As Monday rolls around we find ourselves with new classes and many new students. This trimester system has it's advantages and disadvantages. What I really do not like is the fact that most students end up moving to a different math teacher for each trimester. After 12 weeks I feel I am just getting to know all of my students and make valuable connections with them. Several students that I have been working with because they were struggling are now moving to the teacher next door and that whole process will probably need to be repeated.
As our district faces more budget cuts and teachers worry about their jobs the discussion of alternative scheduling has been taken on by the school board. They had a listening session this past week to offer information on the 4 day work week. Is this a viable option? It appears to work for numerous districts across the country but more information is needed.
Another discussion has to do with our high school 7 period day and trimester system. In the 7 period system we now teach (or have an assigned duty) for 6 of the 7 periods. Is there a system better than our current one? What about schedules where we do not have the same classes every day?
If anyone has ideas please pass them along.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Mondays
Even though it is a short week I found today to be extraordinarily long. I was excited to teach my Algebra 2 classes as we are starting our Quadratics Unit and I find it fun teaching. My goal this year is to really create an atmosphere of problem solving and application. I want my students to not just do the math but to experience it. I know I can't do this each and every day but I want to make it a habit to start each unit with something fun, relevant and thought provoking.
Today was a weak attempt I must admit. I drew a picture on the board of a stick person pushing a huge ball off of a ledge. At the bottom of the ledge was another stick man with a cart he was pushing. He was about 4 meters from the bottom of the ledge. The ledge had a height of 5.14 meters. That's it. No question, no equation, no formula. I just let the students absorb it. Finally one student stated "I wonder if he can catch the ball before it hits the ground?" That's all I needed. After a short discussion and some talk about vertical motion models we actually went out in the hall way where I just happen to have a ledge overlooking a stairway that is exactly 5.14 meters high. We proceeded to see if a few students could "catch" the ball in time.
Next up is graphing. Letting the students discover the changes to the graphs of a quadratic function.
Today was a weak attempt I must admit. I drew a picture on the board of a stick person pushing a huge ball off of a ledge. At the bottom of the ledge was another stick man with a cart he was pushing. He was about 4 meters from the bottom of the ledge. The ledge had a height of 5.14 meters. That's it. No question, no equation, no formula. I just let the students absorb it. Finally one student stated "I wonder if he can catch the ball before it hits the ground?" That's all I needed. After a short discussion and some talk about vertical motion models we actually went out in the hall way where I just happen to have a ledge overlooking a stairway that is exactly 5.14 meters high. We proceeded to see if a few students could "catch" the ball in time.
Next up is graphing. Letting the students discover the changes to the graphs of a quadratic function.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Problem Solving Problem
How do we get students to full heartedly engage in problem solving at its fullest? I am working with my Algebra 2 students to move beyond the complacency of solving equations and the procedural repetitions that we tend to get too focused on. I would have to say that we have probably spent a good 80% or more of our class time working on the mechanics of graphing/solving linear systems and inequalities. Even the word problems that we have tackled in class seem very mechanical and my students (those who are doing their work) seem to be able to knock them off fairly efficiently. Is this all in good faith because we have to prepare them for the MCAII test in April? I find myself struggling at the moment with what direction I want to take my students. Many of them would be ok if we simply "did" some math and solved a few problems along the way. I want to give meaning to the math that we are doing and allow my students to see beyond the equations, to see the bigger picture.
The staff morale in my school (and entire district for that matter) has taken a lot of shots lately as our community has once again voted down an operating levy. We are facing huge cuts in budget and staff again for next year. Our class sizes are already growing beyond their means and will no doubt get larger next year. We are also in a negotiations cycle and have not settled our contract with the school board for this year (and next). The status of the talks is not good and will probably go on for a long time. We have been offered "a hard freeze" for the next two years. This is essentially a fairly big pay cut with the expected increases in insurance.
