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Back to the Basics -- Habits and Routines

cory sheldahl selfieSince I started blogging (not as well as others I admit-- see my first post HERE), I have tried improving communication about what math is (and IS NOT- wish I could remember that post by Tracy Zager). 

My new focus involves what I have found successful in students (while not necessarily successful by the district standards I've had to work with).  The students crave something new, not something old, while inspirational storytelling can get the job done no matter how old the story is.  Also, I am focusing more on intuition, reasoning, and sense making and not just the "rules of mathematics," which many students have turned off to once they hear Theorem, Proof, or Justify.

I admit I have not researched methods lately, but have kept in contact of people whose pedagogy and scholarship I trust to do that.  As mentioned before, I have outsourced ideas from Making Math Moments, Lane Walker's Blog, NCTM, and many of the resources listed in my previous blog.

My plans for the summer:

  • to finish my Google Educator level 2 training,
  • Finish reading Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You'd Had," (Zager, 2017) (sorry MCTM peeps I just could not keep up with the book study)
  • Print out name tents from Sara Van Der Werf's blog
  • Become familiar (almost am) with new curriculum (Pearson's Envision series) for Int. Algebra, Advanced Algebra, and Geometry (has some Dan Meyer ideas in it!!)
  • Read Teach Like a Champion 2.0 (Lemov, 2015)
  • Read The New Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2017)
  • Organize/Decorate my room (has lots of blackboard--ideas??)
  • Organize/structure my Google Classroom (almost done)
  • Become a more informed nutrition researcher (for a separate business).
  • Develop a standards completion tracking chart (using ideas from the Making Math Moments people)
Somehow, I will incorporate Desmos into my classes again.  The school I will be teaching at will be 1:1!!!!  So cool, I feel I may be able to utilize my master's work.

Til I chalk again,

Mr. Shel

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