested in the new content, and
Whiteboards at each desk will be implemented to allow the teacher
to quickly assess the students’ work. Group discussions allow
students to explain concepts to each other, leading to strong
retention of concepts and improved motivation.
Multiple means of What principles of choice for the product of learning will you
Expression3 accept? How will you provide a space for communication,
(practice & creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration (4 C’s)?
Which measures will you use to assess products of learning?

1 Think about at least three ways you can represent this concept: video, role play, manipulatives.
2 At least three ways your students will understand, internalize, appropriate: prior knowledge, group
work; technology; graphic organizer; dyads or triads
3 At least three ways your students will show you what they know: oral presentation; written report;
research; technology-mediate projects; debates; simulation; quiz, exit ticket
 Assessment is an ongoing process, not just one event at the end of a
unit. As a result, assessment will take place every day using
questions for the class, and it will begin with a random non-
volunteer before other students may add more if the students choose
to. Warm up questions and examples will also be worked on
throughout each lesson so that I can assess where the students’
difficulties occur.
assessment) Groups will be asked to compare real-world events with the
classroom examples, and they will be asked to develop their own
examples of independent events, so they begin to think of these
events in more critical ways.

Managing the How will you manage the classroom/setting so students

Classroom transition successfully through instructional stages, and student
Environment groupings? How will you create an optimal learning
environment (space, time, pacing, interactions, expectations,
assessment)?
Students will be given time to stretch during the class, so they do not
become too uncomfortable to concentrate; I develop an environment
of trust and respect, so students remain responsible class members.
The class follows a predictable schedule, with students beginning
with a short warm up and a lecture to introduce new concepts and
connect prior knowledge and real-world experiences to the new
concepts. This will be followed by group discussions, example
problems, and class discussions to explain the students’ reasoning.

STAGE 2: TEACHING
DAILY AGENDA: WHAT WILL YOU USE TO MANAGE DAILY INSTRUCTION

WHAT IS MY LEARNING MAP SEQUENCE FOR DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3…?

Geometry: Lesson on Statistical Independence and Conditional Probability
Day 1: Introduce the concept of events, independence, and why the probabilities of
independent events multiply together at an introductory level.

Day 2: Extend independence and the product of their probabilities, and learn about
a new formula [P(A and B) / P(B)] and how this can be used with data.

Day 3: Quiz on independence and using the formula to assess independence.

Day 4: Using probability using real-world examples, i.e. Monty Hall Problem or the
chance of two people sharing a birthday in a class of 30 students.

Day 5: Test
WHAT MATERIALS WILL I USE FOR DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3?
Textbooks: Statistics
Projector
Teacher’s desktop computer (for Power Point slides, when necessary)
Whiteboards
Dry Erase Markers and Erasers
Vocabulary Cards will be displayed throughout the classroom

HOW WILL I ASSESS STUDENT LEARNING ON DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3? WHAT

EVIDENCE WILL I COLLECT OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR UNIT OF STUDY?
Each day, I will assess students using a warmup, questions from random students,
homework and classwork checks, quizzes, and some exit surveys.

STAGE 3: ASSESSING/REFLECTING
WHAT EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING HAVE I COLLECTED ON DAY 1, DAY
2, DAY 3 FOR CONTENT AREA LEARNING, LANGUAGE EXPRESSION AND
LITERACY USE?
During lectures and class discussions, I ask guided questions of random students
to assess how the class’ comfort with the prior knowledge and the new content.
During the group discussions, I walk around and assess the students’ work on the
whiteboards and ask questions of the students.

HOW WILL I ANALYZE THIS EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING?

Students had little difficulty answering the questions from the examples after
discussing the problems with their groups. It took a short while for some students
to recognize how to set up the problems, but then it was easy. Many students
struggle to recognize how to relate probability events to real-life scenarios, since
students do not have experience doing so, and do not typically pay attention to the
outcomes. The examples involving separate events, and combining their
probabilities, seems like it would take a little longer than I anticipated, and
connecting the real events to a mathematical formula, such as P(A and B) = P(A) *
P(B), and what does this mean conceptually.

WHAT INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS CAN I MAKE AS A RESULT OF MY

ANALYSIS OF THIS STUDENT LEARNING EVIDENCE?
I will need to use more visual and manipulative examples of the probabilities of
individual events, and guided instruction and a project so that students can
integrate the concepts involving individual probabilities and the probability of
two separate events occurring simultaneously. For example, if 40% of drivers turn
left at a light, and 30% of drivers have blonde hair, what percentage of drivers
turn left and have blonde hair? Combining probabilities in this way is not always
obvious to some students.
The process of adding numbers and multiplying is not challenging to most
students, and this lesson confirms this tendency, although most students still rely
on technology, such as calculators, to solve these calculations.

