The Daily Chalk Talk

2006-03-31T01:37:00.000-08:00

Life Goes On

Life has been a little crazy...but I'd like to start blogging again...to start, just a few brief random thoughts that I may like to elaborate on later:

Today's the last day of the marking term...have no idea how I am going to get all the grading done. I did do better than last quarter, though my original plan is void because my husband went back to working nights...
Been actually reading NCTM's Principals and Standards...there's a lot of good stuff in there (at least I think its good). It's giving me food for thought and more focus as to where I should be going so far as curriculum....reminder to self to post later about my (current) vision for an ideal department/school in which to work (though overall I am very pleased with my current situation).
Beginning to look at Master's programs to possibly begin in the fall....it looks like I'll be doing a Curriculum and Instruction Master's because there are not that many online Mathematics Master's. This might be better anyhow, considering I have never had formalized education courses
Reminder to self to post about frustrations, chagrin at self for previous thoughts and attitudes, etc.

While this post is really uninteresting and probably difficult to follow, I wanted to at least get something down or I may never have gotten back to posting.

2006-02-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the replies, Magnus and Muriel, and Thanks for the info, ms. frizzle. When I get back to posting on teaching, I'll write more on what's been going on with that situation...

But I only thought I was having a bad day last Wednesday. I haven't posted because we got news that a very good friend of ours suddenly passed away Friday morning. He was 35 years old with a wonderful wife and three beautiful kids, and he's just suddenly gone.......no good byes....a massive heart attack at work and he was probably gone before he hit the floor. Too upset to post for awhile....

2006-02-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

I had a really rough day today. As stated in my previous post, my kids' averages are really low. Well, it is in fact because they are not learning anything. Is it because I am not teaching anything? I don't believe so. They are not motivated to learn it. They appear not to care about grades. They do no homework. They do not pay attention in class. They do not think!!! If they answer is not obvious, they give up. If it is not handed to them, they are not interested.

I was lightly reprimanded today because my averages in my level three classes are so low. There's a lot to discuss about that.

I feel the main reason the averages are low is because the kids do not do any work - they do not want to have to think about why, they have never had to think about why.....in most of their math classes it appears to have been, " Memorize this. Spit it back to me on the test. Pass the class." Go through the motions, and you should pass. Ok, so the kids aren't doing the work.

Now. where is my responsibility in bringing up the class averages?I have already been thinking about this. Some ideas for getting the kids to do the work:

1. Have daily graded assessments. Nothing big, but just like with my geo homework quizzes, they should tell me where the kids are. (What do I do, though, when I test them on an algebra I topic. and they do not have a clue? Do I re teach algebra I? How did they get into my class?)

2. Call the parents every time a student does not do the work, is not paying attention in class, is not prepared. (This is a lot of work. Do I have time for all this without becoming burned out? Should we be micro managing high schoolers? What are we really teaching them by doing this?)

3. Give the kids clearer expectations of what they must know how to do and what they must understand, especially if I am trying to introduce a new way of learning (requiring them to THINK). Give a unit outline. Explicitly state it and write it out for them. Some of these things seem obvious now, and yet I don't think I was really doing them well enough.

I want to be a good teacher. I want my kids to be prepared to handle what the world is going to throw at them. I want them to be able to solve complex problems, to think logically and to be able to express their ideas with symbols and in writing. I do not want to let them down.

I am going to catch some flak from parents about the low scores. I spoke with two parents today...both of whom began the conversation with statements similar to "Math is just not his/her thing. She/he has never been good in math, We just want him/her to get a good enough grade to get into college." I hear a similar version of this from other teachers and administrators. I was told by an administrator (well intentioned and a man I respect very much) that these are kids that are not good in math, and that I need to give them "confidence." I am told by other teachers that the kids just don't seem to be able to retain the information, and its best to give them frequent, small assessments so that they will be able to pass. They should not be required to put the pieces together, or to remember anything for more than a few weeks.

All of these people are well intentioned.We all (I hope) truly want what is best for the kids. But I want to tell them, " You are telling them, in so many ways, that they cannot in fact learn math. They are not smart enough, they are not capable enough. You are telling them that understanding math is not really important. "

The easy thing for me to do would be to raise all their averages - the kids are happy, the parents ae happy, the administrators are happy. At the other end of the spectrum, I can blame it all on the kids. I want to do neither.

