The Reflective Educator

Education ∪ Math ∪ Technology

Year: 2011 (page 11 of 28)

August 5, 2011 / 0 Comments

My first semester teaching

I just reread a story I wrote on here about my first semester teaching and thought I would share it again. The story is broken into 9 parts, and I hope to continue it. I’d really like to make sure I remember more of what happened in NYC, since the experience was such a life-altering one for me.

"My first semester teaching"

I’d love to read more people’s experiences of their first semester teaching as well, and compare notes.

August 5, 2011 / 0 Comments

Prisons, fighter jets, or investing in education?

First, watch this video (thanks to Blair Miller for sharing it with me) and decide whether you agree with its premise.

A Bird’s Eye View of Child Poverty in BC from s j on Vimeo.

Now ask yourself, are we doing enough in BC to reduce child poverty? What else could we be doing?

I live in a part of Vancouver where I see poverty every day. I’m only a few blocks from the downtown East side, and from the place in our city where the worst poverty makes itself evident, Main and Hastings. Whenever I walk through, or drive through, that part of town, I  see hundreds of people whose lives are obviously difficult, and who struggle each day with addiction, and finding enough to eat and drink. One thing I wonder now is, where are their children?

The children of the people living in the slums of Vancouver should not be held accountable for any poor decisions of their parents, but as a society, we shame them everyday. They are shamed at school by their peers, where bullying of people who are poor is rampant. They are shamed when they are excluded from participating in the events that happen in our society. We treat them poorly in so many ways, when they already experience so much grief in their own lives. Eventually, they will grow up, and many of them will take the places of their parents on the streets. In fact, because of the strong cyclical nature of poverty, one could argue that the people who end up in poverty later in life are not there because of they made poor choices… but instead of poor choices made by society at large.

If we recognize that the poor children today will likely become the poor adults of tomorrow, shouldn’t we do everything in our power to prevent this from happening? Whether or not you agree that this is a moral issue, and one which our society is, in general, handling very poorly, you must recognize that the economic consequences for our society are enormous. For example, my mother worked as a paramedic in Vancouver for a while, and she always said that 90% of her calls when she worked downtown were from people with repeat health problems caused by the side-effects of poverty. If we are willing to spend so much money cleaning up the problem, why aren’t we willing to spend more preventing it from happening in the first place?

Education is supposed to be a way out of poverty, but instead of investing heavily in education, our country is building more prisons and fighter jets. We have our priorities completely wrong as a society. Instead of electing people who would slash education funding in an effort to reduce taxes, we should be looking for politicians who will invest in education, and invest in the social programs which are proven to reduce the effects of child poverty.

August 5, 2011 / 2 Comments

Critical learning tool, or flashy extra?

This article was originally written for our school’s Imprint magazine, and is reprinted with permission.

The role of technology in education is a fairly contentious issue these days in most schools. There are those that believe that technology is a necessary add-on to the classroom; that teachers and students both need to keep up to date on the most current technologies so that students have marketable skills when they leave school. Others believe that technology should be kept strictly out of schools; that the old ways we learned in schools were “fine for us” and so should be fine for our students as well. There is yet another group that believes that educators and students should use the best tools available as part of their learning; and that in some cases, this means some sort of technology.

I personally tend to subscribe to the third point of view. I’m not a fan of just using technology because it helps prepare students. I think that we need to have a deeper reason to implement technology given the cost and time investment necessary to make any technology use worthwhile. I also think that our role is not necessarily to prepare students for jobs, but to prepare them for life, which takes more than simply knowing how to use a spreadsheet, or create a presentation.

There is a danger that we use technology simply because it is “flashier” than what we used to do. People who suggest that the primary reason to use technology is because it will “engage” the learner are I think missing the point of engagement. Real engagement comes from exposure to meaningful, relevant, and interesting ideas. Using ‘flashy’ technology is not engaging students, it is merely attracting their attention, much like light attracts a moth. The flashiness attracts the student’s attention, but once the novelty wears off, the attention is quickly lost. Engagement, on the other hand, is self-sustaining.

