Admittedly, my area of experience is not in teaching. I have often trained employees at the various restaurants where I have been employed. Lesson objectives? Learn how to use the computer and learn to multi-task. Certainly, it is easy to wait tables once you get the hang of it, but it is mostly just overwhelming out first. We once had “tip a cop” night at one of my restaurants….at the end of the night, the officer who had “worked” with me said to his friends, “she ran my a--- off! I had no idea you guys did so much work.” Strategy of implementation? I typically just throw them in and tell them to do it (no following me around for three days “watching”—I consider that to be a waste of time). Checks for understanding? Well, I simply watched over their shoulders to make sure they weren’t ringing in the orders incorrectly and I would sometimes say, “what do you need to do now?” What might I change? I really am not sure….most people either catch on right away or they don’t.
I did, however, begin teaching my unit at the middle school last week. For the first day, there were only two goals: take a pre-assessment (I think the kids were thrilled by how short it was) and create a booklet for using over the next two weeks. My mentor teacher had suggested that the booklet creating might take most of the hour, so I had not planned for anything else beyond that, which turned out to be a mistake on my part. Next time I will make sure to bring a book to read aloud while they are working on their booklets, because although I think it is nice to let students talk while they are working (they were decorating the covers of their booklets and coming up with pseudonyms), it would have been a better use of time for me to start getting them interested in reading (also, reading aloud is beneficial at every grade level, and it usually catches student’s attention). I walked them through the activity one step at a time, walking from one table to the next holding my model and watching to make sure that at least one person at each table started in the correct direction before walking to the next table. Incidentally, only three people made theirs “incorrectly” and it was because they jumped ahead. I had no problem with that, given that what they ended up with will work just as well as what I was aiming for. Parts to change? Again, always have something else planned. Other changes? 1) making a more clear explanation of “nom de plume” so that students understand that the reason to have one is to make sure that they aren’t uncomfortable sharing their poetry (most of them started shouting out their fake names immediately, which told me that I had not made it clear that I was letting them create a fake name for the purpose of the poetry evaluation at the end, where they would have to share what they wrote—I know that people often feel very uncomfortable about writing poems); 2) I would consider using a longer pre-assessment. The reason I did not use a longer pre-assessment in this case is that the students have already taken 7 days of tests since the start of the semester. I think that the consistent failure (taking tests for things you have not yet learned) creates a negative attitude and causes students to not try as hard (some do not even bother reading the questions—they simply write “IDK”—which is a waste of everyone’s time, in my opinion). Also, I think I was just as tired of the tests as they were since I’d been sitting through every class period of tests.
But I digress.
The pre-assessment showed me, however, that my initial goals needed to change. I had originally been simply planning to concentrate on teaching the students figurative devices, symbolism, and tone, but it turns out that the students are perfectly competent in these areas, having had these things drilled down their throats since 5th or 6th grade. What they are unable to do, however, is make explicit references to the text to show how they know what they know. They were also unable to read beyond the literal meaning of the metaphor in the poem that I used for the assessment. I attempted to change my lessons that night, staying up quite late, but the results of my next day activity revealed that the students had not completely understood what I was trying to teach (I was attempting a modified “close reading” exercise, which I can’t really explain without drawing it by hand). Thusly, what I would change in the future is: 1) I would make sure to not go over my 10-12 minute limit for the mini lesson at the beginning of class and 2) I would break the activity into 2 parts so that it would not be so difficult to understand. I did try guiding the students through one poem as an example, but I believe half of the students were not listening.
Therefore, the final thing I am going to try my hand at changing is “how” I teach the lesson. First, I have decreased the difficulty of the activity so that it should fit more easily into a 45 minute time frame (I only have 10 lessons in all, can’t go about wasting time). This will not only mean that the assignment is more likely to be completed but also means that it shouldn’t take me 25 minutes to explain it. Second, I will not be using technology with which I am still unfamiliar—this should help decrease my personal stress and help create a more calm atmosphere (students can really sense nervousness, I discovered). Moreover, currently, the students desks are grouped, and I find myself talking to their backs for half of the lesson—or constantly asking them to turn around. It is not my classroom, or I would shift those desks around to ALWAYS be facing the front. Instead, I have purchased a white-board and I will bring the students to the back area of the classroom to sit around me on the floor. Admittedly, there is not very much room in the back (there are just as many students as desks), but this method should guarantee that I can see every students face and will not be shouting across the room to people who are in the back. I believe that my stress level will decrease (students not having their backs to me, me not feeling like I am shouting) will result in an increase in my ability to pay attention to the students faces to make sure they are listening and comprehending. Lastly, I am going to try out a “quiet” prompt to see if it helps me quiet down the students in a more timely fashion. The code word is “high five” and my sister (who is also a teacher) advises me to say it in a normal tone of voice and assures me that students will catch on quickly and will quiet down without you having to shout over them. I believe her, of course, because I happen to have the most intelligent and wise sisters in the entire universe.
