Skip to main content

Running.....Behind

Tis the season to be resourceful!  has become my motto for this month. As I continue to do work with Online Teaching Associates,  Sophia, and SOCRATES online, I'm amazed by the progress and quickness of change that happens within each of those environments.  It also seems that the quicker the change, the more time I need to respond, train, and be able to adapt.

As I reflect on that, I wonder how students are adapting to the tools that can be used to help them; it also makes me wonder "Are we training them with the right content to respond to the needs of the 21st Century?"  In many schools, I still see a production-like template of the class.  A creative teacher will create a creative lesson...sounds redundant but true.  If you've been following Will Richardson's blog (and tweets) then you'll get the same impression that we're tacking on, not really innovating.  Students who strive will continue to strive in life; students who cheat will continue to cheat in life no matter the media (or situation).  It seems like all this amping up technology has me behind at one important important thing...

It really seems like an oversimplification, but caring for people's welfare and equipping with tools for life doesn't always mean meeting every standard (at least on paper).  Making another person's life better because you lived should be the greatest ideal for anyone (not just math teachers!!!)  I believe Rich De Voss made a similar statement (and continues to make) in his 1968 message of "Selling America."  If you are able to get a copy, I strongly encourage you to listen to it.


Snow Globe Artwork from Photobucket
http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff248/delphe/?action=view&current=jalsnowglobe_e0.gif&newest=1&call=1

Hardworkers Picture from Photobucket
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z257/ptskeita/IMG_0467.jpg

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Easter - time for renewal of ideas

  I have been very remiss about keeping up my blog (mainly for me), but you have not yet checked Mathbits from MCTM, I highly encourage you to do so (not just because there is an article from me about my last plug for spring conference). Why the picture?  It represents some fundamental changes at our house.  My daughter, as pictured, has been interning out in the Chicago area to develop her media production skills to get better at her trade.  Most recently, her dog, Brice, has also (more recently) made that transition by riding back out there with her.  It makes me reflect and wonder what's the point of what I am doing right now? Do I have a mission to do other things and work with others since I no longer need to "watch over" the dog, nor tend to any immediate needs of my daughter.   I think most frequently, especially because of the pandemic, school students have developed this attitude, "What's the point? Why do we have to have math class?"  I...

Hope for the next standards....

  Though the picture represents a different reason for my mug smile (taken in May 2022), it makes me feel the same way to try to continue to hope for the future of math standards.   Currently we are working underneath the 2007 Minnesota Math Standards, and version III of the new standards have been out for comment by the public.  Before, there were general ideas what was supposed to be presented to Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, upper standards (advanced data and statistics), but yet did not account for the College Now or other preparatory math many schools have implemented to be competitive. Here's a case example of hope for improvement.  Currently I teach Algebra 1 to the eighth graders in our district.  The curriculum we have is very rigorous (that is to say, the book focuses on rational exponents), and gives students little practice with integer exponents to build their confidence.  This gap, paired with a low numeracy and low fraction exposure fr...

New Stress-old story

Photo by Kristine Lewis via Flickr This year marks my first in long time of having a struggle class be THE struggle class. Normally I like to do an activity with them I got from NCTM in the first month called “A Matter of Survival,” and the students usually play it out prettty well. This class could not focus for more than 2 minutes! It took me at least 20 minutes to tally their data. (October). Now they have been struggling to focus enough to understand the concepts...it almost borderlines dyscalculia.  Dyscalculia, according to Wikipedia, is " is difficulty in learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, and learning facts in mathematics. It is generally seen as a specific developmental disorder." Wikipedia reference They've been a distraction to themselves for so long, they missed capstone learning moments to solidify their number theory from the 6th grade before coming to the high...