tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38444575447943159162024-03-12T21:59:23.563-07:00Mrs. McGowan's Reflective BlogsThese blogs reflect what I feel at the moment. They are my words, and my sole opinions.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-63915497686509744372016-07-29T20:05:00.000-07:002016-07-29T20:15:37.107-07:00#KTI2016 ReflectionAs I made my 2 hour drive home from #KTI2016 summit today, I was surrounded by beauty. The mountains, the valleys, the wildlife, and the clouds. All of these things had me reflecting about one of the most awesomeness weeks I have had in my entire professional career. Here are few of the things I reflected on:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qBMGsTAUG_k/V5v_zTxEAJI/AAAAAAAAAjw/qUpT_tNkrXQCwzCfWUm5z3ZXIj5sqCIgACK4B/s1600/IMG_4640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qBMGsTAUG_k/V5v_zTxEAJI/AAAAAAAAAjw/qUpT_tNkrXQCwzCfWUm5z3ZXIj5sqCIgACK4B/s320/IMG_4640.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mountains that I would eventually climb!</td></tr>
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<li>The mountain chains came together to make such a beautiful scene, and that made me think that the 100 stars that were present this week and the 22 (or so) lead leaders came together to create something extremely beautiful. Beauty was created because...</li>
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<li>We created a <a href="https://padlet.com/slm12/kti2016familyandfriends" target="_blank">family</a> that will continue to grow and support each other. </li>
<li>We celebrated so many achievements and encouraged others to do the same.</li>
<li>We formed <a href="https://padlet.com/slm12/kti2016familyandfriends" target="_blank">friendships</a> that will last a lifetime.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_V_CT1gMDck/V5wOC1TfBlI/AAAAAAAAAkc/MjQV59M3vKQNwssH4EMj56IQtvuBhQe8gCK4B/s320/IMG_5149.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The path ahead of me as I climbed the mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2ezm6vaTeY/V5wOEXSQB5I/AAAAAAAAAkk/i9eoDldgYzARIuSsRCWAnm6UTPEl2d1RACK4B/s1600/IMG_5150.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2ezm6vaTeY/V5wOEXSQB5I/AAAAAAAAAkk/i9eoDldgYzARIuSsRCWAnm6UTPEl2d1RACK4B/s320/IMG_5150.PNG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally, making an almost 180 degree turn.</td></tr>
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<li>The view that WAZE (my GPS app) is showing. As Aaron Sams (@chemicalsams) told us, the path of our career is not a straight line. My take-away from that: There are tons of curves and zigzagging happening, and sometimes, you have to make that 180 degree turn and head in a complete different direction. It truly was amazing to me that I wasn't even on the road for 1/2 hour, and this showed up on my screen. I literally had to pull over and save the pictures. My dream is to never leave the classroom. I plan to retire a math teacher. Is that what is in the plans for me?</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Bear, Cub, Black, Wildlife, Animal, Nature, Cute, Young" height="213" itemprop="contentURL" src="https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2015/04/12/00/54/bear-718378_960_720.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine this cub running really fast! <br />
Permission from https://pixabay.com to use.</td></tr>
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<li>The black bear cub that ran across the highway in front of me (I so wished I could have gotten a picture of him) was running full force, with ears back, and with determination in direction. I chuckled, because at that moment, I thought about me as a connected educator, and what I want to do with everything I learned at the summit. I want to run, full force, directly to my administrators and colleagues to share everything I learned. I want to do BreakoutEdu with EVERYONE, and get all of my colleagues using different formative assessments. I want to help all to create a positive learning culture (which is the foundation to everything else in the classroom.)</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cumulus Clouds, Sky, White, Blue, Clouds, Sun" height="212" itemprop="contentURL" src="https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2016/07/18/16/17/cumulus-clouds-1526262_960_720.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you see?<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Permission from https://pixabay.com to use.</span></td></tr>
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<li>The clouds made me reflect! How many of you look at the sky, and imagine what shape a cloud makes? I did that quite a few times today on my trip. I saw a crocodile, and a profile of a man with a large chin. I also saw several teddy bears (one lying down), a hand holding a ball, and a squirrel in flight. The clouds made me reflect that there is always a possibility. Nothing is impossible. With every idea thought or proposal, there are always "yes, if..." statements. Toss the "no, but..." statements to the landfills. Imagine the possibilities, and imagine what is needed to help that kindergartener entering this year graduate in 2029 with the ability to interact with her world. </li>
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<li>As I traveled today, the sun kept popping in and out, hiding behind clouds, and then being fully exposed. That reminded me of being flexible, stepping outside my comfort zone, and being a teacher that simply bumps the rudder of her students' boats. Be the flame that all students need!</li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-74046962489726874222016-03-25T19:59:00.002-07:002016-03-25T19:59:19.341-07:00Virtual Office Hours and Study SessionsBeside being a flipped educator, where I flip my courses for my students, I have now added virtual office hours and study sessions to the list of things I do for my student. My students are 1-1 this year, so every student has at least a ChromeBook or a MacBook. I have been using virtual office hours and study sessions all year, and a little last year, but I am most excited about them recently. Having discovered the Limnu App, which I will explain about later, I feel that I have taken the office hours and study sessions to a new level. The students really enjoy working with the Limnu App.<br />
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The <a href="https://limnu.com/" target="_blank">Limnu App</a> is an interactive whiteboard that an unlimited number of people can work on at once. This whiteboard has a vast range of applications where it can be used. I first discovered this app in early February, 2016, and immediately started using it during the weekly study sessions. Pretty soon after, one of the designers of the app, reached out to me, after I tweeted about the 1st time I used it with students, and since then, has had regular communication with me. The developers want to make it the best product they can, and continuously wants feedback from its users. The latest addition is why I write this blog.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUyUEYkybJI/VvX5tWHiEmI/AAAAAAAAAgk/8IzfAYZ7nYEJ2mmuSVquooCFvNR1wMQOQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-25%2Bat%2B10.51.47%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUyUEYkybJI/VvX5tWHiEmI/AAAAAAAAAgk/8IzfAYZ7nYEJ2mmuSVquooCFvNR1wMQOQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-25%2Bat%2B10.51.47%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Within the last couple of weeks, I received an email from one of the developers of the app, informing me about a new addition to the app. The new addition are called pins. When a student works on the whiteboard, they can pin their name, which allows me to quickly click on the pin (that show on the right) and find that students work. Last Thursday, March 17, was the first time that I was able to use and see the pins in action.<br />
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Here is how the study sessions/virtual office hours work. I announce to the my students the date and time that I am available for me to meet with them in the evenings. The time is usually late evening on any given night. My students are in so many other activities, I pick times that are after sports practice, music practice, and family dinner time. The time is usually 8-9 PM, 9-10 PM, or even 8-10 PM.<br />
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The students are made aware of the study session times via either a Remind that I send, an email, or/and the agenda in PlanBook. Both of first two include a link to the Today's Meet Session for that evening. Once the students are in the Today's Meet session, I then post the link to the Limnu board that I have opened as well. Not all students do the Limnu board, and not all students do the Today's Meet. The Limnu board has a chat within it as well. Students then have the hour (or 2 hours) to ask me any question that they want. Sometimes, I create a special Study Session Problem Set that students will do on the Limnu Board with me and their peers watching. The students often will correct each other, give feedback, give ideas, give compliments, etc to their peers as they work. Other students ask clarifying questions in the Today's Meet session.<br />
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I was so excited about last week's study session because of the pins. I quickly taught my students to put a pin with their name and problem number they were working on. I was able to just click on a name, and it took me right to their work. This is exciting because with the white board having no boundaries, the students would work all over the place and sometimes I couldn't find them. Now the pins ensure that I see every student that is working, and where they are working. When students started a new problem, either one I give them or one they create, and after getting the smiley face from me, they would either, erase their work, and start with a new problem, delete their pin, and start a new pin, or just move elsewhere on the board, leaving the work, and start a new pin with a new number. At one time, I had about 20 students working on the board, so the pins helped greatly.<br />
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On my end, I usually have 3 devices going. The Limnu board is on my iPad, my Mac has the Today's Meet Session Chat displayed and on my Chromebook, the Limnu board chat displayed. I have included pictures of all of the above. I always leave the study sessions feeling connected to my students, pleased with being able to help my students, and thrilled that the students take advantage of these situations. The students always comment to me the next day how much the study session helped. Sometimes, when the material is harder, the students ask for additional study sessions. I always oblige them. I love helping and being available this way for my students.<br />