However, some technology allows us to learn about areas which would have been previously impossible, or impractical, without the technology. For example, being able to Skype chat to another classroom, or to a topic expert, opens a digital portal between two places. Skype technology allows for a type of communication previously impossible without the technology; real time ‘face to face’ conversations over tremendous distances.

This is part of the reason that our interactive white boards have seen limited use, and that our new Flip cameras have been booked out nearly every single day. The interactive white boards require a significant investment in time from teachers, and tend to promote a teacher-centred classroom with inexperienced use. The Flip cameras, on the other hand, allow students and teachers to do something not possible without their use. Students can now record, edit, and then examine videos they have created themselves.

In order to see a return on our investment in the interactive whiteboards, we are sending a few teachers who have volunteered to give up part of their summer to learn about how to use these devices effectively. In turn, they will share their new-found expertise with our staff, and we will be able to turn this “flashy” technology into something productive.

The most obvious piece of technology that we have introduced this year has been our one-to-one laptop program. While in some schools this would been implemented so that students could do research, write essays, and read textbooks, we have already been using the laptops for so much more. Students have been creating and editing multimedia, designing schools of the future in 3D, and using interactive geometry programs, for example, all of which have enhanced the students’ learning.

We will continue to focus on using technologies that are critical learning tools, rather than flashy add-ons. Your children deserve nothing less.

August 4, 2011 / 1 Comment

RSCON3 presentation online

I’m happy to report that the recording from my Reform Symposium presentation on Interactivity and Multimedia in Math is available to be downloaded here. Almost all of the recordings for the other presentations are up as well, which you can access here.

I’ve also uploaded my presentation slides here, so that you can download it and look at it yourself. Finally, if you are interested in further reading from my blog related to my topic, see these two links:

Update: Taking advice from @shamblesguru advice, I’ve converted my presentation, using a screen-casting program, into YouTube format.

 

July 30, 2011 / 2 Comments

Sharing ideas about math in the real world

I’m very interesting in finding ways mathematics is present in the world outside of the classroom, which I’ll call the "real world." Obviously what students do in the classroom is part of the real world, but too often in math instruction school math is completely separate from the contexts kids experience in their day to day lives. I’d like to build a collection of resources for math teachers so that we aren’t all scrambling in the dark looking for ways to incorporate more contextual learning in our teaching. Note that I’m not at all opposed to teaching mathematics which is highly interesting but has no real world context. I’m just opposed to teaching math which neither has context or any pizazz.

Here are some of the ways you can share your thoughts and suggestions on real world math.

  • Join the Flickr group here. Make sure that each of the photos you include has a description of why it represents a mathematical idea. Your students could also join this group and share their own ideas!
     
  • Blog about real world mathematics. Use the tag ‘realmath’ in your blog post (all one word) so that other people can find it by searching. Post a link to your blog post on Twitter (or any other social network) with the hashtag #realmath.
     
  • Post ideas under #realmath directly on Twitter (no blog post required).
     
  • Contact me through the form above and (assuming it’s appropriate!) I’ll post your idea about real world math here.

Please suggest other ways we can share ideas for context based mathematics and I’d be happy to include them here.

July 29, 2011 / 2 Comments

Math in the real world: Randomness in nature

This is another post in a series I’m doing on math in the real world.

 

Nature has lots of things which look random, but which are influenced by environmental factors. For example, when pine cones fall from a pine tree, they will tend to fall in a ring around the tree, but will bounce when they hit the ground, so the terrain impacts the distribution of the pine cones on the ground. Barnacles are essentially randomly placed on rock, but on shore-lines they are almost always found on the side of the rock facing the ocean.

Generally we tend not to understand randomness very well. When we create something that we want to be random, we tend to over-emphasize filling of empty space and spreading out the information, and under emphasize the number of pseudopatterns and clumps in the data. 

