General Curriculum Math & Science #278 (Zoom Classes)

Updated for the new exam. Detailed description to come.

Each of the following five sessions is two hours long. Our MTEL General Curriculum Math test preparation course covers all the concepts that will appear on the MTEL as well as essential test-taking strategies. Students learn how to avoid the trap of misleading questions and how to tailor their open response to meet the standards of MTEL graders. Believe it or not, the math on this exam is not advanced. The questions are difficult because of the way the test makers package the questions. They are written to confound and confuse; the test taker is often unable to recognize the concepts embedded in the questions and the skills necessary to employ to solve them. MTEL General Curriculum Math program is designed to teach you the basic math skills required to pass the exam, teaching you how to understand what questions are really asking, and emphasizing the strategies necessary to attack and solve each question. 

Each session begins with students’ questions and a review of the previous session’s homework.

• Session 1: The instructor reviews essential mathematics vocabulary and explains how vocabulary can be used to zero in on correct answers and avoid common pitfalls. Students also learn basic test-taking strategies that can be applied to basic and more advanced MTEL math topics. Basic operations and concepts of fractions, decimals, and percentages and their elegant relationship are emphasized. Basic skills and strategies are taught and emphasized by talking through and solving problems together with the instructor. Homework is assigned to review concepts learned in class. 
• Session 2: Student questions on previous content and HW are fielded. The instructor reviews the MTEL-critical concepts of ratios, proportions, place value, and number lines. Concepts are explained and examined by completing problems together. Students work more independently as more content is understood and confidence gained. Problems based on MTEL standards are woven into the session to review important concepts, skills, and strategies. Homework is assigned to review concepts learned in class.
• Session 3: Student questions on previous content and HW are fielded. Students move on to studying algebra and functions. The basics of the coordinate plane, graphing lines, and slope are pre-taught. More advanced test-taking skills are introduced through problem solving as a group. The instructor guides the class through specific questions to review prior lessons and deepen understanding of important skills and strategies. Homework is assigned to review concepts learned in class.

• Session 4: Student questions on previous content and HW are fielded. The instructor reviews stats, probability, and slope. These “advanced” concepts are perceived very difficult, but they are very “coachable”; by learning a few important concepts and algorithms, most students perform very well on this part of the exam.  Mean/median/mode are reviewed conceptually and then practically through specific practice questions. The concepts important for a solid understanding of probability are reviewed.  Slope is discussed, first in the context of y=mx+b and then expanded to include other problem types. Homework is assigned to review concepts learned in class. 
• Session 5: Student questions on previous content and HW are fielded. The instructor works with students on the essential concepts of geometry. The class covers degrees in geometric figures, area, surface area, volume, similarity, Pythagorean theorem, etc.  Learning occurs by thinking through practice questions to ensure all participants can demonstrate their understanding of the subject. Homework is assigned to review concepts learned in class.
• Session 6: Student questions on previous content and HW are fielded. Students learn the fundamental ingredients of a successful open response. Knowing the correct answer to the OR question does not ensure a strong or even passing grade on the part of the exam. The emphasis in this lesson is how to write the OR. Once students understand how to write them, each OR question will be reviewed so students can identify the elementary student’s errors and conceptual misunderstandings, the correct answer, and an alternative solution.If you need to learn more about this course, feel free to contact us.