Than going to school every day and truly enjoying each minute you are there.
I have to note that this quarter I have the best schedule, of the best students I have ever had in my career. I have 3 blocks a day that are full of great kids and there isn't an hour of the day that I dread....except maybe 6 am, when my alarm goes off. It's blissful. My students are willing to participate in any activity I throw at them and while yes there are students that still don't turn in their homework, so may be off task from time to time, they are still so respectful and willing to work when asked. It's a delight.
I'm a little sad that this quarter is the quarter of the year that goes the fastest. I need it to slow down so I can enjoy these students before they rush off to other classes.
It is noteworthy that I had many of these students last quarter as well, and while they were wonderful then too, the mix up of the quarter has created a chemistry in all of my classes that is just awesome.
My quarter is not without struggles, but I do want to make sure I focus on how awesome my students are right now. I can't get enough of it!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Fall is Here
It's been a while since I put my thoughts to paper as far as education goes. I have a lot on my mind lately, so here's a bulleted list of thoughts to share.
- I love fall. The weather is great, the students are eager, and I have energy.
- However, I feel that my energy is dwindling. It could be because the amount of sleep I am getting varies inversely with the time I spend working on school work.
- I have done a lot of work with students and reflective assessment, and WOW, it's awesome. My students are responding well to the reflective assessments we have used thus far and I'm anxious to continue to try new things in my classroom. I love to help students find ways to reflect on their own learning, no matter the content. I hope that they can learn ways to track their personal progress and be able to identify when they need to ask for help.
- My College in the Schools course is rockin'. I have been helping students focus on technical writing skills. I have morphed from a math teacher to an English teacher. Although I have always known it, I am realizing more and more that I am much more than a math teacher. If I can help students learn something that is worthwhile to their lives, whether it be math, communication skills, or compassion, I have done my job.
- Being on a non-overloaded schedule is amazing. I feel I have a little more time to put into my lesson planning.
- Mentoring a new teacher is an awesome experience. Especially when that new teacher is a former student you have seen transform over the past 8 years. Awesome.
- I have a robotics team this year. I know nothing about robotics, but I do know a few things about working together as a team, and that's what I have been helping them do. They are going to rock it at the robot competition. I could not be more proud of them and their efforts to produce the best robot they are capable of producing. They are awesome and provide me with yet another reason to show up to school every day.
- Having a Kindergartener in the school system puts a new perspective on being a teacher. I have changed my philosophy a lot over the past 10 years, but this year makes me think even more. One thing I want to work on more is parent communication. Even in high school, parents want to hear how things are going both good and bad. I have tried to be right on top of communicating. I need to continue to put that as a priority. Parents want to know how their child is progressing and how they can help. I need to share more with them. Perhaps I will put together an email list to let parents know what is happening in Algebra classes.
- My favorite class to teach is my CIS course. I love to have conversations with the students about their futures. Often it makes me think perhaps I should have gone into academic counseling. Love talking personality tests, interest inventories, college choices, major selections, career goals. Love it all.
Fall is in full swing, as is school. It's always a challenge, and always exciting. Homecoming week is coming up and that's always a fun way to spend a week showing school spirit and enjoying the festivities. Hopefully as I continue my work with my reflective practices, I will update more on my philosophies and my class progress.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Research, Research, Research
This summer's theme has been "Research."
I am starting my 10th year of teaching this fall and am currently in this middle of my Master's program. This is why it's a researching kind of summer. I think of myself as a life-long learner and I'm always reading articles and searching out ideas, but this summer has been even more so. I think that researching is a great thing. Teachers should always do reading. Teachers should always want to improve. I am always wanting to get better, but I have to say that this summer I am feeling very inadequate as a teacher. I think I have done too much reading and found too many new ideas and things I want to try, and I know that I can't do them all....but I want to. I keep having to step back and remind myself that I have come a long way in 10 years and still have many more years to improve my teaching. I always want to keep improving. But yes, I am feeling overwhelmed by all that I want to do, should do, wish I could do.
I am looking forward to this school year, because I am energized and have ideas. I just need to make sure I keep things simple. Improve where I can, and make sure I implement well and knock the socks off my math students.
Back to researching...
***EDIT: And moments after I hit publish I come across this article. How timely. I am not alone.
***EDIT: And moments after I hit publish I come across this article. How timely. I am not alone.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Summer Fun
I have been counting today as my first official day of summer and oh what a glorious day it has been.
My day started off the best possible way it could have when I received an email from a student:
happy summer!
And he signed it 'future code monkey.'
If that isn't invigorating, add to that, the time stamp on the email was 12:23 am and two more emails followed this one with further findings of Python goodies that he plans to explore this summer, the last email coming at 12:53.
That 'future code monkey' made my day. This particular code monkey (which I am totally stealing that phrase and will forever call my programming students code monkeys) just took his first programming course during 4th quarter with me. It was 2nd block, my favorite class of the overloaded day and I am so thrilled that I have brought at least one more little code monkey into the world of code.
Last summer I had a student emailing me all summer long about his programming that I got him started on and now I have another for this summer. I love it. And that is exactly how I responded to him. I am so thrilled that I have helped a couple students find a new interest, something they have never done before, but deep down were programmed to do...pun intended.
Emails like that inspire me to do what I do. I am excited to continue to improve upon my programming course in hopes that more code monkeys will be discovered and inspired to spend their summers playing with code.
Now my goal for the summer is to continue to work on the awesomeness that is my intro to coding class, but also start creating curriculum and fun for my advanced coding course. I also plan to work on improving my algebra 2 course so that it can be as inspiring and exciting for students as the programming course is...so much so that they want to study more algebra 2 over the summer when they are bored.
Between this fun and potty training my youngest daughter, I'm not sure how much more exciting my summer can get!
(That sounded sarcastic, but it's really not meant to be...both are very exciting endeavors.)
My day started off the best possible way it could have when I received an email from a student:
So im stuck in a hotel and bored and wondering what I can do with internet thats not online games compatible, and I figured hey Maybe I can code something fun in python.
I was wondering if you could send me the graphics library and instructions on how to install that, and possibly my calculator and game project? Any time you get a chance over the summer is fine, I'd really appreciate it.And he signed it 'future code monkey.'
If that isn't invigorating, add to that, the time stamp on the email was 12:23 am and two more emails followed this one with further findings of Python goodies that he plans to explore this summer, the last email coming at 12:53.
That 'future code monkey' made my day. This particular code monkey (which I am totally stealing that phrase and will forever call my programming students code monkeys) just took his first programming course during 4th quarter with me. It was 2nd block, my favorite class of the overloaded day and I am so thrilled that I have brought at least one more little code monkey into the world of code.
Last summer I had a student emailing me all summer long about his programming that I got him started on and now I have another for this summer. I love it. And that is exactly how I responded to him. I am so thrilled that I have helped a couple students find a new interest, something they have never done before, but deep down were programmed to do...pun intended.
Emails like that inspire me to do what I do. I am excited to continue to improve upon my programming course in hopes that more code monkeys will be discovered and inspired to spend their summers playing with code.
Now my goal for the summer is to continue to work on the awesomeness that is my intro to coding class, but also start creating curriculum and fun for my advanced coding course. I also plan to work on improving my algebra 2 course so that it can be as inspiring and exciting for students as the programming course is...so much so that they want to study more algebra 2 over the summer when they are bored.
Between this fun and potty training my youngest daughter, I'm not sure how much more exciting my summer can get!
(That sounded sarcastic, but it's really not meant to be...both are very exciting endeavors.)
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Roller Coaster to Water Slide
This year has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. I don't really love roller coasters much. I ride them when people convince me of it, but I don't really love it until the very end. When you go over that last little hill and see the 'finish line' I am finally brave enough to throw my hands in the air and say, "That was fun, no big deal."
I am going over that last little hill right now with the school year. Getting ready to throw my hands up in the air and say "That was fun, let's do it again." ....after a long summer please.
I am feeling much better since my last post. I feel like I am making progress again, on the road to being a decent teacher. I have so many great hopes, visions and ideas for next year I'm bursting at the seams to talk about them and get started researching and planning and putting together. The newness of a new year is so exciting to me. It's not scary and anxiety ridden like standing in line for the roller coaster is for me. That's how this year started for me and I should have known going into it, it was going to be a full blown roller coaster ride. I was given an overload, I didn't want to do it really, but I did because I knew it was needed and I was a good person for the job. On top of that I had a couple new courses that I was teaching which always add to the workload. Despite the warnings I received from some colleagues, I hoped on that roller coaster and I held on tight for the first 18 weeks. I survived, I knew I would and I have got some fun stories to share. I appreciate being on land again, standing on my own two feet, having a prep, not being pulled in different directions every second.
Next year, I feel it's going to be a water park tube slide. I love tube slides. Climbing the stairs with anticipation of hopping in that tube. Once you get the tube in the water there are a few awkward maneuvers everyone has to make to get into that tube, but once you are in and settled, oh let the fun begin!
This summer is climbing those stairs. It's a big slide, so there are lots of stairs to climb, but when you are climbing stairs to something so fun and exciting, you don't even notice your quads are burning. I have lots on my summer to do list for planning next year, but I am so excited about it, it's not even going to seem like work.
The first day of school is always a little awkward to me, I am never good at the first day of school. I don't want to come across as some jerk who doesn't like kids and I don't want to come across as some girl who wants to be their best friend. I struggle every year with the awkwardness of meeting my students on the first day. Not sure if they notice, but I always feel it. They aren't comfortable yet, so they don't laugh at my awesome well-timed jokes and I don't know their names yet, so it's just a room full of strangers and I don't really like meeting new people. Odd profession to choose for someone who doesn't like meeting new people....it's not really that I don't like meeting new people, it's more that I'm shy and am very uncomfortable meeting new people. I'm a giant so I'm always very self-consious about the way I come across to people.
Anyway, that part is like the climbing into the tube before the fun begins. Once I can get past that first day, hop in the tube, it's smooth sailing and fun from there!
I'm feeling good again about my teaching career. I'm not a complete failure as a teacher as I was feeling the last couple of weeks. The light is at the end of the tunnel and I'm saying it wasn't a bad ride. I'm pumped to do it again next year, so let's get off this roller coaster and head to the water park!