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Here are the pictures of that evening:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-HZu9Mz024/VvXZUxmcXaI/AAAAAAAAAgM/PyLuEILnDlM8MqhILLFy6af9KsPfXGUYg/s1600/IMG_4922%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-HZu9Mz024/VvXZUxmcXaI/AAAAAAAAAgM/PyLuEILnDlM8MqhILLFy6af9KsPfXGUYg/s320/IMG_4922%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a>All three devices and work station!</div>
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The Limnu Board with several student pins!<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wzlp8QSNNV0/VvXZUgUoUwI/AAAAAAAAAgI/Rtbe6EsOTcM1lnXTjfh14F30oM85KX3JA/s1600/IMG_4923%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wzlp8QSNNV0/VvXZUgUoUwI/AAAAAAAAAgI/Rtbe6EsOTcM1lnXTjfh14F30oM85KX3JA/s320/IMG_4923%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BDnfSl-zyE/VvXZUuXdrFI/AAAAAAAAAgE/VcR8ASuixqQ0JGXa1qmv3_9LukZx31FWg/s1600/IMG_4924%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BDnfSl-zyE/VvXZUuXdrFI/AAAAAAAAAgE/VcR8ASuixqQ0JGXa1qmv3_9LukZx31FWg/s320/IMG_4924%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Today's Meet Session in the beginning.</div>
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The Limnu Board Chat Session displayed!<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0yLcD7pMbko/VvXZWw8aQII/AAAAAAAAAgQ/31AzxFvKOSIBWPCbSeN90QTRN947j1Nfw/s1600/IMG_4925%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0yLcD7pMbko/VvXZWw8aQII/AAAAAAAAAgQ/31AzxFvKOSIBWPCbSeN90QTRN947j1Nfw/s320/IMG_4925%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0wddhWYBzQ/VvXZXiecjBI/AAAAAAAAAgU/Ui1qAwV1aroqHVhyocIeq1kZeOrQPVvSw/s1600/IMG_4926%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0wddhWYBzQ/VvXZXiecjBI/AAAAAAAAAgU/Ui1qAwV1aroqHVhyocIeq1kZeOrQPVvSw/s320/IMG_4926%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a>A copy of the Study Session Problem Set!</div>
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Since I am blogging about this after the summative assessment was given, I am happy to report that the median score on this assessment was a 35/38. That median score was much higher than I have seen on this assessment since I started flipping this course, 4 years ago. The students really knocked this out of the park. I will be revisiting this assessment to see how I can alter it to make it even more higher order or perhaps an alternate assessment. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-20331131413267501142016-02-14T19:06:00.003-08:002016-02-14T19:11:39.921-08:00Every single person should feel loved. I am acting as a Virtual Mentor for a student at Grove City College (in Pennsylvania) that is interested in being a math teacher. She is a freshman, and is taking an educational technology class. (<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.34px;">#educ204toi)</span> She has to complete projects using different technology avenues. She and I discuss what the technology is, and then I give her ideas of things I would like to have made for my math classes. She designs the projects, and I utilize them in my classroom almost immediately. The projects are then authentic to her, as they are projects that are being used, and aren't just busy work to learn the technology.<br />
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It was important to give you the introduction. When Tyla (<a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/tylaraethompson" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); color: #8899a6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;"><span style="background: rgb(245 , 248 , 250); color: #8899a6; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;">@</span></span><span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="background: rgb(245 , 248 , 250); color: #8899a6; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;">tylaraethompson</span></a>) asked me what she could do for me using Google forms and surveys, at first I wasn't sure. My students are so used to google forms and surveys, that I wanted something different, other than just another boring survey. At the same time, unrelated to this request, I was thinking about how important it is for students to hear kind things about them and to offer kind words to others. Sometimes, our world can be so cruel, that I wanted something happy and positive to happen. So, I asked Tyla to make a google form that included every student's first and last initial. I shared the google form with each of my classes, and asked them to write some kind words about each student. I told them that you can ALWAYS come up with something kind, and needed them to do so. Just in case students didn't remember each others's names, I did one day in class have my students go around and say their names. I was hoping that wouldn't happen, but there are several students with the same first name, and needed to differentiate between those students as well.<br />
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What did I do with the completed responses? The students had until today, at 4 PM, to enter their comments. This evening, I used a word cloud app called <a href="http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html">Tagxedo</a>. I chose a shape (a heart for the girls, a star for the boys, and an apple for the whole class) and loaded the comments for each student into it. It created a word cloud for each of my 80 students. I saved each word cloud and will print a copy for each student. I am hoping to surprise each student with their own cloud on Tuesday. (For you enjoy, I have attached a copy of each shape below, but not with made up names, in case someone actually reads this blog!)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3ahDtjjtPg/VsFAftIPcTI/AAAAAAAAAd0/T1N9pOp6mmI/s1600/Sample%2Bgirl%2Bword.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3ahDtjjtPg/VsFAftIPcTI/AAAAAAAAAd0/T1N9pOp6mmI/s320/Sample%2Bgirl%2Bword.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8uOttQvDso/VsFAiVZdbdI/AAAAAAAAAd4/h5cKz701nhg/s1600/whole%2Bclass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8uOttQvDso/VsFAiVZdbdI/AAAAAAAAAd4/h5cKz701nhg/s320/whole%2Bclass.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEY_wAI6cxs/VsFAkIJNZ_I/AAAAAAAAAd8/3HXz9AyQYPk/s1600/sample%2Bboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEY_wAI6cxs/VsFAkIJNZ_I/AAAAAAAAAd8/3HXz9AyQYPk/s320/sample%2Bboy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Why take the time to do this? I want each of my students to understand that there are people that enjoy their company, people that appreciate their humor, students that appreciate their intelligence, and others that appreciate their personalities. Being a teenager can be very lonely, and I hope these word clouds help my students understand that there is always someone that loves them, that respects them, that will help them, and that will advocate for them. I hope my students understand that one of these people will always be me, their math teacher! My students aren't just students. They are MY students! Students that really are part of my family as I teach them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-44214850432000541182016-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:002016-01-25T17:48:00.992-08:00There once was a boy...Today started our new semester, and a new semester for me brings a new group of students to my remediation Algebra 1 class. These students are assigned to this class because they were not proficient on the Algebra 1 Keystone Exam (Pennsylvania's state assessment). The law requires us to remediate these students, prior to them taking the test again.<br />
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Every one of these students have a 2nd math class. They all have a year long Geometry class. Most of these students are your struggling math students, that simply don't like math. The thought of having 2 math classes in (sometimes) the same 4 block day, is daunting and scary.<br />
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My remediation class is a flipped mastery class, where the students do absolutely all work in class. There is no outside homework, and they are always able to improve on any score they receive. It is a standards based graded course as well. Every student has their own individual learning plan, based on their state assessment scores.<br />
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So, 2nd block today, while waiting for the students to find the room, and for class to start, the following conversation happens. The boy's name will be John for this conversation, so that his identity is protected.<br />
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John: "Are you Mrs. McGowan?"<br />
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Me: "I am!"<br />
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John: "I just want to tell you I don't want this class. I already have another math class, and I can't simply handle another math class. Can I please be exited from this class?"<br />
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Me: "But, John, I was SoooOOOOoooo looking forward to teaching you. I was told that your smile will brighten my day, and that your humor will surely make me smile, regardless of the day that I was having.<br />
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John: just looking at me<br />
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Me: "I was told that I you are such a great student, that I will be blessed having you as a student"<br />
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John: "You were really told that!"<br />
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Me: "Yes! Can you give me a chance?"<br />
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I continued with class, where we did absolutely no math. We did a kahoot about me, students answered 10 questions about them, filled out a blog on "I wish my teacher knew...", did a learning style quiz, and played a Socrative space race on pop culture.<br />
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While playing Kahoot, the para's name in the room was mentioned. John exclaimed, "I know her! She's in my Geometry class too!" I, then told John, that is who told me all of those nice things about him.<br />
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John looked at the para and said "You really said those things! Thank you!"<br />
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At the end of the block (90 minutes), John announced to the class:<br />
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"I like you, Mrs. McGowan. It's going to be a great semester together!"<br />
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Now, I just have to make sure I live up to my end of the bargain. That my friends, is how I hook the students. I learn positive things about them, prior to knowing them, so that I can make sure they know I care.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-25055420888970884482016-01-11T17:47:00.000-08:002016-01-11T17:47:01.903-08:00Why allow redos and late homework?I just had this conversation with my students last Thursday. "Would you do homework if it wasn't counted for toward your grade," I asked my students. Here were some of the responses:<br />
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<li>"Wait, we get points for doing homework?"</li>
