Learners and Learning Environment
The students in my class are 9th grade students in Algebra 1B. This course was developed for students who were beyond the level of Pre-Algebra, but not quite ready to excel in Algebra 1. These students are taking Algebra 1 over the course of two years, Algebra 1A and 1B. These students have already learned the first half of the Algebra 1 curriculum and are now in Algebra 1B, the second half of the Algebra 1 curriculum.
The school I teach at is located in Northern New Jersey and is comprised of middle to upper-middle class group of families. The demographic make-up of the students is mostly Caucasian/ White with small percentages of Black, Asian, Hispanic, and other students. Most students have cell phones and a computer at home with reliable internet service, however, there are some students that do not have a computer at home. Less than 10% of our student body receive free or reduced lunch due to financial issues. The school is a Regional Junior/Senior High School so we have just under 1,000 students in grades eight through twelve. There is a great sense of community at my school leading to a high percentage of student and teacher involvement in school activities.
Our school is equipped with four computer labs that teachers have to sign up for in advance to use and about 20 SmartBoards scattered throughout the building in the computer labs and some classrooms. In my classroom, I have a digital presenter with a computer and internet attached to it. This piece of technology has a camera that allows me to place any object, for example a piece of paper or a calculator, under the camera and have it projected in the front of the class. I can also use the digital presenter to project documents from the computer or any
website from the internet. Also, all students in the school are required to have a graphing calculator for all high school mathematics courses.
The school I teach at is located in Northern New Jersey and is comprised of middle to upper-middle class group of families. The demographic make-up of the students is mostly Caucasian/ White with small percentages of Black, Asian, Hispanic, and other students. Most students have cell phones and a computer at home with reliable internet service, however, there are some students that do not have a computer at home. Less than 10% of our student body receive free or reduced lunch due to financial issues. The school is a Regional Junior/Senior High School so we have just under 1,000 students in grades eight through twelve. There is a great sense of community at my school leading to a high percentage of student and teacher involvement in school activities.
Our school is equipped with four computer labs that teachers have to sign up for in advance to use and about 20 SmartBoards scattered throughout the building in the computer labs and some classrooms. In my classroom, I have a digital presenter with a computer and internet attached to it. This piece of technology has a camera that allows me to place any object, for example a piece of paper or a calculator, under the camera and have it projected in the front of the class. I can also use the digital presenter to project documents from the computer or any
website from the internet. Also, all students in the school are required to have a graphing calculator for all high school mathematics courses.