Things to do in COVID19 for math that are not rote

So as this school year finishes online the challenge for all of us is huge.  I have decided that the rote practice of worksheets or an online practice program are not what I want my students to remember.  So we will practice here and there (short sprints to maintain skills) but instead will spend more of our work time on open ended projects.  Some will be hits and others failures --

This is the email for my first:  (For Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2 & Senior Math)

Subject: Decision Matrix   Sent 3-30

Gang, 
So we are going to alternate between videos/IXL/OMS (Other Math Stuff) and projects!  

This week is a project!!!

The first project I want you to do is create a decision matrix to select the best option from a list of choices.

To do this project you will need a question that needs answering between solutions (you pick the question and tell me - we will work together on this project).

Examples (and you can use these questions if you like)

1) Select the best Overwatch Character 

2) The best group of properties to have in Monopoly.

3) The best cell phone (Samsung-Android, Apple, Trace)

4) Best car brand

5) Best candy bar

6) Best soda

7)  Best Superhero (see start of my list below, I like a spreadsheet for this but pick what you want)

8) ANY QUESTION!!!   You can pick.

So here is the timeline of deliverables:

By April 1st - email me your question/list/idea and research what a decision matrix is!

By April 3rd - email me your factors and scoring system

By April 7th - Rough Draft of matrix (paper or excel or sand-tablet)

By April 9th - A final decision using a matrix!

I picked this because decision matrices are used all the time in the world.

It is a good skill   (and continue your IXL stuff, I will email more on April 2nd or 3rd).

Thanks all

SA

Start of Mr. A's Best Superhero Decision Matrix!

Probably should add 'School Appropriate column" since it is a tie.

I am sharing this in case it helps someone.  You will also see lots of time to do, students have enough happening - I also mailed this to some students....

If it helps great -- this is what I am doing... (for the moment)

Math & School & Life --- Help Students Avoid Negativity

Article written for School Newsletter:

Math & School & Life

Help Students Avoid Negativity

Student:  “I hate school; math is just too hard.  I can’t ever get it.”

Parent:  “Don’t worry about it; I never understood math either.”

This is an example of an all too common exchange with students and adults.  Now if you have heard about my math classes I often admit that the exact skill we are learning is not going to appear in some sort of “Real-Life” test - but I also quickly point out the skills of learning, processing and problem-solving are the skills we need, and math class is where we practice!  

These “Habits of Mind” are at the heart of creating resilient, lifelong learners who can attack problems in the world and workplace - but it starts with changing the exchange about tough subjects, tough days and tough events!   

Everyone can be successful in school and life, it is simply persistence!  We simply need for students to continually strive to do their best!  So try rephrase the above interaction:

“I hate school; math is just too hard.  I can’t get it.”

“Just keep working.  Everyone just learns at differents speeds.  You’ll get it, it just takes a bit more work and that’s okay.”

OR

“I hate school! Mr. Anderson just goes too fast during class!.”

“Just keep working.  Just talk with him maybe before school or during a study hall.”

OR

“I hate school, it is just too _____”

“Just keep working. Just talk with your teacher - I am sure there is way to go forward.”

We - parents, teachers and community members - are all creating young adults ready for our world.  The great thing for a student is we give multiple chances, an opportunity to stumble, show persistence, then succeed.  We only need to encourage them not to give up!  Help them keep their fire burning for learning and participating.  And keep encouraging our students to have empathy for others, too!

I am extremely excited to have the students back September 5th!

Rural Schools — Tiny Incubators of Possibilities -- Art of Teaching

Happy to link you to my latest post here:

McGraw Hill Art of Teaching

I was invited to share a story about why I love teaching in a rural school....

Mission - Gotta Believe It Is - Possible (and it is)....

Heard an interesting stat at the WTI conference last month - children of families that make more than $108,000 per year, graduate college  by 24 years old (6 years post HS) at a rate of approximately 75%.  When the income range changes to between $34,000 to $108,000, the graduation rate drops to about 25% - and just because that was not terrifying enough - when income is less than $34,000 the percent that graduate college by 24 years old is less than 10%.

There is the challenge.  And that feels daunting when you look at those percentages -- those college graduation rates are what our current system produces.  And that stat is why we simply cannot teach like we always have - our results have not been great.  Doing the same thing and expecting different results...... well we know what that is, insanity.  How we introduce students topics, how we expect them to process and understand must be changed.  We must recognize that the current system is not helping all students, and it was not designed to do so.  The system was designed to sort.

