Recently, I prepared a review activity for my Algebra 2 students in the form of the game Bingo. The purpose of the activity was for the students to prepare for a test on exponential and logarithmic functions. I organized the desks in pairs so that students could collaborate on 25 review problems. My mentor and I walked around the room to help individual pairs of students. The students were motivated to complete these review problems in a timely manner because they would need these answers to fill out their bingo card. Every pair of students had a different bingo card with the numbers 1 -25 pre-written in different locations in the 5 X 5 grid. Students were instructed to place their answers to the problems in the corresponding grid cell for that problem number. At the end of class, I called out the answers to the 25 problems in random order. The students crossed out answers on their bingo card as they were called. Approximately 4 pairs won bingo and I gave out candy as a prize.
The activity went very well. The majority of the student pairs were having rich conversations about the mathematics. I witnessed many “aha moments” when a student understood a concept after their partner explained it to him or her. I also witnessed student pairs constructing meaning and figuring out problems together. I believe that many of the students would not have done so well on the worksheet if it were not for the collective scaffolding that this activity provided. I also provided assistance to many student pairs. I was careful not to give the answer but to guide the students' thinking.
In this case, my competitive activity (Bingo) motivated my students and worked well.
What do you think about competition in the classroom? What are some important features of competitive activities that foster learning without undermining the teacher's efforts to build a safe learning community?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Does Global Connect lead to Personal Disconnect?
Recently, I was introduced to a site of a great edublogger, Vicki Davis. If you would like to visit her blog, go to:
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/
In one of her posts entitled "Globally connected... Personally disconnected?" she addresses the issue that as a teacher use more and more websites and web tools to communicate with others and teach, he or she can feel personally disconnected.
Vicki states that being a teacher is becoming less about a stack of papers to grade. She is now concerned with email assignments and updating wikis and web pages.
Her advice to those who feel globally connected and personally disconnected is as follows:
"It is OK to feel personally disconnected sometimes, particularly when that means you are creating rich, vibrant, deep learning experiences for students.....
Just keep perspective and don't beat yourself up too much about how often you've blogged or tweeted. If you've got something to share, share it any way you can with the time you have and just don't sweat it."
Vicki expressed that she feels personally disconnected at times. It is evident from exploration of her blog that she uses technology ALOT in her classroom.
Do you think that there is a such thing as using too many websites and webtools in teaching? Do you think that global connect can lead to a personal disconnect? If so, how do you find the right balance?
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/
In one of her posts entitled "Globally connected... Personally disconnected?" she addresses the issue that as a teacher use more and more websites and web tools to communicate with others and teach, he or she can feel personally disconnected.
Vicki states that being a teacher is becoming less about a stack of papers to grade. She is now concerned with email assignments and updating wikis and web pages.
Her advice to those who feel globally connected and personally disconnected is as follows:
"It is OK to feel personally disconnected sometimes, particularly when that means you are creating rich, vibrant, deep learning experiences for students.....
Just keep perspective and don't beat yourself up too much about how often you've blogged or tweeted. If you've got something to share, share it any way you can with the time you have and just don't sweat it."
Vicki expressed that she feels personally disconnected at times. It is evident from exploration of her blog that she uses technology ALOT in her classroom.
Do you think that there is a such thing as using too many websites and webtools in teaching? Do you think that global connect can lead to a personal disconnect? If so, how do you find the right balance?
How do we get kids to ask questions?
As a pre-service teacher, I often think about what I can do to get kids to ask questions. I noticed that at the beginning of the year, many kids in the Algebra class that I am observing did not ask questions. My cooperating teacher tells the kids all of the time that he wants them to ask questions and thanks them when they do. He always states that he cares about their learning and he makes himself available before school, during lunch, and after school. Over time, kids that never asked questions started to ask questions. However, there is still a large number of students that do not ask questions.
Some additional ideas that I have to get kids to ask questions are:
*Have students write their questions anonymously on index card.
*Give students points for writing questions on their homework when they don't understand.
*Make participation points apart of the class grade.
What are some methods that you would use to get kids to ask questions?
Some additional ideas that I have to get kids to ask questions are:
*Have students write their questions anonymously on index card.
*Give students points for writing questions on their homework when they don't understand.
*Make participation points apart of the class grade.
What are some methods that you would use to get kids to ask questions?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
PowerPoint in a Math Classroom
I have always been a fan of PowerPoint and I have seen its use in many non-math classes. However, I never considered its use in a math classroom until recently. For one of my classes, I did a group presentation about the disadvantages and advantages about PowerPoint. During my research for this presentation, I came across an article entitled "Life after death by PowerPoint" by Jenni Ingram. According to Ingram, PowerPoint can be used in math in the following ways:
1) Various colors can be used to show the difference in steps, parts of a drawing, etc.
2) Animation can be used to show the progression of mathematical thought.
3) Hyperlinks can be used to access interactive websites and even other PowerPoint slides that contain alternate explanations for a math problem.
One of my classmates created a color coded geometry proof in PowerPoint that I believe would be very useful in a geometry classroom.
I am now convinced that PowerPoint is a great tool to use in a mathematics classroom.
post script
According to a recent personal communication with a special education specialist, a simple PowerPoint slide or two in a math classroom displaying directions or relevant information to the day's lesson can be very helpful for students with learning disabilities.
What are your thoughts about PowerPoint in a math classroom?
1) Various colors can be used to show the difference in steps, parts of a drawing, etc.
2) Animation can be used to show the progression of mathematical thought.
3) Hyperlinks can be used to access interactive websites and even other PowerPoint slides that contain alternate explanations for a math problem.
One of my classmates created a color coded geometry proof in PowerPoint that I believe would be very useful in a geometry classroom.
I am now convinced that PowerPoint is a great tool to use in a mathematics classroom.
post script
According to a recent personal communication with a special education specialist, a simple PowerPoint slide or two in a math classroom displaying directions or relevant information to the day's lesson can be very helpful for students with learning disabilities.
What are your thoughts about PowerPoint in a math classroom?
Mandatory Make-up Tests
At my placement, the math department has a no-fail policy. All students must score an 80% or above on all tests in order to receive full credit for a class. The tests are usually sectioned in to 2-3 parts with similar questions so that the student does not have to re-take the entire test but only the parts that they did not master 80% of the questions. The students can come after school, during lunch, or go to the school's testing center to retake tests.
I think this is a great idea because it gives the students extra chances to master the material. It sends the message that every student is capable of mastering the material by holding them to a high standard. Consequently, the teachers teach each lesson for mastery learning. Some have criticized this policy because some students can choose to not study for a test because he or she knows that it can be made up later. However, I think that the positives outweigh the negatives. Even if the school that I teach for next year does not have this policy (and there are no policies in place to discourage this practice), I think I will implement this in my own classroom. It seems to motivate students and it is a way to convey high teacher expectations.
What do you think? Would you implement this policy in your own classroom?
I think this is a great idea because it gives the students extra chances to master the material. It sends the message that every student is capable of mastering the material by holding them to a high standard. Consequently, the teachers teach each lesson for mastery learning. Some have criticized this policy because some students can choose to not study for a test because he or she knows that it can be made up later. However, I think that the positives outweigh the negatives. Even if the school that I teach for next year does not have this policy (and there are no policies in place to discourage this practice), I think I will implement this in my own classroom. It seems to motivate students and it is a way to convey high teacher expectations.
What do you think? Would you implement this policy in your own classroom?
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