These kids can learn math. They can think logically, they can reason, they can learn to use symbols. They will have to work at it, no doubt. But they can do it. They have to do it.

If they are not doing the work, how can I motivate them to do the work? How can I show them how to reason? Most importantly, how can I make them realize that they have to think....to dig deep....and also that I know they have it in them?

Or maybe I'm wrong. This is what I am truly wondering about tonight....am I wrong? Should I "dumb it down"? Are they not capable?

If I am wrong and they are not capable and they will never learn it, i want to quit teaching. I am wasting my life.

Are there any teachers out there? Do you have kids that will just "never get it?" Am I wasting my time on these kids? Do I just pass them and save us all the heartache? And then walk away from it all and find a nice, high paying chemist job?
Help.

2006-01-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

The Future of Algebra II...

Well, the youngin's are all done their exams. Algebra II - as I expected, a class average of approximately a D. This will not happen next term. Many more phone calls to parents - to the point where the parents will (hopefully) start getting the kids to do their work if for no other reason than to keep me from calling.

Also, in the Do Nothing section, only 5 out of 20 kids have an average above 70. I wonder if the poor grades will have any effect on their future performance?

So far as lesson plans go, here's the deal:

I am ending Baker's Choice. We have not gone through the whole unit, though next year I would like to. We have covered through systems of inequalities, which is usually as far as level three gets. Tuesday we will have a wrap up and review, and Thursday we will have the test.
Next I will briefly cover systems of equations. They covered this ad nauseum in Alg I. I would like to present it as an application - give them a real world situation that they can attempt to solve any way they want, discuss the results, hope it leads us to one of the methods for solving systems of linear equations. The main methods we cover are graphing, substitution, and elimination (aka linear combination). I may cover Cramer's Rule, but then I would have to get into matrices, and I think I'd rather move on to functions.
So we will do functions after systems. I am having a little bit of a problem thinking of a way to present the concept of a function in a concrete manner. I like to introduce new concepts with this class by discussing actual concrete things, and so I need to come up with many examples for the kids to fool around with. After that, we'll talk about function notation and why function notation is important and/or useful.
Next, I am not certain if I will do quadratic functions or polynomial functions. I think I'd like to start with quadratic and then expand to polynomial. Again, I need to come up with concrete examples and real world applications. I want them to be as adept with quadratic functions as they are with linear. Factoring is going to be the major problem - they simply memorize (which they really aren't very good at) without understanding why. I think I am going to possibly do the quadratic functions unit using algebra tiles. If nothing else, we'll have fun with scissors.
I have also noticed, and may have already mentioned it here, that a big block of their misunderstanding things is actually a reading comprehension problem. They do not really understand the mathematical vocabulary, or directions. For example, on the midterm, many students attempted to solve an algebraic expression. Only equations and inequalities can be solved - expressions are simplified. I may do a mini unit on "The Language of Math", or may decide to make it a weekly feature, interspersing it within other units. One idea I have for them is to brainstorm all the mathematical terms they can think of, write them all on the board, define them in their own words, write an example of how they are used, relate them to the "non-math" definitions, make flashcards, etc. I would also like to do a lot more writing assignments - a lot of my students are terrible at expressing their ideas on paper. I believe they will have a much better understanding if they have to clearly write out their thoughts and ideas. I can also better see where the misunderstandings occur with open ended questions.

This is the rough plan -I'll have to see how it goes.

2006-01-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's not the kids......

Parents must make all the difference in the world. I sent out about 17 progress reports for kids in my Algebra class that failed to turn in a major project. Most of the kids never do their homework anyway, do not pay attention in class, and in general seem as though they could care class about anything academic. A couple are generally pretty good kids, very respectful, decent study habits, but still didn't turn in the project. Two parents called me regarding the project - both kids in the latter group. Not a single phone call from the parents of the kids who are failing the class. I'm going to remember this when my son begins school.

And then there's another kind of parent.....
One of my colleagues, another math teacher in the department, got a phone call on Friday from a parent of a student who is not doing very well in her classes. From the side of the conversation I heard, and the conversation with my colleague afterwards, the parent is a bully. She was not happy with her daughter's progress and intent on blaming the teacher.