We must not sort, time that is needed and grades must be done differently.  Giving a student an F or B does not make him/her ready for their post HS life.  Grades cannot be the final measure of a student in a class room.  Their success after our walls should be, and that is why differentiation is key.

So when a school is over half free and reduced lunch your challenge is there.  I strive to make sure that my students can successfully complete their first semester of secondary math beyond HS - whether that is a technical college, a 4 year-college Algebra course or a Calculus depending on the courses the student have taken with me at my school.  And that is not easy; I continually push myself and my students to make sure they are all ready, even my D students.  For all of them are moving to careers (some thru college, some not) - and I accept that it is my job to make sure they can do math for their next step.

If students are not pushed, are not given upper level work there will be no belief they can handle secondary education.  And I think belief is what is really missing below $108,000 income level.  We must stop sorting and start setting up students for post-HS success.

I pledge to not allow "Pump & Dump" - You should too

 So I was doing some reading on education and ran across an article on terrible learning habits (3 Terrible Learning Habits You Probably Picked Up In School)  and it discussed 3 ways that are poor ways to learn new concepts.  It discussed re-reading, cramming and catering to your "learning style."  Instead of arguing about if they are or are not "good" I found myself really thinking about why these methods are prevalent.  Why are students just rote memorizing, dotting i's and crossing t's, not really learning and understanding.

Because students do what is required.  They are trying to survive and when educators allow ways for students to "get-by" without learning material but simply by regurgitating it - that is what they typically do.  And it is not the student's fault, but the teachers'.  And the simple fact is many educators feel that is the job of teaching - making drones able to spew facts with no idea of what they mean or how to use them.  Because it is not what you say as teacher, but what your students can do.

I often talk about how when I was a student that I simply cleared the bar, as a young man I did whatever the minimum required was to make the grade.  I was not interested in knowledge or being prepared for the world, I was interested in just completing the course and moving on.

When teachers raised the bar, I raised my performance.  If I was allowed to memorize - I did - which I now affectionately call "Pump & Dump."  And I talk often about the fact that we do not "Pump & Dump" in my room, we study, learn and use.  We do not turn math into 4,000 rules to memorize but talk the language of math and its interconnections.  We do not use it once and forget it, but have recursive practice on all math concepts they have learned.

We do projects, write and struggle - not as much as I want, but it is part of what we do where I teach.  

I often joke there needs to be changes on how we teach and our expectations, that I work for the student; the 27 year old student not the 15 year old student in my room now.  And that I just talked to the student's future self and they want me to be tougher, to make them into tenacious problem solvers.   

I also joke that we are learning how to learn and problem solve, not memorize math.  Actually there are only a couple of rules in math -- all expressions must remain equivalent and that all equations need balance.  That's it.  So when I hear of students memorizing rules and formulas I wonder what bar they are hopping over, and how high is it?  Are they better problem solvers because of it?  

Unfortunately hopping over the bar sometimes makes them better students -- but rarely better problem solvers.

Balancing Act - Time reviewing, collecting Homework

So one of my goals is to balance the homework time in class, collecting, dealing with it --- all the time homework takes from doing math in class, and all the time it takes from me planning math (cause it takes time to assign, handle & record) and weighing that time against homework's value. 

And the more I work with the ROI on homework the more I find its value is minimal.  But as I approach the lower limit (no homework time in class) I am finding that some homework has returns with certain students.

It really can be a reflection on extremes - one endpoint, is a class is all about homework: Students come in ask questions, grade, record grades, a quick lecture and then homework (on an unending loop).  The other end is a class with no assigned homework thus no time spent on homework, all the work is done in class and any work done outside of class is students studying math. 

Now after a semester of "finding a lower limit," I believe, for high school,  that no homework is not going to work.  And though I have gotten very low on the amount assigned, there must be an assigned amount of practice.  And that means there must be class time dealing with it.  [Because if you assign it and don't "handle" it - most students will not do it.] 

One note of bias here, when I started working towards the lower limit of homework and finding ways to use other things to replace homework, I must admit that I had/have believed that some homework is needed for the typical math course.

So the new semester is about to begin and I have come to the conclusion that somehow we must spend time working on homework, but different than before.  I want to avoid the age old question/answer & grade/lecture/assign new work thing.  I want to continue to give flexibility for students to take the time to really practice - meaning soft deadlines (which is hard to manage).  I can picture what it looks like - yet I don't know what it looks like.  It means collecting all work, making sure everyone does the work - taking the time to track.  It means tracking and helping students who are missing work - not accepting zeros.   

