Chapter 7 in Minds on Mathematics discusses the mini lesson. I think this is great, especially since I teach such a long block each day. I started using mini lessons last spring and think that they work out great. Instead of the sleepy, bored, or uninterested stares I get when teaching up on the board, the students have tons of time to work on their activities and only have to engage as a full group for short time periods.
"A mini lesson is a quick and strategically designed to support students in developing acuity as independent mathematicians: a short, focused segment of whole-group instruction led by the teacher for ten or fewer minutes." (p. 103)
What I loved about this chapter were all of the practical suggestions - things I need to ensure I'm doing. I loved the explanation on modeling your thinking. I always assume I'm doing that, but not necessarily to the level explained. Hoffers examples of how to show thinking strategies will be good to reference later: Real-Life Examples, Anchor Charts, Context, Thinking Aloud, and Hold Thinking will become resources in my teaching toolbox.
One thing I didn't necessarily think was great for the middle level were the quick checks for understanding. I often use a version of the Fist of Five when my students are all facing forward, but I don't think I'd use the Stand-ups or Line-ups to check on how they are doing - too much of a lack of privacy for the students. One thing I will have them do is draw a happy face, frown face, or face with a squiggly line on their paper and I'll walk around to see their understanding that way. Everyone likes to draw faces (I see some great artwork this way) and they don't have to worry about what others think.
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