tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post7089129989036093251..comments2024-01-27T08:49:12.307-05:00Comments on An "Old Math Dog" Learning New Tricks: Is Gutting Necessary?Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928419408011193721noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-70343889737551081962011-08-07T22:35:32.144-04:002011-08-07T22:35:32.144-04:00@Elizabeth - So eloquently said. Thank you.
--LMH@Elizabeth - So eloquently said. Thank you.<br />--LMHLisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928419408011193721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-55240183186143615502011-08-07T22:17:43.110-04:002011-08-07T22:17:43.110-04:00I had an instinctive agreement with Julie that it&...I had an instinctive agreement with Julie that it's good that you are not going to simply throw the baby out with the bath water. I even agree with her echoing of that Girl Scout song. :) There are things you are doing that are *working* -- otherwise as such an obviously reflective practitioner, you would not keep doing them!<br /><br />One of the most important realizations I've been coming to over the summer is that the single most important thing in teaching is that I be authentic. That means being authentically **me** -- with all my own strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. <br /><br />But being authentic means that I will have to give up on the possibility of being anybody else in my own classroom.<br /><br />That means I have to give up on the possibility of being Dan Meyer, Sam Shah, Kate Nowak, Henri Picciotto or . I am not suddenly going to develop Dan's passion for filmmaking and media or Sam's intrinsic curiosity about topology (sorry), or Henri's 30+ years of successfully getting independent school students to develop a deep and flexible understanding and fluency in mathematics.<br /><br />That is the bad news.<br /><br />The good news is that this frees me to leverage the unique things that **I** bring to my own teaching. That includes:<br /><br />- what I've learned in 20 years of teaching traumatized people to meditate and learn to work with their fear of silence (or wilderness, or urban-ness), <br /><br />- how to use understanding of one's own learning style to work with one's fear of mathematics, <br /><br />- how to weave rhetorical and quantitative techniques to persuade others about things one cares passionately about,<br /><br />- how to get the discouraged students to crawl out from under their desks and allow for the possibility of change and of learning<br /><br />That doesn't mean I don't WANT to understand and use what I can from Dan, Henri, Sam, Kate, Frank, et al. I do. But in the final analysis, what we teach is ourselves. The magic of mind-to-mind and heart-to-heart contact that takes place in a classroom is exactly what CANNOT be bottled, videotaped, or shoved down a student's throat through Khan Academy.<br /><br />So I'm glad that you have decided to start from where you are and to build on the knowledge and wisdom and humanity that you've cultivated over 19+ years of successful teaching. I hate to think of you wasting a single drop of that experience. As with your bathroom, enhance it, build out from it, find a way to make it work better than it does today.<br /><br />But I would also urge you to value what you do well and hold on to that because we aren't given a longing to improve things unless we are also given a solid foundation upon which to build.<br /><br />- Elizabeth (aka @cheesemonkeysf on Twitter)cheesemonkeysfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09311170815422010013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-34409134129889549552011-08-07T11:25:45.654-04:002011-08-07T11:25:45.654-04:00@Mr. Gerhard - I'm glad to hear someone is goi...@Mr. Gerhard - I'm glad to hear someone is going through what I am. Between blogging and twitter, it has been really beneficial to not only bounce ideas off of others, but to see that I am not really alone in all of this. I am going to be incorporating OGT prep in my bellringers. That way, students are seeing it a couple times a week rather than just the last few weeks leading up to the test. I look forward to hearing how the school year goes for you!<br />--LMHLisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928419408011193721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-12375318731479535932011-08-07T09:29:12.526-04:002011-08-07T09:29:12.526-04:00Hey Lisa, I feel as though you read my mind. I to...Hey Lisa, I feel as though you read my mind. I too have a house that had pink tile and green tile in two separate bathrooms. My answer gut them and start from scratch. As for the classroom, however, I like your approach of trying a few "tweaks" and improving on that. I teach Algebra 2 and Precalculus, and kind of feel the same way. Should I flip the classroom, try to make everything an #anyqs investigation (a little hard to do in Precalc), or stick with the "traditional" model? I tried some flipping last year with some success, and failure, but it was different. My goal this year is to try multiple techniques, and keep them on their toes. If something works really well, then I'll keep using it. Also, you can't forget the OGT prep. Good luck and I'll keep following and sharing.Nick Gerhardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10910934870361324849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-17565175569074427452011-08-06T12:24:08.701-04:002011-08-06T12:24:08.701-04:00@Bill - all of the things you said here really res...@Bill - all of the things you said here really resonated with me. The process of changing itself is intimidating, whether they are large or small changes. Starting small and reflecting on those changes made complete and perfect sense to me. So does playing to one's strengths. <br /><br />What you said about education reform is really true. Although many math teachers teach following the same pattern, what that pattern in my class looks like is different than how it looks in yours. That's human nature. We are not robots who churn out students who all know the same things in the same manner. I suppose if people really wanted that, then we would have video links set up in each classroom and the same lesson (lecture style) would be broadcast to everyone. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work as well as the powers that be think it would. The only thing it would ensure was the content was delivered the same way to everyone. Because we are human beings, we process it in our own manner.<br /><br />Anyway, I didn't totally mean to get off on a philosophical tangent there. I try my best to stay out of the ed reform wars. It makes my head spin. I think that's why I struggled with this issue for so much of the summer. It was very much a philosophical issue for me and trying to get to the heart of it was difficult. I am relieved to have decided the direction I am headed and I feel like I am heading in a good direction. Ultimately, I think that's what's best for me and my students.<br />--LMHLisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928419408011193721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-33714218611352194582011-08-06T10:33:07.128-04:002011-08-06T10:33:07.128-04:00Thanks for the shout-out, Lisa!