And we will see if this can be balanced.  Because demanding the work would be easier.  But I also believe that learning happens on independent timelines - and I plan to try to allow it. 

Big Day Tomorrow - Rolling out Green Initiative at WASB convention!

So tomorrow the Juda Physics students head to Milwaukee to show what we did.  I wanted to post the handout (brochure) we are using. 

Any school can do this!  Check it out!  Getting excited!

Real world consequences? Responsibility? Our job is skills.

If you teach you have heard this from some teacher, "XYZ student does not do his/her work, if they don't do anything what can I do?  And if I do something special, is that fair? Am I really preparing him/her for the real world?  What about responsibility?"

Responsibility? Real world consequences?  Interesting thought, interesting title; let me be clear that High School is not the real world, it is a student world.  And while performance in HS is important, the "direct relationship" between HS performance and job performance is not a guarantee.   I fired a lot of "smart" people who played school well in my previous career.  We shouldn't teach responsibility at the HS level as a pass/fail; we must make sure they have skills, responsibility is second.  (And ever time I hear an employer whine about responsibility - I simply think of supply and demand - pay little, get little.  Interview poorly, get poor hires.) 

We need to try to make sure that responsibility is there, that students understand the difference between HS and the world. But my number one job is make sure my students have enough math to move on outside my walls - I cannot let a student's irresponsibility be an excuse.  That includes the kids who won't play school and do not want to do their work.

I completely believe with students who don't care about their grade that they need more assistance, the world requires them to have a diploma.  When, we teachers, let them fail we are creating a problem and not doing our job.  (Now a disclaimer or point of order, even when we do our job they may fail because the other edge of this sword is not lowering standards.)  We need to make sure, work towards, all students getting the learning done.  Thus the C word, consequences; preferably like the real-world would give.  Cause an F does not motivate them, a zero doesn't, those are not consequences for someone not playing school.

And while HS is their job now, it is not real-world  job.  We can talk about expectations but we cannot treat students who won't play school that school is like a real job.  Cause it simply isn't. 

And why would we want HS to be real-world!  In the world decisions are made more often about money and productivity, not about people - the world will make relationships but only with employees who have made a commitment to the business (and in corporate America that really does not happen).  In school every day can be new with students, chances can be plentiful.  And that is great -- firing and laying people off is overrated and  NO FUN!

So when a student does not work, I work with them.  I don't make it about grades, I make about a skill - about their future.  I also tell them that my job is not to just let them fail - I am suppose to make failing harder than passing!  I make the skill so important that I will pull them from lunch, before school, after school -- from study hall, you name it - I will do it.  And not surprisingly if they get success once and know you care, they start at least doing the minimum.


And if you think that is easy, you are not a teacher.

Green Energy - Week One of Installation

Last week our vendor, Synergy Renewable, came and did some measurements and met their new "project managers" - the 2013-14 Physics class.    We are very excited, and most of the install is now done!  It is really a great finish to a project that started 2 years ago with the Physics class of 2011-12 (we offer Physics every other year at my school).

With effort and tenacity big projects can happen!  Take a look!

The inverter will arrive in the next day or two and then we will be powering our green school!

Why flip my classroom?

So this year I am 'flipping,' recording mini-lectures, and asking my students to watch a video for homework -- in essence I am 'flipping' the lecture and homework. I see it as a way to help differentiate for my students and gain precious class time.  Some students, maybe even a majority (arguable), do okay with the traditional lecture, but that leaves a large portion who cannot follow the lecture due to many factors - whether they struggle or excel, or are more kin esthetic -- the point is lectures are not the best for a sizable segment of a class.

And it looks like the videos will really work well for nearly all the students -- this is based on the instructional videos I have been watching at FIZZ.  The traditional lecture students will still get what they need, the advanced students can fast forward and students that want or need more review can stop me and repeat me!

The challenge will be planning higher order activities in the open time.  I am starting slowly, just my Algebra Class and maybe a couple of Physics things.   And as I finish the first group of 20-30 videos I will spin my attention to how the class will run from bell-to-bell.

It means changing the work they do, how they do it and how they show they did it.   Now the FIZZ site does have a team grouping worksheets and a lesson plan that I want to work with (just starting to work with it).  It kind of matches what I want to start doing, which is taking more time with students working out problems in groups and presenting out solutions. 

But I also want to have them spend more time working out bigger problems too.  Ones requiring research, assumptions, conjectures and revisions.  And I truly believe this is how we will make students ready for the world.  So watch out world - here comes math videos co-starring Mr. Anderson, remember the math is the star.

