Working with students

I got to experience something unique in my placement on Tuesday. My mentor teacher offered retakes on an inequality quiz that students took a week or two ago because a lot of people struggled mightily with it. One of the students who was taking the retake had hurt her writing hand, so what we did was have her dictate her answers to me while I wrote down exactly what she said. At times it was hard not to say anything, but I noticed that sometimes you can be leading even when you don't say anything. There were a few times I didn't catch something she said so I paused my writing as an indication to repeat herself (I wasn't sure I even wanted to ask her to say something again, though I eventually got over that - it seems kind of silly that I ever thought that). However sometimes a pause can mean more than just repeat yourself. Sometimes when teachers pause, whether it be in writing or saying something, they are looking for a student to say more and complete their answer because the student is missing something. I think that happened once while I was writing her test for her when I did not mean it to. Also there were times when I just did not understand what she wanted me to do. It helped that I knew the topic of the test and that I had seen the students solve these types of problems before, otherwise I would have had an even harder time of it. I guess the moral of the story here is that you can be accomodating for students, just be careful that you establish a procedure for it and that you know how they are going to think about solving the problem so that you understand what they are asking you to do or write down.

Live Blog

Homework Grading: Completion vs. Accuracy

I had a discussion with my mentor teacher the other day about how she grades her homework. Most of the homework she only grades for completion, so if you've done all the problems and have the proper type of work shown you get 10 points. From there you lose points if you have problems missing or incomplete. If you really struggle with a problem and just can't figure out how to do it, you can write a question like "How do I use a proportion to solve this problem?" and still get credit for doing the problem. The reason my mentor teacher said she grades this way is because it allows students to feel comfortable making mistakes and it helps put student errors and misunderstandings on the table for discussion. As we talked about in my methods class, sometimes student errors can be a more valuable discussion tool than discussing only the "correct" method. If you only grade for accuracy you force students to be "correct" on every problem and you miss out on key discussion points and the chance to clear up student misconceptions. I think grading for completion can be an extremely useful tool. However, I think that every once in a while you need to grade for accuracy, otherwise the students might get complacent with turning in just incomplete material or material that is worked out wrong. Plus grading for accuracy every now and then helps them be prepared for quizzes and tests. By mixing up the grading styles and not telling the students how they all will be graded it keeps them honest and having to do every problem.

Claymation!!

Classroom etiquette

It's been a while blog, but it's nice to be back.

I stopped into my placement on Friday for various reasons, and ended up talking with my mentor teacher for a few minutes. She told me about an incident that happened in class that day where one of the students randomly called out, "WOW! That poster is HUGE!" Needless to say this was very disruptive. My mentor teacher had an interesting tactic for dealing with this issue. She went back to her lesson, then in the middle of lesson she randomly said, "Look at that A on that poster; it's so big and purple!" The students were stunned and thinking, "what just happened?!?" She used tactic to ask the students how they felt when she randomly said something not pertinent to the lesson. They realized how distracting it was and how she, as the teacher, must have felt when the first student made her comment. I thought that this was a really useful technique, particularly for a middle school classroom like ours. I wonder, though, if it would be equally effective in a high school classroom or if it would be almost too childish maybe.

Thoughts on the first days of Student Teaching

Now that I have been student teaching for two days in the classroom, I have a few reflections I want to make a note of. Firstly, glancing over some of the problems my students had to do, I couldn't help but think how simple some of them seemed to me. Let me explain. I am in an 8th grade accelerated Algebra 1 class this semester. My math background includes classes all the way up through Calc IV and then some. On top of that I am starting a very proof-based, theoretical geometry class. So, for obvious reasons, it is a challenge to keep in mind the level that my students are at and that they may have very different ways of thinking about problems than I do. It's just a balance I have to maintain between my level of mathematical knowledge and my students level of mathematical knowledge. How to do that is certainly a good question for my mentor teacher.

My background also brings me to my second point, which is how do we justify the use in teaching something we've rarely if ever seen used outside of class and standardized tests. For example, our lesson today was on stem-and-leaf plots, and I could not think of a use for them outside the classroom. I had a really nice discussion with my mentor teacher about this today and she told me that sometimes there just isn't a good answer to that question, but to keep in mind that sometimes simply the process of solving such problems and knowing different ways to organize data can be extremely useful skills to have. Also in situations like this, an option she gave and has used in the past, is to have students look for examples of such charts and graphs used in the newspaper or online or anywhere else outside of the textbook and bring the example into class for extra credit (though she did admit that stem-and-leaf are pretty hard to find even in those sources). Here's just a few strategies for dealing with topics that you may not see the relevance in teaching. If anyone has some other ideas or gets other ideas during the semester, please let me know, and of course I'll keep reporting ideas and strategies that I have heard. With that, adios amigos.