With that said I can usually find solace in my classroom. When I close the door and have my students there with me I can let all of those other worries go for the next 50 minutes. I want this short amount of time to be as meaningful and productive as it can be. Even on those days when my 11th graders are acting as though they have not left the middle school I still feel comfortable within the confines of my room.
Well, enough for now. As I venture on to the depths of Problem Solving I will continue to keep you posted on my thoughts.
The staff morale in my school (and entire district for that matter) has taken a lot of shots lately as our community has once again voted down an operating levy. We are facing huge cuts in budget and staff again for next year. Our class sizes are already growing beyond their means and will no doubt get larger next year. We are also in a negotiations cycle and have not settled our contract with the school board for this year (and next). The status of the talks is not good and will probably go on for a long time. We have been offered "a hard freeze" for the next two years. This is essentially a fairly big pay cut with the expected increases in insurance.
With that said I can usually find solace in my classroom. When I close the door and have my students there with me I can let all of those other worries go for the next 50 minutes. I want this short amount of time to be as meaningful and productive as it can be. Even on those days when my 11th graders are acting as though they have not left the middle school I still feel comfortable within the confines of my room.
Well, enough for now. As I venture on to the depths of Problem Solving I will continue to keep you posted on my thoughts.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
When Do We Say Enough?
I find myself struggling with a dilemma. Over the past several weeks I have been furiously working with and encouraging struggling students to seek out extra help beyond what I can give them within the classroom. My Algebra 2 students just finished a unit on Systems of Linear Equations and Inequalities and I found that many of them are unable to consistently graph linear equations. We spent many extra minutes each and every day working on graphing in Slope-Intercept and Standard Form. Each passing day I was stealing minutes from the daily lessons and interactions with students to remediate graphing. At what point does a teacher need to put an end to it and move on? Is it appropriate to allow those struggling students to use a graphing calculator to do their graphing?
The past several days I have had a few breakthroughs with some students who have taken the initiative to come in after school for some extra help. In a class of 33 students it is tough to be able to understand and assess what each and every student really knows. Spend a few quality minutes with them one-on-one and they open up. Not only do voices open up but so do their minds. The thinking is obvious. One young man stated as he left my room the other evening, "if I knew it was this easy to think about math I would have done it a long time ago!" For many students "doing" math is a difficult task, but even if the task it self is difficult all students can spend time "thinking" about math and "talking" about math.
I have been reading numerous other blogs from some seemingly great teachers. They talk about many of the same struggles that I am experiencing in my 16th year of teaching. Just as the pressures of state testing and meeting AYP are mounting I am finding myself searching for a better or smarter way to teach. I am drawn to the idea of teaching math from a true problem solving perspective and am excited to try new things. I have expressed interest in this with some of my colleagues in the math department but no one seems to be sharing the vision.
I am currently working on a unit for Quadratic Equations and Functions that will include a problem solving activity to kick things off. The activity is based on some clothespin catapults that other teachers have used and posted on their blogs.
The past several days I have had a few breakthroughs with some students who have taken the initiative to come in after school for some extra help. In a class of 33 students it is tough to be able to understand and assess what each and every student really knows. Spend a few quality minutes with them one-on-one and they open up. Not only do voices open up but so do their minds. The thinking is obvious. One young man stated as he left my room the other evening, "if I knew it was this easy to think about math I would have done it a long time ago!" For many students "doing" math is a difficult task, but even if the task it self is difficult all students can spend time "thinking" about math and "talking" about math.
I have been reading numerous other blogs from some seemingly great teachers. They talk about many of the same struggles that I am experiencing in my 16th year of teaching. Just as the pressures of state testing and meeting AYP are mounting I am finding myself searching for a better or smarter way to teach. I am drawn to the idea of teaching math from a true problem solving perspective and am excited to try new things. I have expressed interest in this with some of my colleagues in the math department but no one seems to be sharing the vision.