I am going over that last little hill right now with the school year. Getting ready to throw my hands up in the air and say "That was fun, let's do it again." ....after a long summer please.
I am feeling much better since my last post. I feel like I am making progress again, on the road to being a decent teacher. I have so many great hopes, visions and ideas for next year I'm bursting at the seams to talk about them and get started researching and planning and putting together. The newness of a new year is so exciting to me. It's not scary and anxiety ridden like standing in line for the roller coaster is for me. That's how this year started for me and I should have known going into it, it was going to be a full blown roller coaster ride. I was given an overload, I didn't want to do it really, but I did because I knew it was needed and I was a good person for the job. On top of that I had a couple new courses that I was teaching which always add to the workload. Despite the warnings I received from some colleagues, I hoped on that roller coaster and I held on tight for the first 18 weeks. I survived, I knew I would and I have got some fun stories to share. I appreciate being on land again, standing on my own two feet, having a prep, not being pulled in different directions every second.
Next year, I feel it's going to be a water park tube slide. I love tube slides. Climbing the stairs with anticipation of hopping in that tube. Once you get the tube in the water there are a few awkward maneuvers everyone has to make to get into that tube, but once you are in and settled, oh let the fun begin!
This summer is climbing those stairs. It's a big slide, so there are lots of stairs to climb, but when you are climbing stairs to something so fun and exciting, you don't even notice your quads are burning. I have lots on my summer to do list for planning next year, but I am so excited about it, it's not even going to seem like work.
The first day of school is always a little awkward to me, I am never good at the first day of school. I don't want to come across as some jerk who doesn't like kids and I don't want to come across as some girl who wants to be their best friend. I struggle every year with the awkwardness of meeting my students on the first day. Not sure if they notice, but I always feel it. They aren't comfortable yet, so they don't laugh at my awesome well-timed jokes and I don't know their names yet, so it's just a room full of strangers and I don't really like meeting new people. Odd profession to choose for someone who doesn't like meeting new people....it's not really that I don't like meeting new people, it's more that I'm shy and am very uncomfortable meeting new people. I'm a giant so I'm always very self-consious about the way I come across to people.
Anyway, that part is like the climbing into the tube before the fun begins. Once I can get past that first day, hop in the tube, it's smooth sailing and fun from there!
I'm feeling good again about my teaching career. I'm not a complete failure as a teacher as I was feeling the last couple of weeks. The light is at the end of the tunnel and I'm saying it wasn't a bad ride. I'm pumped to do it again next year, so let's get off this roller coaster and head to the water park!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Count Down to Reboot
10 more days.
I love school, but this year, I am counting down. It's painful to be in countdown mode. It's not as fun, it's frustrating to know you still have more days. It's disappointing to know you are counting down. I hope that it doesn't show to my students as much as it feels as though it does.
This year has been a busy year. Overload for a semester is painful. No prep hours for the past 17 weeks. Lots of at home work, extra early before and extra late after school work. I'm just plain tired.
I am so ready for summer for a number of reasons. I need a bit of a boost, so I'm going to write myself a list of things that summer will allow me to spend time on:
1. My girls. I am a teacher at a school, yes, but more importantly to me, I am a teacher at home to my two beautiful girls, ages 5 and almost 2. We will get to spend all of June and July together, no daycare, no schedule, just fun.
2. Gearing up for next year. I have so many awesome ideas that I just need time to get them going:
new modeling projects for my college modeling class, new reflective assessments for my algebra classes, new course material to create for my basic modeling class, new course material for my advanced programming course, sprucing up the intro to programming curriculum. Oh, I am so ready to have time to dedicate to these projects that are currently random post-it notes all over my desk and iPad.
3. Grad school research. That doesn't sound fun to everyone, I'm sure, but I am passionate about my research topic and what a great excuse to sit in the sun with my articles and laptop and get my learn on. Reading recent research and finding new ideas rejuvenates me. I'm ready to be rejuvenated.
4. New teachers. We have a new teacher joining our department this year and I am so pumped to work with her and learn from her. She's going to be full of energy and ideas and I cannot wait to feed off of that awesomeness.
5. Regrouping. I am ready to regroup. I feel like a pretty lame teacher right now. I know I can and will do better next year. The cards are stacked against me right now, the biggest being time. I just don't have the time I need to create and do the things I really want in my classroom right now. It's so frustrating and I hate feeling mediocre (at best). I have never felt so icky about my teaching as I do right now. I feel like I am just in survival mode. I am a 9th year teacher, survival mode should be a thing of the past. But new classes and too many of them at once has put me here. It's been a great challenge. I have learned that I am excellent at time management and much more efficient than ever thought possible, but the time to create and be creative just aren't there. I thrive off of trying new things, setting up great lessons, etc. I am so pumped for summer to be able to regroup, remind myself what kind of a teacher I really am and gear up for next year. Year 10. It's going to be awesome.
Ahh, I feel better. It surprises me every time I sit down to write a blog how much better I feel when it's done. As a math teacher, I never realized how reflective I am.
Summer...here I come, be ready.
10 days of school left...watch out, I'm going to show you what's up. 10 days. I can do this.
I love school, but this year, I am counting down. It's painful to be in countdown mode. It's not as fun, it's frustrating to know you still have more days. It's disappointing to know you are counting down. I hope that it doesn't show to my students as much as it feels as though it does.
This year has been a busy year. Overload for a semester is painful. No prep hours for the past 17 weeks. Lots of at home work, extra early before and extra late after school work. I'm just plain tired.
I am so ready for summer for a number of reasons. I need a bit of a boost, so I'm going to write myself a list of things that summer will allow me to spend time on:
1. My girls. I am a teacher at a school, yes, but more importantly to me, I am a teacher at home to my two beautiful girls, ages 5 and almost 2. We will get to spend all of June and July together, no daycare, no schedule, just fun.
2. Gearing up for next year. I have so many awesome ideas that I just need time to get them going:
new modeling projects for my college modeling class, new reflective assessments for my algebra classes, new course material to create for my basic modeling class, new course material for my advanced programming course, sprucing up the intro to programming curriculum. Oh, I am so ready to have time to dedicate to these projects that are currently random post-it notes all over my desk and iPad.
3. Grad school research. That doesn't sound fun to everyone, I'm sure, but I am passionate about my research topic and what a great excuse to sit in the sun with my articles and laptop and get my learn on. Reading recent research and finding new ideas rejuvenates me. I'm ready to be rejuvenated.
4. New teachers. We have a new teacher joining our department this year and I am so pumped to work with her and learn from her. She's going to be full of energy and ideas and I cannot wait to feed off of that awesomeness.
5. Regrouping. I am ready to regroup. I feel like a pretty lame teacher right now. I know I can and will do better next year. The cards are stacked against me right now, the biggest being time. I just don't have the time I need to create and do the things I really want in my classroom right now. It's so frustrating and I hate feeling mediocre (at best). I have never felt so icky about my teaching as I do right now. I feel like I am just in survival mode. I am a 9th year teacher, survival mode should be a thing of the past. But new classes and too many of them at once has put me here. It's been a great challenge. I have learned that I am excellent at time management and much more efficient than ever thought possible, but the time to create and be creative just aren't there. I thrive off of trying new things, setting up great lessons, etc. I am so pumped for summer to be able to regroup, remind myself what kind of a teacher I really am and gear up for next year. Year 10. It's going to be awesome.
Ahh, I feel better. It surprises me every time I sit down to write a blog how much better I feel when it's done. As a math teacher, I never realized how reflective I am.
Summer...here I come, be ready.
10 days of school left...watch out, I'm going to show you what's up. 10 days. I can do this.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
New Teachers
I follow and love this blog by Dan Meyer and particularly the post I linked here. He talks about speaking to the new teachers entering the world of math education and how awesome it is to be counted among such great people, and I can totally relate. I am entering a new phase in my teaching career. Next year will be my 10th year of teaching and wow, what a run it has been. I can't believe I'm hitting double digits; I still feel like a rookie and in many ways I still am. I currently teach in a great math department of 4 and I am the rookie-est. The others are into their teaching careers 15 or more years, two are looking ahead only a few years and they can see retirement. I am the rookie.
However, next year, I will no longer be the rookie. We are adding a 5th math teacher to our department which is so exciting that we have the numbers and interest in our student body that we need more math teachers. We recently went through the hiring process to find the best person for the job, and we found her. Yes, her. First off, how great that another woman will be joining our department, I've started a trend! Second, and this is where I explain the "new phase of my teaching career," this new teacher is a former student. I had her in 8th grade during my first year of teaching.
I have now been teaching long enough to have my former students as my peers. Next thing you know I'll be having former students' children....and the guys I work with tell me that will make me feel really old.
So, the connection to Dan's blog...
It's such an exciting time for me, to think that one of my former students, who I found to be a hard worker, intelligent, caring individual, also chose to be a math teacher. I'm counted in the same category as her and a few others of my former students (who were all awesome, by the way) that are becoming teachers. I'm thrilled to be among such great people. I'm thrilled to know that there are more great people entering the world of education. They have made the decision to teach and make a huge impact on the world.
I'm also anxious to start our work together as a department of 5. There will be so much learning taking place, it will be unreal! Learning from us "non-rookies" yes, but the learning that will take place by the 4 of us, learning from our new teacher who is fresh from college and full of energy and excitement for her new career. I am very much looking forward to this new experience and phase in my teaching career.
Here's to a great start to the next ten years of teaching!
However, next year, I will no longer be the rookie. We are adding a 5th math teacher to our department which is so exciting that we have the numbers and interest in our student body that we need more math teachers. We recently went through the hiring process to find the best person for the job, and we found her. Yes, her. First off, how great that another woman will be joining our department, I've started a trend! Second, and this is where I explain the "new phase of my teaching career," this new teacher is a former student. I had her in 8th grade during my first year of teaching.
I have now been teaching long enough to have my former students as my peers. Next thing you know I'll be having former students' children....and the guys I work with tell me that will make me feel really old.
So, the connection to Dan's blog...
It's such an exciting time for me, to think that one of my former students, who I found to be a hard worker, intelligent, caring individual, also chose to be a math teacher. I'm counted in the same category as her and a few others of my former students (who were all awesome, by the way) that are becoming teachers. I'm thrilled to be among such great people. I'm thrilled to know that there are more great people entering the world of education. They have made the decision to teach and make a huge impact on the world.