The Middle School Dynamic

I am sitting here trying to process a lot of information. It has been a busy two days in my placement at Forsythe Middle School, meeting teachers, going over schoolwide information, and setting up the classroom. On top of that I am starting up class in the School of Education again. I have a billion and one things buzzing around my mind that I could talk about, but what really struck me most today happened when I got home.

There was an article in the local newspaper, the Chelsea Standard, that my parents wanted me to read (I am commuting from Chelsea this week until I move into my apartment in Ann Arbor on Sunday). I noticed it in the paper when we got it last Thursday but had not had time to read it until tonight. It was about a girl, Amanda, who graduated from Chelsea a year before me and her struggle with sex and drugs and alcohol and finally her triumph over it. That hit so close to home I couldn't help but think about my classmates and my time at Chelsea and wonder how close I was to being introduced to some of this stuff. Granted most of her problems happened in high school, but it developed from her sense of self (or lack thereof) in middle school. This really got me thinking about how these are becoming issues not only in high school, but also in middle school. And it can happen anywhere.

Those of us teaching in middle schools cannot forget that the group of students we are teaching is going through major changes in their personal lives. Puberty can easily lead to irrational behaviors among adolescents and we really have to watch out for them and catch them when they are about to walk into a pitfall. And its not as easy as it seems. How many students like the girl in the article have fallen headlong into that hole while parents and teachers have stood by oblivious to what is happening? We teachers need to be proactive when it comes to these students. In this society it is becoming harder and harder for parents to keep track of their kids and many times the teacher sees the child for more time in a day than the parents do. Also, most parents are unwilling to believe the worst of their children. "That could never happen to my child," or "There is no way on earth my child would possibly participate in such activities," they say. They forget what it was like to be the odd one out, the one who just wants to fit in so badly he would do anything.

Therefore, in many ways it is easier for a teacher to see the signs of high and hungover students than it is for parents and to get that student the help he or she needs. Teachers see these things everyday so they know when students are trying to fit in and when they might be starting to go a bit too far. Teachers teach because they care about their students so how is it that students, especially students in such supportive communities, still fall through the cracks? It is a difficult task, but each and every one of our students needs our utmost attention. It will be so much easier for us and for them in the long run if we sacrifice a little bit and lay ourselves out as a bridge across the chasm of illegal substances, instead of letting our students fall in and then have to climb out on their own.

To close, I want to stress that this is a global problem. No school is good enough or inclusive enough to the point where everyone fits in and feels good about themselves. The human mind just does not work that way. We need to be observant especially in the middle school environment, because even though events may be minor in middle school they can easily lead to much worse behaviors at the high school level.

I want to say more and say it more eloquently but at the moment my mind is muddled with an overload of information. More post on other thoughts will be forthcoming, but please post if you agree or disagree with the point I am trying to make here. Also if anyone has ideas on how to spot troubled students before things get out of hand that would be appreciated because I have limited knowledge of the human personality and the adolescent personality.

Dealing with "differently abled" students

Yesterday in diversity class and today in foundations of education we spent a lot of time discussing how we would deal with students that have problems learning in the classroom. We touched on the whole range, from ESL students to students with physical maladies to students who have diminished mental faculties and more. As I was thinking about this tough issue, I was concerned not with how I would be able to reach these "differently abled" students (I have, over these few weeks realized that the use of the term 'disabled' isn't fair to these students), but with how I would divide my time so that I could reach these students without leaving out the rest of my classroom. I know that I won't face these issues in all of my classrooms, but they will come up. Is it fair to the 'normal' (for lack of a better word) students to spend so much time trying to keep the challenged students up to speed with the rest of the class? Are we being fair to general education teachers by asking them to take on these additional responsibilities? I'm not trying to say that there's no place for differently abled students in the general education classroom. I just think that there needs to be a support system in place for the teachers that have these students in their classrooms. That way normal students will also get the time and attention they need in the classroom.

Also, we can't just throw these students willy nilly into classrooms and think that they will get the education that they need. Teachers need to be informed about when they will have a student with a learning impairment in their classroom. Teachers should be at least introduced to the idea of differentiated instruction before they enter the classroom so that they can reach these students. Even these measures don't guarantee an equitable education for differently abled students, but at least it is a start.

I'm trying to see a way that differently abled students can have an equitable education without forcing the entire burden onto the shoulders of teachers that have not studied specifically how to handle them. It seems like were are moving toward classrooms in which differently abled students are fully integrated into the instruction without a need for a special education instructor. However, I don't believe that we will ever get there, because a general education teacher just doesn't have the skills or the time to give differently abled students the instruction they need without some outside help.

Finally I want to say that I know there are many different types of students that I am lumping into this category. Some are easier to integrate into the classroom than others and that's ok. But it's not fair to the general education teacher to put that burden solely on his shoulders. I will do the best that I can with this issue, and I know we will be talking a lot more about it this fall in the diversity class. I challenge educators everywhere to really think about this issue and try to help their administrators come up with a satisfying solution that takes into account everybody, including those students with full mental and physical faculties.