First she(the parent) said it was a communication problem. My colleage suggested the student come more often for extra help. The parent replied that if her daughter couldn't understand it in class, how was having the same teacher explain it individually going to help?

My colleague suggested the Math Lab. The parent had some reason why that wouldn't work.

My colleague suggested a tutor.The parent said she pays seven thousand a year in tuition and shouldn't have to have a regular tutor on top of that. She also said the child had been seeing a tutor but had still failed the latest test.

My colleague stated that the child was actually needing to catch up, as on the latest test, it appeared from her work that the student did not understand the difference between line segments and angles. The parent apparently turned to the child, who was standing right there, and asked, "B., do you know the difference between lines and angles?" B. answered "yes" , so of course this is further evidence that the teacher is wrong.

It went on and got worse from there.....my colleague even suggested that if the parent thought it truly was a problem with her teaching, that the child switch classes. The parent replied that this was not possible because the daughter "has a life, you know." It ended with my colleague hanging up in tears.

For my colleague's sake, I hope the student does end up switching classes. It will land her in one of my classes, as I am the only other teacher that teaches that level.....but I really think I would enjoy parent-teacher discussions with that parent. (My colleague is an extremely sweet person, who is more than anything baffled by the verbal abuse this parent heaped on her. I am by no means sweet, and baffled is the last reation I would have in regards to this situation. So, please, dear parent, send the kid on over!)

On another note, I haven't been writing much about classroom life because we are in the middle of exams...all we've done is review and take the exams. It's not terribly interesting. (Discouraging, maybe, but not interesting.)

2006-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Rough, rough day

I do not know how public school teachers do it. Its amazing how one interaction with a student can ruin a whole day, and in my case night since I am still up fretting about it. I have a student, who I shall call B., who is just .........ugh. Subtly, oh so subtly disrespectful. I'd almost rather have an outright ofensive student, than the subtle, can't quite put your finger on it, attitude that this student has. I gave the young man a detention for talking in class, after being warned that he shouldn't. I have also decided to give him detention for disrespect, which at our school is an automatic 7 days. I've been wondering how to handle the situation (arguing, lack of cooperation, eye rolling, etc.), and have decided to essentially warn him that he has used up all the patience and good will that I have for him this year. The very next time he argues, refuses to cooperate, rolls his eyes, or any other sign of a lack of respect and/or cooperation, he will simply be told to leave. He will not be welcome back in class that day, and will receive a zero for any work missed as a result. (I know this probably seems ridiculously minor to folks in some schools, and yet this kid just pushes my buttons.) Anyway, I just kind of feel as though I don't really know how to handle it.

Scaffolding

On another topic.....I've still been working on The Baker's Choice unit with my Algebra kids. If I teach them nothing else, I at least hope to teach them that math is used to represent the real world. These are kids that have already proven they are no good at drill and kill exercises. (For the most part) ,they are not good at memorizing algorithms, which is how a lot of algebra is often taught. My perception of the predominant thinking at my school regarding teaching level three math:

They don't really understand it, so they need lots and lots of repetition to do it correctly
They won't remember it anyway
There is no time to teach them applications because first we must get them to memorize the procedure, and.......see step one.
Repeat.

This is apparently "traditional" mathematics instruction. I am trying to implement "standards based" instruction, teaching math with understanding. Especially with a level three class, we all know that endless repetition of something you don't really understand does not work. Why would one insist on doing more of it in hopes of hammering the stuff into the kids' heads? Stuff that, since they don't really understand, they really will never use? Since most of the teachers at my school seem to think they'll never get it anyway...I've got nothing to lose.

I realize that within the Baker's Choice unit, I do have to provide a little more scaffolding...with reading comprehension, graphing...a lot of it. I am too tired to get into details.

2006-01-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

Crossing of the To Do

Finished my level II geo midterm and level III Alg II midterm. I'm fairly pleased with them, and I am not working up until 1 am to finish them. As a matter of fact, I finished geo yesterday. Procrastination improvement points for me!!!

I'm still getting up early to take the algebra one...check for time and typos. But that is also still better than last year, when I ended up giving out a correction sheet along with the test. I still basically adapted a lot of last year's midterms, but I like what I added, and/or changed.