I'm also anxious to start our work together as a department of 5. There will be so much learning taking place, it will be unreal! Learning from us "non-rookies" yes, but the learning that will take place by the 4 of us, learning from our new teacher who is fresh from college and full of energy and excitement for her new career. I am very much looking forward to this new experience and phase in my teaching career.
Here's to a great start to the next ten years of teaching!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Delinquent
I have been a bit delinquent lately, like some of my students, about keeping up with my blog. I have so many thought, ideas, and frustrations floating around in my head, but I have so many things going on at school and at home, I barely have a moment to sit down and reflect right now.
So here are some thoughts, in no particular order, that just need to get out of my head. Writing gets them out of my head so I can move on...
1. I am not signing up to do an overloaded schedule ever again. Ok, I say that today, but last week I agreed to do an overload next year, but it is opposite an underloaded quarter, so I feel like that is different. Last quarter was an overload and so is this one and this teacher just needs a prep hour to sit down and think for a few minutes. I want to be a great educator, but right now, I feel like I am spread way to thin to be great. I am doing my job and I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances, but I am far from doing what my best would be if I weren't spread so thin.
2. I love computer programming and I think it's the best way to teach students to love logic, computers, and a little bit of math on the side. It's the most applicable class that I have ever taught and I love that it is an opportunity to teach students a skill in the most hands on way possible and they dive in and are amazed at what they learn. The 9 week course is a whirlwind and at the end they are able to look back and actually see some awesome progress. This is the bright spot in my overloaded day.
3. Grad school. I am loving the challenge that it is bringing me. It's been timed very well and I have reached a point in my career and life where I need to reflect and analyze carefully and grad school has filled that need for me nicely. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, it's one more thing in my busy schedule. But, I have found an outlet for my educational needs as a teacher. I am diggin' it.
4. I am not a high schooler anymore, but when I was, I was just as immature, annoying, and clueless as the ones that I teach every day. Now, I should say, not all of them fit into all or any of these categories, but there are some that I see each day that sometimes fit all three. They are my great challenges. I love my students, every single one of them. I want to see them all succeed, but man oh man, can they be annoying sometimes. I have found myself thinking back on my own high school days and remembering being similar on some occasions; it's helped to remind me that someday they too will outgrow this stage in their life. They need experience and guidance (from me and others) to help them through this tricky time in life.
5. I love it outside. That has nothing to do with math, but if anyone else has been here for the winter, they know. This winter was brutal and it feels so good to finally be outside. And just like my students, that makes me want to be in the classroom less and outside more....which can make for some tricky days finding motivation both for myself and for my students. Spring is here.
6. Today I received one of the best complements from a student....we were discussing some of my 'nerds.' I can call them nerds, because they say it's OK and because I am one of them, and I was referred to as "Queen of the Nerds" because I take the math and computer students to contests and do such nerdy things. But that wasn't even the best part....this student said, "She's queen of the nerds, but it's cool because she does it with style." Meant a lot to me because I try my hardest to make math and computer programming look fun, cool, exciting and to have a student notice that it just might be cool was great. Now, this was coming from one of my said 'nerds' but I am still going to count it.
7. I am full of great pride right now because I took a team last week to a programming competition, our first one ever at my school, and we came home with the first place plaque. It was awesome. I have taught these students since they were in 7th grade math, and I have always known they were gifted in math and computer and to guide them through this programming journey (which they did all on their own, I was just there to remind them to stay on track) has been awesome. To have them capture first place at our first programming competition was icing on the cake. I was bursting with pride and still am today. I am thrilled that their hard work was recognized. I am also thrilled that they are only juniors and I get to spend another year with them learning and growing.
8. I am blessed to have the job I have. It felt good to get all of that out of my head. And I know that it started out negative, but wow, it helped to see the blessings and all the great things that are part of my every day life. My head feels calmer now and my heart is happy. Even though this is my math blog, sometimes it's going to have to act as my reflection blog. What a great exercise for me; I feel strong again and ready to take on the rest of this week. Ahhhh....10 pounds lighter.
So here are some thoughts, in no particular order, that just need to get out of my head. Writing gets them out of my head so I can move on...
1. I am not signing up to do an overloaded schedule ever again. Ok, I say that today, but last week I agreed to do an overload next year, but it is opposite an underloaded quarter, so I feel like that is different. Last quarter was an overload and so is this one and this teacher just needs a prep hour to sit down and think for a few minutes. I want to be a great educator, but right now, I feel like I am spread way to thin to be great. I am doing my job and I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances, but I am far from doing what my best would be if I weren't spread so thin.
2. I love computer programming and I think it's the best way to teach students to love logic, computers, and a little bit of math on the side. It's the most applicable class that I have ever taught and I love that it is an opportunity to teach students a skill in the most hands on way possible and they dive in and are amazed at what they learn. The 9 week course is a whirlwind and at the end they are able to look back and actually see some awesome progress. This is the bright spot in my overloaded day.
3. Grad school. I am loving the challenge that it is bringing me. It's been timed very well and I have reached a point in my career and life where I need to reflect and analyze carefully and grad school has filled that need for me nicely. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, it's one more thing in my busy schedule. But, I have found an outlet for my educational needs as a teacher. I am diggin' it.
4. I am not a high schooler anymore, but when I was, I was just as immature, annoying, and clueless as the ones that I teach every day. Now, I should say, not all of them fit into all or any of these categories, but there are some that I see each day that sometimes fit all three. They are my great challenges. I love my students, every single one of them. I want to see them all succeed, but man oh man, can they be annoying sometimes. I have found myself thinking back on my own high school days and remembering being similar on some occasions; it's helped to remind me that someday they too will outgrow this stage in their life. They need experience and guidance (from me and others) to help them through this tricky time in life.
5. I love it outside. That has nothing to do with math, but if anyone else has been here for the winter, they know. This winter was brutal and it feels so good to finally be outside. And just like my students, that makes me want to be in the classroom less and outside more....which can make for some tricky days finding motivation both for myself and for my students. Spring is here.
6. Today I received one of the best complements from a student....we were discussing some of my 'nerds.' I can call them nerds, because they say it's OK and because I am one of them, and I was referred to as "Queen of the Nerds" because I take the math and computer students to contests and do such nerdy things. But that wasn't even the best part....this student said, "She's queen of the nerds, but it's cool because she does it with style." Meant a lot to me because I try my hardest to make math and computer programming look fun, cool, exciting and to have a student notice that it just might be cool was great. Now, this was coming from one of my said 'nerds' but I am still going to count it.
7. I am full of great pride right now because I took a team last week to a programming competition, our first one ever at my school, and we came home with the first place plaque. It was awesome. I have taught these students since they were in 7th grade math, and I have always known they were gifted in math and computer and to guide them through this programming journey (which they did all on their own, I was just there to remind them to stay on track) has been awesome. To have them capture first place at our first programming competition was icing on the cake. I was bursting with pride and still am today. I am thrilled that their hard work was recognized. I am also thrilled that they are only juniors and I get to spend another year with them learning and growing.
8. I am blessed to have the job I have. It felt good to get all of that out of my head. And I know that it started out negative, but wow, it helped to see the blessings and all the great things that are part of my every day life. My head feels calmer now and my heart is happy. Even though this is my math blog, sometimes it's going to have to act as my reflection blog. What a great exercise for me; I feel strong again and ready to take on the rest of this week. Ahhhh....10 pounds lighter.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Quarter End
The quarter has ended, the halls are quiet. Everyone is off to spring break.
This was one of the most peaceful end of quarters I have had in a very long time. I must give myself a little credit, but my students deserve some as well.
I had an overload this quarter, which means I got to teach all four blocks in our block schedule, each one was a different prep, so that was an adventure. I survived it. It was a lot of work, especially early on, but I laid out my expectations, took out the busy work (for myself and my students) and learning seems to have taken place.
The biggest change that has worked for me:
I know I've said it 100 times, but getting rid of daily homework being graded has been the most liberating part of my teaching career. That sounds a bit dramatic, but seriously, grading is my least favorite part of my job and grading busy work ranks even lower than that. The way homework was being used in my class was wasteful and not purposeful.
Today I surveyed my algebra 2 students and the most interesting responses were on the homework policy change. Many students said just what I was expecting they would experience. Here are some direct quotes from my awesome students' responses to the question "Did the homework policy help or hurt your performance in the class?":
"I think it helped because I didn't feel the stress to get it done, so I could soak in the information better."
"I like it but it defiantly hurt me because I didn't do it. But then again I probably wouldn't have done it anyway."
"Helped I think. Because otherwise I'd probably have a lot of wrong answers on my assignments, and that'd have hurt my grade a lot."
"I think it helped me. It made me take responsibility for myself and my grade."
"I think it helped my performance because I was more comfortable to self-learn and think through things."
"It helped it because if I didn't have time because of work I wasn't to worried as long as I knew how to do it, and I did majority of the time."
"I think it helped me because when we corrected our homework I had to fix my mistakes by myself and I knew what I got wrong."
I think for the most part, much of what they said was what I expected they would say. There were only a couple that said they don't think it's fair that they don't get points for doing the homework or that the points 'save' their grade because they don't do well on tests. To those students, I think they need to pay more attention in math class-especially in most math classes that only give 10% of the grade to the homework. Homework won't save you if you are bombing every single test. They just like that security blanket, I get it.
Ahh. I feel good. I am thrilled to embark on a new quarter with a new philosophy that I truly believe in. There are still things I need to work on to make it better yet. I still need to keep on top of my reflection support for the students; I want to keep the reflection meaningful and important to the learning experience. I also need to continue to work on finding more awesome activities and experiences for the students to better learn the material. It will never be perfect, but I sure do feel like I have made a big step this year.
Bonus: I didn't have to hear the pleading students that want to turn in 9 week late work for .04% added to an already low grade.
This was one of the most peaceful end of quarters I have had in a very long time. I must give myself a little credit, but my students deserve some as well.
I had an overload this quarter, which means I got to teach all four blocks in our block schedule, each one was a different prep, so that was an adventure. I survived it. It was a lot of work, especially early on, but I laid out my expectations, took out the busy work (for myself and my students) and learning seems to have taken place.