I am currently working on a unit for Quadratic Equations and Functions that will include a problem solving activity to kick things off. The activity is based on some clothespin catapults that other teachers have used and posted on their blogs.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
NCTM Minneapolis
Spending two days out of the classroom may be a welcome "vacation" for some teachers but I was really worried about it. I am glad that NCTM Minneapolis offered some really good workshops. I managed to sit in on 10 different sessions, 9 of which were worth while. I really enjoyed the Mathematical Lense session as I have always liked the column in the magazine and, as many of you may know, I also enjoy photography. The sessions that were centered around problem solving and reasoning were great and the information/discussion sessions about the new publication "reasoning and sense making in high school mathematics" was really enlightening.
I will be out of the classroom one more day on Monday for another workshop (this one local) so I won't see my students until Tuesday. I am excited to try some new ideas and get my students working on with while problem solving and reasoning.
I will be out of the classroom one more day on Monday for another workshop (this one local) so I won't see my students until Tuesday. I am excited to try some new ideas and get my students working on with while problem solving and reasoning.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Time...where does it go?
I certainly have been shirking my duties with this blog. I don't know where all of the time goes. Preparing for my classes, going to meetings, preparing for meetings, preparing sub plans for when I have to go to a meeting...and on and on and on.
This week has been an active week for my classes. A lot of good discussions and interactions with students. I think my students are getting more comfortable (as am I) with being active participants in the teaching and learning that takes place in room D216. When students ask questions the now know that I will probably call on another student to answer it before I give any input. I still need to find a way to get more students into the action as a few of them still passively make it through class as a mere spectator.
Algebra 2 - we are reviewing Linear Functions. We spent this week discussing what functions are (and are not) and recalling how we graph them using slope-intercept and standard forms. Students tend to rely on the short cut methods to graphing and when they don't remember it they are stuck. Very few can fall back to making an input-output table to find several points. Students need to have their HW done for Friday!
Here it is: Workbook p. 15-17 1 - 23 all , Textbook p. 86 2-26 evens, and Workbook p. 20-21 evens.
Enriched Geometry students are undertaking REASONING SKILLS. We have discussed both Inductive and Deductive Reasoning and looked at how we use both of them to make decisions. What to eat for breakfast? What to wear to school? Should I do my homework? Do I need to go to practice? Should I drive 65 mph so I am not late? Students have several assignments to be completing. Students should have done Textbook p. 75 #1-18, 23,25: Workbook p. 25-27 #2-18 even, 20-24; and Textbook p. 90 #11 - 13, 15 - 17, and the Quiz on p. 93
Want some fun? Try some logic puzzles at this site: Printable Puzzles
I promise I will try to post more often!
Math Rocks!
Mr C
This week has been an active week for my classes. A lot of good discussions and interactions with students. I think my students are getting more comfortable (as am I) with being active participants in the teaching and learning that takes place in room D216. When students ask questions the now know that I will probably call on another student to answer it before I give any input. I still need to find a way to get more students into the action as a few of them still passively make it through class as a mere spectator.
Algebra 2 - we are reviewing Linear Functions. We spent this week discussing what functions are (and are not) and recalling how we graph them using slope-intercept and standard forms. Students tend to rely on the short cut methods to graphing and when they don't remember it they are stuck. Very few can fall back to making an input-output table to find several points. Students need to have their HW done for Friday!
Here it is: Workbook p. 15-17 1 - 23 all , Textbook p. 86 2-26 evens, and Workbook p. 20-21 evens.
Enriched Geometry students are undertaking REASONING SKILLS. We have discussed both Inductive and Deductive Reasoning and looked at how we use both of them to make decisions. What to eat for breakfast? What to wear to school? Should I do my homework? Do I need to go to practice? Should I drive 65 mph so I am not late? Students have several assignments to be completing. Students should have done Textbook p. 75 #1-18, 23,25: Workbook p. 25-27 #2-18 even, 20-24; and Textbook p. 90 #11 - 13, 15 - 17, and the Quiz on p. 93
Want some fun? Try some logic puzzles at this site: Printable Puzzles
I promise I will try to post more often!
Math Rocks!
Mr C
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Picture is Worth...
