Instructor: Mr.

Knight EDUC 450 Wesley Pace

Making Thinking Visible Reflections

MTV Strategy Reflection (Zoom In: Emily and Wes)

Part (I) Write a reflection on your lesson’s effectiveness, how you see it being used in your content area, and what
changes you might make if you taught it again.
(a) Effectiveness: The Zoom In strategy is somewhat like the See-Think-Wonder teaching technique
because it asks the learner to be perceptive to their environment and keenly aware of their
presuppositions. For this reason and others, it caught our attention. At first Miss Garcia and I were
unsure how to approach this lesson, but some brainstorming alleviated this puzzlement. Eventually
we realized that when we learn or do something (i.e., an activity) it is usually the case that relevant
information is accessible. For instance, when learning to cook the novice usually has the resource of
a complete recipe (or cookbook). This isn’t always the case, but many times it is.
Our goal for this lesson was to bring this realization more into focus. That is, we wanted to
demonstrate that when one does not have all the information for a project or a problem frontloaded, one
must be open to seeking new evidence and making sense of the task. One must ask meaningful
questions, search for clues, and decide on a best explanation given the evidence. Thus, we chose to
remove knowledge of the objective from the learner (i.e., the carving pattern for the jack-o-lantern).
A central component to this strategy is that it induces a learner to use their reasoning faculties to
make relevant connections and draw reasonable conclusions. In short, the learner must put two and
two together.
Hence, I think that our lesson was effective in that it led the learner to make discoveries on
their own accord (that is, if they did not peek ahead). The effectiveness of this strategy is that it
requires the lesson to be digested. The learner is not simply told that x is the truth; they must piece it
together for themselves. For the most part our lesson kept the learner in the mode of constantly
modifying their hypotheses until the foregone conclusion was apparent (i.e., that the jack-o-lantern
image was a schoolhouse). The result, I think, is that the learner learns, and it would not be
surprising to find an increase in knowledge retention and/or understanding. Aside from some
changes to the lesson delivery and structure (see below), the lesson was effective.

(b) Content Area: Although difficult, the Zoom In strategy could be modified to work in a math-
learning environment. For instance, I recently taught a lesson on rotation transformations in
geometry. Although I did not use the Zoom In strategy it could have been applied to help students
discover the formulas for different rotation patterns of geometric figures. Instead of providing
students with the formulae, I believe that it would have been more effective to have students
productively struggle and make the necessary connections in order to piece the formulas together. If
they were given this opportunity, then they would likely be able to recall why the formulae work and
how they derived them. This leads to the question of how one might go about doing this. One
answer is to have students work together and use appropriate technology (e.g., GeoGebra) to
recognize numerical/geometrical patterns. Though, this would need to be constructed in a way that
focuses and funnels the learning process. I think, by doing this, most students would recognize the
similarities and connections between examples and make reasonable conclusions (e.g., that a 90°
CCW rotation takes point (x, y) to point (-y, x)). This tactic would lead students to think inductively

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Instructor: Mr. Knight EDUC 450 Wesley Pace

and eventually urge them to reason deductively. So, in conclusion I think that Zoom In can certainly
be modified in a way that enhances mathematical learning.
To assess learners, I have found Google Forms to be an ideal way to keep track of how well
individuals (and the class) understand a topic. For instance, for my latest lesson at TVHS on
rotational transformations I created the following assessment Rotations Google Form. The activity
allowed me to calculate how well the students comprehending the material, look at individual scores,
and receive feedback on which transformations learners were struggling with. It would not surprise
me that students may have fared better if I had used the Zoom In technique. This strategy would have
required students to make learning connections through trial and error instead of receiving it directly
from my instruction. Additionally, to get a better idea of how well students were understanding the
material it would be important for me to ask students a variety of transformation questions (e.g.,
probing, focusing, etc.) and be aware of how individuals performed on the Google Form
assessment. Thus, I would be able to provide office hour help and make sure that each of my
learners was not falling into the cracks.