STAGE 4: APPLYING
As I reflect about my Unit of Study…

What new information did I get about my students in relation to their

learning preferences?
I found that my students do tend to prefer visual representations of concepts, as I
did. However, I also found that some students benefit from the use of
manipulatives from the learning process. It appears that students will prefer
having a combination of manipulatives, a visual representation of the concepts,
and effective modeling of mathematical processes. For example, if students see a
model that demonstrates the probability of events occurring, a demonstration of
two events occurring together, and manipulatives that allow students to practice
on their own, many students will benefit from the lesson, and some students will
recognize concepts in a new way to help with understanding.
I would also like to include more technology in the classroom, at least as a
supplemental aid to help students with understanding, such as having the ability
to watch videos, if needed.
What new information did I get about effective teaching practices for the
whole class, small groups and/or individual students?
I realized that I need to balance the investigative opportunities for students with
clear directions and guidance so that students recognize the concepts I wish to
demonstrate. Some concepts were not immediately clear for some students, and
effective modeling of the concepts needs to be demonstrated before students
move into their group discussions. If students are clear about the expectations
early in the process, many students will understand the expectations and can help
other students during the hands-on learning.

How was the student learning data collected in alignment to content area
standards for this grade level?
The lesson was tied directly to the Common Core content standards, so all
questions were designed to relate to the standards. I am finding that once the
standards and objectives are clearly stated, and the expected assessment is
chosen, it becomes easier to ensure that the student learning is properly focused
on reaching the goals, rather than simply teaching the students something or
keeping the students busy.
It is becoming easier to find ideas on the internet that relate to the Common Core
content standards, since the standards have now been around for several years,
and this helps to inspire possible projects or teaching strategies.
In the future, I will strive to include additional resources, such as videos, that are
directly related to the Common Core standards.
How were the language and literacy scaffolds effective for student learning
given language diversity in the classroom?
The scaffolds appeared to be successful, since the lessons were engaging and
helped students master the concepts. As students master the concepts, then
learning the academic vocabulary appears to become much easier, especially since
the new academic vocabulary is prominently displayed and students are expected
to practice the use of the vocabulary. The academic vocabulary should not be a
secret or difficult to find, which is why I want it to be easily recognized for
students.

How will I use this information to plan my future instruction?

I will make a stronger habit of writing down the Common Core standards first, and
then decide on effective assessments that demonstrate proper student learning. I
am realizing that, once I have these two components ready, choosing effective
teaching strategies becomes easier. I will also provide a mix of visual
representations and manipulatives as often as possible, as well as modeling the
expectations, so that students can focus on the learning rather than figuring out
what they are expected to do. The mixture of strategies seems to be the most
effective.

How effective were my practices? What will I keep, what will I improve and
what will I discard?
The group discussions are an effective way to help students understand the
content, and they allow me to move around and provide guidance to students that
need it.
I would provide a little more explicit modeling of the scenario with two events
occurring, and the probability of each event occurring simultaneously. I would
also include a better visual representation of this situation so that students can
understand the expectations more easily.

What new understanding do I have about my own teaching practices?

I am always happy to find my students learning new math, and this exercise
confirms my desire to help the students succeed. I have learned that I need to
remain clear about my content objectives and my assessment first, so that I can
ensure that my lessons are teaching the skills in the most effective manner
possible. I also am realizing that my instructions must always remain clear, so that
students understand their expectations. I believe that modeling the learning
process can be immensely helpful in allowing students to understand how to
complete tasks, and examples of effective solutions and incorrect solutions can
help focus the students’ learning.

What have I learned about myself as a teacher?

Every day that I am in the classroom, I realize that I am happiest when the
students learn something new. I find that I am willing to learn something new to
help the students master the content, because I recognize that I still have a lot to
learn 😊 I find that I am not a drill sergeant in the classroom, and students will
typically appreciate that I will respect their time if they respect my time.

As a professional learner where do I need to continue to grow and strive for?

I hope to gain more experience teaching students, so that I can discover which
tools work most effectively for my students in different scenarios. Actively
teaching will help focus my attention on how the theoretical learning works in the
classroom environment. I also need to continue building an arsenal of projects and
lessons that benefit my diverse student population, but this will grow naturally
over time.
 References
California State Board of Education. (2013). California Common Core State
Standards. Retrieved from:
https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/ccssmathstandardaug2013.pdf