I consider myself an amateur photographer even though my wife and I actually earn some money from what we do. I love taking pictures and I often feel that I take too many. I have started to gather photos of architecture, design, nature, and just about anything else that in one way or another shows how MATHEMATICS surrounds us. I want to share many of these and use them in classroom discussions. I am also extending an open invitation to all math students to join me in taking "Snapshots of Math".
Here is a recent photo I took when I was in Duluth. What do you see? You can write a summary of any math that you see, along with an explanation (in your own words) and receive some extra credit.
Here is a recent photo I took when I was in Duluth. What do you see? You can write a summary of any math that you see, along with an explanation (in your own words) and receive some extra credit.
Something to Think About!
Later,
Mr C
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What is a Formula?
Today's Algebra 2 discussion was about formulas. What are they? What are examples that we use? and How do we work with them? I was easy on my students as I only gave them about 9 problems to do for tomorrow.
Enriched Geometry students tackled the Midpoint formulas today and did a heck of a job. Next up is the DISTANCE FORMULA! Anyone good a rapping? Maybe we can come up with a rhyme and some rhythm to help us remember it. I'm gonna need a lot of help because my musical abilities are quite limited.
Onward
Mr C
Enriched Geometry students tackled the Midpoint formulas today and did a heck of a job. Next up is the DISTANCE FORMULA! Anyone good a rapping? Maybe we can come up with a rhyme and some rhythm to help us remember it. I'm gonna need a lot of help because my musical abilities are quite limited.
Onward
Mr C
Monday Scorcher
It was plenty warm in my room today...we are not used to the warm weather and the air conditioning was not functioning in a lot of the building. We still managed to be productive.
Algebra 2 spent another day reviewing linear equations and looked at solving when we have fractions and decimals. We also looked at the situations where our solution to the equation is ALL REAL NUMBERS or NO SOLUTION. We then worked out of our textbooks. CH 1.3 #33 - 60 every 3rd, 63, 65, and 72.
Enriched Geometry students were introduced to their first POSTULATES today. The biggest one being the segment addition postulate. There are a lot of notations and symbols that students have to get used to. My two classes are pretty sharp and they are picking up on things quickly. The assignment for today was out of the textbook for Ch 1.2 page #12
We're moving right along!
On to Tuesday
Mr C
Algebra 2 spent another day reviewing linear equations and looked at solving when we have fractions and decimals. We also looked at the situations where our solution to the equation is ALL REAL NUMBERS or NO SOLUTION. We then worked out of our textbooks. CH 1.3 #33 - 60 every 3rd, 63, 65, and 72.
Enriched Geometry students were introduced to their first POSTULATES today. The biggest one being the segment addition postulate. There are a lot of notations and symbols that students have to get used to. My two classes are pretty sharp and they are picking up on things quickly. The assignment for today was out of the textbook for Ch 1.2 page #12
We're moving right along!
On to Tuesday
Mr C
Friday, September 11, 2009
The First of Many Friday's
Week #1 was a success!
All if my classes did a great job of transitioning back into "student" mode. We had some rally great discussions in each class and students in my Algebra 2 classes are showing off their linear algebra skills. Solving equations is "old hat" these days and we can move on to bigger and better things. Next up...problem solving techniques.
Enriched Geometry students took it easy today by working on the "Who I Am" activity. It's always fun to find out uniques/interesting things about my students, for example one of them absolutely loves to eat lutefisk while another thinks chocolate milk and laffy taffy are food groups.
Have a Great Weekend and I will see you MONDAY!
Mr C
All if my classes did a great job of transitioning back into "student" mode. We had some rally great discussions in each class and students in my Algebra 2 classes are showing off their linear algebra skills. Solving equations is "old hat" these days and we can move on to bigger and better things. Next up...problem solving techniques.
Enriched Geometry students took it easy today by working on the "Who I Am" activity. It's always fun to find out uniques/interesting things about my students, for example one of them absolutely loves to eat lutefisk while another thinks chocolate milk and laffy taffy are food groups.