Green Energy - Putting Solar at our school

Two years ago I started a project with my Physics class to research green energy for our school.  It included all reports, vendor contacts, etc -- and I sat back and advised but did not teach it.  I let the students find their way.

Now we are closing in on it happening!  When you combine curriculum, problem solving and real world things together cool stuff happens (true PBL!)!  Here is an article we did a couple of weeks ago for the local papers:

Green Things Take Time

            Two years ago the 2011-2012 Juda Physics class embarked on the ambitious project to install a green energy system at Juda school.    It was a year-long project incorporated into the Physics class.  “Sometimes good things take time” may be the best statement about the solar panel project at Juda School. 

The project consisted of students’ research, reports, studies, project bids and studies, and timelines.   The students’ assessment determined that a 24 panel roof-mounted solar array was the best fit for the school with a price of approximately $25,000.  The students gathered bids from multiple suppliers, checked and organized permits, completed an energy audit, updated project progress to the school board and many other tasks.  But as teacher Scott Anderson stated “I am extremely proud of the project they created, but like many green projects the payback was just too high to immediately proceed without some additional funds.”

So working with the selected solar supplier, Synergy Renewable Systems located in Oregon, a grant was applied and received from Focus on Energy.  The $3,755 grant helped clear a big hurdle towards the additional funding the project needed; that grant along with a $2,000 labor credit from Synergy and some funding from student organizations, has now brought the project to the brink of being a reality.

            The previous and current Juda Physics classes are now asking local businesses and community members for support to help fulfill their vision of a green school.  They see the solar array not only as a power source but as a source of school and community pride.  “This will change how Juda’s students think about energy and power; it will also change the culture of our students with respect to energy.” says Scott Anderson

The goal is to get enough funding so the project is able to proceed this summer prior to the start of school.  To see progress of the solar project, or to help fund the project please visit www.judaschool.com.  

 

If a student does not want to be taught, can we teach him/her successfully?

Found this poll question in a Linkedin group that I am a member of:   

If a student does not want to be taught, can we teach him/her successfully? 

My answer to the poll was yes and I comment the following: 

"Absolutely YES, usually our problem with students "who do not want to be taught" is that they really just don't want to fit into our system. Our system of education is rigid and really inflexible. It may take different ways and way more time but it is always possible. Whether it can be done practically is another story, but yes we can." 

 

The thing I started reflecting on beyond why ask the question at all is what was the author visualizing or wanting to know.  Obviously if someone dedicated themselves to not doing something they typically succeed.  But who knows a properly cared for 6 year old who won't try somewhat for a teacher?

I think it is the previous sentence most people taking the poll did not picture.  I think most people picture an older student not doing work, refusing, being a classroom management issue.  Now the question - what happened from when they were six?  Why won't they try?

Because they have been there, done that.  They have been placed in a system that sorts and throws away.  Where staff - even the ones who believe they should reach all students, routinely lose some.  Because our system does not guide and nuture the student who does not fit or really struggles but outcasts and ostracizes them.

And if you have tried in the past and have had no success, feel no teacher believed in you or took the time to go outside the system, then why try now (it makes complete sense from an emotional perspective).  They believe school does not work for them the way it was designed (and their belief is what is most important for their ability to learn).   So once you get to that point as a teacher you need to start from scratch and found a way (ton of work, very slow return!).

Because our job is not opportunity to learn (like college), it is to prepared them for life -- and not getting the education you need to succeed should not be an option.

And when the student refuses to learn from me, and it happens - it is a failure on me.

Real Math Problems - Changing what students do.

So as I proceed on making math practice look like it is 2013 versus 1985 (Previous Post), I am working hard on a list of problems that require students to think, research, analyze, conclude and support solutions.  The funny part is the problems themselves are not long. They are open ended and usually moderately interesting.

At the Wisconsin Math Council conference I heard a great problem from Dave Ebert's presentation that sets the tone for all my problems; it was simply a video of a cheetah running down an antelope and the following question: 

A cheetah and a gazelle are on the African plain, does the cheetah catch the gazelle?

This question requires the student to do all the things we want from them.  We all realize a cheetah runs faster than antelope during a burst but for a short duration, it requires a piece-wise function in my opinion.  Otherwise all gazelle would be caught!


But students are going need to be taught that the above problem is math versus doing 1-25 odds on page 666 (and parents too).  And that will be the really hard part.  