For Algebra II, I added an applications section. (NO!!! NOT word problems.......many may disagree, but word problems really turn my stomach. They are only masquerading as authentic applications. Real world applications do not come in little drips, and for heaven's sake, if Johnny has $1.98 total, why doesn't he simply count the number of nickels , dimes and pennies as opposed to writing algebraic equations to figure it out??!!! Okay...sorry for the sidebar.) Anywho, the kids have data that is graphed and they must answer questions regarding it...they must explain why. If I knew how, I'd post the actual exam questions. Is it possible to post Word documents on a blog? Or create a link to Word documents?

On the geo one, I did a much better job of teaching proof this year, if I do say so myself. The kids actually seem to be getting it, and the proofs I put on the midterm should be a good asessment of whether not they understand the basics of proof (I hope).

Blogging Thoughts

Writing a blog is a rather daring thing, in my book. I feel uncertain putting my very unpolished, somewhat inarticulate, and rather bland writing on the web for all to see (not that all are looking....if any are looking. And I don't do it for the people reading, though advice is ALWAYS welcome. I do more for my own self reflection and clarification of ideas. Still.......). Its funny in that its all a rough draft. I am hoping that as I blog more, my writing improves, hopefully drastically. Writing here is almost like sight reading a piece of music...except you never go back and revise. You just hope to get better at sight reading.

2006-01-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

Back to School

Due to a snow day yesterday, today was our first day back after nearly three weeks off. I stuck to the Wednesday schedule and stayed at work until 6:30 tonight. I am still catching up (see previous post on procrastination), but I at least feel refreshed and have some energy for it.

Math, math everywhere

There is a good post and discussion over at Ms. Frizzle on teaching (or not teaching) math in middle school and in other subjects......I'd create an actual link but I am not sure how yet.

Catching up in Geometry Class

I had one level II geometry class today, where I handed back their tests (along with a gazillion other things I just finally finished correcting.) Afterwards, I met with 2 of the kids that failed for extra help.

I have about 125 students all together, so working with all of them one on one is just not possible. And yet, its working one on one where I learn the most about how kids learn. I see what errors the kids are making...I get a much better idea of their thought patterns.

A few "teaching " problems I've come across I am not sure how to fix. The idea of the Angle Addition Postulate is one of them. If an angle is formed by two adjacent angles, the measure of the angle formed is equal to the sum of the two adjacent angles. ( a figure here would be very helpful, but I don't yet know how to post pictures.) To me, this idea is very obvious; yet I have kids that just do not seem to get it. It's as if they do not see, literally, the same way I do. I think next year I am going to somehow figure out a way to use manipulatives, something the kids can pick up and mess around with, when I teach this. I think a program like Geometer's Sketchpad would also be helpful. Any geometry teachers out there have a similar problem and/or solution?

2006-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Procrastination is my Specialty

So I am trying to instill good study habits in my young charges...refusing, absolutely refusing to accept late homework, taking points off if they take too long to do make ups, and other such things.

It is 1:02 am. I have had over two weeks off, and yet I am still up correcting all the work that should have already been corrected weeks ago. I even found some things from October that I failed to return to the kids. I give myself an F for timely assessment, and an A for hypocrisy.

I also just spent about 20 minutes blog-surfing. It is in fact (sort of) relevant....a lot of what I have learned about teaching I have learned from blogs. (When I grow up I want to be Ms. Frizzle....) But, still....I am basically procrastinating on going to bed. The first step is admitting you have a problem.

Maybe we'll have a snow day tomorrow....

Lessons Learned

In all my last minute correcting, I have come up with one observation: instead of collecting or checking that the students have done the homework, I think I will begin giving more homework quizzes. Basically, we'd quickly go over the homework as a class, then I will give a mini, 3 point quiz on the basic concepts. (Regular quizzes are usually 20 -30 points, tests are 100)Advantages to this method:

better and faster assessment of what the kids get, and who is falling behind. Better feedback for me and the kids as a result
quicker to grade. Homework quizzes are usually only three questions, all right or all wrong

OK, I guess that's all the advantages I can think of at 1 am, but they're pretty darn big ones.

Good night.

Er,...actually....good morning.

2005-12-29T05:34:00.000-08:00

Blogging from home, on vacation

Yes, folks, that's right.....we have internet at home, finally. Just dial-up, but it seems to be pretty fast.