Have a Great Weekend and I will see you MONDAY!
Mr C
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tomorrow is our First Friday of the Year...
We made it through picture day at NBAHS. Despite the interupptions of students coming and going we were able to be productive.
Algebra 2 took time for some Q/A on the Ch 1.1 assignment. Unit conversions seemed to be the trickiest part. Students need to complete and make corrections for that assignment as itr is due tomorrow. We then went through some expamples of powers, algebraic expressions, and following the order of operations. Remember PEMDAS? One student remembers it by Purple Elephants Munching Down Appple Sauce or something like that...For an assignment we broke out our workbooks and did Page 3 #2 - 18 evens.
Enriched Geometry started with a review of yesterdays lesson. Numerous students in each class got the opportunity to tell the class what they learned about points, lines, and planes. Tremendous job done by all!
We then continued with the lesson and took some time to talk about COLLINEAR and COPLANAR POINTS. Sometimes the spatial visualization aspects of geometry is frustrating for students. Some even struggle sketching a cube to make it look 3-d on thier papers. Plenty of practice will help. Another point of emphasis today was the idea of intersect/intersection of points, lines, and planes. Homework for today was in your workbooks, pages 1 - 3 (all 29 problems).
I'm still working on the names and faces. I always make it a challenge to know all students by the time we take our first test.
Until Tomorrow,
Mr C
Algebra 2 took time for some Q/A on the Ch 1.1 assignment. Unit conversions seemed to be the trickiest part. Students need to complete and make corrections for that assignment as itr is due tomorrow. We then went through some expamples of powers, algebraic expressions, and following the order of operations. Remember PEMDAS? One student remembers it by Purple Elephants Munching Down Appple Sauce or something like that...For an assignment we broke out our workbooks and did Page 3 #2 - 18 evens.
Enriched Geometry started with a review of yesterdays lesson. Numerous students in each class got the opportunity to tell the class what they learned about points, lines, and planes. Tremendous job done by all!
We then continued with the lesson and took some time to talk about COLLINEAR and COPLANAR POINTS. Sometimes the spatial visualization aspects of geometry is frustrating for students. Some even struggle sketching a cube to make it look 3-d on thier papers. Plenty of practice will help. Another point of emphasis today was the idea of intersect/intersection of points, lines, and planes. Homework for today was in your workbooks, pages 1 - 3 (all 29 problems).
I'm still working on the names and faces. I always make it a challenge to know all students by the time we take our first test.
Until Tomorrow,
Mr C
Wednesday's Review
How big is 1 trillion? How many millions are in a trillion? This was our class opening discussion. Only about 1 in 5 adults can answer this correctly. How did your parent's answer it?
My classes got their textbooks today! I could tell they were totally thrilled. I even gave my Algebra 2 classes some homework to do. To top that I made my Enriched Geometry students take notes.
OK, so here is what we talked about. In EG we looked at the essentials of Geometry which include trhee undefined terms, POINT, LINE, and PLANE. We had very good class discussions and many students offered their inputs and ideas...GREAT WORK!
Algebra 2 students did a quick review discussion on number sense including the system of real numbers.
My classes got their textbooks today! I could tell they were totally thrilled. I even gave my Algebra 2 classes some homework to do. To top that I made my Enriched Geometry students take notes.
OK, so here is what we talked about. In EG we looked at the essentials of Geometry which include trhee undefined terms, POINT, LINE, and PLANE. We had very good class discussions and many students offered their inputs and ideas...GREAT WORK!
Algebra 2 students did a quick review discussion on number sense including the system of real numbers.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Day 1 is done...it's GREAT to be BACK!
It was great seeing everyone today. We got through some of the general first day stuff and even got our brains back in to gear.
Remember...Be on Time, Be Prepared, Be Respectful...Be Responsible for your own learning!
Tomorrow we will look a little closer at our expectations for this year and probably even had out textbooks.