So I am working on a list of milestones with deliverables for when I first assign problems like the cheetah problem this coming year.  Otherwise someone, a mini-Scott, will simply answer "sometimes" to the whether the cheetah catches the gazelle.   (My penetence for being a smart-a** in HS is teaching them all now.)  What we want is just too different not to guide the students at first. I am initially thinking it is a 4 week assignment, where I will guide students through stages of the projects.     

This is not set in stone and will be evolving on a Google doc, but right now I have the following milestones:

   1) In a reflection explain what the answer to the problem will look like.  
   2) Define an “entry point” on the problem (by e-mail?, combine with #1?)

   3) Define unknowns and things to research

   4) Gather knowns from research (be sure to cite and check)

   5) Create solution

   6) Test solution

   7) Revise

   8) Prepare final document

Also a sampling of problems:

A bridge is being built across the Wisconsin River, what gap should be left between sections.

You are following a car on the interstate, you pull off to use the restroom at a wayside.  How long will it take you to catch up again?

Determine whether global warming is occurring in Juda?

Determine the amount of money saved by the solar array at the school for July 2013.

Again I see these problems working in tandem with on-line practice, using every minute of every period for concepts/practice versus students "starting homework" and as integral part of a class that uses PBL to deliver the required curriculum.

I know this is not easy, I know students will "fight change,"  people always do.  But I also know that solving problems is the skill the separates people in the world - and at the least my students will have practiced that skill.

Summer School Math - Passion makes it fun.

So today was the first day of our school's summer Math class - a skill practice class.  I like the idea, coming in 12 days total scattered over 5 weeks for 90 minutes a session.  Just hitting up the things we had already worked on, it is a way to help them recall skills (build on some concepts) and just make sure the students don't backslide.  I did a little recruitment by saying it would be different than the school year (wasn't sure how though when I said it) and got a 1/3 of the 9,10 & 11th graders.
 
So I started with a "scavenger" hunt -- where the clues lead to practice problems that they completed in teams.  I ran the 2 classes with passion, I was really pumped up - and that in turn pumped them up!  They practiced math, ran the halls and overall had a relaxed first day.  I am following up with some relay games coupled to practice problems, then I want to do some sort of "math lab."  (That is the part I have not figured out yet - I have to create/find/steal some sort of math lab.  The lab needs to make sense to supporting/growing skills.)

But first things first, today went well.  Math was fun...

Don't accept zeros....

I do not enter zeros and late work receives full credit in all my courses except Calculus AB. I believe my job as a teacher is to have students learn the material and prep them for college & Career.  Allowing them to take a zero does not prepare them for the world or for college.  (I also believe in rework, retests, etc - but we will save that for another post.)

But not doing homework is not consequence-free.... 

I treat homework just like a job in the real world.  If a student does not have it done at the beginning of class I simply have them stay that day after school and work some math problems with me (usually something equivalent to the homework).  Since we don't grade and rarely review any homework during class time it works fine.

Now some of the arguments I typically hear:
From college professors --  that I am not preparing them for college because they think late work is acceptable.  First, no -- the students know it is unacceptable;  I preach that no where in the world is not doing work acceptable -- school is their job but it is different then a real job - they don't get paid and I cannot fire them.
And professors and HS teachers have different jobs!  College is the opportunity to learn, in High School the learning is required.  But since AP Calculus is a college course I do enter zeros but in no other courses.

From other teachers -- that this policy is not like the real world and I am not prepping them.  This always makes me chuckle because for 12 years I was an engineer and manager in corporations and mid-size companies.  And if you think of homework as a report, or a quote or something like that -- those things are often late in the world.  School is a job - but it is not a real job (again cannot fire).  What we teach them is most important and consequences need to be what the student finds not pleasant.  Zeros are often not unpleasant, hanging with Mr. A after school, well you get the point.   [One thing I will concede is it does make more work for me -- but after a couple of weeks it is just one or two students that seem to miss.]

If I enter zeros I allow the students to skip required practice and knowledge -- and if my homework is appropriate and reasonable (I do my best with this) then it is important.
 
I have a policy, that I call a Homework FAQ sheet, that I send home with students on day 1 signed by them and their parents that lets me keep them after school.  (Homework FAQ).

Finally I use judgement with this, it is a policy that requires being reasonable and fair.   If it was run  equally accross students I would probably lose my job.  But it works, six years ago I had about 20% zeros, now I have less than one percent (sometimes I enter a zero at quarter end if the grade stays the same, the student still completes the homework -- helps with grade deadlines).

I really believe our job is to educate, these students are just kids looking for the path of least resistance.  Our job is to make sure the path of least resistance requires them to learn enough to be successful after High School.