Anyway, I have 5 days left until I return to school, and the break has been wonderful. I feel as though I have myself back - the motivated, energetic, looking-forward-to-work self. Yesterday was the first day since Dec 15 that I did any schoolwork at all, and I actually enjoyed correcting my level II geometry tests - lots of comments, summarizing where a lot of my kids are still missing some of the basics. It probably helped that most of them did very well. Because I was so burned out before break, I simply used a book test and crossed out the sections that didn't pertain. As I was correcting, though, I realized it is actually a pretty decent assessment. I may look more towards the book tests from here on out.

I also made a list of all the kids that did not do very well, and for each of them tried to figure out why. For the vast majority, it was because they lack the following prerequisite skills:

ability to apply the Triangle Angle Sum Theorem (the sum of the measures of a triangle adds to 180 - countless kids are only using 2 angles instead of three, or taking angles from two different triangles)
Seeing and using linear pairs (two adjacent angles that form a straight line. Their measures always add to 180. Often the kids use non-adjacent angles along a straight line)
Less often, but still a problem, recognizing vertical angles and then realizing they are congruent
Using correct symbols to write about lines, segements, polygons and angles. There is no such thing as angle BC, line E, or point ST. You cannot talk about angle H if there are four different angles at vertex H
Breaking down a complex figure into more manageable, simpler figures. They do not see the little triangles that make up the bigger figures.
Also, some kids still do not get the idea that if two geometric figures are congruent, you can set their measures equal, and write an algebraic equation.

I do not have time to go over this again in class, and I do not think that that would help, anyway. Really what a lot of these kids need is individual tutoring, yet I do not have the time for that. This is a problem in all my classes - some kids really do need individual instruction with immediate feedback. I am thinking of combing the Web for sites where the kids can practice these skills. Once they have mastered them using the Web, I plan on giving them a simple assessment that they must pass, after which they can re-take a similar test on the current topics. We may also have some tutorial CD's the kids can take home and use - I need to see if they're any good and if so, if I can make copies.

Time Management

The above topic leads me to another one, which I have been thinking about a lot lately. There is so much I would like to do as a teacher, but there just isn't enough time to do all the things I would like to do well. One of the things I have been trying to do is set manageable goals, recognizing that as I master more and more skills and gain more experience, I can do more. I think I became so burnt out before break, in part because I had no catch up plan. I felt torn in all directions - as a new mother, as a wife and as a teacher - there just wasn't enough of me to go around. Never mind about time for self.

I have realized that at some point, for each and every aspect of my life, I need to say enough is enough - and this is good enough. I have felt torn about not being with my son during the day - aren't I supposed to be the one raising him? And so every day I make it a point to leave school as soon as possible so that I can pick him up and spend time with him. But schoolwork fell by the wayside a little too much and consequently, I was becoming more and more stressed. A stressed out mother is not good for a child.

So the new plan is this: 2 days a week will be catch up days. I stay after school on Wednesdays anyway for extra help, and so that will be the day to finish any and all correcting that I have accumulated. Hopefully it is possible to get all of it done by 6:30, 7 pm so that I still get enough sleep. My husband will pick up the boy and have dinner with his folks while I am working late. This means that on Wednesdays I do not see my son hardly at all, but I will be more attentive and relaxed when I am with him. (It all sounds very reasonable, and it is the best decision, and yet the guilt and anxiety can creep up. I have to keep telling myself that sharing the boy is a good thing, he is perfectly fine with his dad and grandparents, I give him plenty of time with me otherwise, etc. )

Well, anyway....the other day I will catch up will be Sunday afternoons. I'll correct any papers from Thursday and Friday, and also plan lessons and units. The boy will be spending one-on-one time with his dad, which I strongly believe is a very good thing for both of them. Saturdays is our family day - J will no longer work on Saturdays and I will do no schoolwork on Saturdays. It is our day to spend as we please, without guilt.

This blog was originally going to be simply a reflective journal for teaching, but what I do and how I do things as a teacher is intimately tied up with the other aspects of my life. It would be impossible to separate them, and so there may be more posts similar to this.

