A broken foot slows you down..... A thought on expectations.....

March 8

So  I have not posted at all in the last 2 months and the reason is sort of ironic.  I broke my foot by landing on it incorrectly playing volleyball (remember the rule - always land on two).

Ironic because I have been chair bound for 12+ weeks; and yet I have not reflected on my teaching much, and have not blogged once since early April.  I did complete an award applicant which required reflection during that time which I will blog about later this summer.  Currently my mind is on why I have not blogged.

I know for me, in this case, when  large external stresses, non-normal stresses entered my life everything suffered.  I was not the same teacher (or same husband, dad or community member).

As a teacher, my students and I covered less, unfortunately learned less, and we did many more worksheets.  I was truly doing the best I could, yet it was less, seemingly to me far less, than before.  I think everyone understood from the students (my customers), to my co-workers, to my bosses (board, parents and administrators) but it was frustrating.

June 23

Working and learning are affected by outside situations.  A simple statement we often forget in teaching.  We have to be aware of our students, their life's and situations.  It is not fair to be equal.  When an external event happens to a student - that student's learning plan changes - because their capability to learn has changed.

Yet - sometimes I expect student's to make up too much work on their return or during a time of stress.  I need to remind myself that plans change as conditions change.  Meaning not everyone has to do problems 1, 3, 5 and 7 in Section 4.2 on page 240 -- they have to master the concept, but once external pressures come into play how that mastery is achieved must change.

So is this idea due to empathy?  Perhaps.  Sympathy?  Not sure.  But our job is to teach students regardless of conditions or situations  - which means we need to adjust our lessons on conditions and situations.

Now, finally, my foot is healing - crutch free I am now searching through new math curriculum.  But I have a renewed focus on working with students when life throws them their landing on one foot incidents.

And perhaps to help them land on two feet the next time.....

Testing burn out will lead to poor student effort.

Most teachers and educators (and politicians) were good students, did their best - wanted good grades, tried hard on standardized tests.  So as schools & states set up their testing it was often with little thought about how the student is going to react.  There was little thought of what a student finds reasonable.

We are entering a period of state mandated testing that borders on insanity in my opinion.  We are looking at many days of testing.  And I think about myself - I received good grades, but never was accused of being a great student.  The instance something did not affect my grade it became non-essential (part of my disdain of education due to my early struggles in reading - another post for another day).    So in High School, the Iowa Basic Skills Test became just a fill in the blank exercise - I just filled in B... and stated "I had a premonition that the answer was B."  Ironic that now I will be at least partially rated by student test results - where the students have nothing at stake.

Sometimes we need to remember that students are people and unreasonable things are met with the equivalent amount of effort.  Perhaps we should inform our lawmakers....

Has shaming ever worked?

Read an interesting article from my boss today - UW System wants to reduce remedial math classes - this article fits right into philosophy about our jobs as high school math educators -- which is we must prepare our graduates for college and career with respect to math.

Thus I was excited to read that UW schools plan to make data available on its incoming students math readiness - with the (correct) idea that if HS teachers know the deficits they can correct going forward.  And all the information we can get helps us as educators, info is the key to decisions.

Right now I have to track my students myself - ask (harass) how they placed, how their first math course went etc.  Pretty easy when you are a small school teacher in a rural community where everybody knows everybody - but pretty hard otherwise I am guessing.

But UW System also plans to make the data public saying " That number (of remedial students)  has prompted new legislation that would require the UW Board of Regents to disclose where students taking remedial math classes went to high school."

And perhaps I am reading this wrong but it seems to imply that the numbers would be public immediately - and I wonder how that will effect teachers..  If it will push them to teach to the test.  If the public shaming is the motivating factor - to improve?  to make better math students?

Or is this simply a push to provide cover for the UW system schools saying - it is not our fault that students don't graduate because of math.

I do believe it is on me to make sure my Algebra 2 students finish that course capable of testing into college Algebra thus not being a remedial math casualty.   And with the new rule you will soon see my results.....

Thanks to Forward Together - Green Energy Initiative, Solar

Forward Together just put together a little PR video about the grant that allowed Juda to install Phase 2 of their solar array (all project management done by students).  The applicant has to be a teacher on the grant so I was too much of a main character, when the students should have been, but it came out great (outside of how old I look).

