Observation Of Minge

The lesson in this video was called “Mingle”. The teacher, Barbra McCormick, teaches kindergarten. For this lesson, she indirectly teaches number sense by have the students play a game. In the game Mingle, the teacher calls out a number and instructs the students to make a group. For example, If the number six is called, the students must form a group of six. Before even starting the game, together the teacher and students reviewed all rules. The rules included be kind, stay in the group you began with, and solve problems that may arise.
Once the rules are discussed, the teacher called out Mingle, and the students walk around slowly and repeating “mingle, mingle, mingle” until a number is called. By calling out mingle first, the teacher assesses when the group is ready for a number. The students then walk around looking for a group to join. The teacher previously discussed how if children are not in a group for the number called, they would be considered the remainder.
From the start, this lesson provides an example of effective teaching by reviewing the rules.
The rules, the students are aware of the expectations of the game and their behavior. One rule specifically that was age appropriate was to be kind. A student even gave an example of what not to say, “We don’t want you! Go to another group.” It’s important that the students understand working together incorporates treating each other with respect. The teacher encourages students to stay in the groups they originally join. This rule is especially important because it sets the tone for the management of the game, as well as allowing the game to flow smoothly. If students constantly change groups it prolongs the process. This helps the game move quickly and effectively. Towards the end of the video, the teacher states how the game should be a quick five to seven-minute warm-up. Therefore, the rules set by the teacher are effective for the movement and flow of the
activity.
The teacher effectively reached her goals and objectives of teaching number sense. Although taught indirectly, the students understood the expectations and performed accordingly. The teacher’s behavior management allowed her to assess the students once groups formed by the problem solving of the multiplication problems guided her activity through differentiating levels of learning. The teacher assessed students as they paired into groups of different numbers. They were assessed on math skills such as multiplication and quick addition.
The teacher points out how students might not make the multiplication connections during the activity, but might visualize it later in life when a similar problem arises. Some students, however make connects to these patterns and functions the teacher is computation on the board.