The biggest change that has worked for me:
I know I've said it 100 times, but getting rid of daily homework being graded has been the most liberating part of my teaching career. That sounds a bit dramatic, but seriously, grading is my least favorite part of my job and grading busy work ranks even lower than that. The way homework was being used in my class was wasteful and not purposeful.
Today I surveyed my algebra 2 students and the most interesting responses were on the homework policy change. Many students said just what I was expecting they would experience. Here are some direct quotes from my awesome students' responses to the question "Did the homework policy help or hurt your performance in the class?":
"I think it helped because I didn't feel the stress to get it done, so I could soak in the information better."
"I like it but it defiantly hurt me because I didn't do it. But then again I probably wouldn't have done it anyway."
"Helped I think. Because otherwise I'd probably have a lot of wrong answers on my assignments, and that'd have hurt my grade a lot."
"I think it helped me. It made me take responsibility for myself and my grade."
"I think it helped my performance because I was more comfortable to self-learn and think through things."
"It helped it because if I didn't have time because of work I wasn't to worried as long as I knew how to do it, and I did majority of the time."
"I think it helped me because when we corrected our homework I had to fix my mistakes by myself and I knew what I got wrong."
I think for the most part, much of what they said was what I expected they would say. There were only a couple that said they don't think it's fair that they don't get points for doing the homework or that the points 'save' their grade because they don't do well on tests. To those students, I think they need to pay more attention in math class-especially in most math classes that only give 10% of the grade to the homework. Homework won't save you if you are bombing every single test. They just like that security blanket, I get it.
Ahh. I feel good. I am thrilled to embark on a new quarter with a new philosophy that I truly believe in. There are still things I need to work on to make it better yet. I still need to keep on top of my reflection support for the students; I want to keep the reflection meaningful and important to the learning experience. I also need to continue to work on finding more awesome activities and experiences for the students to better learn the material. It will never be perfect, but I sure do feel like I have made a big step this year.
Bonus: I didn't have to hear the pleading students that want to turn in 9 week late work for .04% added to an already low grade.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Homework
The end of my first quarter with a new homework policy is almost here. I used my Algebra 2 class as a nice little experiment and although I may have changed too many variables to determine what had the biggest impact, I do know that I will never go back to grading homework.
My new policy was to not assign points to the homework. Rather than do the homework to get points by the date that that homework is scheduled to be due, my students were doing the homework to learn the material. Novel idea, I know.
I know I'm not the first person in the world to ever think of this idea or implement it, but I think I am the first in my department in my own building to break from the homework mold. I feel free. I feel empowered and I know that my students felt empowered, after they got over feeling lost and unsure.
It was not the most easy transition and we are still in transition as we move into the second half of the semester. Some of my students, many who are freshmen and sometimes not the most mature group, took this new "freedom" and then had to suffer the consequences when that summative assessment came around. However, after 3 rounds of this process, I feel that my students are making progress. Through my surveys with my students, I am finding that they appreciate being given the responsibility for their own learning, for the most part. Many students appreciate that they can do the practice at a time that is convenient to them and that they know the end goal.
I did have some students who said they don't think it's fair because not everyone is doing the homework that I suggest and they think that those students should be 'punished' for not doing the work. I found it interesting that the students who didn't like the policy, didn't like it because of the actions of their peers, not necessarily their own actions.
Only a few students (2 or less) preferred the homework to be given points because otherwise they have a hard time finding the motivation.
I feel that another of my new changes has done well to support all of these students and their viewpoints. I have chatted with students about these concerns and tried to help them see the benefits to themselves through this new policy.
I have had many points of contact with each student, some have been conversations with students in person, through their blogs, through class discussions (in person or digitally) or information that I have gathered through surveys. Students have spent a lot of time this quarter analyzing their own work habits and understanding. They have checked in digitally with me at least once a week with an update on their learning (of course I am also checking in with them informally in class) and they had a few other ways that they were checking in on understanding so I could drive where our class would go next on our road to learning and understanding....not the road to doing a bunch of homework problems for a free 5 points if they are done on time, which could be from copying your friend's paper and not getting caught.
Homework has always been a point of contention for me. I don't love assigning a lot of it and I don't like to give students points for it. I never have and I feel so liberated to finally cut it out of my life. Now, that doesn't mean students shouldn't have time they need to study at home; students do not all have the same needs when it comes to studying. I do not want to give problems to students who don't need them or give too much to students who are going to struggle all night long. I want students to work on things they know they need to work on. I want students to know those things they need to practice. Through reflection and constant check ins my students have been more aware of themselves and their understanding this semester than ever before. I have focused on using my class time for the extra practice that the students need, we work together on learning, reviewing and practicing the material at least 70 of the 90 minutes each day. The other 20 minutes are spent on individual practice time and meaningful reflection.
Looking ahead to this upcoming week which is typically littered with students handing in 5 point assignments from the beginning of the quarter in hopes of raising their grade significantly and then being disappointed when it barely moves it up 0.04%, I am thrilled that I will NOT be experiencing this ever again. My students have been learning, not hoop jumping and point gathering. I am free. My students are free.
My new policy was to not assign points to the homework. Rather than do the homework to get points by the date that that homework is scheduled to be due, my students were doing the homework to learn the material. Novel idea, I know.
I know I'm not the first person in the world to ever think of this idea or implement it, but I think I am the first in my department in my own building to break from the homework mold. I feel free. I feel empowered and I know that my students felt empowered, after they got over feeling lost and unsure.
It was not the most easy transition and we are still in transition as we move into the second half of the semester. Some of my students, many who are freshmen and sometimes not the most mature group, took this new "freedom" and then had to suffer the consequences when that summative assessment came around. However, after 3 rounds of this process, I feel that my students are making progress. Through my surveys with my students, I am finding that they appreciate being given the responsibility for their own learning, for the most part. Many students appreciate that they can do the practice at a time that is convenient to them and that they know the end goal.
I did have some students who said they don't think it's fair because not everyone is doing the homework that I suggest and they think that those students should be 'punished' for not doing the work. I found it interesting that the students who didn't like the policy, didn't like it because of the actions of their peers, not necessarily their own actions.
Only a few students (2 or less) preferred the homework to be given points because otherwise they have a hard time finding the motivation.
I feel that another of my new changes has done well to support all of these students and their viewpoints. I have chatted with students about these concerns and tried to help them see the benefits to themselves through this new policy.
I have had many points of contact with each student, some have been conversations with students in person, through their blogs, through class discussions (in person or digitally) or information that I have gathered through surveys. Students have spent a lot of time this quarter analyzing their own work habits and understanding. They have checked in digitally with me at least once a week with an update on their learning (of course I am also checking in with them informally in class) and they had a few other ways that they were checking in on understanding so I could drive where our class would go next on our road to learning and understanding....not the road to doing a bunch of homework problems for a free 5 points if they are done on time, which could be from copying your friend's paper and not getting caught.
Homework has always been a point of contention for me. I don't love assigning a lot of it and I don't like to give students points for it. I never have and I feel so liberated to finally cut it out of my life. Now, that doesn't mean students shouldn't have time they need to study at home; students do not all have the same needs when it comes to studying. I do not want to give problems to students who don't need them or give too much to students who are going to struggle all night long. I want students to work on things they know they need to work on. I want students to know those things they need to practice. Through reflection and constant check ins my students have been more aware of themselves and their understanding this semester than ever before. I have focused on using my class time for the extra practice that the students need, we work together on learning, reviewing and practicing the material at least 70 of the 90 minutes each day. The other 20 minutes are spent on individual practice time and meaningful reflection.
Looking ahead to this upcoming week which is typically littered with students handing in 5 point assignments from the beginning of the quarter in hopes of raising their grade significantly and then being disappointed when it barely moves it up 0.04%, I am thrilled that I will NOT be experiencing this ever again. My students have been learning, not hoop jumping and point gathering. I am free. My students are free.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
√(-1) ≤3 MATH
I have seen this a time or two and it's painful.
It's painful for a number of reasons besides the fact that I can't wear it because I use Algebra every day of my life.
Here's a few reasons I can think of right off:
1. This gives math a bad name, especially algebra.
2. People don't understand algebra enough to know if/when they are even using it, which makes me think that the way we teach algebra is not in the best way to help all people understand how it can be used.
3. People don't know how different their life would be without algebra: the problems that couldn't be solved, the patterns that wouldn't have been discovered, the fun that they could be having.
4. Some topics in algebra that are being taught to students are not applicable to most people's everyday life, but we continue to drag everyone through the mud causing them to have such a distaste for math.
5. This anti-math advertising turns people off to math; just like when I have parents come to conferences to say they were bad at math so their student/child will be too.
My new t-shirt idea:
√(-1) woke up ≈ 2 hours ago have already used algebra 4Ï€.
I <3 math.
∞
Thanks Jen for a blog topic today :)
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Flipping Math
This article was sent to me today and I thought it was a good read that got me thinking.
I have been on a bit of a flipping journey since 2012 when my district went to 1-to-1 iPads for all students. As I sometimes do, I dove head first into the world of flipping. Even though there are some things that I really take my time and think about, there are others that I just dive into...this was one of them. I decided I was going to flip my Algebra 2 class. I found so many resources that had suggestions and ideas and it just seemed new and refreshing. I think to reiterate what I've said before, I'm always looking for new ways for students to learn math; I was hopeful this would be a great option.
My perspective on flipping has definitely shifted and changed over the past two years.
I flipped for a while and then I ran into some of the same frustrations that I had before flipping. Students weren't watching the videos (previously they weren't doing their homework), students had to be retaught many of the lessons in class the next day, students were not understanding any more or less than previously. I was putting in a lot of extra work to create videos and then spending about the same amount of time creating activities in class that were reteaching. I didn't feel like we were saving any time or learning any more deeply than previously.
At first I thought the problem was that the students weren't watching the videos. But more recently I'm coming to the realization that even my students who were watching the videos weren't getting as much out of them as they could have had I done what I have done in class for the last few years. Now, not to say my classroom is an amazing, engaging, thrilling place to learn math...but I like to think it's a little more interesting than sitting in your bedroom listening to your teacher talk at you about math. I don't lecture; I usually don't say more than 3 sentences before a question to my students is interjected and a discussion takes place. (I think it should be even less than 3 sentences, I'm working on that.) I try to create a math dialogue. Now, again, it's not perfect, but I try to pull the students in, ask lots of questions, engage them on finding patterns, trying things on their calculators. My students tell me they learn best by doing, so I try to give them that opportunity to learn by doing. Sometimes they have to be reminded that they need to 'do' in order to learn, but I usually have a large number of students participating...I don't know that you can always get 100%....but I do try.