The Big To-Do List

Make up midterm review sheet for level 3 Alg II

Make up midterm for level 3 Alg II

Make up midterm for level 2 Geom

(Hope that B. is making up midterm for level 3 Geom)

Correct each and every stitch of paper in bags (it's best not to list these separately as I would likely run from the room screaming, newly relaxed and energetic self notwithstanding)

Record all corrected grades in gradebook

Record all grades in Excel and calculate current student averages

Get lesson plans outlined for last two weeks of semester

Search web for geometry tutoring sites and make up assessment for lagging students

Wish me luck.....5 days and counting.....

2005-12-20T17:25:00.000-08:00

Other Teacher's Stories

My sister T is a middle school teacher out West. I am certain that in the future I will be telling many a story that she shares with me regarding teaching. First off, I thank Whomever that I work at a school with an excellent administration - they are extremely supportive of teachers, and quite competent. (Note that I work in a private school - the administration does NOT have to deal with a Board of Ed, Governmentally mandated anything, etc......which presumably makes their job easier.) But still....

Anywho...at T's school, the administration is decidedly incompetent. On the first day of school this year (T's first year there), there were no faculty procedures in place for things such as lunch duty, recess, getting on and off the busses, a detention or discipline policy....when asked about these things, the principal stated that everyone should just "pitch in". WHAT??!!! T at one point was the only teacher supervising about 120 students outside during recess. During said recess, a group of boys were playing tackle football on a grassy area surrounded on three sides by concrete walls. T told them to stop, whereupon the students informed her that the principal said it was okay "until someone got hurt." WHAT??!! (Happily, the school nurse vetoed that call as "unsafe". You think?)

T has a friend who is also currently a teacher. T's friend is working at a school that is attempting to move away from the use of textbooks, to the point where the friend's students do not have a textbook. I am certainly not against limited use of textbooks (I am attempting to move inthat direction myself.) It does however make it more difficult and time consuming to prepare lessons, especially for a first year teacher, which T's friend is. What bothered me, and what I would take issue with, is the fact that T's friend received a reprimand for using an example from a textbook. A learning example is not inherently bad simply because it appears in a textbook. One of the main reasons schools and or teachers move away from the use of textbooks is the lack of flexibility in content, in style, in examples. By reprimanding a teacher simply for using a good example from a textbook, the administration is exhibiting the same lack of flexibilty they presumably want their teachers to move away from.

Anyway...

Blogging in general this week

On a different note .....I am on vacation this week. We get over two weeks off this year, and I could not wait!!! I was worse than the kids so far as lack of focus. Next year, when doing my lesson planning, I am definitely going to take into account the lack of energy on my part and the lack of focus on the kids' parts during the 2-3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Next year I would like to do more long-term problems (similar to the Problems of the Week we are doing in the Baker's Choice unit) and I think during the last week I will designate that time for problem presentations by the kids.

T (who is home for Christmas) needs to get on the computer so I gotta go....I'll try and get more blogging done ionbreak, but we'll see.

2005-12-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

More Baker's Choice...

Today went alright with the Baker's Choice - the kids are finishing up their graphs of one of the constraints. Some of the main ideas I was hoping they would discover were:

reinforce the idea that a graph is a picture of solutions

see that there is a boundary on the graph of an inequality and that this boundary is the graph of the associated equation

OK.....I guess there were only two main ideas. My first section actually went better than my second section today - most of the groups got a straight line as the boundary and when I asked them to draw the graph of another constraint, they were able to do it by drawing the boundary and filling in the appropriate side (as opposed to plotting a bunch of different points) In my second section I think only one of the groups really got the ideas.

I really enjoy teaching (or guiding might be a better word) this way. There is more discussion and the kids seem to think more on their own. But there is still a lot of unrelated discussions going on, and it seems as if every group got to the point where one person was working (plotting points) and the others were just waiting and/or talking about other things. I am not sure if that is okay, or what I could change if it is not. Something to think about...

I am also considering trying to integrate a lot more technology into my teaching, particularly at this level. At this point, I want them to see the big picture of algebra. It would have been faster today if the kids could have used a simple spreadsheet and then done a simple scatterplot to get their graphs done. I am thinking about teaching a mini-unit on Excel, so that we can do a lot more graphing. Would teaching them Excel cancel out the time saved by using Excel? Will they understand the mathematics behind the technology? Will they understand the mathematics better because they will be able to do a lot more applications using Excel? I don't know, but I guess these are the things I need to think about.

2005-12-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Yay...we did get that snow day. About 12 inches altogether. By March I'll probably be sick of it, but I do like living in New England for the four distinct seasons.