Link to WEA Trust Video

Again - every school, every student should experience this during their K-12 schooling -- it can be done.  It is problem solving, it is real world.  It is just selecting great projects over good curriculum.

Hour of Code

So there are times where you just take advantage of opportunities and this week there is the Hour of Code.  And since my school doesn't have a Computer Science Teacher I try integrate those skills into our math curriculum  - and this week makes an easy start.  In the past I have had units using Alice and it has always been a good project -- but the Hour of Code seems to be a much better way to start.

Programming is a chance to apply our problem solving skills that we continually work on in math.  I think it is great fit with Algebra through Pre-Calculus.  And curriculum-wise I am willing to trade a couple of topics for the students to have this skill.

It is not too late to be part - just go to Code.org\learn.  It is worth an hour of time from the math curriculum.

Teaching with technology versus using technology to teach

Was at the WTI conference today, it was a good day -- a good PD day.  It really made me think how I use and need to use technology for creating students ready for the world.  My prior belief was reaffirmed --- the device is not important, the project is.  Devices are simply tools - it is the set up of the project and direction (or in my case lack of direction - I like making students decide their project's fate) of the work.

The keynote, Kristen Swanson, spoke about what learning really is.  Students doing problems in class then on a test is not learning; the point of education is "transfer" and that is what I need to continue to locate for my students.  A way to use the math, the problem solving on real world projects.  To take the skills and use them in a context outside my classroom.

A really good problem, with a really messy answer and a chance for students to attack and learn.  Empower students to be persistent and let them own their project.  That is the goal I am walking away with - get the problem and give them the tech.

Use the tech to focus on instant access, to find real authentic audiences -- that empowers the students to work on the problem to show persistence, to do - which all means to learn.

I feel re-energized to find ways to take the math to the world.  Because I want to make sure my students are able to use their skills in the world.  I want them to be problem solvers, so I want that transfer (I also want them to be ready for college math - so again it is a blend).

Finally the keynote spoke about unleashing student's superpowers, which made me think what is mine - and I think mine is my commitment to finding the messy problems, leaving it open ended with multiple solutions.  The problems and projects that stretch students.  My students would call it Captain Annoying most likely at first - but in the end it makes them (and me) better.

Again, overall a good PD day.

Best Algebra 2 course

So I have been putting a lot of thought into what makes a great Algebra 2 course (or maybe just a better course than we currently offer).  How it aligns to standards but more importantly how it makes sure students are ready for secondary math and career.

My school has the sequence of Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 -- an important fact when reading what I am considering/debating/generally thinking about.  Also they may be named by the "college admission's math Triforce names" but it really is more of a Math 1, 2, 3 - integrating Algebra and Geometry in each course.

My courses proceed more slowly and have a greater emphasis on understanding than a lot of syllabuses I have reviewed.  That coupled with high expectations of learning material once and using often means my year begins with very little review ---- cause what they have done they know and relearning (re reviewing) does not need to happen.

And this year after 6 weeks - I am already about ~40% completed with our Algebra 2 text (because it simply has so much review).  This pace did not happen all at once, it happened slowly.  This process has taken 6 years (when I started nine years ago - this material took nearly 6 months).  Now when we do a topic/subject in Algebra 1 or Geometry we commit to learning it deeply (and thus slowly).  We learn, understand something once and then use it recursively.  And now I don't re-teach Algebra 1 or basic Geometry or Trig in Algebra 2 and that raises the question - what should I be doing now?

Hind sight is always 20/20 -- and I could have easily done the material covered in Algebra 2 in less time - but now I am getting the exciting thoughts of other things I can do.  Now in the past my Math 1,2,3 sequence has just covered the basics of statistics and probability.  Which my text does a poor job with too.

Like a lot of Algebra 2 texts there is review of exponents, elimination/substitution/graphing -- what I really want to add is real life stats and probability (more than the odds of pulling a red ball out of a urn).   So now I am searching for materials to integrate....

And as I find materials - I will start making changes, because it is just part of the long term mission to improve each course each year - by just a little (2% better every year is my mantra).  Because true improvement in curriculum takes years not months.