EDUC 5833 – Teaching Secondary Math and Science

Reading Report #2
Jocelyn Leger
January 22nd, 2018

Russo, M.F. “Customizing A Math Course With Your Students”. Mathematics Teacher
vol. 109(5). 2015/2016
One Sentence Summary: Co-construction provides students with an opportunity to plan
the classroom structures and activities based off of their interests and ideas; this
encourages students to develop greater ownership and a positive attitude towards their
education.
4-8 Sentence Summary: This article introduces a strategy used by Mark F. Russo called
co-construction; a strategy focused on building and planning a course with students in
order to make it meaningful and relevant to their interests, passions, and future goals.
Russo begins the process of co-construction with a class discussion in order to gauge
student’s future aspirations and allow students to have a significant impact on the content
they cover and the manner in which it is covered; students work together with the teacher
to plan the course. Through this process, students co-plan the classroom structures and
activities while discussing and discovering their interests in order to implement strategies
that would best help them learn it. By allowing students to co-construct their class,
students are encouraged to develop greater ownership and a positive attitude towards
their education. Although co-construction may not be practical for every class, any
opportunity that incorporates students’ ideas and provides choice can have a powerful
impact and lead to student engagement.
Evaluation: I enjoyed reading this article; I found it provided relevant and
comprehensible information that was laid out in an organized format, however, I found
certain sections redundant and lacking in detail. I would have appreciated further detail
with regards to what steps should be taken leading up to co-constructing a class with your
students. Are all students able to register for this course or are certain students chosen?
What steps were taken in order to get to the point of co-constructing a class with your
students? What steps and discussions do you follow with your principal and
administrative staff to set up this course? I think a section outlining these steps that a
teacher must take before entering the classroom and co-constructing the course would be
extremely beneficial to add to this article. Overall, I thought it was a good article that
presented useful suggestions on how to create a class with your students.
Connection and Implications for teaching: I think this article presents huge
implications for teaching. I think all teachers should read this article in order to inform
themselves of the benefits of co-constructing a class with your students, or more simply,
implementing students’ ideas in the classroom. Although the idea of co-constructing a
class with my students is a little daunting, I plan to continue researching the topic in
hopes of discovering what specific steps need to be taken in order to implement this
strategy. Until I feel more comfortable with the strategy as a whole, I plan to create as
many opportunities that allow my students to develop ownership of their learning through
voicing their ideas, suggestions, and goals. I would plan to offer choices on how the
material is presented and how they are assessed with their learning and plan to have
continuous open class discussions to understand how students feel about their learning.