(c) Improvements: Certainly, there are changes I would make to our lesson. First, I think
shortening the video by a few minutes would have helped. We could edit out superfluous footage
from the carving scenes or use time-lapse photography to keep the tempo allegro (i.e., points to the
importance of classroom time management). Secondly, if I had a do over, I would have done my
best to present with more energy (i.e., was a bit drained). Thirdly, I think by making the prediction
part more mysterious we would keep the learner’s interest longer (e.g., throw the guesser off by
making erroneous suggestions). This translates to the classroom too. That is, if the mystery of the
Zoom In is quickly discovered then the lesson could flop. Likewise, a drawn-out reveal can be time-
heavy and inconducive to learning (i.e., lead students to a state of frustration or boredom). Fourthly,
I believe that if my teammate and I would have been able to work without the distance learning
restrictions, then our presentation might have been more seamless (e.g., both of us in the footage
together). Lastly, playing my part by sporting a fun costume might have given the presentation the
edge it was missing!
Part (II) Choose three other strategies on which to reflect. How could you use this strategy in your content area?
What ideas do you have? Be specific about how you might use this strategy in your content area.
MTV Strategy One: Think-Puzzle-Explore (What do you think you know? What questions do you
have? Strategize and seek to answer your questions).
Presenters: Jade and Sarah

Reflection: I thoroughly enjoyed watching this presentation! It was raw, realistic, and demonstrated
how a teacher might prompt a student’s curiosity to learn more about a particular topic. This
strategy could certainly be used in a math classroom because understanding mathematics depends
deeply on a learner’s intuition—their ability to consider evidence, make connections, and discover
underlying patterns. Much like the presentation, a math teacher could present learners with a pattern
of related geometric representations and ask them to think, question, and seek to discover more. In
fact, while watching Sarah and Jade’s video my imagination ran rampant as I considered different
ideas of using this strategy in a future lesson.

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Instructor: Mr. Knight EDUC 450 Wesley Pace

Here is one idea that I might use as a stimulus to teaching geometrical sequences and/or
series. Recall that a geometric sequence is a list of numbers that are related to each other by a
common ratio. That is, each sequential number is obtained by multiplying the previous number in
the list by a common ratio. To prompt students to learn about geometric sequences I could provide
them with a diagram (see below) and ask them to take note of any commonalities, patterns, or
relationships they catch. This would activate background knowledge and help learners to investigate
this fascinating topic.

Term a a2 a3 a4 a5 an

? ?
•••• •••••••• •••••••• ••••••••
Dot •••••••• ••••••••
Representation
••••••••
••••••••

During the Think-stage students might recognize the value for each term in the sequence {4,8,16,
32, . . .}, the scaling factor for each sequential term (i.e., 4•2=8, 8•2=16, etc.), and guess what value
term a5 will have. They might be curious about the dot pattern arrangement, how to generalize the
sequence, and how to formalize the generalization during the Puzzle-phase. This would hopefully
prompt learners to investigate geometric progressions and their related series by researching the
topic, defining key terms, and asking pertinent questions. After the intuition pump has brought most
of the learners to a turning point it would be beneficial to formalize the lesson. That is, I would
facilitate a classroom discussion to emphasize what has been discovered and what conclusions can
be drawn. This would lead to the formal definition of a geometric sequence (i.e., of the form {a0, a1r,
a2r2, a3r3, . . .}) and how we might generalize it (i.e., that the nth term is found by an = a1•rn-1, where n
is a member of the natural numbers). Note that for this geometric sequence that a 1 = 4 and r = 2.
This would allow us to compute a5 = 4 • (2)5-1 = 4 • (2)4 = 4•16 = 64 dots. Using the Think-Puzzle-
Explore strategy to start this lesson would help students develop their understanding of geometric
progressions and provide them the tools to generalize other geometric sequences.