<li>"We have to do your homework. If not, we would be totally lost the next day. Your homework is mandatory to know what the heck we are doing in class."</li>
<li>"Only certain subjects. It only counts for 10% of our grade, so not that big of deal. Other classes, it counts for 50% of the grade."</li>
<li>"Videos, yes! Worksheets, no!"</li>
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I asked this question because it never fails that majority of my students do their homework, and it just seems to be unnecessary for me to walk around and make sure they all really did do it. However, I do, because if I assigned it, then it is important. I don't assign homework just to assign homework. There is always a purpose.</div>
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The concept that it is important and it serves a purpose is exactly why I allow late homework. When a student doesn't do a video, he/she is asked to leave the room to watch it, so that he/she can be fully engaged with the activity taking place during class time. I don't deduct points because it wasn't done. Once the video is watched, the student is integrated back into the class activity. Usually it only takes once or twice for a student to realize, 10-15 minutes the night before is worth it. </div>
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As for worksheets or other homework other than video, if a student doesn't have it complete when class starts, I ask the student to please complete it later, and once done, to show it to me for full credit. That usually catches the student off guard. "You will allow it late for full credit?" "I assigned it, right? It's important and you need to do it." </div>
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As for test redos, I allow them. I allow students to retake summative assessments. This retake can't happen until a few things are done. The student must write me a letter (and their parents) as to why they should be allowed to have a retake, they must correct all mistakes on the first test explaining all mistakes, they must complete extra practice problems that I assign, and they must meet with me to go over practice problems. When those events are completed, then a retake is issued. I have very few of these retakes, because students realize the work involved and do well on the first test to begin with. Also, because I give so many different ungraded formative assessments prior to giving the summative test, I often know exactly who is going to do well and who isn't. I try to have the face to face conversations with those that won't do well, to help them do well. </div>
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Some arguments that I hear from colleagues is that I am not teaching the students for real life, for college, for blah blah blah. "Would you want a doctor to work on you that has made mistakes," I am asked? Well, yes, I would because he/she had the opportunity to make the mistake prior to working on me, get it right, and I think I am pretty safe. If I wouldn't have had the chance to take my teacher exams more than once, I wouldn't be teaching. I had a grand-mal seizure during the first round, and the test was marked as a failure since I couldn't complete it. </div>
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Stuff happens. Everyone deserves another chance!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-81269095254038520212016-01-09T19:30:00.000-08:002016-01-11T15:50:11.090-08:00What is a formative assessment?I am a firm believer that formative assessments must be part of the teaching and learning process. I tell my students that an FA (formative assessment) allows me to get a pulse on their learning and their understanding, and gives me a direction in the path of teaching. <b>Consider this situation:</b> You are on a path of teaching, and you reach a fork in the road. What path you choose should be based on students' understanding. Through administering a formative assessment, you have information that helps you decide the right path that is best for the students. In this blog post, I hope to touch on what a formative assessment is, what a formative assessment is not, different types/methods of formative assessments, and different programs/internet sites one might use to administer a formative assessment.<br />
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<b>What exactly is a formative assessment?</b><br />
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A formative assessment <b>is a quick assessment</b> that allows a teacher to get a pulse on the students' learning. To me, what is important is that it's quick. FAs can be planned, but the most powerful ones are those that come about by observing the students, and listening for the students' understanding. FAs can also be used to check for common mistakes and used to discern those mistakes. It is not an assessment that checks for mastery of an objective or learning target. Mastery is usually associated with summative assessments.<br />
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Furthermore, a formative assessment <b>is not a graded assessment</b>. In my opinion, as soon as you grade a formative assessment, the learning stops. Students view it as a one and done type of assessment. Students also tend to get anxious when grades are assigned, and anxiety often times prevents a teacher from seeing the true understanding. Because you aren't checking for mastery, it is important to allow the students to try and try again if needed. The students are more willing to take risks in their own learning, when they are not being graded.<br />
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However, formative assessments <b>do require feedback</b>. It makes no sense to give a formative assessment, if you do nothing with it. As a teacher, after administering a formative assessment, regardless of type, I need to provide feedback to students. Sometimes, the feedback is simply a "High-five, you are on the right track!" but other times, the feedback needs to be a private face to face conversation with the student. This provides for a very powerful teaching opportunity. Those face to face chats can help you learn so much about the confusions a student has.<br />
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<b>What are different types of formative assessments?</b><br />
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A formative assessment can be done at the start of the class, some points in the middle, and/or at the end of class. It <b>should be done often</b>. It can be done gesturally, on paper/pencil, or digitally. All three have pros and cons, and all three can be employed rather quickly. Some ideas for each include the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Gesturally</b>- Extremely quick, but hard to give feedback. This also requires trust that the student is being honest with their learning since no work can be seen.</li>
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<li>Thumbs up/down for understanding</li>
<li>Cards that indicate where a student is understanding (Got it! Almost Got it! Need Help! Not sure at all!)</li>
<li>Fist to five (5 fingers = Understand completely, 4 fingers = Understand mostly, 3 = Understand pretty well, 2 = more practice, please, 1 = need help, fist = No understanding)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Paper/Pencil</b>- Not the quickest way to get information, but is important if technology isn't available.</li>
<ul>
<li>Homework practice- since a teacher doesn't expect mastery on every single homework problem, one might look at homework practice as a type of formative assessment. I know that I do when my students have practice problems for homework. </li>
<li>Entrance Tickets or a "Do Now" problem. This can help you decide differentiated groups. </li>
<li>Get the Goof- Teacher solves a problem, but makes an error. The students need to find that error and explain why it is wrong.</li>
<li>Quick Pulse- What can the student do at this point, and what needs to be stressed. This can been done a poll, a quick discussion using a back channel, or simply a problem to solve.</li>
<li>Exit Ticket- What are students' take away from the class (summarize what they learn, give a quick example of what was taught) what thoughts might a student have, what needs further discussion</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Digitally</b> - These are software/internet sites that help you "see" the learning and engage using technology. (These are just a few options!)</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://goformative.com/" target="_blank">goFormative</a>- My favorite. Only one (that I know of) that gives you live results as your students work. Many different ways to make a FA easily.</li>
<li><a href="https://todaysmeet.com/" target="_blank">Today's Meet</a>- A back channel that allows you to gather information/discussion with your students. Can be used as a way to do virtual office hours as well.</li>
<li><a href="https://getkahoot.com/">Kahoot</a>- a site that can create competition with your students</li>
<li><a href="https://www.polleverywhere.com/">Poll Everywhere</a> - allows you ask questions or a series of questions to check for understanding</li>
<li><a href="http://www.socrative.com/">Socrative</a> - a site that allows you to establish a virtual room (no logins needed) with different types of FA (multiple choice, open ended, space races)</li>
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</ul>
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Regardless of what you teach and how you teach it (traditional vs flipped classroom), formative assessments have to be an integral part of the teaching process. They show you what your students are learning, and where on the learning path they stand. They are not meant to be used to penalize a student for lack of understanding. Formative assessments are simply meant to inform you of your teaching, and help you determine what the next best step is for the students.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-59841834402413182612015-12-21T17:34:00.003-08:002015-12-21T17:34:59.198-08:00Rice Krispy Treats in a coneI really wanted my students to "see" exactly how a conic section is created. Yes, I could show them this visual<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7hJatuV_FWU/VnimQQlzEtI/AAAAAAAAAZU/dVJkacR3yVk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-12-21%2Bat%2B8.23.41%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7hJatuV_FWU/VnimQQlzEtI/AAAAAAAAAZU/dVJkacR3yVk/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-12-21%2Bat%2B8.23.41%2BPM.png" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">taken from Wikepedia</td></tr>
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but what exactly does that mean, and again, HOW does that happen.<br />
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So, after reading a blog (I completely forget who's blog it was), I decided to buy conical shaped paper cups and stuff them with rice krispy treats. (I made one for each student. I hadn't realized how much rice krispy treats I would have to make, and how time consuming that job was. Thank God for Michelle Maher @mmaher19923 for helping me.)<br />
