1. Mini Math Professor:
Turning Students into Teachers
A math teaching & review project for Year 4 students at the British International School of Brasilia
2. Lesson Goals: Peer Teaching & Learning
Key Question:
Do students understand math concepts well enough to reteach them to their classmates?
3. Class Overview
This lesson is designed for a year 4 class (4th grade American educational system) at the British
International School of Brasilia (BSB)
There are 8 students in this class
1 student is a native English speaker, with limited skills in Portuguese
3 students are classified as strong English speaking Brazilian students
2 students are classified as moderate English speaking Brazilian students
2 students are classified as weak English speaking Brazilian students
4. Class Groups
Students will work in pairs for this activity, the initial pairs will be determined by the instructor and
will be selected to ensure at least on strong English speaker in each group
Students will be required to collaborate in the making and editing of each video, decisions about
who will do what will be left up to the students will guidance from the teacher.
Groups are not permanent and will likely change throughout the term at the determination of the
teacher and/or the request of the students
5. Overview of the Project
In small groups or pairs, students will be required to produce 1 minute math videos that demonstrate
their understanding of key concepts learned in class
These mini math lessons will be produced, recorded and uploaded by students onto the classroom
iPad. These lessons will be available for year 4 students to re-watch to aid in their learning.
They will also be available to be viewed by parents, teachers, and potentially other classes
This will function as an ongoing project with students preparing new presentations on math concepts
as they are learned
Mini lessons may also take on a teaching rather than just review role, with students being given new
topics which they must learn and present as a teaching tool to the class
Each group will be required to produce 2 -3 mini videos per month
6. Before the Lesson Begins:
Key Question: what have we learned in math
As a class we will brainstorm all the math skills we have learned this term so far.
Students will discuss what they remember from each of these aspects:
Key concepts:
Addition of 2 and 3 digit numbers
Subtraction of 2 and 3 digit numbers
Rounding by tens, hundreds and thousands
Counting with Roman Numerals
7. Project Steps:
Students will be placed in their assigned groups and given 5 minutes to discuss what they remember
and what they might like to do as a review lesson
Groups are then required to select a topic from the list generated from the class discussion and topics
will be confirmed and recorded by the teacher.
Students are given a basic outline of what much appear in their video:
A basic explanation on the concept
An explanation of the steps in the process
The presentation of one or more examples of the concept, using a mini whiteboard or other visual tools
Both students must appear on camera and do some speaking however the division of this is up to the students
iPad instructions will be given to individual groups
Groups must confirm a time to do the recording and editing as
8. Sustained Inquiry
This project has the potential to be ongoing as new concepts are learned throughout the year.
Students may choose to extent these mini lessons to other areas of classroom learning
Students are expected to improve their technical skills as well as their ability to summarize,
demonstrate and explain key concepts over time
Students may be encouraged to research other schools or classes doing similar projects in order
to share or learn from others beyond the confines of their own school
9. Lesson Authenticity
The skills addressed in these student mini lessons are directly related to math concepts being
learned in class.
Students will be required to learn and demonstrate basic wireless technology skills to produce
their excerpts: recording, editing, uploading
10. Student Voice & Choice
Students will have some control over the specific topics they chose to present
Students will have considerable freedom as to the style and tone of their presentations
11. Critique and Revision
Lessons plans must be reviewed by the teacher before and after recording to ensure accuracy
and quality
Students will be required to review and edit their own work
12. Public Product
Lessons will be available to be viewed online by classmates, parents and teachers, thus insuring
an authentic and important audience for students work
