As I watched the lesson unfold, I saw her use the teacher dashboard very effectively. First, she limited the students to about three to four screens to create a good combination of individual time for students to work and whole class discussion around the ideas the students were discovering.
Second, she stayed at her computer to monitor the dashboard as students worked. This is counterintuitive to how I teach. Normally, I circulate around the room to check on what students are doing and I have continued to do this during desmos activities. But staying glued to her seat, she had a better sense of what was going on in the moment and the students were engaged without her walking around the room! (Note to self: Use this teacher move more when using Desmos AB. It works!)
Third, she showed sample solutions on some of the slides to encourage precision in communicating. One student had said "when you solve them" and she turned it back to the class asking what was meant by "them".
Finally, rather than answering some of the student questions directly, she had students figure it out for themselves. One student asked, "What happens if you do a negative?" and she replied, "I don't know. Try it." She knew the answer, but was encouraging the student to use Desmos to investigate what happens.
If you are a math teacher (or any kind of teacher, really), I highly recommend that you visit the classroom of a colleague. I guarantee you will learn something about teaching and about your teaching self.
Second, she stayed at her computer to monitor the dashboard as students worked. This is counterintuitive to how I teach. Normally, I circulate around the room to check on what students are doing and I have continued to do this during desmos activities. But staying glued to her seat, she had a better sense of what was going on in the moment and the students were engaged without her walking around the room! (Note to self: Use this teacher move more when using Desmos AB. It works!)
Third, she showed sample solutions on some of the slides to encourage precision in communicating. One student had said "when you solve them" and she turned it back to the class asking what was meant by "them".
Finally, rather than answering some of the student questions directly, she had students figure it out for themselves. One student asked, "What happens if you do a negative?" and she replied, "I don't know. Try it." She knew the answer, but was encouraging the student to use Desmos to investigate what happens.
If you are a math teacher (or any kind of teacher, really), I highly recommend that you visit the classroom of a colleague. I guarantee you will learn something about teaching and about your teaching self.
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