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The students were then given a paper plate, a plastic knife, and a conical shaped rice krispy treat to dissect. I had the students look back at the definitions of each and asked them to cut their treat into the 4 different conic sections. I had the students take pictures of their conic sections as they went, and post to a <a href="http://padlet.com/slm12/mxobx229u7wf" target="_blank">padlet</a>.<br />
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Did this activity make them understand conic sections any better than the students that have come before them? I am not sure, but it certainly was fun, it made for a lot of laughter, and it was done on a day when majority of the students were taking some type of state test. Very low stress.<br />
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Will I do the activity again? Absolutely!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-81087917317115250522015-12-14T17:33:00.002-08:002015-12-14T17:33:20.677-08:00Why do the soft skills matter?If you invest time in the student teaching the soft skills, regardless of subject, then the student knows you care about him.<br />
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If the student knows you care about them, then the student cares more about your class.<br />
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If the student cares more about your class, then the student cares more about school.<br />
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If the student cares more about school, then the student is (more likely) wants to be at school.<br />
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If the student wants to be at school, then the student tries harder in their other classes.<br />
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If the student tries harder in their other classes, then the student's overall demeanor toward school becomes more positive.<br />
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If the student's overall demeanor toward school becomes more positive, then the student is a happier person.<br />
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If the student is a happier person, then the student tends to treat people with respect and appreciation.<br />
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If the student treats people with respect and appreciation, then the student becomes a better citizen.<br />
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Thus,<br />
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If you invest in the student teaching the soft skills, regardless of subject, then the student becomes a better citizen.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-72791964694459101182015-11-23T17:44:00.000-08:002015-11-23T17:44:30.074-08:00You Matter! You really do!Within the first month of school, I received a package in my school mailbox. It was an "award" given to both my husband, Erol and me. (My hubby is also a math teacher!) The award stated something to the effect that it is noticed that we go above and beyond our duties to help our students. <div>
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With the award were two "Super PI" t-shirts.</div>
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One for me and one for my husband. The award was totally anonymous, and still to this day I have no clue who gave it to us. However, it made me feel appreciated. It made me feel like I made a difference. It made me feel like I mattered.<div>
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About a month ago, my husband was having a particularly rough day. Nothing seemed to be going right. He did his routine check of his email, and found an email from a fellow French 4 colleague. This colleague wrote to Erol, explaining to him that she had her students give speeches in French. One girl got up and talked about how she hated math until this year. She gave my husband all the credit for making her like math. This particular email made my husband smile, and made him realize that he does make a difference.</div>
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Several weeks after that, I was participating in a twitter chat, and I honestly don't remember which one it was. I think it was the #paedchat. We were chatting about what we can do to help our teachers that are in funks right now. How do we help that new teacher continue, or that teacher that is having a rough year? Stacy Lovedahl (@braveneutrino) happened to stop in the chat and introduce me to #edulift and their challenge for the month. The challenge is to lift someone up in teaching, to encourage, to support, and to let them know they matter. </div>
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The last 3 weeks, with the help of my students, I have put "You Matter" note in about 30 teacher's, administrators, custodians, food service, and para professional mailboxes. My students are helping because they are the ones telling me the teachers that matter to them. The little notes just tell the person that they matter to someone, that they do make a difference, and that they are appreciated. I will continue this until every single person gets a "You Matter" note. These are completely anonymous, and I hope it stays that way. (trusting that no one in my school reads my blogs!) </div>
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I also hung You Matter posters in the staff bathrooms. We really do matter to someone! </div>
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So, that is who I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for that anonymous teacher that put that package in my mailbox, for the French teacher that emailed my husband, but Stacy for encouraging me to #edulift my colleagues. I feel that I am much happier person because of it! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-88093858519694472572015-10-26T17:40:00.000-07:002015-10-26T17:40:03.475-07:00Continuing to keep the positive in the cultureAt this time of the year, it is very hard to keep the positives up, and the negatives away. The students are getting tired and many are sick, the end of the marking period is near, and state testing for one of my courses is looming in the near future. However, this I will always continue to try. Giving up is never an option.<br />
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I try to <span style="color: orange;">CONNECT</span> with my students each day by greeting each student as they enter my class and smile when I say hello.<br />
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I <span style="color: purple;">SHARE</span> a funny story about me, my cats (usually), my family, or something I saw since I last saw the kids. That shows them I am human.<br />
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I <span style="color: #674ea7;">JOKE</span> with the kids, regardless of why or about what, just to get smiles on their faces.<br />
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This year, I have several students call me <span style="color: #0b5394;">MOM</span>, (it started because one girl said she wished I was her mother, and so several started calling me mom), and of course, I respond like a mom. MOM? WHAT? Go to your room!, etc. The boys particularly find this funny.<br />
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I <span style="color: #990000;">ATTEND</span> the students' activities outside of school. I have been to volley ball games, soccer games, choral recitals, foot ball games, parades (which I particularly don't care for!) and even a farm show (sorta).<br />
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I <span style="color: #783f04;">HELP</span> my students with subjects other than math. I don't make math elite. I show my students that I want them to do well in all of their classes, and so I make sure they do well. I have helped students with spanish (thanks @SenoraGibbs for helping me to help them), biology, chemistry, geometry, and even Agriculture class (studying for a test on birds!).<br />
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I <span style="color: #274e13;">LISTEN </span>to the students, regardless of what they want to tell me, and regardless if I have "time" to listen.<br />
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I <span style="color: #cc0000;">LOVE</span> my students!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-91430910997826581692015-10-19T17:45:00.000-07:002016-01-08T18:28:13.641-08:00The positives, the negatives, and don't forget Zero.After 3 full years of flipping, and starting my 4th, things feel a little different this year. I don't know if that is because of things going on in my life, outside of school, that I have no control over, or if the new schedule to block schedule and the building of a new school has had impacts.<br />
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Some very positive things that have happened this year has really happened in my low level math class. That class is a flipped mastery class, with absolutely no homework out side of school. I have this class on my B day, blocks 1 and 2. School starts at 8:10, but I have some of these students (usually more than half) in my room by 7:50, asking for help with their other math class, asking for help with their current skill drill, asking for the next assignment, or just talking to me about life. These students have connected so much to me, and the community in the room is absolutely awesome! These students help each other, interact with each other, and encourage each other daily. One day, a student drew a flower on my board, because she told me that she would love to buy me a flower, but all she can afford is to draw one. Are you kidding me? The one drawn is far more important to me than any amount that could be purchased. This is a student that exclaimed at the beginning of the year that she hates Algebra!<br />
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I will tweet the picture of the flower.<br />
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My advanced classes has been flipped for 4 years now, but this year my students only want to watch the video, and some only want to watch, and not take notes. When I ask them to do anything other than watching the instructional video, they don't want to do it. Practice in math is so important, and exploring is even more important, but they only want the video. I have never had to deal with this before, so this caught me off guard. I could blame it on that many of my advanced students shouldn't really be in advanced classes, but that isn't an excuse. They are in my classroom and I need to teach them. Trying to change things a bit so that I can get more from the students.<br />
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The Zero:<br />