I think the ke...Thanks for the shout-out, Lisa! <br /><br />I think the key thing is not only starting with small changes, but also making sure that when you make those changes, you're taking notes, getting feedback from your kids, and comparing to previous years. <br /><br />Secondly, I think it's important to make sure you are always knowing your strengths in the classroom and capitalizing on those. <br /><br /> Another teacher will have different strengths and capitalize on those. I tend to be pretty skilled in moderating a class discussion and generating good questions that focus and push student thinking. Other teachers are masterful with their use of the blackboard as a tool to focus student attention. <br /><br />That's why my head starts to explode whenever I start hearing about "reforms" that insist on all teachers doing the same thing in their classroom. Instead of creating "curriculum proof teachers," some lunatics with power and trying to impose "Teacher-proof curriculum."6 foot 5 Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01018419865374161688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-64078295187060090442011-08-06T07:41:55.334-04:002011-08-06T07:41:55.334-04:00Thanks Julie for your comments - I really apprecia...Thanks Julie for your comments - I really appreciate them, especially your support. I am hoping that with the changes I make in my classroom, students will be a little more motivated to do math outside of class. Part of what I am fighting are scheduling things. Many of my students work (because they have to financially) and when your homework isn't graded and others classes are giving graded assignments, many times students will choose the graded assignments first. Part of what I am fighting also is a lack of emphasis on education. Education is not highly valued in many of my students' homes. Some of my students will only do the absolute minimum to pass. When parents aren't placing a higher value on education, it is much harder to get the students to value it. Hopefully by making these changes in my classroom, students will want to do the math and feel like they can do the math on their own. We'll see.<br /><br />I'll have to think on how singing could be incorporated in my class. Maybe on occasion...<br />--LMHLisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928419408011193721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6414622914006646376.post-18159626946394655732011-08-06T01:02:52.386-04:002011-08-06T01:02:52.386-04:00I'm sorry - but I love the pink tile, so amazi...I'm sorry - but I love the pink tile, so amazingly retro. lol! But, I don't have to live with it everyday. :)<br /><br />I'm am very glad that you are not gutting your classroom. From what I have read, you are doing a really great job! Also, I disagree with gutting bc it implies that you are throwing out the old and bringing in the new. With all of your fabulous experience, you should never do that. : ) In fact, I think that it is the combination of many different styles of teaching that make a classroom engaging. Like the old Girl Scouts song, "Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold." Learn and incorporate what you are learning into your current class. Traditional isn't all bad - it is even necessary sometimes.<br /><br />I also agree that you do not have to use tech to be innovative OR flip the classroom. Last year I flipped by having my students write definitions out of the book at night and then doing activities in class. http://ispeakmath.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/student-made-geometry-booklets-improve-assessments-creativity-strikes-again/<br />There was ZERO technology yet it was one of their favorite units and they did better on that test than they did all year. Who knew? <br /><br />However, with your mix, I think that your bigger problem than lack of technology is getting them to do anything at night. The good news is that when my students did the flipped classroom they felt they were "getting away" with something bc they did not have "real" homework. <br /><br />Honestly, you should just have your students sing everything. They can learn anything that way! lol!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com