Here is a recap of some of the things we looked at today:
We looked at a few pictures and discussed what we saw...one was an optical illusion and the other was a diagram with some numbers(shown below).
Can you find at least three methods for solving this?
The class discussions were awesome for the first day of school. I can't wait to really see what my students can do with math.
Until tomorrow,
Mr C
Remember...Be on Time, Be Prepared, Be Respectful...Be Responsible for your own learning!
Tomorrow we will look a little closer at our expectations for this year and probably even had out textbooks.
Here is a recap of some of the things we looked at today:
We looked at a few pictures and discussed what we saw...one was an optical illusion and the other was a diagram with some numbers(shown below).
What Can You Do With This
My Algebra 2 classes were presented with this problem that I found on MathNotations
After 4 tests, Barry's average score was 5 points higher than Michelle's. After the 5th test, Michelle's overall average was 5 points higher than Barry's. Michelle's score on the 5th test was how many points higher than Barry's?
Can you find at least three methods for solving this?
The class discussions were awesome for the first day of school. I can't wait to really see what my students can do with math.
Until tomorrow,
Mr C
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The excitement and anticipation is getting to me...
Tuesday will be here soon and I can't wait to get a good start on the new school year. This year we will operate under a simple but powerful slogan..."LEARN". We will spend a lot of time in discussions about what it means to learn math and how do we really know when we have achieved true learning.
Get ready...make sure you are set to go...we will be starting on Tuesday with our journey of learning math. It will be a challenge that I encourage each and everyone of you to take. There is a lot at stake for you as students. I hope all of you have some pretty high expectations and bring with you some lofty goals for both your education and your personal life. Get ready and excited for the 2009-2010 school year.
See You on Tuesday!
Mr C
Get ready...make sure you are set to go...we will be starting on Tuesday with our journey of learning math. It will be a challenge that I encourage each and everyone of you to take. There is a lot at stake for you as students. I hope all of you have some pretty high expectations and bring with you some lofty goals for both your education and your personal life. Get ready and excited for the 2009-2010 school year.
See You on Tuesday!
Mr C
Monday, August 24, 2009
Get ready for the start of a great school year!
September 8th is just around the corner so get ready for an exciting year in MATH!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
It's Been a while...where does the time go?
It's is MCAII time! We are now gearing up for the MCAII test and we will be reviewing many of the topics that we covered in Geometry and Algebra that we have not done in a while. Topics like trigonometry, parallel lines, surface area and volume to name just a few. We will also get all students more familiar with the standards so they are aware of what is expected.
I will make sure you can access some practice materials that are available online...
Persective For Families where you can find some practice materials
You can also use CLASSZONE to find our textbooks and get study materials, including the @Home Tutor
It's crunch time and we all need to get ourselves as prepared as we can.
I will make sure you can access some practice materials that are available online...
Persective For Families where you can find some practice materials
You can also use CLASSZONE to find our textbooks and get study materials, including the @Home Tutor
It's crunch time and we all need to get ourselves as prepared as we can.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
WOW it's COLD!
What can I say? If you don't like the cold then why live in Wisc/Minn?
This has been a busy week at school for my students, especially my Enriched Geometry students. They have be working hard to finish Ch 5 and prepare for Friday's test. We spent two class periods in the computer lab with Geogebra. The students are getting to know the program quite well and can use it as a powerful learning tool. Technology is great (when it's working) and can enhance any curriculum. I'll try to post some of the things we have created with geogebra...
I have to make more time to update this blog...see you soon.
Mr C
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Start of a New Year (2009)
Welcome Back!
2009 is upon us and I am excited to get back to teaching. I hope you all had a good break, I know I did!
Anyone make a New Year's Resolution? Have you kept it so far? Resolutions are like goals. Most people who make them end up falling short of their goals for one reason or another. Let's take some time to make some goals for our classes and help each other meet the goals.
Talk to you soon!
Mr C
Some Great Videos...
This is an inspiring video...click here
Here is a great MATH video (for those of you that do not believe that 13 times 7 is 24)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)