Not positive or negative, but this year, out side of school so much is going on. My best friend buried her husband the other day. He took his own life. How do you get over that? Also, my own son has admitted that sometimes he feels like waking in the morning really isn't worth it. He is doing so well at school, both musically and academically, but yet, emotionally, there is something missing. I am a very concerned mommy, 2.5 hours away. Just trying to keep encouraging him, showing that there is so much to live for. I was diagnosed with Lyme's disease, and that has me very achey and exhausted. So, not positive or negative, and mostly not anything I can control, but it does take my heart.<br />
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Finally, I have decided to go back and finally get my Master's Degree, even though I have a bachelors + 50 something credits already, but that though of going back and getting a Masters of Education in Education Innovation is really exciting. I love learning!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-17035819627095531342015-09-14T17:29:00.002-07:002015-09-14T17:29:16.574-07:00My perfect PLC!#Flipclass chat tonight is about PLC's. The #flashblog assignment is to write about our perfect PLC. I am stuck. I really don't know what I would want in my perfect PLC. I want to compare it to my #flipclass PLN, or my #flipcon15 voxer group, or possibly my newly found #paedchat group. Is that fair to do so?<br />
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I know that I want it to be a community that fosters risk taking, that encourages each other to think outside the box, to not be afraid to challenge one's thinking, and to have a number one goal of "What is best for the students!" I want it to meet when we are all not-exhausted, and in a comfortable area to work. My ideal PLC probably would happen after school hours, at someone's house or a small cafe, with a coffee or an adult beverage in hand. If not in the same physical space, then maybe in a google hangout or through google or twitter chats. I want it to meet without the requirement of meeting, for the good of the student and teacher. I want it to be cross curricular and cross grade levels. I don't want it to have rules, or mandatory topics. I want to feel connected to the people in the PLC. I want it to be more than one person.<br />
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I guess I do know what I want in my ideal PLC. Is my ideal PLC possible? How can I make it happen?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-25521166035308068892015-09-12T19:21:00.003-07:002015-09-12T19:21:31.771-07:00I wish my teacher knew...I finally got to sit down and spend some time reading the "I wish my teacher knew.." responses I had my students complete on the first day. Some of the posts made me smile, cheer, laugh out loud, and proud to be the students teacher, while others made me sad, angry, and more determined to help my students. <div>
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The very first one I read justified to me why building community and relationships is so key, and why it must start on the FIRST day of school. This students wrote:</div>
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Other things I learned about my students:</div>
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<li>One student's parents divorced this summer forcing her to move in with her brother. She still is unpacked.</li>
<li>One student moved here from Illinois this summer and is quiet.</li>
<li>One student's dad had a stroke 3 years ago, and still is wheel chair bound.</li>
<li>Many of my students are involved in some type of activity after school. Some say they may be tired in class, while others admit that time management is going to be important, with some hopeful that being in a flipped class will help with it all.</li>
<li>Some of my students have much younger siblings that add responsibilities to their after school schedules.</li>
<li>One of my students only gets to see his dad for 9 hours every other weekend.</li>
<li>One student was bullied and picked on in elementary and middle school, and is hoping that things will be different in high school. She is hoping for a fresh start.</li>
<li>Some students love math, and others take it because it is necessary.</li>
<li>Some students love working with others, while others would rather work alone.</li>
<li>One student writes that he wishes his teachers knew that encouragement goes a long way.</li>
<li>I have quite a few tennis players and track and field participants.</li>
<li>I have some students that love to travel and be adventurous, while I also have a few that would rather stay at home and not travel.</li>
<li>One of my students is a farmer, and wanted me to know that his free time is spent with his animals.</li>
<li>That I have taught quite a few of my students' siblings.</li>
<li>Some of my students are afraid of failure.</li>
<li>Many are excited to be in a flipped classroom, and are really excited to learn math this year.</li>
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This is the first year I did such an activity, and I will definitely do it again. I may even have them write another at semester break to see if there are new things I need to know. </div>
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I promise my students that:</div>
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<ul>
<li>I won't let ANYONE in my presence bully, tease, or pick on another student.</li>
<li>I will encourage each and every one of them to do their best, and to take risks. Failures may happen, but failure always leads to learning.</li>
<li>I will always listen, give a hug, cry (or laugh) with them, give them a high five, and to celebrate along the way.</li>
<li>I will help them fit in, and to find activities that may be of interest to them.</li>
<li>I will never let a student be left out that wants to be included. </li>
<li>I will ALWAYS care!</li>
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This is going to be an awesome school year! I already love my students.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-44034308877418614752015-08-31T17:45:00.003-07:002015-08-31T18:14:54.677-07:00Building CommunityBuilding Community is one the absolute most important concepts one must employ in order to have a successful school year. It must also be done starting on Day 1. Students need to know that you care, that they opinions are valued, and that you will treat them like humans. Students will only take risks when they are comfortable with you and the classroom environment.<br />
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That is why I will do practically no math on Day 1 of each of my classes. We will do various activities to help facilitate the growing of a community. Here is my plan.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><a href="https://www.remind.com/" target="_blank">Remind</a></span>- Students will sign up to receive weekly remind texts from me and gain the ability to chat with me via texting.<br />
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<a href="http://answergarden.ch/" target="_blank">Answer Garden</a>- I have a question asking students to give me their first reactions to when they hear "math class."<br />
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<a href="http://goo.gl/forms/1JEkq4fnYS" target="_blank">Google Survey</a>- Students will answer 10 questions about themselves in a google form. I am going to use this survey to make Kahoots about the students so that everyone gets to know their classmates.<br />
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<a href="http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml" target="_blank">Learning Style Survey</a>- Students are going to visit a site and answer questions about learning styles, and will then post their results into a <a href="http://padlet.com/slm12/learningstyles" target="_blank">padlet</a> that I created.<br />
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<a href="https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/4a07d6fb-1f53-49a4-9bc0-0478f9095766" target="_blank">Kahoot</a> - The class will play a kahoot that will be mostly about me, my family, my hobbies, and what a flipped classroom really is.<br />
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Socrative Space Race- Students will join pairs and compete in Socrative Space Race using 10 Algebra 1 Review Questions. (Can't share this because I don't know how.)<br />
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Blog- Students are going to blog in the LMS answering the following prompt "I wish my teacher knew...". They may write about anything.<br />
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While these activities are going on, I will be distributing graphing calculators and note packets. This will be the only day I had <i>anything </i>out. The students will be responsible for their group material after this day.<br />
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Possible issues may involve getting the really shy student to participate or joining the vast age differences 12-17. I will be anticipating these and will be able to help each of these situations.<br />
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I want my students to go home on that first day and tell their parents that I really wants to get to know them and that I care.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-56162144057417613472015-08-09T04:18:00.000-07:002015-08-09T06:10:11.477-07:00Flipcon15 Reflections<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I sit here reminiscing about FlipCon 15 this summer, many things stand out in my many memories. These memories include old friends and new friends, my PLC, volunteering to moderate the virtual sessions, attending some other great sessions, the boat ride and the dinner at the baseball stadium. What I took away from FlipCon 15 was so much more than that too.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-d9472634-122c-0710-eb8f-2f1f45fa207b" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First let me briefly explain my experience with flipping my class and what aspects of it I use. I teach high school mathematics, particularly Algebra 2 and a remediation of Algebra 1, and will be entering my 4th year of flipping. I use flipped learning with three of my classes and flipped mastery with the other two. After teaching the same thing for 16 years, I needed a change, and chose to start flipping at that time. I loved teaching the second level of Algebra, but I figured if I was bored, the students had to be. I also wanted to build better relationships with my students, and to give them more engaged class time. Flipping was the perfect fit.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to Flipcon15. I miss my “flipping family.” It was nice not be the only one that understands and supports the power of flipping, not being the only one that is willing to take risks for the students’ benefits, not being the only one that has a chaotic classroom, and having others completely understand you when you say, “the louder my classroom is, the more learning that is taking place.” