After reflecting a bit, I realize that I have fallen into a trap that I am not that familiar with… Teaching how you were taught. I absolutely loved Geometry, especially the beginning where lines had infinite points and constructions were king. I remember learning from the construction up and none of the curricula I find introduce the topics that way. I do not know what caused the shift and I do not know if it is bad, but it is the source of my stickiness to old methods. I remember hearing that one of the biggest influences is the way you are taught. I have been fortunate that I do not remember how I was taught many of the math topics because I started teaching far after I learned the material the first time. As a result, I dove into discovery teaching and enjoyed it ever since. This digression points out to me that memory does play a part and I have to work hard in making sure it does not negatively affect my instruction.
Today’s lesson was a continuation of yesterday’s… more constructions, and a bit more scaffolded. Student’s enjoyed the experience a lot more. It was a good day and I look forward to continuing constructions tomorrow. (no lesson plan today beyond yesterday’s, just better questioning.)