I will be trying this tomorrow, and will determine whether the strategy is successful or not. I am sure you (the only person reading this Blog other than myself) are greatly eager to hear an update. (hah!)
;)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Warm-ups in Math Education
Interviewer (looks at Sarah over her glasses): “Based on your research and personal philosophy, what is the purpose of warm-ups in your classroom?”
Sarah (taps her lip thoughfully before replying, then leans forward a touch): "Funny you should ask, madam. Indeed, using warm-ups at the beginning of a class period are useful for a number of reasons. For one, having students work on some problems as soon as they enter class gives the teacher a few minutes in which to take roll and complete other “housekeeping” duties. This is doubly beneficial, because rather than talking and not settling down, the students are almost immediately engaged (in other words, none of their time is wasted) and the teacher will be more quickly able to move onto the lesson for the day.
Moreover, warm-ups are appropriate for daily classwork because they are designed to meet at least one of the following targets: activate prior knowledge, review material from the day before (repeat and reinforce learning), introduce new material, check for understanding or lack thereof, and/or get students ready for jumping into the next set of activities. An activity, for instance, that references a concept that students should have learned the previous year, will ensure that students are better able to remember it (we “learn” through repetition) and will help the teacher check for any instances of lack of knowledge (so that he/she can scaffold those students who are lacking in an area). An activity that reviews material from the day before creates a sense of continuity from one day to the next and ensures that students are less likely to forget material from lack of exposure to it. Also, students have had the night to process new information overnight and are better able to tackle any misunderstandings. Because the work time on warm-ups is short, it helps get students settled into the correct frame of mind for beginning the next lesson or activity or for getting back into a lesson that has spilled over from the day before—in other words, it makes students think about math before listening to the teacher lecture again.
(brief pause, as though considering whether to say more)
However, I do argue that the most important of the above stated reasons is the one regarding repetition and reinforcement. We cannot expect students to internalize new knowledge in one day. Our brains need time to process and store that information, but if it is not “activated” within a short period of time, the likelihood of retaining that knowledge is greatly lessened. Not only for their own general benefit, but also for passing tests, this repetition is the key to the students’ success. Students must be able to remember things that they were taught at the beginning of a semester when they are taking tests, and if the teacher was unkind enough only to teach it once and never reference it again, it is quite possible that a high number of students will not recall that information. If I had only spent one day learning the alphabet when I was a child, it would be unlikely that, four months hence, I could tell you it in its entirety. It would even be possible that I forgot all of it. By extension, we can easily assume that most children will not run home after math or science class and eagerly do problems for entertainment, so we have to address all learning as it happens in the classroom. As a result, repetition and reinforcement are the primary reasons for having warm-ups in a classroom to begin with.
Sarah (taps her lip thoughfully before replying, then leans forward a touch): "Funny you should ask, madam. Indeed, using warm-ups at the beginning of a class period are useful for a number of reasons. For one, having students work on some problems as soon as they enter class gives the teacher a few minutes in which to take roll and complete other “housekeeping” duties. This is doubly beneficial, because rather than talking and not settling down, the students are almost immediately engaged (in other words, none of their time is wasted) and the teacher will be more quickly able to move onto the lesson for the day.
Moreover, warm-ups are appropriate for daily classwork because they are designed to meet at least one of the following targets: activate prior knowledge, review material from the day before (repeat and reinforce learning), introduce new material, check for understanding or lack thereof, and/or get students ready for jumping into the next set of activities. An activity, for instance, that references a concept that students should have learned the previous year, will ensure that students are better able to remember it (we “learn” through repetition) and will help the teacher check for any instances of lack of knowledge (so that he/she can scaffold those students who are lacking in an area). An activity that reviews material from the day before creates a sense of continuity from one day to the next and ensures that students are less likely to forget material from lack of exposure to it. Also, students have had the night to process new information overnight and are better able to tackle any misunderstandings. Because the work time on warm-ups is short, it helps get students settled into the correct frame of mind for beginning the next lesson or activity or for getting back into a lesson that has spilled over from the day before—in other words, it makes students think about math before listening to the teacher lecture again.
