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Entry & Exit Ticket

1. How can I determine if a sequence is geometric?

2. Is this sequence geometric? Why?


2, 6, 18, 54, 162
Students had a better understanding of geometric sequences after the lesson compared to

before. Based on the pre-assessment, the majority of students (if not all) had not heard of

geometric sequences before. Some had heard of the term geometric before because they tried

to use their background knowledge of geometry and shapes to answer the first question on the

pre-assessment. This also told me that they had not heard of sequences before because they

focused on the geometric part of the question rather than trying to figure out what sequence

means. This also gave me some insight about their lesson the day before: they were still unsure

of what a sequence and needed a review.

Through examining the post-assessment, students appeared to demonstrate an

understanding of what a geometric sequence is and how to identify one when given a sequence.

Students also used the their mathematical skills to accurately find the common ratio. Some

students multiplied numbers together while others chose to find the common ratio using division;

either method is correct and students were able to pick one without feeling the need to ask me or

the people around them. I believe the students were able to successfully complete the

post-assessment because the questions were directly related to my lesson. I did not attempt to

trick the class because I did not believe that would be effective on the first day of learning this

concept. Also, I believe it was helpful for students to keep the pre-assessment and

post-assessment the same to better assess their growth. This allowed me to see how their

approaches changed when they attempted the questions the second time.

One weakness of student performance was the exact wording of their answers for the first

question. Student responses consisted of statements similar to if it is multiplied (or times) by the

same number. While I could tell what the students were saying and it was mostly correct, the
wording could have been more sophisticated. However, this improves with repeatedly hearing

the correct wording and also using it. Since this was the first day of their learning of geometric

sequences, I understood where the errors came from. Some students had also responded by

listing the four basic operations because they had learned that with arithmetic sequences they can

add or subtract the common difference to get the next number. So, naturally, they also listed

division as an operation. While this is technically wrong, I can understand why some students

were confused on this. Two of the problems presented in class had students multiplying by a

fraction, and many students think of multiplying by a fraction as dividing by the denominator

(when 1 is the numerator). To address this weakness, I would make some slight changes in my

lesson and throughout the unit.

In order to improve upon the way students talk and write about math, teachers must

model this. Many students will not have had many opportunities to talk about mathematics

themselves because most of class time is spent on practicing solving problems instead of writing.

While practicing calculations is important, encouraging students to express mathematics in their

own words is also an important part of mathematical learning. When students are able to express

mathematical concepts themselves, they are able to take ownership of the content. Also, since

they are able to think about math in their own way, this gives them an advantage when faced

with completely new problems. Furthermore, this also allows students to better help each other.

If a student is struggling with a concept, the one thing they may need is a new perspective on it.

Therefore, I would start by modeling using mathematical jargon in the classroom and have

students repeat unfamiliar words after me. I would also give students more opportunities to write
about math, so I can read it and give them feedback. This is a gradual process, but may prove to

be effective when students have to explain math to each other or on an assessment.

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