Here’s a classroom idea. Have students go around and take pictures (or record in a journal, perhaps with a pencil drawing) of things which look random. See if they can find examples of things which are actually random, and things which are evidence of human activity. In the slideshow above, you should spot one example of a rock collection which most decidedly not random.

July 28, 2011 / 2 Comments

Math in the real world: Architecture and Construction

This is another post in a series I’m doing on math in the real world.

 

The amount of mathematics required to design, plan, and construct one of these houses is amazing.

The plans have to be done in scale, and the building is often shown in both perspective and orthogonal views. The budget for a housing project is often estimated using square footage formulas, but can be quite complicated when more carefully calculated. Ensuring that the house is up to building code, or is LEED certified can involve more sophisticated calculations and analysis. For custom designs, the customer needs to be involved in the process, which means that good communication skills are crucial.

When creating the plan for actually creating the real version of the house, each aspect of the project has to be carefully scheduled. This is so that one isn’t trying to wire the house for electricity after one has laid the drywall. Creating this schedule often involves collaborating (with multiple contractors), problem solving, and logical reasoning skills. The design itself has to be checked for structural flaws. For example, it is also critical to check at this stage that load bearing walls which actually be able to bear the weight of the floors above them. 

The construction itself involves measurement, and understanding tolerances in measurement. Some measurements also involve using trigonometry, or the Pythagorean theorem. Workers have to plan carefully, and when they run into issues, creative solve problems.

In your school there are a few ways to use construction problems. Students could use a 3d design program like Google Sketchup to create a model of their house. From this model students could calculate the measurements of the house, check for structural integrity, and even create a careful budget of the cost of the house. Students could even create a design, and then implement their design (either in miniature, or possibly at full scale if you have a useful project that needs to be completed).

 

July 26, 2011 / 0 Comments

Books Every Math Teacher Should Read

This was originally posted at the Elevated Math blog, and I’m reposting it here.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading this summer, and I’ve come across a few books in the past few months that I think every math educator should read.

A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart

“I don’t see how it’s doing society any good to have its members walking around with vague memories of algebraic formulas and geometric diagrams, and clear memories of hating them.” ~ Paul Lockhart, p33

The original essay that inspired this book is still available online here, and if you can’t find the time to read all of Paul’s book, I recommend at least reading the essay. Paul talks passionately about some serious problems in mathematics education today, most notably that much of what is taught in schools is not actually mathematics itself, but a caricature of mathematics.

Mathematics Miseducation by Derek Stolp

“[M]athematics, as it is taught, does not give children any view of reality, let alone a rational one.” ~ Derek Stolp, p33

Derek argues first that mathematics, as it is taught today, does not warrant inclusion in our curriculum, but then demonstrates some clear ways that mathematics education could be changed to make it viable again. He has the best argument for a constructivist approach to mathematics education I’ve read so far.

The Math Instinct by Keith Devlin

“Overall, the shoppers’ performance was rated at an average 98 percent in the supermarket compared to a mere 59 percent average on the test.” ~ Keith Devlin, p187

Keith demonstrates how animals and nature have developed some amazing strategies for using mathematics in highly creative and important ways. He then suggests how this relates to our own ability to do mathematics, and shares some very compelling research on poorly we transfer math skills learned in school to our own lives, but use mathematical strategies nonetheless.

How Children Fail by John Holt

“I asked Monica the other day how many thirds were in a whole. She said, ‘It depends on how big the whole is.’ If we could look into the minds of our students, in how many would we find that thought?” ~ John Holt

While this book is not specifically about mathematics education per say, John does have some insights into the difficulties learners experience. He often has useful anecdotes taken from his own teaching of mathematics about the frustrations and problems learners have in this area. John also talks about the disconnection between what kids learn and the world, the problems with reward and punishment systems, homework, and a host of other issues in education talked about in depth by other educators.