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having participated on a weekly basis in the #flipclass chat on Monday nights since October of 2013. Here is my first tweet to #flipclass:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Screen Shot 2015-08-08 at 11.34.39 AM.png" height="91px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Tpi4roKGh8wtafuU4EMJ6v03bGhYAn16mUdHgomHrFW7HtAUNdpoTPQ78-EsM2kP4GzXsxr1ieNK1PTXPGX2R1gR15tbSg9wtgDHSzokpIUFShg_nhkHgmFRbNtpL5_Nr-JygAI" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="340px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took me several months to get up the nerve to actually really participate in the #flipclass twitter chat. Once I did, I learned so much and met so many people. I mention this PLC in this reflection of Flipcon15, because it allowed me the opportunity to meet people prior to attending the conference. It also made attending Flipcon15 by myself less scary, since I felt like I was meeting old friends. I wasn’t shy to hug Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) the first time I met her because it was like I knew her for many years. I didn’t hesitate to walk up to Crystal Kirch (@crystalkirch) and ask her about sharing her WSQ with newbies. I introduced myself to Lindsay Stephenson (@MrsStephenson3) after her session and we became best buddies. I invited Carla Jefferson (@MrsJeff2u) to ride with me to the evening events, because I knew she was staying at the same hotel as I was. This is why I refer to “missing my family” since it truly was like a huge family reunion. As I reflect, I think it is imperative to possibly get everyone registered to attend these conferences involved in a twitter chat. It really makes the experience so much more.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was my first year volunteering as a Virtual Moderator, and I truly enjoyed doing that. Not only did I get to sit in some great sessions and hear and see the presenter first hand, I also got to see the conversation going on in the virtual world and facilitate that conversation. I was the voice of those online as I asked their questions to the presenter. I will most certainly volunteer to do that again, and hope others get the chance as well.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My take aways from the conference are so many, that I am still trying to work through it all. I attended the Grade Divide presented by Kate Baker and Lindsay Cole, and felt that the conversation on grades and grading could have been the Keynote Speaker or a whole day discussion. What does an A in a class really mean? Is that A the same understanding in some other teacher’s class, teaching the same course? Is it fair to have a 60% chance to fail and only a 40% chance to pass (for those on a 60% is a D- scale)? I have hated grading for the last 20 years, and as my philosophy of teaching changes, I hate it even more. We aren’t giving the right feedback, nor are we grading the right things, in my opinion.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another session that I attended that I am still trying to wrap my head around is Crystal Kirch’s, Formative Assessment on the Fly. Her session was so jam packed with great ways to assess students progresses in your class, that I am trying to explore and see which ones work and which ones I could do without. The issue I am having right now, is that I really feel that I could use them all, and am trying to figure out those appropriate spots for each. Right now, of all of them that are new to me, as some I have already used and like, I am really like goformative.com, since it has many different ways to assess in a formative way. Since I have 19 years of work done, goformative allows you to upload already created worksheets and create answer boxes for problems. That’s pretty cool.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The keynote speaker, Paul Anderson, was absolutely amazing. His presentation was thought provoking, funny, engaging, and brilliant. He had all of us laughing and chatting about ideas in twitter. He used great cartoons and connections that we all know to get his points across. Some of my favorite quotes, which are listed below, come from this Keynote presentation.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams also kept us entertained and continued to challenge us to think outside the box and to take risks. They encouraged us to not get stuck in a rut, and not to get too comfortable, because we should always be moving forward. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some quotes that I got from this two day conference are listed below. There are many more, but these are the ones that touched me or really encouraged me to be a better teacher.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You are the most important resource in your classroom!”- Paul Anderson</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Technology should be the hub that leads us into the real world.”- Paul Anderson</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“From STEM to STEAM to STREAM to HAMSTER FLOAT.”- tweeted by Kristin Daniels (during Paul Anderson’s Keynote)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Don’t put a grade on it if you want students to keep working. Putting a grade ends the conversation.” - Lindsay Cole and Kate Baker</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In summary, Flipcon15 and the #flipclass twitter group is the absolutely most important professional development one can attend. The support is so superior than any other group I have been a part of. One the last day of Flipcon15, I commented how I really wished it was much longer, and it did feel like you do when you leave a family reunion. You were really starting to be a huge part of it, remembering the family, when it is all over. Flipcon16 can’t come soon enough.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-22440228313130210582015-07-27T17:39:00.002-07:002015-07-27T17:39:55.353-07:00Emotional labourHonestly, if you teach, and don't have emotional labour, you aren't human. Fact! (in my opinion)<br />
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Avoiding it, shutting it off, decompressing about it aren't my strong point. I internalize everything I do, and deal with it. There are days I am so happy that I skip around the house singing, other days, so sad that I cry, and yet other days angry, because I feel as if I am being taken advantage of my certain people.<br />
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Having a husband that is also a teacher (of the same subject, in the same high school), it is very tough to not talk shop at home. It is hard to turn off school and just enjoy family time. However, it is my husband that helps me. He is so laid back, not a #gogogo type of person and is always so very reasonable. He lets me vent (and doesn't try to stop it), will vent with me, but in the end, he is always has something positive or refreshing for me. It may just be, "I love you, Shai!" or "You are right, but wait 24 hours before doing anything about it!" or "Did you stop and think about what .......?"<br />
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I love attending basketball games, football games (every home Friday), volleyball, music recitals, soccer games, orchestra concerts, jazz concerts, plays, etc. The students LOVE seeing their teachers support them, and I truly enjoy it. My husband on the other hand, loves being home. So, as we were raising our son, unless he was involved in one of the music events or plays, my husband stayed home and I went alone. Now, that my son is away at college, I still go alone. Some may call attending these events emotional labour, but labour that I love. It helps me to decompress. I have been known, though, to take papers that needed to be graded with me to basketball games, and grade them in the stands while watching the game.<br />
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The emotional labour that entails from the constant paper chase teachers have to do, or the constant changes and add ons that happen, or the constant responsibilities that are added, I could do without. However, I love teaching and I love my students each year, I do it for them.<br />
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So, I guess it all comes down to the fact that I endure this, for my students.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-40324335458338339842015-07-20T17:54:00.000-07:002015-07-20T17:54:19.498-07:00Building Community outside the classroom.Tonight's #flashblog assignment from out #flipclass chat was how do you experience community outside of your classroom.<br />
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There are several ways I experience community outside of my classroom. I participate in many different twitter chats. #flipclass is my favorite PLN and twitter chat, since I am with very like minded people that only help me become a better teacher. I also participate in #edchat, #mathchat, #ntchat, #teachherfriends, #edcampPGH #teachedchat, ##21stedchat and others as I happen upon them. The twitter chats are a safe place to throw ideas out, get feedback, tweak ideas, and gather support. Just tonight, @samcarney and @justinaglio and talking about starting a #edchatPA. What is really very valuable about most of the twitter chats that I participate in is that there are so many disciplines represented that you grow in many ways.<br />
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Another way that I build community outside of my classroom is to attend conferences. This past year I attended both #edcampPGH and #flipcon15. After both of these conferences (or unconference for the #edcampPGH), I left with so much excitement, motivation, and yearning. The yearning was more selfishness. I really wanted to keep chatting and learning from everyone, that I didn't want it to end.<br />
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A more recent way of building community has been active participation in voxer groups. The voxer groups are a bit different from twitter chats, since you are limited to 140 characters and you actually get to hear voices. Hearing the voice of someone you look up to professionally, while learning from them, is very rewarding and impressionable.<br />
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I am already trying to figure out, plan how I am going to attend #flipcon16 next year. I promise that I WON"T miss it. It is about a 22 hour drive from my house, but half way there is Nashville, TN. I think I am going to meet my twin in Nashville, spend several days there, and then head to Allen, TX. The ride home will be a bit harder, but possibly another over night stop back in Nashville. I have a year to figure it out.<br />
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As for #edcampPGH that is already on my schedule for Nov. 7, and again, I won't miss it. Those folks there were awesome, and an extension of my family. After all, at that edcamp, we all speak the same language. (Pittsburghian!)<br />
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I will continue to build my community! I am #alwayslearning.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-16995338581636215202015-06-01T17:46:00.000-07:002015-06-01T18:31:31.295-07:00Puppets here, puppets there, puppets everywhere.I was introduced to using puppets in the classroom by Cheryl Morris (@guster4lovers) and Andrew Thomasson (@thomasson_engl). I started to think about what ways could I possibly use puppets in the high school math classrooms. "Puppets wouldn't get students excited, just like stickers don't," some of my colleagues would remark. Ha! Nothing gets a student to more excited than giving them a sticker (especially scratch and sniff), and puppets did the same. <br />