(brief pause, as though considering whether to say more)
However, I do argue that the most important of the above stated reasons is the one regarding repetition and reinforcement. We cannot expect students to internalize new knowledge in one day. Our brains need time to process and store that information, but if it is not “activated” within a short period of time, the likelihood of retaining that knowledge is greatly lessened. Not only for their own general benefit, but also for passing tests, this repetition is the key to the students’ success. Students must be able to remember things that they were taught at the beginning of a semester when they are taking tests, and if the teacher was unkind enough only to teach it once and never reference it again, it is quite possible that a high number of students will not recall that information. If I had only spent one day learning the alphabet when I was a child, it would be unlikely that, four months hence, I could tell you it in its entirety. It would even be possible that I forgot all of it. By extension, we can easily assume that most children will not run home after math or science class and eagerly do problems for entertainment, so we have to address all learning as it happens in the classroom. As a result, repetition and reinforcement are the primary reasons for having warm-ups in a classroom to begin with.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Khan Academy
The delightful and intelligent Salman Khan, the creative mind behind “Khan Academy,” has become a fairly powerful force in some classrooms. Working as a hedge-fund analyst (and yes, I had to look up that job), Khan evidently generated his first Youtube videos for his cousins, to sort of supplement their learning as he was tutoring them remotely. He was surprised when they told him that they really preferred the videos over listening to him in person, and was more surprised when other people—YouTube viewers—started making comments about how well they understood new concepts simply from watching his videos. For them, it was easier to view these clips online and in the privacy of their own home. Teachers said they were using it in classrooms, in place of homework. The feedback he (Khan) was getting for his videos prompted him to create Khan Academy, the online video experience. The general idea now? To create a global classroom.
What is great about it? You can pause, rewind, watch it again at a later time, and—and this is key—if you fall asleep, your teacher isn’t there to tap you on the back or smack a ruler on your desk. That is, you can take care of your own learning in your own way. Maybe you have to watch it ten times, but at least you can still get it without having to ask questions (which might embarrass a student). You don’t have to put on a face and pretend that you understand it all.
The other benefit? Khan suggests that it can be used to “humanize” the classroom. To make it so that the students watch the lectures at home (and can watch it multiple times) and then will get to spend the class time working together, rather than having to work alone and silently.
Could Khan Academy do something for me for language arts???
Main problem? Computer access AND technology problems! One of the complaints that I have heard from teachers in my practicum school is that the technology is lagging and that when there is a problem, it takes too long to fix. “We need a technology person!” they exclaim. When the teachers are using computers that are running on a system that is 10 years old, you probably are not going to see an abundance of other computers that are running well enough to maintain a computerized classroom experience. But can you get around that? Somewhat—at least at the high school level. If a teacher were to assign the Khan Academy videos as homework, then class time (as he suggested) could be centered around focusing on one-on-one instruction. The likelihood that students at a low-income middle school will be able to access computers is much lower, however, than the likelihood around any high school (even a low-income one) because mobility is greatly increased in the upper grades (due to relaxation of parental rules and students reaching the legal age to drive).
I believe I suddenly just realized that Khan is talking about something that in Language Arts is called the workshop model. Well, more like a modified workshop model.
What is great about it? You can pause, rewind, watch it again at a later time, and—and this is key—if you fall asleep, your teacher isn’t there to tap you on the back or smack a ruler on your desk. That is, you can take care of your own learning in your own way. Maybe you have to watch it ten times, but at least you can still get it without having to ask questions (which might embarrass a student). You don’t have to put on a face and pretend that you understand it all.
The other benefit? Khan suggests that it can be used to “humanize” the classroom. To make it so that the students watch the lectures at home (and can watch it multiple times) and then will get to spend the class time working together, rather than having to work alone and silently.
Could Khan Academy do something for me for language arts???
Main problem? Computer access AND technology problems! One of the complaints that I have heard from teachers in my practicum school is that the technology is lagging and that when there is a problem, it takes too long to fix. “We need a technology person!” they exclaim. When the teachers are using computers that are running on a system that is 10 years old, you probably are not going to see an abundance of other computers that are running well enough to maintain a computerized classroom experience. But can you get around that? Somewhat—at least at the high school level. If a teacher were to assign the Khan Academy videos as homework, then class time (as he suggested) could be centered around focusing on one-on-one instruction. The likelihood that students at a low-income middle school will be able to access computers is much lower, however, than the likelihood around any high school (even a low-income one) because mobility is greatly increased in the upper grades (due to relaxation of parental rules and students reaching the legal age to drive).
I believe I suddenly just realized that Khan is talking about something that in Language Arts is called the workshop model. Well, more like a modified workshop model.