What’s Math Got To Do With It? by Jo Baoler

I just read “What’s Math Got To Do With It?” by Jo Baoler, and I would actually move it to the top of the list. It’s a must read for math educators, not because it has the most eloquent argument against our current form of mathematics, but because it has some actual solutions that educators can implement right now in their existing practice that will make a difference. Jo also does a fabulous job of avoiding pointing fingers, reflecting on research that has been done, and grounding her observations in improving practice in easy to read anecdotes that everyone can understand. I’d also strongly recommend her book for parents who are concerned about math education as well.

Some other books which I have not yet read, but which are on my to read list are:

  • From Reading to Math: How best practices in literacy can make you a better math teacher by Maggie Siena
  • Young Children Reinvent Arithmetic: Implications of Piaget’s Theory by Constance Kamii Young
  • Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma
  • Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos

What books are on your “must read” list for every math educator?

Update: On the original post Grace ( @msokeeffe ) added Seymour Papert (Mindstorms, The Children’s Machine) and Robert P. Moses’ Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project.

July 25, 2011 / 0 Comments

A practical way to reduce teacher burn-out: Say thank you

Dr. Adam Grant shares an easy way to reduce teacher burn-out. We need to help teachers realize the work they do makes a difference in the lives of their students. He shares a story about how a university call centre saw much reduced stress rates simply because they heard the five minute story of a university student who benefited (with a scholarship) from their work. I recommend watching his Ted talk from TEDxPhiladelphiaEd.

July 25, 2011 / 3 Comments

The quiet revolution in education

(Clay Shirky: How social media can make history)

While education reformers like Michelle Rhee, Joel Klein, Bill Gates, and others will tell you that education is stuck in the status quo, right underneath their noses there is a quiet revolution occurring in education.

The revolution is happening through social media. Every day thousands of hours are spent by educators, even during the summer, to improve their personal practice through discussion and sharing of resources. Every day more and more educators are joining the fray, choosing to sign up for social media sites (like Twitter) so that they can become part of the conversation on education reform. While the number of educators not yet sharing their ideas dwarfs the number sharing, those that are sharing are vocal about the benefits that they are getting and inviting their colleagues daily to join them.

There are probably 50,000 educators using Twitter alone, and if each of these teachers posts just 1 average length tweet a day, that’s about 500,000 words written each day on education by people in the trenches. If each teacher on Twitter reads just 10 tweets a day, that would mean that more than 5,000,000 words about education are read each day via Twitter (The actual numbers are likely to be much higher than these conservative estimates).

Outside of Twitter, educators are connecting through Classroom 2.0, Future of Education, and literally thousands of other Nings and professional development sites. There are almost certainly thousands upon thousands of conversations between educators, about education, happening on Facebook every day as well.

Educators are doing much in the non-digital world to connect as well. Edcamps and Teachmeets, which are free professional development conferences, have sprung up all over the world. Educators are organizing TEDx conferences, like TEDxUBC, TEDxDenverEd, and TEDxPhillyEd, to name just a few (I attended all three of these).

This is all done outside of the more traditional professional development avenues, and it is having an impact on education. Teachers are flipping their classrooms, engaging in education hackjams, discussing educational practices in massive weekly Edchats, presenting their innovative educational practices with thousands of other educators via online webinars, and much, much more.

Much of this quiet revolution is happening during times when educators would have traditionally been off work, during their summers, their breaks, and at their homes, challenging the idea that educators aren’t willing either to change, or to spend their own time doing it. Educators are not being paid to participate in the opportunities discussed above, nor are they being given much support.

Instead of blaming all of the current problems of education on educators, maybe it’s time to support the thousands of innovative educators out there taking matters into their own hands? None of the accountability systems in place, or being developed, accounts for the incredible professional sharing occurring globally in education today.

The grassroots efforts are a much more effective way to introduce systemic change than top-down efforts ever will be since peer pressure is always stronger than authorative pressure.

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