A Quick Note on Twitter

As I was reading a classmate's post voicing concerns over using Twitter in the classroom, an idea came to me that I want to remember. I can see the value of Twitter in connecting multiple classrooms in which you teach the same subject. You may teach the same class 4-5 times in a day, but each lesson may be different based on the differing student groups. Twitter can help connect these classes and build dialogue across classrooms for a richer understanding of material. It so often happens that a student will come up with a great idea and the teacher's reaction is "Why isn't this student in all my classes?" Well, through Twitter I believe he or she can be. While there are many programs that can facilitate such learning, I think Twitter lends itself particularly well to it. In Twitter you have to get right to the point of what you are saying because you only get 140 characters per post. Through this, extra side thoughts must be left "at the door" leaving the main point crystal clear and easy to understand. This way ideas can be exchanged quickly and easily through multiple classrooms for a deeper understanding of concepts.

A Few Thoughts on Cell Phones in the Classroom

Tonight I listened to a great podcast on cell phones in learning with Liz Kolb and Jimbo Lamb and it got me thinking about a number of things:

1) I am realizing just how much technology is out there now. I mean I have a cell phone, but I did not get it until my junior year of high school and would never have thought of turning it on during the school day. I want to use them in my class but I am apprehensive of them. I have never set up anything in such a format, so it would be tough to go in front of students with something totally new to me. Jim had some great ideas for this that I want to put to use. One of them was to use a tool such as Poll Everywhere in a faculty meeting before using it before the students. I thought this was a great idea. Not only will it help me feel more comfortable in the classroom, it is a great way for me to potentially get feedback on my presentation. I feel that fellow teachers and administrators at a school should be a sounding board to not only present new ideas but also to get familiar with them before taking them into the classroom. Many times teachers will try a new technique in the classroom without having practiced it and the presentation will fall apart. By taking it to your peer faculty members first you can get feedback and also pass on great ideas.

2)There are some issues in using technology in the classroom, especially in the case of cell phones. For one, there could very well be students in the classroom that don't have their own cell phone. In most places I think the percentage of high school students with cell phones is close to 100 nowadays since parents want to be in communication with their students. However, there are parents out there who firmly believe that their child does not need a cell phone at least until they get a job and perhaps beyond that until they get into college. What might be more of an issue is that some students don't have unlimited texting or they don't have texting at all to use Poll Everywhere. I think one suggestion that was mentioned in these cases is to have the students share a cell phone with their classmate who has unlimited texting. I question this practice. For me, my cell phone is almost sacred. I rarely let anyone else use it other than my immediate family so I wonder how many students would actually be willing to let someone else use their phone. I realize that it might be okay for texting versus calling, especially if the lender has unlimited texting because it won't in that case cost them anything extra. I am very conscious of how much things cost, even cell phones, which is why I am hesitant to allow students to share their phones.

3) Finally, I think we need to help students learn how to live life. By this I mean that we as educators need to take the time to make sure our students understand how things work in life. For example, I think an educator who is going to use cell phones in their classroom should take the time to make sure their students know where their texting and cell phone use is coming from, what happens when they make a text, and how it is paid for. Mr. Lamb gave a great example of how he would do this. He suggested that the students should obtain a copy of their (or their parents) cellphone bill and bring it to class where he, the teacher, would explain parts of the bill and how texting is billed. I think that this is important to do because students use their phones and will use their phones so much that they sometimes forget that it costs money to use it. Most students don't ever see the bill for their cell phone usage (I know I didn't) so they think they can call and text however much they want without consequences. If you teach students how their is money related to their every use of the phone, they will learn to be more responsible in their phone use and in everyday life. As a final point, I think if educators can do this it will bring parents on board with the technological curriculum including cell phones. A parent likes nothing better than seeing his child become a responsible young adult and it is a huge bonus if part of that process takes place in the classroom.

Classroom technology

Today in class we discussed what sort of technology we would like to have in our future classrooms. Being a math teacher, I struggled to figure out cool ways to combine math and technology. Math does not lend itself to technology particularly well. The history and English people had really creative ways to incorporate technology into their classrooms, so it was a little discouraging to look at my drawing and not see very much technology. However, looking back on it and thinking about it a little more I can see a few ways to begin to incorporate technology and math. There are some very engaging computer graphing programs that could be useful in a middle or high school classroom. Even though I did not see much today, I am very hopeful and excited about the potential ways for math to become more technologically friendly. I think we can find some unique methods for making math instruction interesting through technology.

My first post

This is my first time blogging. I hope this blog ends up with some interesting comments and thoughts on teaching. I am excited to see what this blog will become.