3 part math lesson

In my first practicum, I was teaching grade 7/8 Mathematics.  Let me tell you..... It was absolutely AWESOME. Children are incredible, they are sponges that just want to learn. I was fortunate enough to have an Associate teacher who demonstrated to me the wonder of a 3 part math lesson. The following is the criteria for a 3 part math lesson.

I thought teaching math was going to be a drag, I thought that I would be up lecturing for 10 to 15 minutes and then I would assign the students questions from a text book. They would have the rest of the class to complete them and if not done they would be for homework. I recall as a student not understanding a certain concept, others in my class would also be lost and the teacher was unwilling to help. I believe that the teacher had a deep disdain for mathematics and could care less if her students missed the boat. She would just move on and teach the next lesson. I thought that this was the way math was to be taught, and I was a little uneasy when the 3 part lesson was first brought to my attention.

After conducting my first 3 part lesson, I felt like Moses. The seas of understanding parted way for me.

The students were able to interact and help one another throughout the class. Reflecting, Discussing, Observing, and Investigating are just a few of the many ways in which the students interact with one another when learning. I, as the teacher was able to walk around, answering group questions after they had discussed their findings as a team. Giving little prompts when necessary.



The final part of the lesson; consolidation was far and away the most rewarding part of the lesson for the students as well as the teacher. The students were able to present and apply the knowledge that they had learned. They were all little teachers themselves, teaching the rest of the class along with me, the manner in which they came to their answers. This was amazing, because the students were able to demonstrate their findings in ways I hadn't even thought of. This benefited the entire class, for it was a way of teaching some students who had yet to get the entire grasp of the concept being taught, another way to learning it. It also re-affirmed the lesson for a number of students.


In the end the 3 part lesson, should and is the new baseline for mathematical instruction. I have become an advocate of the 3 part math lesson. I will from here on out teach it! Because, I am not the only teacher in the classroom, each and everyone of my students becomes a teacher thanks to the 3 part math lesson.