Basically, I have found that flipping is good for a few things, but not for introducing new material in math...or at least it doesn't work for me. Flipping is good for review material. I have students who do like to have the videos to re-watch as review after we have had class discussions and practice together. The videos serve as a refresher for them. Flipping is also good for simple concepts that students need to bring back to the front of their minds; things they learned or had been exposed to in previous courses.
I think the best form of flipping I have experienced has been to have the students flip their assignments. Rather than turn in a worksheet full of problems, they can turn in a video explaining the work that they completed. These videos help the students really truly learn and understand the material in a way they may have not previously.
Flipping may work for some people. I think it depends on your teaching style and your students. My style is to be engaged with the students in conversation. This is how I build relationships with my students and let my students see my personality and it's an opportunity for me to model problem solving, risk taking, and mistake making (lots get made when I'm talking and writing at the same time).
I am all for new technology. I LOVE technology. But I'm not completely sold that flipping works the best for me and my classroom.
I have been on a bit of a flipping journey since 2012 when my district went to 1-to-1 iPads for all students. As I sometimes do, I dove head first into the world of flipping. Even though there are some things that I really take my time and think about, there are others that I just dive into...this was one of them. I decided I was going to flip my Algebra 2 class. I found so many resources that had suggestions and ideas and it just seemed new and refreshing. I think to reiterate what I've said before, I'm always looking for new ways for students to learn math; I was hopeful this would be a great option.
My perspective on flipping has definitely shifted and changed over the past two years.
I flipped for a while and then I ran into some of the same frustrations that I had before flipping. Students weren't watching the videos (previously they weren't doing their homework), students had to be retaught many of the lessons in class the next day, students were not understanding any more or less than previously. I was putting in a lot of extra work to create videos and then spending about the same amount of time creating activities in class that were reteaching. I didn't feel like we were saving any time or learning any more deeply than previously.
At first I thought the problem was that the students weren't watching the videos. But more recently I'm coming to the realization that even my students who were watching the videos weren't getting as much out of them as they could have had I done what I have done in class for the last few years. Now, not to say my classroom is an amazing, engaging, thrilling place to learn math...but I like to think it's a little more interesting than sitting in your bedroom listening to your teacher talk at you about math. I don't lecture; I usually don't say more than 3 sentences before a question to my students is interjected and a discussion takes place. (I think it should be even less than 3 sentences, I'm working on that.) I try to create a math dialogue. Now, again, it's not perfect, but I try to pull the students in, ask lots of questions, engage them on finding patterns, trying things on their calculators. My students tell me they learn best by doing, so I try to give them that opportunity to learn by doing. Sometimes they have to be reminded that they need to 'do' in order to learn, but I usually have a large number of students participating...I don't know that you can always get 100%....but I do try.
Basically, I have found that flipping is good for a few things, but not for introducing new material in math...or at least it doesn't work for me. Flipping is good for review material. I have students who do like to have the videos to re-watch as review after we have had class discussions and practice together. The videos serve as a refresher for them. Flipping is also good for simple concepts that students need to bring back to the front of their minds; things they learned or had been exposed to in previous courses.
I think the best form of flipping I have experienced has been to have the students flip their assignments. Rather than turn in a worksheet full of problems, they can turn in a video explaining the work that they completed. These videos help the students really truly learn and understand the material in a way they may have not previously.
Flipping may work for some people. I think it depends on your teaching style and your students. My style is to be engaged with the students in conversation. This is how I build relationships with my students and let my students see my personality and it's an opportunity for me to model problem solving, risk taking, and mistake making (lots get made when I'm talking and writing at the same time).
I am all for new technology. I LOVE technology. But I'm not completely sold that flipping works the best for me and my classroom.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Makeover
A dear friend and colleague sent me this great Ted talk today. I have seen this guy's blog before and he has some great stuff, but this talk spoke to me even more today.
Math curriculum does need a makeover. I have been feeling this more and more each year of my teaching, but I have been especially aware of my own doubts of what we are teaching in the past few years. I question what I am told to teach, how I am teaching it, and why I am teaching it. I learned through this curriculum and still managed to find the fun in math, but perhaps I'm one of the few; perhaps we could get more engaged and excited about math and problem solving if we show them the light.
I LOVE his opening statements about selling a product to a room full of students who do not want it. I love my product. I love math. I love solving problems. But wow, it's hard to sell it to my students when it seems so irrelevant and useless at times. I do find that they are conditioned to be bored in math class. They show up wanting to just get this whole thing over with. "Fill my bucket and I will spill it out on some test and I'll be on my way," they say. I am done filling buckets. I don't want the contents of your bucket back. You keep them dear student of mine.
I have been straying from the traditional teaching methods for a while now. Now, I am far from non-traditional because I feel there are still some things that are holding me back, but I try, I really do, to help students see and truly understand the concepts we are asked to teach them. I have been working to tear apart the curriculum I have been given to group like concepts, to allow students to look for an identify patterns, instead of me just 'telling' them. I search for problems and activities that will help students understand and engage, but sometimes it takes some convincing to get the students to dive in. They need to be unconditioned to getting their bucket filled and find it in themselves to seek out and discover. My job is to set up opportunities for them to engage and seek.
I agree 100% with the speaker in that what the law says we have to teach is not adequate, but at this point, that is still the law/tested. So, I try my best to weave in my own style and love of math to help the students hopefully see and be pulled into the awesome world of mathematics.
It's great to be a math teacher right now. He's correct in that. We have such a great opportunity to change and shape mathematics education into something more than a textbook full of formulas and computations to be completed.
This year I was given the opportunity to teach a college algebra class. But this isn't just an ordinary college algebra class, it's a mathematical modeling class where my students are given problems that they create their own solutions to through their own research and mathematical understanding. It has really challenged my students. Some students love creating models and some are still struggling with it; however, I feel that all of my students in the class have become better at problem solving and seeking out information when something is missing. The problems have been rich with possibility for learning and it has been beautiful to see the growth in the students.
One step at a time. I have continued each year to implement something new, something to draw students in, something to better help students understand, something to better challenge students. I want to be a part of this change.
Math curriculum does need a makeover. I have been feeling this more and more each year of my teaching, but I have been especially aware of my own doubts of what we are teaching in the past few years. I question what I am told to teach, how I am teaching it, and why I am teaching it. I learned through this curriculum and still managed to find the fun in math, but perhaps I'm one of the few; perhaps we could get more engaged and excited about math and problem solving if we show them the light.
I LOVE his opening statements about selling a product to a room full of students who do not want it. I love my product. I love math. I love solving problems. But wow, it's hard to sell it to my students when it seems so irrelevant and useless at times. I do find that they are conditioned to be bored in math class. They show up wanting to just get this whole thing over with. "Fill my bucket and I will spill it out on some test and I'll be on my way," they say. I am done filling buckets. I don't want the contents of your bucket back. You keep them dear student of mine.
I have been straying from the traditional teaching methods for a while now. Now, I am far from non-traditional because I feel there are still some things that are holding me back, but I try, I really do, to help students see and truly understand the concepts we are asked to teach them. I have been working to tear apart the curriculum I have been given to group like concepts, to allow students to look for an identify patterns, instead of me just 'telling' them. I search for problems and activities that will help students understand and engage, but sometimes it takes some convincing to get the students to dive in. They need to be unconditioned to getting their bucket filled and find it in themselves to seek out and discover. My job is to set up opportunities for them to engage and seek.
I agree 100% with the speaker in that what the law says we have to teach is not adequate, but at this point, that is still the law/tested. So, I try my best to weave in my own style and love of math to help the students hopefully see and be pulled into the awesome world of mathematics.
It's great to be a math teacher right now. He's correct in that. We have such a great opportunity to change and shape mathematics education into something more than a textbook full of formulas and computations to be completed.
This year I was given the opportunity to teach a college algebra class. But this isn't just an ordinary college algebra class, it's a mathematical modeling class where my students are given problems that they create their own solutions to through their own research and mathematical understanding. It has really challenged my students. Some students love creating models and some are still struggling with it; however, I feel that all of my students in the class have become better at problem solving and seeking out information when something is missing. The problems have been rich with possibility for learning and it has been beautiful to see the growth in the students.
One step at a time. I have continued each year to implement something new, something to draw students in, something to better help students understand, something to better challenge students. I want to be a part of this change.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Unit One Done
This week my algebra class took the end of unit assessment on functions to end our first complete unit of the semester. I was very interested to see how my students would do with the new homework policy I implemented, along with the self-assessment they have been doing with their blogs.
I was pretty impressed with the end result. Right now, in my class of 37 all students the average was 41.6/50 on the test whereas first semester the average was 40.8/50 in one class and 41.2/50 in another class. Now, I realize that these averages are pretty consistent, only a little higher this semester, but the BIG thing I have noticed is the lack of failing students in my grade book. Not one student is currently failing my class. I cannot say that was the case at this point last semester due to all the missing assignments. Right now, I feel that taking away the 'requirement' and due date for daily homework has made homework more useful. Putting a deadline on homework, puts a different meaning on homework for the students. Homework becomes something they have to do, not a tool to learn content. Writing in their blog everyday has become a check in for these students to put into words for themselves what they have or have not been doing.
Many students have still been completing the practice problems each day, and used them as evidence for showing they are ready to take the test. Showing students that learning is my ultimate goal for them, not assigning them hundreds of points and just making them do things they may or may not need to spend their time doing. Having me put a zero in the grade book to tell them they didn't do something had very little affect on most students. Students writing in their blogs, "I haven't done anything to prepare" internalizes the lack of work and the blame is coming from themselves.
I am LOVING this new system for homework.
As for the blogging, I am still trying to figure it out completely. Getting quality posts is difficult, and I need to do a better job of modeling exactly what I want the posts to be...but sometimes I'm not 100% sure what I want the posts to look like. I have been using their posts as quick checks (formative assessment) to know where the students are after each lesson and as we progress through the units. My favorite posts are the feedback posts where they have been reflecting on the new system and how it's working for them as a learner. They are very honest, and having a class of 37, it's been a great way for me to quickly get to know the students, their names, and where they stand as far as math and my class. I feel like I know more about this huge class of 37 than I have this early in a quarter ever before about a group of students.