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I did not create a project sheet, nor a rubric, nor anything else except a list of K-2 math topics and social issue topics. Here were my directions:</div>
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Create a puppet, out of a sock, or any other material, that has to have:</div>
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<li>eyes (buttons, wiggle eyes, etc...)</li>
<li>clothing. (the sock can't be just a sock...needs clothing..no nudity in math!)</li>
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I also told the students that they will choose a K-2 math concept to teach. These puppet shows will be shared with live elementary classes, so they had to be authentic.</div>
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That's it.</div>
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I did this project during the 2 week of our state testing, so, my students were just working on their puppets during class, and the evenings were to be spent studying for their state Biology test and their AP World History test. All of my students have already taken the Algebra 1 test, since they are in my Advanced Algebra 2 class. It was my way to allow my students time to relax and not stress over math during this very stressful time of the year. </div>
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I listened, watched, and learned as the students worked. I knew nothing about what program the kids would use to make their videos, or even how and where we would record the videos. This all came about with the help of a great IT media specialist. We made a closet into a video recording stage, and he recorded each period for my kids. We, together explored programs, and since my students have mostly Chromebooks, we used We Video. (Some did use iMovie on Macs).<br />
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The videos came out spectacular. </div>
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It was a very rewarding project, and one that I can definitely build on and enhance. I am so excited to share and talk about this process.</div>
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Here are the padlet links to the puppets (my colleagues are voting for the top 3 puppets in each class period, so that is why the Letter and Number) and also a link that has the video links if you are interested in watching.</div>
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<a href="http://padlet.com/slm12/puppetsperiod2" target="_blank">Period 2 Puppets</a></div>
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<a href="http://padlet.com/slm12/puppetsperiod3" target="_blank">Period 3 Puppets</a></div>
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<a href="http://padlet.com/slm12/puppetsperiod8" target="_blank">Period 8 Puppets</a></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x1M5V7LoLUWa1wPMP9K5mn-dyeVzoEJ_KxMNyXSY0KQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Puppet Shows </a></div>
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Please let me know if you look at these and what your thoughts are.</div>
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I am thinking that next year, I will have the students build puppets earlier on in the year, and then use them as alternative assessments. Not sure, and am still thinking through this, but there is certainly potential with using and #teachingmathusingpuppets.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-87406949494820308402015-04-13T17:28:00.002-07:002015-04-13T17:33:59.892-07:00InnovationThe number one thing that I have done in my classroom that is innovative, is to switch to flipping my class. When I started flipping, no one in my district had heard of it. Doing something that no one else was doing, for the good of the student, is innovation. I have lead many different professional development lessons on the topic within my district, and now outside after attending #edcampPGH this weekend, trying to persuade teachers to try it. Give it a chance. I have had fellow colleagues tell me that I flip because I am lazy and don't want to do anything with the kids, and I flip, because I don't want to plan for my classes, and I flip...the list goes on. I was bored, and was actually starting to look outside of the educational setting to find something else to do when I happened onto flipping. One week later, I assigned my first flipped lesson, and the rest is history.<br />
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This weekend, I attended my first #edcamp at Baldwin High School outside of Pittsburgh, PA. I drug my husband, who also is a math teacher, along with me, since we were going to Pittsburgh anyway to see our son sing in his last choral performance. I wanted to attend to learn, to see innovation, to network with like minded teachers. I ended co-leading a session on flipping the class. I got to share my excitement about flipping with other people that were interested. My husband enjoyed the sessions he attended to, even though he wasn't planning on participating.<br />
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As for my colleagues at my district, I am slowly getting other people in other curriculums flipping, and they are encouraging others too. It's an exciting movement!<br />
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The innovation continues because now that I am fully flipped, and have been for almost 3 years, I now find/design activities that allow my students to explore/learn a topic in a different way. I have started to flip mastery one of my courses as well.<br />
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As I told a person in a a session this past weekend, if you stop learning, or if you feel that you have completely figured out the teaching profession, leave. Get out of it. One should never stop learning in our profession. Students today will so much different than students 5 years from now. There are jobs that don't exist now, that will exist in 5 years. We have to stay fresh, in order to keeps students excited about learning.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-92098820170802795452015-03-23T17:45:00.000-07:002015-03-23T17:45:39.934-07:00What do I take away from conferences?I attend professional conferences for many reasons. I want to:<br />
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<li>meet people that love doing what I do</li>
<li>network with people so that I am not <i>always</i> recreating the wheel</li>
<li>to get rejuvenated about teaching</li>
<li>to learn neat things to take back and share with others.</li>
<li>to have fun!</li>
<li>to laugh!</li>
</ul>
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This past summer, I attended #flipcon14 in Mars, Pennsylvania, and it was one of the best decision I made about teaching and my professional development. The single best decision regarding teaching was probably choosing to flip my classes. I met so many people, and learned so much. I left there with so much knowledge and so many cool things to take back to my classes and colleagues. </div>
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How do I remember what I attend and learn? I am actually very old school. I took at composition notebook (the kind that is stringed together) and mapped out what sessions I would go to and what I would watch later via online access. For each session, I wrote at the top the name of the session, the presenter, locations, and anything else I knew prior to attending. While in the session I take notes, write quotes, small things that would remind me about what I heard and saw. Each night, prior to going to bed, I would review my notes, add anything else, star the pages, etc and then review what sessions I wanted to see the next day and make changes based on what I saw that day. </div>
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For instance, I saw Crystal Kirch on the first day and knew I needed to see her second session the following day. I am so glad I did. I learned about Kahoot, about WSQ, and about many other things I wrote about. I use the WSQ daily with my students and it has improved my teaching and my knowledge so much.</div>
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I also tweet and email colleagues with things that I saw and and want to remember.</div>
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I am also lucky to have a husband that also teaches math, so I also call him on breaks, at dinner, drive home, etc, and tell him what I saw and learned. He often asks me about it later reminding me.</div>
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I had made the decision that if my attending #flipcon15 was denied this coming summer, I was paying my own way! It was so worth every penny! I can't wait to see what I walk away with this coming summer!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-67637508600256194112015-03-16T17:50:00.001-07:002015-03-16T17:50:36.338-07:00Mental Health is far more important than ContentTonight's #flipclass #flashblog is something that has been in conversations in my circles for several months now. How do I manage to cover content while balancing student stress levels?<br />
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My students know that they can "tap out" if things get way to stressful. If a student has a major exam, lab, project, etc on the same day as a summative assessment for me, my students are permitted to take my assessment on another day. I have had teachers tell me that students will do that just so that they can talk to other students to find out what is on the exam and have an unfair advantage. My responses to that include:<br />
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I tell my students what is going to be on my exam. Why the surprise? I give my students a "focus list" with how many questions, how many points, and the type of questions. It really should be a guessing game!<br />
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I also would rather my students show me "what they know", and not "what they could remember under the load of stress." I would rather my students be fresh and unstressed. I believe I can get so much more from them when that happens. <br />
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I trust my students. Until, I get something that makes me question their integrity, they have my trust. It all comes out in the wash, right? If a student is going to cheat, he/she WILL get caught. I absolutely feel that way.<br />
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I rarely have a student "tap out" more than once a year. I keep track of the tap outs. My students don't abuse it! But, it's there for them if they need to.<br />