MTV Strategy Two: Headlines (Learners construct a short statement about a topic after observing
an example or completing some learning experiences. To do so they take notes during
observation/learning, compare discoveries, and produce a descriptive headline.)
Presenters: Anna and Brenan

Reflection: The Headline-strategy is much like the Zoom In strategy that my EDUC 450 peer and I
worked on. It is based on the idea that understanding is developed when students discover ideas
through their own volition. That is, teachers can help students learn by providing them with focused
examples, but ultimately learning depends on students making connections and sense of
problems/topics/etc. themselves.
This strategy would be an excellent tool to use in a math classroom because it helps the
learner define concepts in their own words. After students have had time to learn about a topic, like
conic sections, the instructor could ask them to make a descriptive headline that encapsulates the
main idea(s) of the subject. For instance, if I were teaching conic sections in an algebra class, then I
could ask learners to make a descriptive headline for each of the four conics (i.e., circles, ellipses,
hyperbolas, and parabolas). Students would have to isolate the most important features of each

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Instructor: Mr. Knight EDUC 450 Wesley Pace

conic and produce a statement. Here are a few headlines that epitomize descriptive statements about
conic sections.

 Circles: All Points Equidistant from a Common Center Point.

 Two Foci, A Constant Summed Distance to Points Makes an Ellipse.
 The Locus of Points Equidistant to a Focus and Directrix Line (Parabola).

This MTV strategy could be used for test preparation, as an assessment tool to check
understanding, or even as a fun interlude before learning the algebraic concepts behind conic
sections. Because the strategy does not necessarily deepen a student's skill set for working with conic
section equations (e.g., Standard Form—Ax2 + Bxy+ Cy2 + Dx + Ey + F = 0), it would be beneficial
to use this strategy a primer for more rigorous learning.

MTV Strategy Three: The 4 C’s (Read a chosen text or watch a video/presentation in order to
make connections, challenge assumptions, describe key concepts, and deduce implications.)
Presenter: Kianna Lackman

Reflection: The 4 C’s is an integrated teaching strategy that helps students become acquainted with
new material. It allows learners to make sense of a reading/video/topic by connecting it to personal
life experiences, challenging assumptions, keeping track of key features, and determining how the
learning will affect their lives. The Ted Talk in Miss Lackman's presentation made the argument that
a little determination goes a long way in developing a new habit. In fact, it was suggested that anyone
can set their mind to doing an unorthodox routine for thirty days (i.e., write a novel, cutout sugar or
coffee, etc.). As viewers, our job was to connect the discussion to our own lives, challenge/question
assumptions, pinpoint key concepts, and predict how the learning will influence our life choices.
Using this strategy in a math classroom could potentially enliven learners to have a greater
interest in the subject. Many students are turned off by math because they perceive it to be mere
abstraction. Aside from understanding finances or statistics they do not believe math is relevant to
their lives. To combat this mentality the 4 C’s could be used to encourage learners to make
mathematical connections to their own lives. Here is an example.
To stimulate mathematical discourse, I could compile a video (or picture collage) that has
multiple examples of projectile motion (i.e., the parabolic trajectory flying objects take when near the
Earth’s surface). To heighten student interest in the subject I would include examples of volleyball
serves, baseball pop fly's, three-pointers, golf chips, long jumps, placekicks, and other examples of
projectile motion. Then I would introduce the quadratic model for the height of an object that
follows a parabolic course. That is, the height of an object traveling according to projectile motion
can be calculated by the quadratic function h(x) = -(½) gt2 + vot – y0, where g = gravity constant, v0
= initial velocity of object, y0 = initial height of object. Using the 4 C’s strategy, I would ask students
to think of an example or two in their lives where projectile motion played a part (e.g., sports,
fountains, games, etc.). Then I would have learners consider challenges to why this equation might
not give a true representation of the object's height at a certain time (e.g., air resistance, how
horizontal motion factors in, etc.). Noticing these components would segue our discussion into the
key concepts of projectile motion (i.e., gravity constant, why the trajectory is parabolic, how the
initial velocity affects the height, etc.). Finally, we would be able to work through examples of

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Instructor: Mr. Knight EDUC 450 Wesley Pace

projectile motion. My hope would be that students would find the topic more interesting once they
realized that many everyday activities have parabolic trajectories. Thus, the volleyball or soccer
player could utilize this in their sports play, the future engineer could grasp how to build fountains,
and gamers could see how video games simulate projectile motion (e.g., think Wii or PS-IV games).
Thus, the 4 C’s could be utilized in the math classroom to encourage students to see the far-reaching
implications of mathematics.
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References: Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to
Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, CA.