Teaching Channel Video Response

Collaboration between teachers is very important in todays education.  The video Algebra Team: Teacher Collaboration shows how two high school math teachers, even though their teaching styles are different,  work together and teach the same material at the same time.  They even use the same examples.  Collaborating when teaching a lesson is a great way to figure out what ideas work and what does not work.  It is also a great way to reflect on a certain teaching strategy.  In the video the two teachers talk about different strategies that they have to make sure that students succeed.  They are:

• Confusion leads to learning.
• Building confidence when discussing topics.
• Push for a deeper conceptual understanding.
• Having students work in groups.

In this video one of the teachers named Ms. Warburton believes that confusion leads to learning.  What she means is that if students are unsure of how to learn to do something, when they become confused and it forces them to work to find a better understanding of that particular problem.  Eventually they will be able to work to find out the answer and therefore they have a much better understanding.  An article by Quantum Progress expands this idea further by saying;  “studying something in the presence of an answer, whether it’s conscious or not, influences how you interpret the question,” Dr. Bjork said. “You don’t appreciate all of the other things that would have come to mind if the answer weren’t there" ( Quantum Progress, 2011).  This quote basically explains that when the answer is given, the brain does not have to work as hard, and then there is no problem solving strategies used.  In the article it also explains that the "confusion" should only be given in moderation because to much could discourage the student to try.  In Ms. Warburton's classroom she expects her students to try hard and not to expect things to come easily to them which is not only a great school lesson, but life lesson as well.  She also states that with this method it shows how much students are willing to do to try new things.

Ms. Jones whose teaching style is very upbeat, believes that discussion about a particular subject helps build confidence.  She shows this in the collaboration video by having her students discuss the problems that they are doing with their peers to figure out answers and to help others.  If the students work together to find an answer they are much more likely to understand.  She tells her students that even if they have a wrong answer that it is okay to share and to learn from it.  Teaching students collaboration is vital for students as they continue into adulthood.  If the students value teamwork then they are much more likely to become successful.  Building the confidence with students will make them more likely to take risks and work to do their best.

Another point that Ms. Jones points out in the collaboration video is how important it is for students to have deeper conceptual understanding of what they are doing in class.  Conceptual understanding for students mean that not only do the students know what they did to get a certain answer but to also understand why.  This is a hard point to get across to students.  The reason why this type of learning is hard to understand for students is that it requires knowledge of how the brain works and the ability to build on prior knowledge.  This type of learning is vital for anyone wanting to go into an math or science field. Deeper conceptual learning takes a lot of time and and work from a teacher to help the students understand why the material they cover in class is important.

The importance of working in groups is another great way for students to learn as well as gain some life skills. Ms. Warburton, in the collaboration video, explains that first she tries to let the students figure out problems on their own and then they work together.  She has come to the realization that many students performed better when with a group than alone.  Collaboration in a group is a vital life skill that all students must be able to become accustom to.  For example many jobs require group work in order to achieve a certain goal. If teachers can build up students team working skills then they are more likely to succeed in a work environment.  In the video above it explains some of the difficulties that comes along with teamwork and how rise above them.  For example one big issue is team leadership.  Many students do not like to have a leadership role because it takes aways from everyone being seen as equal.  Just with a simple change of name from leader to producer gives everyone in the group a sense of power while still have leadership.

In this video their are also some great tips for teachers to use to make them more successful.  A couple of important topics they covered were:

• Working in a teacher team provides all students a consistent learning environment.
•  To always have students think about the subject you teach as soon as they walk in the room.

There are many good reasons why working in a teacher team can be a positive experience.  It gives teachers a chance to compare notes and see what works in a lesson and what does not.  Both teachers in this video explain how important it is to share ideas on how to better relate to students.  If both teachers have the same ideas about a certain topic, then all students are much more likely to move along in their education at the same rate.  One topic that Ms. Jones mentioned was that every student in the school will have one of their classes. This will help the students when they move to a higher grade because they will all have the same background knowledge.

Engaging students the moment they enter a room is one of the hardest things for a teacher to do.  Both teachers in the video start their class with a warm up to encourage the students to start thinking about math.  Classroom starters are a great idea to engage a students mind.  There are many benefits to having students work as soon as they enter the classroom.  It helps control bad classroom behavior, engages mind, and it puts students in the right mind frame to learn more content.  

Overall, the Algebra Team: Teacher Collaboration video was excellent in showing how a successful teacher team works.  They brought up many great teaching strategies that can help students succeed.  Confusion leads to learning, discussion builds confidence,  build deeper conceptual learning, and importance of group work are just a few ways to help build upon student knowledge.  The video also gives teachers some great tips to incorporate in their classroom such as: classroom starters and sharing ideas to other teachers.  When teachers work together to create a positive and helpful environment for students then they will be able to better succeed.  

References:
Quatum Progress. (2011, April 22). Embracing confusion as a necessary part of learning. Retrieved from http://quantumprogress.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/embracing-confusion-as-a-necessary-part-of-learning-part-1/