Geometry!

What I learned:
This week really helped me see the different levels that students can be at in terms of their understanding of Geometry.  In my 4th grade placement, definitely have students who, if they turned a right angle onto a different side, they would no longer see a right angle.  This is most likely because they are used to doing a lot of their geometry on worksheets.  Asking students explicit questions with one answer that only apply to the situation on the paper will not help advance them to the next level of Geometrical thinking.

Even though I wasn't able to recall many of the Geometric properties I'd learned in high school on my own, being able to have a paper in my hand to think about why I knew what I knew was helpful.  I may not have been able to do any two column proofs, but being able to hold the paper in my hand made me think further about what I knew about the shapes and lines and eventually come to conclusions based on prior knowledge.


Questions:
As teachers, is there a way to help students move from one level to the next?


Implications for my teaching practice:
Looking ahead into the spring when I take over my 4th grade classroom, I'm not sure what specific areas of math I'll be responsible for teaching.  I do know that there WILL be ways to incorporate geometry into other types of math (as well as a potential Geometry unit).  Knowing that students learn math best when they get to touch it, my Geometry lessons will not be one-dimensional.