Context for learning essay: This is a 1-2 page essay reporting on the class you are working with and how the background and conditions affect your plans for teaching and learning.  The essay should include some or all of the following:

• Must include: What is the physical context like?  What learning resources are available? Manipulatives? Books? Computers? Tables vs desks? Where in the classroom would you be in relation to the students if you were lecturing? Where if you wanted a large group discussion? Where if you wanted a small group discussion?
• Must include: What is at typical math class like? How and when are students expected to contribute their ideas in a math lesson?
• What is the overall community and family background like for children in the class?  What sorts of advantages or disadvantages do your students have because of the families and communities they live in?
• What sort of vocabulary do children use in the classroom? Do children typically use correct academic vocabulary? What do you notice about the sentence structures that the children use and hear regularly?
• Are there children with disabilities in the classroom?  How many? What sorts of disabilities? Are there IEP plans that you need to take into account when planning lessons, and if so what accommodations do you need to prepare? Do any of the children have aides that accompany them in the classroom? (Note: always use pseudonyms to preserve the anonymity of students).
• What math background have you seen in your interviews and observations of students? What skills do they have? What sorts of problems do they struggle with? Discuss both what seems to be typical of the class, and specific students who have special educational needs in the subject area of math (always use pseudonyms when describing individual students).

When I read the context for learning essay, I am looking for both information that will be useful to you as background for when you plan lessons, and I am looking for a focus on student needs and student learning.