Appropriate Use of Technology
Khan Academy Videos
• Probability: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 . . . Part 6 (I would not go as far as Parts 7 or 8 for middle school students as I believe Bayes Thrm. would simply drive myself and them to tears)
1. Part 1—simply introduces probability and explains how we can calculate the likelihood of predictable, equally likely events, such as flipping a “fair-sided” coin.
2. Part 2—explains the use of the probability tree for figuring out the “fair sided coin” problems (what is the likelihood of getting a heads out of 8 throws…)
3. Part 3—uses another event, free-throw percentages, to explain the concept
4. Part 4—more on free-throws
5. Part 5—using die (monopoly)
6. Part 6—an introduction to conditional probability (at which point I began to get lost; also, I ran out of time).
• What math does it teach or reinforce? Well, the obvious answer is “probability.” However, what it mainly covers is the probability of mutually exclusive events. These outcome of the event is not dependent on the outcome of the previous event (assumes that probabilities do not decrease or increase over time/situation). This type of problem keeps the math calculations very simple, as well as the necessary charts and equations for figuring out the answer.
• Is it effective? Although it was effective for me, I am not certain it was effective for all viewers. If you scrolled down underneath each video, you could see a long list of “questions” that were posted by viewers. Now, if all persons making “comments” or posting “questions” actually watched the video completely through (and stopped to re-watch parts he/she did not completely understand), then it would be fair to say that the videos are ineffective. However, if all persons only partly watched, or were more interested in using the site as a forum for getting their math homework done, then we cannot conclude that the videos were ineffective (rather, only that the viewers lacked the proper motivation to view the videos in their entirety). I felt that if you were to watch the first four videos in a row, you would have a fairly good idea of how probability works (at least for these simple equations with no external, unpredictable factors). You (a middle school student) could go from those videos to your math book and start doing those “picking a blue marble out of a bag of marbles” questions. One video alone, perhaps not entirely effective.
• Video instruction offers the ability to watch and re-watch a lesson. Also, a person who is watching a lesson online has the ability to stop a video and look for external (not in the lesson) information to supplement the material. That is, if Khan says “scenario” and you have no idea what he is talking about, you can quickly go Google the word, then come back to the lesson. It is the same information that you might receive in a classroom, only you have the option of watching it in the privacy of your own home. Whether or not there are fewer external distractions is another question (at school you have your friends to distract you, at home you have the television, the other websites online, music, etc). The video instruction is also good for students who are auditory learners or students with low proficiency in reading.
• Are there other ways to teach or reinforce this same content? I would more or less view these particular videos as supplementary. Khan suggested that he had teachers who said they would assign the videos as homework, or as a prelude to what goes on in the class, which is probably the best approach to using these videos (in my opinion). Anything done in the classroom can reinforce the videos. Students who understand the videos get to move forward, while students who did not understand them (or let’s be honest, did not watch them) get to have more of that traditional classroom instruction.
• If I were to teach the lesson, would I change anything? Did I mention the first video I watched was an Algebra II video involving probability? Sure enough, it was one of those tired old marble in the bag problems. Who on earth cares about their chance of getting a red marble? Do kids even know what marbles are anymore? I would try my best to find ways to make the problems relate to life outside of math problems written 30 years ago. Secondly, I notice that the videos do not involve any reading. This is not representative of what students will see in their books or on their tests; they need to know how to READ problems in order to figure them out. This is why the Khan videos are supplementary (sort of like a self-help book, shouldn’t be your only and primary source). So what might I do, in addition to using the class textbook and Khan website? I would write one or two probability problems of my own that are more exciting. Such as being stranded on a desolate island and having to draw straws to decide who is going to be sacrificed to the volcano gods to ensure that the whole island doesn’t blow up. This way, kids get in some reading, and even if the problem is not entirely realistic, at least it is interested enough to keep students from falling asleep (in theory, of course).
• Another quick note—this particular set of videos (the ones I mention above) might not be particularly practical for use with a new second language learner. Khan uses some terms that would need clarifying (scenarios, mutually exclusive events, etc.) in a classroom with a large number of ELs. As there are no visual written instructions/words, an EL who is watching the video might not even be able to pause it and look up the parts they do not understand because they might not know how to spell it. There are also notations that Khan uses that might be confusing to students who are learning probability for the first time. A teacher who wanted to use these videos in the classroom would need to make sure to gauge the language needs and levels of the students first.
• Also, the set I have chosen above does not really cover the standard that to me was the most important—the one involving the collection and analysis of data (7.SP.6: Approximate the probability of a chance event by collecting data on the chance process that produces it and observing its long-run relative frequency . . .). In a classroom, you would want to have the students perform some “lab” operations to observe and collect the data before making predictions.