I've also figured out how to do a couple of the questions from the previous post. I'll add my favorite teacher's links as I have the time.

Today is Saturday and I've been working terribly hard at procrastinating.....but reading through my previous posts has given me a small measure of motivation to tackle the 12 inch stack of papers that awaits me.

Ugh.

Sigh.

Here I go.

I'll post later just to say what I got done......hopefully that motivates me to get more done.

2005-12-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Random Blog Questions That I Do Not Have Time to Figure Out Today

How do I make the above statement the title of this post (like I did for "First Entry"?
How do I create links to other blogs right in my blog?
How do I edit my profile?
How do I add words below "Tha Daily Chalk Talk" that will briefly explain what sort of blog this is?

Also...please, please, please, please let us have a snow day tomorrow. Please.

2005-12-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

More Baker's Choice..

Today was Day 2 of the Baker's Choice unit. It went terrible , or mostly terrible with my first section. In general, they are less focussed, less interested and less responsible than my second section. I wrote many things on the board (doing a lot more chalk-and-talk type teaching than I should be), and most of them, even after I said "You should write this down", chose not to. My teaching was also less organized than it could have been. The kids were just not engaging in the task.

Second section went a little better. Lately I've been cracking down on both sections of this class for not doing sufficient work outside of class. Some of them choose to do nothing at all outside of class; others merely go through the motions. A previous assignment that I had given them was a group of graphs (scatterplots) that they were to do using linear equations. After we learned how to do scatterplots, they were to write the equation of the "best fit" line, find the slope, etc. We went over in class how to do it, they had a quiz on how to write the equations....and the vast majority still chose not to do it for homework, even though that was the assignment. I gave them a very very stern lecture last week, explained that I would not answer any questions on it in class until they showed me the work they had done, and gave them the rest of the class to finish what they should have done for homework. Furthermore, they now had to answer the extension questions on their own, instead of as a class.

Altogether, it was a major, 30 point assignment. Extension questions were to be answered in complete sentences, all work was to be neatly shown in an organized manner, graphs were to be complete and include axes labels, appropriate scales, etc. It was due on Monday.

Well, most of them turned something in on Monday, but it was obvious they had pretty much just scribbled down whatever looked good during homeroom or on the bus. Some students left 3/4 of the packet entirely blank. So, today, they got another assignment. They need to do it again, it is now worth half a test (50 points), etc. I gave them an example of exactly what I consider A+ work. Now it must be typed...all in all, both of my sections got a another very stern lecture,and I let them know that most of them were now earning F's in my class. Needless to say, after this, my second section was very subdued, but hopefully it results in the students working hard outside of class as well as in class.

Anywho, back to Baker's Choice....second section was more organized on my part and in general the kids are usually more engaged. We accomplished getting all of the constraints written down as inequalities, and most if not all seemed to really make the connection between the symbolic representation and the actual situation. We didn't make the charts to post, but I am going to have them do that next class as a review of what we did today. We also didn't get to the homework 2 or 3, but I think I will just skip them - they are still working on the POW and now they are also redoing the Activities packet.

As an aside, I am feeling extrememly bad that I am VERY strict about getting work in on time with my kids, and yet I have stacks of papers to record and/or grade that go back weeks. I did work yesterday on the sticky note idea, but am still putting it together. Once I catch up, it will hopefully be easier to keep caught up (everything- back- within- a- week plan)

2005-12-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging this from work (hello, school computer person!). I debated about whether or not I should. It's an appropriate use of school resources, as I use this space to reflect upon and improve my teaching, but its possible, and maybe even likely that it is not really so anonymous. (I don't have internet at home and so wanted to get this down before I forget)

Level 3 algebra II-
I've started the new problem centered unit (Baker's Choice, a stand-alone unit from the Interactive Mathematics Program). I started it yesterday and it went fantastic!

ALL the kids were working - the ones who find my class too easy said the problem was "hard". The ones who find my class boring seemed to like having something to sink their teeth into.
The ones who often find my class difficult had parts of the problem that they understood and could even explain to others. These are level three kids ("standard" in other schools) that in general hate math. It went so well that about half of my second section chose to work on the problem through their break. Unheard of.

