The classroom in which I am observing is using a math
program called enVision Math. This program is created by Pearson and is connected
to the Common Core standards. In fact,
it is totally focused on the standards. This program has lessons for everyday
of the year, chapter tests, and unit tests. Each day the lesson begins by having
the students watch a video that introduces the concept they will cover in the
lesson. They then do a worksheet with
the teacher and then one on their own, and then they have a homework page. The
only thing the teacher is required to do is put the video on and help during
guided practice. The program mixes math up a lot too. One day the students will
be learning about subtraction, the next
day they will be learning about patterns.
I am not
sure how I feel about this program. I think the strategies ( the way they teach
students to learn math) are very difficult. I find the students in my classroom
struggling, because this program is introducing a completely new way to teach math.
I am also finding that the parents dislike it, because they are finding it
harder to help students with their homework.
The parents are not familiar with the strategies. I believe that the
teacher becomes too reliant on the
program. The teacher does not have to do anything. It is almost like the students are being
taught by a robot. This is the second year that I have observed this program
and I am not a fan.
What do
you think? Do you think it would be better for teachers to work without this
resource? Do you think that programs like these enable a teacher to really teach?
Would you use a math program like this in your classroom? Would you prefer to
teach math the old way?
In the class that I am observing , my cooperating teacher also uses this program. I am also not a fan because i feel that the teacher relies on the program too much and teaches right from the book. The strategies this program uses i find to be extremely difficult and have trouble understanding the techniques the program uses. One day when I was helping two students with a problem i ended up teaching them the wrong way to get the answer. The program wanted students to find the "hidden question", which i have never heard of. Since I am going to be student teaching at a school that has already adapted this program into their curriculum, I will be using this math program in my classroom next fall.
ReplyDeleteI have also heard of this program and I struggled helping my class with it. The teacher would use the workbook and the standards but teacher the material in different ways to help the students. My cooperating teacher told me that yes they had to teach to the standards and teach to the test but it was not beneficial to the students if they did not know what to do with the problems. The students were able to learn materials better when the teacher did not teach directly from the book.
ReplyDeleteI know that education today, a lot of teacher use education inside their classrooms. However, I believe that it is important for teachers to not rely on technology to teach. Technology is not always reliable and may not work when it comes time to teach the lesson. So, in the case of the envision program, I would question if teachers would be prepared to teach the lesson themselves id the video wasn’t available to play? Furthermore, a teacher teaching the lesson can help different types of learners gain the information being taught. Additionally, I believe that students benefit from lessons that build off what they learned the day before. This helps students to use prior knowledge and become more engaged in lessons. Furthermore, teachers will have an idea of how the students will do one the topic depending on how the lesson went the day before. This can also help the teacher modify his or her lesson to best teach the new topic to the students.
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