• Probability: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 . . . Part 6 (I would not go as far as Parts 7 or 8 for middle school students as I believe Bayes Thrm. would simply drive myself and them to tears)
1. Part 1—simply introduces probability and explains how we can calculate the likelihood of predictable, equally likely events, such as flipping a “fair-sided” coin.
2. Part 2—explains the use of the probability tree for figuring out the “fair sided coin” problems (what is the likelihood of getting a heads out of 8 throws…)
3. Part 3—uses another event, free-throw percentages, to explain the concept
4. Part 4—more on free-throws
5. Part 5—using die (monopoly)
6. Part 6—an introduction to conditional probability (at which point I began to get lost; also, I ran out of time).
• What math does it teach or reinforce? Well, the obvious answer is “probability.” However, what it mainly covers is the probability of mutually exclusive events. These outcome of the event is not dependent on the outcome of the previous event (assumes that probabilities do not decrease or increase over time/situation). This type of problem keeps the math calculations very simple, as well as the necessary charts and equations for figuring out the answer.
• Is it effective? Although it was effective for me, I am not certain it was effective for all viewers. If you scrolled down underneath each video, you could see a long list of “questions” that were posted by viewers. Now, if all persons making “comments” or posting “questions” actually watched the video completely through (and stopped to re-watch parts he/she did not completely understand), then it would be fair to say that the videos are ineffective. However, if all persons only partly watched, or were more interested in using the site as a forum for getting their math homework done, then we cannot conclude that the videos were ineffective (rather, only that the viewers lacked the proper motivation to view the videos in their entirety). I felt that if you were to watch the first four videos in a row, you would have a fairly good idea of how probability works (at least for these simple equations with no external, unpredictable factors). You (a middle school student) could go from those videos to your math book and start doing those “picking a blue marble out of a bag of marbles” questions. One video alone, perhaps not entirely effective.
• Video instruction offers the ability to watch and re-watch a lesson. Also, a person who is watching a lesson online has the ability to stop a video and look for external (not in the lesson) information to supplement the material. That is, if Khan says “scenario” and you have no idea what he is talking about, you can quickly go Google the word, then come back to the lesson. It is the same information that you might receive in a classroom, only you have the option of watching it in the privacy of your own home. Whether or not there are fewer external distractions is another question (at school you have your friends to distract you, at home you have the television, the other websites online, music, etc). The video instruction is also good for students who are auditory learners or students with low proficiency in reading.
• Are there other ways to teach or reinforce this same content? I would more or less view these particular videos as supplementary. Khan suggested that he had teachers who said they would assign the videos as homework, or as a prelude to what goes on in the class, which is probably the best approach to using these videos (in my opinion). Anything done in the classroom can reinforce the videos. Students who understand the videos get to move forward, while students who did not understand them (or let’s be honest, did not watch them) get to have more of that traditional classroom instruction.
• If I were to teach the lesson, would I change anything? Did I mention the first video I watched was an Algebra II video involving probability? Sure enough, it was one of those tired old marble in the bag problems. Who on earth cares about their chance of getting a red marble? Do kids even know what marbles are anymore? I would try my best to find ways to make the problems relate to life outside of math problems written 30 years ago. Secondly, I notice that the videos do not involve any reading. This is not representative of what students will see in their books or on their tests; they need to know how to READ problems in order to figure them out. This is why the Khan videos are supplementary (sort of like a self-help book, shouldn’t be your only and primary source). So what might I do, in addition to using the class textbook and Khan website? I would write one or two probability problems of my own that are more exciting. Such as being stranded on a desolate island and having to draw straws to decide who is going to be sacrificed to the volcano gods to ensure that the whole island doesn’t blow up. This way, kids get in some reading, and even if the problem is not entirely realistic, at least it is interested enough to keep students from falling asleep (in theory, of course).
• Another quick note—this particular set of videos (the ones I mention above) might not be particularly practical for use with a new second language learner. Khan uses some terms that would need clarifying (scenarios, mutually exclusive events, etc.) in a classroom with a large number of ELs. As there are no visual written instructions/words, an EL who is watching the video might not even be able to pause it and look up the parts they do not understand because they might not know how to spell it. There are also notations that Khan uses that might be confusing to students who are learning probability for the first time. A teacher who wanted to use these videos in the classroom would need to make sure to gauge the language needs and levels of the students first.
• Also, the set I have chosen above does not really cover the standard that to me was the most important—the one involving the collection and analysis of data (7.SP.6: Approximate the probability of a chance event by collecting data on the chance process that produces it and observing its long-run relative frequency . . .). In a classroom, you would want to have the students perform some “lab” operations to observe and collect the data before making predictions.
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