The feedback has been pretty positive thus far, I even had one student say he really didn't enjoy the blog at first, but has warmed up to the idea and that it seems to be helping him stay on top of his work better than previously.
It's an adventure. I'm only one unit in. We're still moving forward, I have these students trained in the blogging and we're going to keep working on it and improving the blogging system. As for the homework system, I am NEVER going back. All future math classes will be reorganized to be the same. It's such a stress off of me, off of the students and it makes the homework meaningful, there is a new purpose, not just completion but actual learning....what a concept!
Boo to those who say, "If you don't assign it, they won't do it." They will, if you make it meaningful and give them a purpose. Requiring my students to create a portfolio of evidence before testing is a pretty good purpose. We all win; we all learn.
Here's hoping that this awesome journey continues to show great results.
I was pretty impressed with the end result. Right now, in my class of 37 all students the average was 41.6/50 on the test whereas first semester the average was 40.8/50 in one class and 41.2/50 in another class. Now, I realize that these averages are pretty consistent, only a little higher this semester, but the BIG thing I have noticed is the lack of failing students in my grade book. Not one student is currently failing my class. I cannot say that was the case at this point last semester due to all the missing assignments. Right now, I feel that taking away the 'requirement' and due date for daily homework has made homework more useful. Putting a deadline on homework, puts a different meaning on homework for the students. Homework becomes something they have to do, not a tool to learn content. Writing in their blog everyday has become a check in for these students to put into words for themselves what they have or have not been doing.
Many students have still been completing the practice problems each day, and used them as evidence for showing they are ready to take the test. Showing students that learning is my ultimate goal for them, not assigning them hundreds of points and just making them do things they may or may not need to spend their time doing. Having me put a zero in the grade book to tell them they didn't do something had very little affect on most students. Students writing in their blogs, "I haven't done anything to prepare" internalizes the lack of work and the blame is coming from themselves.
I am LOVING this new system for homework.
As for the blogging, I am still trying to figure it out completely. Getting quality posts is difficult, and I need to do a better job of modeling exactly what I want the posts to be...but sometimes I'm not 100% sure what I want the posts to look like. I have been using their posts as quick checks (formative assessment) to know where the students are after each lesson and as we progress through the units. My favorite posts are the feedback posts where they have been reflecting on the new system and how it's working for them as a learner. They are very honest, and having a class of 37, it's been a great way for me to quickly get to know the students, their names, and where they stand as far as math and my class. I feel like I know more about this huge class of 37 than I have this early in a quarter ever before about a group of students.
The feedback has been pretty positive thus far, I even had one student say he really didn't enjoy the blog at first, but has warmed up to the idea and that it seems to be helping him stay on top of his work better than previously.
It's an adventure. I'm only one unit in. We're still moving forward, I have these students trained in the blogging and we're going to keep working on it and improving the blogging system. As for the homework system, I am NEVER going back. All future math classes will be reorganized to be the same. It's such a stress off of me, off of the students and it makes the homework meaningful, there is a new purpose, not just completion but actual learning....what a concept!
Boo to those who say, "If you don't assign it, they won't do it." They will, if you make it meaningful and give them a purpose. Requiring my students to create a portfolio of evidence before testing is a pretty good purpose. We all win; we all learn.
Here's hoping that this awesome journey continues to show great results.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Stability
My frustration from last week has passed. The annoyance from my students who kept saying, "I don't get it, I give up" was my own issue.
Yes, they shouldn't give up so easily and need to be taught a little perseverance, but I should have known. At least I do now.
After about 2 weeks with my special ed math basics class, I'm learning that what those students want the most is stability from me. They want to know what to expect and they want to feel success (who doesn't?) in the things we are doing. So, the next time I want to have a little wacky problem solving fun, I need to warn them days in advance and then be very super clear on the expectations of the day. I need to train 'em up; prep them for what is to come.
The rest of last week and today, my math basics class was great. I have 15 pretty hard working kids, with the exception of one or two, but they are coming along. When they know what to expect and it's at a level where they can experience success, they are happy. They are always compliant and are completing the tasks I ask of them as long as they know what to expect.
Now, life isn't always full of things you can expect, so I am planning to keep throwing some curve balls at them and try some new things, but I know that I need to approach it with very careful planning.
The tricky part of teaching this class is the variety of students I have in the room. Every student has an IEP, but all of course, for different reasons. Some really struggle in math, some really struggle emotionally which then has caused math to be an issue. It's an adventure every single day. But having some stronger math students in the room (even though they don't think they are strong math students) helps the other students in the room as well as builds confidence in a student that otherwise may have not had a lot of math confidence.
So, the point of all this....my new goal for this class is to be consistent and stable for the kids as much as possible. However, I am also going to push them to move outside their comfort zone and try something new. I want them to know it's OK to not know the right answer in math class...that's how you learn. I think I have been given the best possible environment to help them stretch themselves in math. So, here goes. I'll keep you posted on the journey.
Yes, they shouldn't give up so easily and need to be taught a little perseverance, but I should have known. At least I do now.
After about 2 weeks with my special ed math basics class, I'm learning that what those students want the most is stability from me. They want to know what to expect and they want to feel success (who doesn't?) in the things we are doing. So, the next time I want to have a little wacky problem solving fun, I need to warn them days in advance and then be very super clear on the expectations of the day. I need to train 'em up; prep them for what is to come.
The rest of last week and today, my math basics class was great. I have 15 pretty hard working kids, with the exception of one or two, but they are coming along. When they know what to expect and it's at a level where they can experience success, they are happy. They are always compliant and are completing the tasks I ask of them as long as they know what to expect.
Now, life isn't always full of things you can expect, so I am planning to keep throwing some curve balls at them and try some new things, but I know that I need to approach it with very careful planning.
The tricky part of teaching this class is the variety of students I have in the room. Every student has an IEP, but all of course, for different reasons. Some really struggle in math, some really struggle emotionally which then has caused math to be an issue. It's an adventure every single day. But having some stronger math students in the room (even though they don't think they are strong math students) helps the other students in the room as well as builds confidence in a student that otherwise may have not had a lot of math confidence.
So, the point of all this....my new goal for this class is to be consistent and stable for the kids as much as possible. However, I am also going to push them to move outside their comfort zone and try something new. I want them to know it's OK to not know the right answer in math class...that's how you learn. I think I have been given the best possible environment to help them stretch themselves in math. So, here goes. I'll keep you posted on the journey.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Math Concepts
It's a Saturday night, what else would I be doing than thinking through and planning future math units? Well, OK, I'm not typically that cool, but grad school is making me that cool, so "Hello new exciting Saturday nights."
I just completed the start of a unit on Quadratics. Oh, the fun in quadratics. Now, I appreciate a good quadratic...but to get students to appreciate or even attempt to appreciate...that's another story. Sure you can spice up quadratics by singing the quadratic formula song to a number of different tunes so they never forget the formula. Although, they often forget what they use it for...
Anyway, writing units, thinking about what I want my students to know and be able to do, always makes me think about my purpose in life. It's deep, I know.
So, here are the things I really do want my students to know and be able to do (in no particular order):
I just completed the start of a unit on Quadratics. Oh, the fun in quadratics. Now, I appreciate a good quadratic...but to get students to appreciate or even attempt to appreciate...that's another story. Sure you can spice up quadratics by singing the quadratic formula song to a number of different tunes so they never forget the formula. Although, they often forget what they use it for...
Anyway, writing units, thinking about what I want my students to know and be able to do, always makes me think about my purpose in life. It's deep, I know.
So, here are the things I really do want my students to know and be able to do (in no particular order):
- Think for themselves. Be able to make a decision and own it.
- Be brave to try something new. And possibly fail at it.
- Make educated decisions. Don't just jump on board because everyone else is, do a little research and soul-search if needed and have some justification for your decision.
- Know they are cared for. By me. I really do care about each one of them...even the ones that drive me a little crazy; I still care.
- Care for others. Genuinely be willing to help someone else.
- Find a passion in life.
- Know that they don't have to decide today what they want to be tomorrow. It's a process, relax and don't feel the pressure to know what you are supposed to do with your life. I still don't know. And I'm OK with that.
- Look up. If even for a few minutes. Don't be attached to your electronics so much you miss the awesome things happening right in front of you.
- Cook a decent meal. This seems odd, I know, but at some point they may have to prepare a meal for someone, and they should have at least one thing they know how to cook and cook well. Food connects people, it's important to be able to cook something. Or bake, cookies are always good too.
- Ask questions. They need to advocate for themselves. They may not always have a bunch of teachers watching their every move and at the ready to pounce in for help when they are struggling. They must know when and who to ask for help.
- Be money smart. This may be the most mathy one of all my hopes for them. I don't want my former students buying into bad deals or being unaware of all that interest that builds up with credit cards. Know when to spend and know when to save...and then do both the best you can with what you have.
- Be able to tell a joke. Everyone needs at least one great ice breaker. My favorite mathy one: What's tunafish plus tunafish? Fournafish. Thank you favorite children's math book: Math Curse!
- Be proud of any nerdyness that is inside of them. Don't hide your brains and inner nerd. Let it shine.
- Have a hobby.
- Say "Thank You." Appreciate what others have done for you or do for you in the future.
That's my list right now. I know there is more. But what I also know is that most of them have absolutely nothing to do with knowing the quadratic formula. I love the quadratic formula, do not get me wrong. But sometimes it is hard to justify to some kids why they should know it. I have my reasons they should, but if they can't do some of the things on my list from above, I think it's more important they work on some of those things sometimes.
All right, back to my awesome Saturday night with quadratics...I feel better now, thank you.
Friday, January 31, 2014
For the Love of Math
It's stories like this one that validate for me what teaching is all about. I know the relationships we form with students and the connections we help them make with each other and the kindness we show them are far more important than the math formulas we ask them to memorize or equations we show them how to solve.
In my earlier years of teaching my focus was on covering the standards and making sure we got through all of them by the time the spring test came around; sometimes we would have to rush to get through some things. But as the years have passed, my worries about these standardized tests have gone down significantly. I still value the information they provide for us. I want to see that my students are learning and growing; however, I also want my students to love learning and feel cared for in my classroom.