Another advantage was that I was MUCH less tired at the end of the day yesterday, as this time the kids did all the work. It s a very non-traditional way of teaching. You start with a real world situation. They "play around" until they have a great understanding of exactly what's happening. Then we apply the math, or describe the situation symbollically. The "traditional" approach often gives a symbolic statement first, and then tries to apply the real world situation. My kids tune out at the first hint of symbolism, and so forget about applications.

The challenge will be to ensure they truly get the same content overall, taught to the same standards. (i.e. do they understand the different methods for solving systems of linear equations, and can they use each effectively?) So, we'll see how it goes.

That was yesterday. Today has not gone so well. I had 3 sections of geometry today. I wasn't so prepared for the first section. (They were supposed to take a test that I have not even made up yet.) All I had them do was 5 problems on the board that covered everything that would have been on their test. They self-scored it, and only one third of the class got above 80%. Maybe its a good thing I wasn't prepared. After that I let them work on their projects, the rough draft of which is due Thursday.

In my other two sections we were reviewing triangle midsegments, medians and altitudes. it was obvious the kids had not reviewed their notes at home, and so I gave them, in addition to the regular quiz on isosceles triangles, a pop quiz on medians, altitudes and midsegments. Then we began triangle inequalities. I have been having a very blah day, and so of course the lesson did not go so well. We were breaking up uncooked spaghetti, trying first to form triangles with the segments and then NOT form triangles. My teaching and explanations were just not very clear, partly because I didn't review and/or prepare enough, and partly because I am just so worn out. (Teaching with a new baby at home is CRAZY!!!)

Tonight and this weekend my goal is merely to catch up. I kid you not, I have a 12 inch stack of homework, tests and quizzes that need correcting. I still have stuff from first quarter that I keep forgetting to give back. One of my main, though uninteresting goals as a teacher will soon be to have nothing from the kids for more than a week. Give everything back within one week. Maybe I will do that (a week sounds like a long time, but I am VERY bad at this). Every stack of papers I collect I'll put a sticky note on with the day I collected it and the day it is "due" to give back. Eventually I would try to work up to giving it back the next class day (Each class meets every other school day).

Ahh. What a dream.

First Entry

2005-12-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

I've been trying something new with my level 3 geometry. We were doing triangle inequalities and I was adapting a lesson I read about in The Mathematics Teacher, using uncooked spaghetti as the side lengths of the triangle. You have the kids break the spaghetti into pieces, first to try and make a triangle, and next break it into pieces that will not form a triangle. The author said that about half of his kids were able to determine the breaks that would make a triangle impossible in the time he had allotted for it. All of my kids managed to figure it out in less than three minutes, which I wasn't expecting. (Although maybe some of them were looking around and seeing how their classmates did it. )

We then discussed what the relationship between the sides needed to be in order for a triangle to be possible (i.e. the sum of the two shorter sides must be greater than the longest side). After a couple of simple problems determining whether a triangle would be possible given three lengths, I gave them two lengths. I asked them to determine what the third side could be. They began by calling out a few possibilities. After they had manged to determine the possible whole numbers it could be, I asked if that was all the possibilities. Thay said yes. I asked if it could be a decimal ("Are you saying that we cannot have a side that is 45.5?") One student said we couldn't use decimals because there would be too many possibilities that way. I replied that if we used decimals, there would indeed be a lot of possibilities - an infinite number, in fact.

I asked if there was a way we could show all the possibilities, it being obvious to them that we could not in fact list individual numbers. One of my students (lets call her Erin) said we could graph them. Alleluia!!!! Erin is also in my level 3 algebra II class, and often purports to be lost. I had not thought of graphing as a way to show all the possibilities - I had been looking for the students to say "write an inequality". But graphing was even better - we had recently done graphing compound inequalities in algebra II and here was an honest to God application of them. Not only that, but a student thought of the way to apply it. I had the students describe for me exactly how I should do it - it took a little while, but we eventually had everything right - 2 open circles and a line connecting them. The discussion (I think) led to a better understanding of compound inequalities for all. We then wrote the inequalities from the graph, and it was good practice for moving between different mathematical representations.

Anyway, the point is, I was excited about how the lesson went. The students really got into figuring the spaghetti triangles out, and even got into how we could show all the possible side lengths in the last problem. It was much, much better than a lecture. And it was reinforcing earlier concepts that they had learned.