Patricia LeGrand was clearly grappling with how to engage all learners in meaningful mathematics while supporting them in their learning. LeGrand is the type of educator who is a stand out among her peers, but is continually striving to grow as an educator.
Patricia LeGrand was clearly grappling with how to engage all learners in meaningful mathematics while supporting them in their learning. LeGrand is the type of educator who is a stand out among her peers, but is continually striving to grow as an educator.
Patricia LeGrand was clearly grappling with how to engage all learners in meaningful mathematics while supporting them in their learning. LeGrand is the type of educator who is a stand out among her peers, but is continually striving to grow as an educator.
I am writing a letter on behalf of Patricia LeGrand whom I had the distinct pleasure of having in the courses Secondary Teaching: Curriculum and Instruction, Inquiry and Application in Developing Secondary Mathematics Pedagogy, and Teaching Mathematics in the High School I and II. During my interactions with her I have been continually impressed by her ability to align learning activities with objectives and assessment, her desire to grow as a practitioner and in the early evidence of her teaching abilities. Throughout the courses Ms. LeGrand was clearly grappling with how to engage all learners in meaningful mathematics while supporting them in their learning. This was evident in her contributions to class discussions, her reflections on field experiences and in her lesson planning and other assignments. At an early stage in her education program she was attuned to the importance of finding rigorous tasks and tailoring instruction to engage and challenge all learners. I believe that this will make her a young educator who will bring creativity to her classroom and instruction. Ms. LeGrand is always finding ways to grow as an educator. She is very involved with Golden Apple Scholars and I can see how she connects what she learns there to our classroom tasks. In addition, she takes advantage of various speakers, panels and education-related events at DePaul. In the past two years, I cannot think of an event that I have attended where I havent seen Ms. LeGrand, and if I miss an event I know that I can turn to her for an honest and accurate account. Ms. LeGrand is the type of educator who is a stand out among her peers, but is continually striving to grow. She will be a reflective practitioner ready to take advantages of resources to learn and grow as an educator. As part of the last course I was able to see videos of Ms. LeGrand teaching. I was impressed with her ability to plan a lesson involving student group work, small group and whole-class discussion around the topic of standard deviation. This particular class was not accustomed to working in groups. The video evidence that I saw was overwhelmingly positive. She had a very strong presence in the classroom while being able to create a comfortable learning environment. The students were very focused on mathematical work aligned with the objectives and Ms. LeGrand orchestrated opportunities to formatively assess her students, for students to talk with peers and to share as a class. In this teaching episode she proved that she was able to put into practice the ideals and visions aligned with her philosophy. I highly recommend Ms. LeGrand for a secondary teaching position. I believe that she is a creative educator who will challenge her students in meaningful ways and who will continue to challenge herself in learning about effective teaching and holding herself responsible to enact her philosophy of education. Please feel free to contact me with further questions. Sincerely,