I do my best to connect with every student in my classroom every day. Currently, I have an algebra 2 class of 37 students and I'm finding it is barely possible to talk to every student and that's frustrating to me. Large class sizes take away from the personal learning experience; it feels more like a lecture hall than the interactive classroom I am more comfortable teaching in. In fact, I despise public speaking; it gives me major anxiety and having a class of 37, I feel some anxiety bubbling up. My typical classroom is an on-going dialog; I need the interaction. With 37 students interaction varies from no one will participate (due to the large audience I'm also scared of) to everyone talking at once. It's a new balance I'm having to figure out to get a classroom culture that works for my students.
One thing going for this large class is that we started the student reflection blogs. I think that through my students' blogs I am, in a round about way, connecting with every student. It may not be directly, but everyday my students are sending a message to me through their blog. I have been reading them everyday, responding when appropriate or when questions arise. I create a prompt a week that includes something unrelated to math; letting the students have some fun with different topics and talking about themselves. I am also writing my own posts to help students get to know me in blog world.
I like the idea that is shared in this article. I am very passionate about connecting with those students who sometimes feel/seem disconnected. Everyone has something to contribute, it's critical that teachers give students the platform on which students feel they can contribute.
Great Teaching Story
In my earlier years of teaching my focus was on covering the standards and making sure we got through all of them by the time the spring test came around; sometimes we would have to rush to get through some things. But as the years have passed, my worries about these standardized tests have gone down significantly. I still value the information they provide for us. I want to see that my students are learning and growing; however, I also want my students to love learning and feel cared for in my classroom.
I do my best to connect with every student in my classroom every day. Currently, I have an algebra 2 class of 37 students and I'm finding it is barely possible to talk to every student and that's frustrating to me. Large class sizes take away from the personal learning experience; it feels more like a lecture hall than the interactive classroom I am more comfortable teaching in. In fact, I despise public speaking; it gives me major anxiety and having a class of 37, I feel some anxiety bubbling up. My typical classroom is an on-going dialog; I need the interaction. With 37 students interaction varies from no one will participate (due to the large audience I'm also scared of) to everyone talking at once. It's a new balance I'm having to figure out to get a classroom culture that works for my students.
One thing going for this large class is that we started the student reflection blogs. I think that through my students' blogs I am, in a round about way, connecting with every student. It may not be directly, but everyday my students are sending a message to me through their blog. I have been reading them everyday, responding when appropriate or when questions arise. I create a prompt a week that includes something unrelated to math; letting the students have some fun with different topics and talking about themselves. I am also writing my own posts to help students get to know me in blog world.
I like the idea that is shared in this article. I am very passionate about connecting with those students who sometimes feel/seem disconnected. Everyone has something to contribute, it's critical that teachers give students the platform on which students feel they can contribute.
Great Teaching Story
Math Activity Turned Social Experiement
In the college course that I am teaching, one of the big units we cover is probability. We talk multiplication counting principle, permutations, combinations, theoretical probability, empirical probability, independent events, and all that good stuff. It's a hard unit; students struggle with many of these concepts, mostly the counting piece. I wanted to add in something that was a little lighter but very related. I was struggling to think of something at first, but then, at the very last minute (which tends to be where my best ideas come from) I decided to create a lottery system that we would play throughout the course of the unit. Every student was given $20 to start the unit and could spend it the best way they thought they could with the goal of having the most money at the end of the unit to get some extra credit on their unit test. The drawings and payout rules we followed are below.
It was a fascinating experiment to watch. You learn a lot about students and their spending habits. There were students who dove right in and thought they would surely win big, and there were others that sat back quietly and held tight to their money, hoping others would spend and they would win with their original $20.
The best part was the last day.
On the last day, there were a few students who still had their original $20, one who had a questionable $22 (some were accusing him of stealing someone else's $2) and the rest were all less than $20. So, most with less than $20 went all in, they knew their only chance at the extra credit was to win the lottery. I say most went all in because not all of them did. There was an interesting turn of events that changed their minds for how they wanted to use their money.
One student in the class received a pretty low score on the test and at first in jest, requested that everyone donate their money to him because he needed the extra credit the most. (Note he had saved his money, and hadn't spent it gambling in the lotto in hopes he would have the most.) Quickly questions came to me about whether that was legal or not for our game. I said, it's your money, it's up to you how you spend it. Suddenly this student had himself about $100 and would easily win the extra credit as long as no one won the last drawing. Not surprisingly, no one won the last drawing and this student bought his extra credit. The lesson we wrapped up the class with outside of the probabilities of lotteries was if you are going to give your money away, which made you feel better, giving it to the lottery or giving it to charity? Some students were glad to give it to the lottery because it upped their own chances of winnings, and others were more happy to give it to someone else who they knew would benefit from their funds.
I do have to say that there was yet another lesson learned in all of this. After this charity student got his money collected from his kind peers, he came over to me and asked if he could buy tickets with all the money. Really buddy? You just got that money donated to you and you are going to toss it at the lotto? His donors were not pleased and he decided that perhaps that wasn't the best idea and held onto his money, but I appreciated that he gave us yet another social experiment to discuss. If you are donating to charity, it doesn't feel as good if the funds aren't going to where you were led to believe they would be going.
All in all, this was an awesome class activity. After going through the entire process once now, I am so excited to do this in the future. The discussions that took place about probability were good, but the discussions that took place about real-life, gambling, saving, donating were unexpected and meaningful.
I love it when something turns out really good and students feel good about it and got more than just a math concept from it.
Here were our lottery rules:
It was a fascinating experiment to watch. You learn a lot about students and their spending habits. There were students who dove right in and thought they would surely win big, and there were others that sat back quietly and held tight to their money, hoping others would spend and they would win with their original $20.
The best part was the last day.
On the last day, there were a few students who still had their original $20, one who had a questionable $22 (some were accusing him of stealing someone else's $2) and the rest were all less than $20. So, most with less than $20 went all in, they knew their only chance at the extra credit was to win the lottery. I say most went all in because not all of them did. There was an interesting turn of events that changed their minds for how they wanted to use their money.
One student in the class received a pretty low score on the test and at first in jest, requested that everyone donate their money to him because he needed the extra credit the most. (Note he had saved his money, and hadn't spent it gambling in the lotto in hopes he would have the most.) Quickly questions came to me about whether that was legal or not for our game. I said, it's your money, it's up to you how you spend it. Suddenly this student had himself about $100 and would easily win the extra credit as long as no one won the last drawing. Not surprisingly, no one won the last drawing and this student bought his extra credit. The lesson we wrapped up the class with outside of the probabilities of lotteries was if you are going to give your money away, which made you feel better, giving it to the lottery or giving it to charity? Some students were glad to give it to the lottery because it upped their own chances of winnings, and others were more happy to give it to someone else who they knew would benefit from their funds.
I do have to say that there was yet another lesson learned in all of this. After this charity student got his money collected from his kind peers, he came over to me and asked if he could buy tickets with all the money. Really buddy? You just got that money donated to you and you are going to toss it at the lotto? His donors were not pleased and he decided that perhaps that wasn't the best idea and held onto his money, but I appreciated that he gave us yet another social experiment to discuss. If you are donating to charity, it doesn't feel as good if the funds aren't going to where you were led to believe they would be going.
All in all, this was an awesome class activity. After going through the entire process once now, I am so excited to do this in the future. The discussions that took place about probability were good, but the discussions that took place about real-life, gambling, saving, donating were unexpected and meaningful.
I love it when something turns out really good and students feel good about it and got more than just a math concept from it.
Here were our lottery rules:
Lottery Rules:
Each student will start with $20.
There will be 5 lottery drawings, students can buy any number
of lottery tickets they can afford on any of the days there are drawings.
Drawings:
#1: 4 numbers will
be randomly selected from 0-9, numbers will be replaced after each draw, must
match the order the numbers are drawn
#2: 4 numbers will
be randomly selected from 1-20, no replacement, order does not matter
#3: 4 numbers will
be randomly selected from 0-9, numbers will be replaced after each draw, order
does not matter
#4: 4 numbers will
be randomly selected from 1-15, numbers will be replaced after each draw, and
then one PowerNumber will be selected from numbers 1-10
#5: 4 numbers will
be randomly selected from 1-15, no replacement, and then one PowerNumber will
be selected from numbers 1-30
Winnings:
For 4 number drawings:
1 out of 4 numbers right: $0
2 out of
4 numbers right: $1
3 out of
4 numbers right: $2
4 out of
4 numbers right: Jackpot (Shared equally
among all Jackpot winners)
For games with a PowerNumber:
PowerNumber
right: $3
1 out of 4 numbers right: $0
2 out of
4 numbers right: $1
3 out of
4 numbers right: $2
4 out of
4 numbers right: $10
4 out of
4 numbers right AND PowerNumber: Jackpot
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
"I give up."
Oh that phrase causes all of the muscles in my body to tighten and frustration starts to boil over. Right along with other phrases like, "I am bad at math" or "I can't do this."
I will admit, I'm not one to always accept every challenge that is thrown my way with a positive attitude, but man, who taught you that it's acceptable to just give up on things?
I currently am teaching a course of math basics with all special education students. Most have not had a lot of success in math in the past and I'm trying to embrace their past experiences and create for them an environment where it's OK to not know everything and meet them at a mathematical level where they currently reside and help them have some success.
Last week went OK. We worked through some basic material together, place value, writing numbers in digits from words, etc. They were feeling success. Many of them had a decent understanding and a few just had to have a little reminder to get them going. They all did pretty well.
But today...ugh.
Today took all my energy. Half of the class was absent today due to other testing that was taking place, so I thought we'd do some fun problem-solving together. Apparently that is not considered fun for these kids. I found problems that were close to their level, maybe just a bit above on some of them and a bit below on others. I put them into teams, had prizes and everything and it was a no-go for some of them. "I give up" was a frequently used phrase. I even said, perhaps we should make this Phy Ed-Math and every time you say that phrase you owe 10 push-ups. They didn't find that entertaining.
How do you teach perseverance? How do you get students who are 15-18 years old to change old habits of giving up on math? How do you teach them to work together? They have the resources, why don't they tap into them?
Calculators were given to everyone, pencil and paper in all hands, iPads with Google at the ready....but still, "I give up."