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How does this affect my curriculum? It simply doesn't. That's the beauty of flipping. I do so much more than my curriculum calls for, AND I am finished for the year with a little less than a month to spare. I have the room to adjust my schedule so that my students are overwhelmed, aren't stressed, aren't suicidal, enjoy math, and actually show me their knowledge. I know that this is rare. I don't teach an AP class, but is curriculum more important than health. The kids are kids!<br />
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Why has this been in my circle lately? I have a student that I share with other teachers (obviously) and it was brought to our attention that this young lady was sad. So sad that she was vomitting, missing school, wishing for death. This is a student that wouldn't speak up and make teachers knowledgable about this. A student that appeared to be fine when in school. Just a bit shy! We got an email from mom making us aware. I got a private email from the mother, saying that my class was the only one the her daughter was stressed over, since she knows she can tap out if needed. So, my students will always be able to tap out. Math can be second!<br />
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Also, our high school is moving to a block A/B schedule next year. Part of the reason for this is because of our building project (new school being built while we go to school in it!) and because a survey by parents and students revealed that the level of homework and stress on our HS students is very high. Have 4 90 minute periods a day for 2 day cycle will hopefully lessen that stress and amount of homework. <br />
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I believe in teacher the whole child. The whole child is far more important that math, I truly believe that. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-39646224647641405072015-03-02T17:40:00.001-08:002015-03-02T17:40:01.705-08:00A lesson that ...I was teaching (or trying to teach) conic sections. I wanted the students to fully understand the definition of each of these conic sections. The students were having a hard time understanding the idea of the "sum of the distances" for an ellipse, and "absolute value of the differences" for the hyperbola. To understand these phrases from the definitions allows one to take the concept to a deeper depth. So, I decided to design my classroom desks in an ellipse one day, and a hyperbola another. I had a long rope that I had bought from Lowes, and designed the room so that the desks were in a true hyperbola with the "absolute value of the difference from the focal points" being constant. I had a center point, endpoints, vertices, foci so that the shape was true to definition. I randomly had 2 students that were sitting on the "wings" of the hyperbola measure the distance from the foci (another student holding the rope). The students could visually see what was meant by the distance. I did the same with the ellipse. After defining and visually moving thing around, we then came up with the equations using the distance formulas.<br />
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The students found this approach more meaningful and more memorable. When a student was stuck at a point in problem solving using hyperbolas and ellipses, the students would say, "Remember when..." and the students would be unstuck. <br />
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I am not sure that this would be considered an "off the wall" type of lesson, but it certainly was a lesson that wasn't normally planned.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-46085080843891108632015-02-23T17:58:00.000-08:002015-02-23T17:58:44.316-08:00Deep Learning looks like...<br />
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<li><span style="color: red;">chaos</span></li>
</ul>
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Very rarely will you find the class working in any particular order.</div>
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<li><span style="color: orange;">students working together</span></li>
</ul>
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Students never work alone. They are discussing, scribbling ideas, trying different things.</div>
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<li><span style="color: lime;">students yelling (well, not really yelling, but disagreeing about an avenue)</span></li>
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Some groups actually end up disagreeing and then agreeing and then disagreeing.</div>
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<li><span style="color: magenta;">students walking around room talking to one another</span></li>
</ul>
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Often, the students are going from group to group to discuss with each other their ideas</div>
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<li><span style="color: #f1c232;">I am no longer the center of attention or even in control.</span></li>
</ul>
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I circulate around the room, stirring the pot, offering counterexamples, but never telling what to do.</div>
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<li><span style="color: #674ea7;">many "aha" and "wow" moments</span></li>
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Students get the smiles, when they might have it. I love to hear the "wows" and "really"</div>
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<li><span style="color: #0b5394;">authentic learning!</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"> Students not being talked at, or lead. Students create the road.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-8299277358398905342015-02-09T18:28:00.002-08:002015-02-09T18:28:18.353-08:00What I heard in my classroom, on a Monday!I happened upon a twitter hashtag of #CelebrateMonday. It got me thinking about my Monday, my students, and my classroom. Here are some of the comments that I remember students saying today that made me smile. There were many, but these are the ones that came to mind as I was thinking about my Monday. These are in no particular order!<br />
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1. Can't I just stay here with you? Your room is my happy place. (This came from one of my low-level remediation math students!) This was probably my #1 #CelebrateMonday comment.<br />
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2. Who knew that fractions made things easier? (I wasn't going to bust her bubble and say that I knew! Students were working with fractional exponents.)<br />
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3. I love radicals within radicals. (One of my 8th graders shouted out as I he was working on a team check with his team.)<br />
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4. Why can't all teacher's teach this way?<br />
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5. Math counts, BABY! (I gathered that one of our middle school math counts teams did very well this weekend!)<br />
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6. Rational exponents are HARD! Time to rewatch the video! (said to the "Time to make the donuts, theme!)<br />
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7. Thanks for caring, Mrs. McGowan! You are like our mom!<br />
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8. I hope we have an early dismissal, BUT after this class, of course! (and no, we didn't have an early dismissal.)<br />
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9. Student 1: Can't we just abolish Mondays?<br />
Student 2: Then Tuesdays will become the new Monday.<br />
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So, as several of my teaching hero's say, "You got a day here! Make it a great one!"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3844457544794315916.post-85222034954432892202015-02-09T17:41:00.001-08:002015-02-09T17:41:15.512-08:00Depth vs Breadth, that age old question!What I teach in which course actually is on both ends of the pendulum. <br />
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In my Flipped Mastery remediation course, I have to cover/review topics from Algebra 1 to help the students pass the Keystone Exam. I really have the say of what I remediate and how I remediate those students. I generally use the Keystone Exam results to structure those topics. Not much depth goes into that because it's a limited amount of time that I see the students prior to them taking the exam. I try different activities to engage the students, such as popsicle stick activities, online matching activities, puzzles, online interactive games, and stations, but the depth isn't really there.<br />
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As for my Advanced Algebra 2 class, my department got together and looked at the PA standards for all strands, and decided where certain topics should be and would be taught. So, the course is outlined for me. We do take the standards to a much higher thinking for the advanced level student, and cover far more content than our college prep level of Algebra 2. With flipping, I am able to teach the basic foundations through video, which allows class time to take the depth a little farther. Without flipping, I never had time to pause and explore. Now, I do that with my students far more often. When a student fills out a WSQ that asks a question that is perfect for this, I am able to use the time to have students explore. Before flipping I used to have to say, great question, research it at home, and tell us about it tomorrow. Now, we don't need that. Also, now that we are 1-1 with chromebooks, students have the devices at their fingertips (or at least in their backpacks.)<br />
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I wrote a blog about my espoused platform just recently, and in it, wrote about how my teaching philosophy has changed over the 19 years of teaching. As it was discussed at Flipcon 14, learning is at the intersection of content, curiosity, and relationships. My classroom has moved from content heavy to where there is starting to be a balance of all 3. It only took me 19 years, and it wouldn't have happened without flipping. So, the skills that I feel that are important to teach my students tend not to be entirely based on math, but on living. Here is a short list to start those skills:<br />
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1. I want my students to learn how to appreciate everyone, accept everyone, and to get along with all beings.<br />
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2. I want my students to take risks, and learn from failure.<br />
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3. I want my students to be able to work with other people, to problem solve with each other, and to trust each other's opinions.<br />
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4. I want my students to be able to communicate effectively and affectively. <br />
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Oh Yeah,<br />
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5. I want my students to appreciate math and learn life-long skills.1Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565119242552359923noreply@blogger.com0