I know the research that says they can change their ways of thinking, but I feel like they have to want to change it and they are completely and totally convinced that they will forever be bad at math. Perhaps I should pull out some of that research and share it with them.
Regardless of my frustration today, I am NOT giving up. We'll start again tomorrow, we'll give it a go again. We'll see what happens.
I will admit, I'm not one to always accept every challenge that is thrown my way with a positive attitude, but man, who taught you that it's acceptable to just give up on things?
I currently am teaching a course of math basics with all special education students. Most have not had a lot of success in math in the past and I'm trying to embrace their past experiences and create for them an environment where it's OK to not know everything and meet them at a mathematical level where they currently reside and help them have some success.
Last week went OK. We worked through some basic material together, place value, writing numbers in digits from words, etc. They were feeling success. Many of them had a decent understanding and a few just had to have a little reminder to get them going. They all did pretty well.
But today...ugh.
Today took all my energy. Half of the class was absent today due to other testing that was taking place, so I thought we'd do some fun problem-solving together. Apparently that is not considered fun for these kids. I found problems that were close to their level, maybe just a bit above on some of them and a bit below on others. I put them into teams, had prizes and everything and it was a no-go for some of them. "I give up" was a frequently used phrase. I even said, perhaps we should make this Phy Ed-Math and every time you say that phrase you owe 10 push-ups. They didn't find that entertaining.
How do you teach perseverance? How do you get students who are 15-18 years old to change old habits of giving up on math? How do you teach them to work together? They have the resources, why don't they tap into them?
Calculators were given to everyone, pencil and paper in all hands, iPads with Google at the ready....but still, "I give up."
I know the research that says they can change their ways of thinking, but I feel like they have to want to change it and they are completely and totally convinced that they will forever be bad at math. Perhaps I should pull out some of that research and share it with them.
Regardless of my frustration today, I am NOT giving up. We'll start again tomorrow, we'll give it a go again. We'll see what happens.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Blogging in Math Class
Part of my plan for this blog is to keep track of my own progress in adventures I have in my classroom. I am always one for trying new things to improve my students' learning. I tend to be the math teacher in my department that doesn't quite fit the typical math teacher mold. I don't love the traditional style of teaching, but sometimes feel tied to it because that's what comfortable to students and to myself even (since that's the way I learned and have seen math most often presented). However, I know it's not the most effective way of teaching all students, so I try to mix things up. Sometimes new things work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes those things may have worked if I would have stuck with them long enough, but I admit that in teaching, if something is too cumbersome, sometimes you just run out of time or energy to keep with things. If students aren't catching on or buying in, it can be really hard to keep pushing them; it takes a lot of energy and teachers are human too...
But, recently, I started what I think is a great plan. This one I am determined to stick with to the end.
Recently, I also started graduate school, which has given me the extra push I may have needed to really think through and implement some ideas that have been floating around in my head for a while. I have also had a great mentor who has been an excellent encouragement to me in my adventures as I sometimes feel as though I am swimming against the current in the world of math teachers.
So the new plan...
My classroom is a place of learning. It is not a place where students get hoops that they have to jump through (daily homework), but a place where they will spend time exploring, discussing and practicing mathematics. Students in my class are given suggested problems to do each day, but these problems are not "required" and students do not receive points for doing these problems. These problems are practice, you don't get trophies when you practice basketball, you shouldn't get a fake trophy for practicing your math either. You should practice because you need to or want to improve. You also don't lose in practice; you practice to get better. You shouldn't be punished for a bad practice. So if practice doesn't go well, we find another way to practice or work hard to practice better next time.
That's my new theory. However, if you just tell students they don't have to do homework, many of them won't do it at all. So, to put the focus on the act of learning, my students are creating a math journal or portfolio via Kidblog.org. Their blogs are an on-going conversation between student and teacher. Students are given prompts daily and have a minimum of 10 minutes each day to respond to those prompts. Prompts include requests to summarize concepts that have been covered, explain how to solve specific problems, or to reflect on their progress of learning.
Students have also been given an "I Can" document that outlines the things that they will and should be able to do by the end of the unit. They will use this "I Can" document as a guide to produce evidence that they have an understanding of the concepts that we have been exploring. Before we get to the summative assessment portion of the unit, students will have used their blog as a place to collect evidence of their learning and understanding of the "I Can" statements. The daily practice problems can serve as evidence as well as videos they record of themselves explaining concepts or solving problems, etc. My hope is that all the focus on what they know or don't know will prepare them or help them better prepare for that summative assessment.
We are only 4 days into this process. So far, I've gotten the students trained in on blogging everyday for at least ten minutes in class. I think thus far my completion rate on the blogs is about 95% for all students over the course of 4 blogging days. I believe if I were to go back to last semester and look at the daily work grades, the completion rate for the homework would have been around 75%. In the blog, it's harder to hide if they aren't understanding. I am able to hear from EVERY student in my classroom about their understanding. Those students that often sit quietly and don't ask questions are very clear in their blogs. They can't say they didn't have time, as there are ten minutes dedicated everyday to blogging. Right now, they are all talking to me. That's where we are starting.
This week, the focus is going to be on great blog entries. Some students gave me one-liners last week. "I understand everything" is not going to be quite enough this week. I found a great rubric we are going to use as a guide for our entries. I am looking for evidence of learning and a statement saying you understand it doesn't prove it. So, this is where things will get tough. Pushing through the learning of how to write a good entry in their blog will take patience on my part. It will also take diligence to read the entries thoroughly and with 37 students in my one class it will take time.
But I've got this one. I am sticking with it to the end. I know that this has the potential to be a great opportunity for students to really learn some math and learn how to learn math. It's algebra 2. It's full of great concepts that have been covered a little in algebra 1. It's a great opportunity to try something new and get to know ourselves as learners. We'll see how it goes.
Math Blog
Here goes nothin'.
I have been toying with the idea of starting a teaching blog for a long time, and today a co-worker and friend convinced me that this is the thing to do. I can now document this awesome journey I am on and perhaps see some growth over time. That's the goal.
A little about me:
I'm a ninth year math and computer programming teacher.
Wow, that sounds about as nerdy and boring as you can get. But I like to think of myself as a fun-lovin', cool nerd; if such a thing can exist. I am out to give math and computer programming the cool status they deserve.
I spent the first five years of my career in 8th grade. Eighth grade is quite the place to start your career. You learn a lot about how uncool you are and how brilliant you are all at the same time. Eighth graders are awesome and awful. They know everything and nothing. They want to be treated like adults, but need to have someone hold there hand. It was a life adventure, one that provided me with many great experiences and laughs.
I was the only 8th grade math teacher which allowed me the freedom to teach any way that I felt was best for my students. I got to experiment with different ways to approach teaching algebra. I learned algebra really well; I hope some 8th graders also learned algebra really well. I did get the opportunity to find out how well my 8th graders had been learning algebra when I got to replace a retiring teacher in the high school within my district and had many of the same students again. I learned that some of my techniques worked well, and some did not work so well. I think all schools should have teachers move from level to level to truly know what students know and need to know as they progress through our system.
The last few years I have been a high school math teacher, I have been given a number of new opportunities to try new things. I created a computer programming course that is in it's second year of existence and now even has a programming 2 course that follows it. I have learned a lot about web page design, teaching that course a few times. Advanced algebra, college algebra and a basics course called math fundamentals have also been on my plate at some point. I have taught all levels at the high school math except the highest ones, pre-calculus and calculus, and have some personal thoughts and ideas about math and what should and shouldn't be taught and how it should and shouldn't be approached.
Through this blog, I hope to get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper, or screen if you will. I like to play around with thoughts, seeing them written will hopefully help me get a handle on what I really believe about math education and technology education. My beliefs are always changing. It's hard to know what to believe in this world of education. I want what is best for my students; I want to teach them skills that go beyond my classroom. If they don't remember the Pythagorean Theorem, that's fine, but I want them to have perseverance to tackle any difficult problem that comes their way.
Welcome. Not sure what kind of a ride this one is going to be, it might be irrational at times, but it'll be real.
I have been toying with the idea of starting a teaching blog for a long time, and today a co-worker and friend convinced me that this is the thing to do. I can now document this awesome journey I am on and perhaps see some growth over time. That's the goal.
A little about me:
I'm a ninth year math and computer programming teacher.
Wow, that sounds about as nerdy and boring as you can get. But I like to think of myself as a fun-lovin', cool nerd; if such a thing can exist. I am out to give math and computer programming the cool status they deserve.
I spent the first five years of my career in 8th grade. Eighth grade is quite the place to start your career. You learn a lot about how uncool you are and how brilliant you are all at the same time. Eighth graders are awesome and awful. They know everything and nothing. They want to be treated like adults, but need to have someone hold there hand. It was a life adventure, one that provided me with many great experiences and laughs.
I was the only 8th grade math teacher which allowed me the freedom to teach any way that I felt was best for my students. I got to experiment with different ways to approach teaching algebra. I learned algebra really well; I hope some 8th graders also learned algebra really well. I did get the opportunity to find out how well my 8th graders had been learning algebra when I got to replace a retiring teacher in the high school within my district and had many of the same students again. I learned that some of my techniques worked well, and some did not work so well. I think all schools should have teachers move from level to level to truly know what students know and need to know as they progress through our system.
The last few years I have been a high school math teacher, I have been given a number of new opportunities to try new things. I created a computer programming course that is in it's second year of existence and now even has a programming 2 course that follows it. I have learned a lot about web page design, teaching that course a few times. Advanced algebra, college algebra and a basics course called math fundamentals have also been on my plate at some point. I have taught all levels at the high school math except the highest ones, pre-calculus and calculus, and have some personal thoughts and ideas about math and what should and shouldn't be taught and how it should and shouldn't be approached.
Through this blog, I hope to get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper, or screen if you will. I like to play around with thoughts, seeing them written will hopefully help me get a handle on what I really believe about math education and technology education. My beliefs are always changing. It's hard to know what to believe in this world of education. I want what is best for my students; I want to teach them skills that go beyond my classroom. If they don't remember the Pythagorean Theorem, that's fine, but I want them to have perseverance to tackle any difficult problem that comes their way.
Welcome. Not sure what kind of a ride this one is going to be, it might be irrational at times, but it'll be real.
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