Filming Yourself

As part of my national board certification, for 2 different entries, I have to tape a 15 minute segment of my class and analyze it to within an inch of its life. Even if you don't need to for any other purpose, I highly recommend taping and watching yourself (though I'm entirely sick of that 15 minutes of my life since I've watched it over and over again and can be like that annoying person at a show, "Oh, here's where she says this. Here's where they do that.")

I noticed things I would not otherwise have noticed. When I question kids of varying abilities, I reword my questions (subconsciously?) based on what I think their skill level is. Like I don't think some kids can handle a question asked some way and may need help. That's obnoxious and robs them of the opportunity to show what they know.

I also notice that when I was helping a student in a small group activity, I was bodily in the way of this other polite girl's desk, and so basically the whole time I was helping this one kid, this other poor little child couldn't do her work because BIG HOVERING teacher was in her space. Of course she was too polite to say anything, so for 5 minutes she just quietly sat there. Then when you see me moving off to help another group, boom, she starts doing stuff.

I think if you can get the right group of nonjudgmental/helpful teachers together and they each tape their own class, maybe others would have insight into questioning technique or wait time or such. People with fresh eyes will pick up on things you may not be aware of.

Of course when I invent a 26 hour day, then I'll have time to get that all organized.

Speed Teaching

Right after the winter break, I finally sat down to see where I was with BC Calculus. I know I was behind from last year for a variety of reasons (new block schedule, new book, starting 2 weeks later), and I finally needed to see how far. Yeesh. I listed all the topics left, found how much time left, "did the math", and realized that if we get on the speed train of math, we can just about fit everything in with a week or 2 to review in April/May..... if I forego test days, review days, practice days, state testing days, kids-out-for-anything days. Very unrealistic. And most likely if I forego giving-them-time-to-absorb days.

I'm consoling myself with the "fact" that a lot of it is cumulative, so they'll see skills again even if we don't formally talk about it. I'm also helping the speed by every class making "skeleton" notes where students fill in blanks as I talk and the pictures or graphs are already drawn to save time, and the practice problems are already listed to save time, etc.

So far in 5 (6?) block classes we've covered antiderivatives, Riemann Sums, area, definite and indefinite integrals, FTC, u-substitution, ln(x) derivatives and related integrals. I'm also spiraling homework, and their optimization "test" is a problem that they have to keep attempting for homework until it's perfect. Maybe I'll do a few of those.

I'd better assess in some informal ways to make sure things are sticking, otherwise what's the point of cramming the stuff if they don't learn it.

Funny Kid

Students were wacky today. Just goofy and chatty and such. In my 1st period AB Calculus class - chatty chatty chatty. While they were doing work, some of them started going off and talking in text message code: someone would say out loud, "LOL", and then they would all chuckle. Then someone else said, "ROTFL", and then chuckle, chuckle, etc. Oh my. I quieted them down.

Then. I have a unique, well-liked, has-his-own-band student who often stares off into space like he's writing his own music or thinking artsy thoughts. Well, today he was wearing 60s style pants, and after their big chucklefest died down, he had gotten up to get a tissue, and someone says, "Nice Pants," all sarcastic like, and then everyone chuckle, chuckle. And then I said something about, "oh, if the rest of you have to be such conformists and wear only what other people tell you is okay ..... ". And then this 60s pant kid pipes up jokingly, "well, if you don't like my pants, then I'll just take them off." We all laughed.

Conics Continued

I wanted to start my parabola lesson with paper folding to create a parabola. I'd done it before with other classes, and it went well since it was something different. This year I wanted to add an extra "twist" and experimented on my 3rd period (guinea pig) class .... (we don't LIKE being your guinea pigs).

Previously, they would draw a line on a piece of paper (directrix) and a point (focus) and then start folding the line over to lay on top of the focus many different times, and then the resulting pattern emerges as a parabola. Done. Move on to notes. This year I wanted to actually have them plot some of the points that were on the parabola, so after each fold, they were to use their ruler place it perpendicular to the directrix, through the focus, and make a dot where it intersected the fold.

Oh my goodness. Confusion city. Some kids got it, but lots didn't, so I just moved on and chalked one up to experience. But I think I heard the funniest line so far. One girl who has been struggling with math all year and is not getting the draw-the-dot-on-the-fold directions shrugs and funny-resignedly says, "even paper confuses me in math class".

Human Ellipse

Earlier in this winter January week in Texas with 60 - 70 temperatures, I was staring out my classroom window and remembering one event in my high school years. I don't remember the class/teacher/activity-purpose. All I remember is that one day we got to go OUTSIDE during class. This memory has lasted 26 years or so. So I related this to my 6th period class, and after their clamoring I promised we'd do something mathy outside some day.

Well, we started conic sections this week, and Friday was going to be a wee bit disrupted from other things, so I thought we'd go outside for part of the class and build a human ellipse to start off the unit. I had a long stretch of nylon yellow rope that I tied into a loop. Two students were the foci, one student was the pencil. Those 3 were inside the loop. The foci stayed fixed, and the "pencil" moved around while keeping the rope taut. The rest of the students were the "pencil traces" and moved to the "pencil's" spot after she left it.

We made 3 or so ellipses and I prompted them first each time about what they thought would happen if the foci moved in or out. We discussed circles. We got some sun. I think they have a sense of the ellipse properties now for when we get to them.

Extra Practice Calculus Worksheets

I keep forgetting to mention this great resource I found at NCTM one year. If you know of the Pizzazz worksheets, it's sort of like that, but for calculus (ooh, aah). It's published by Nasco, and called "Calculaughs Joke Worksheets", by June Oliver - who apparently was/is a calculus teacher and made up a variety of joke practice sheets for derivatives, mean value theorem, integrals, etc.

I've already used them when I want to come back to a topic after we've moved on. It's a nice way for the students to refresh their memories. I LOVED the types of questions on the MVThm sheet. I could never find enough satisfactory problems elsewhere for my kids to practice with. It also gave me some ideas on other types of activities I can have for that topic.

Here's a link I found: http://www.enasco.com/action/search?catalog=math&q=calculaughs&x=0&y=0

I'd also love to hear of other such resources for precalculus or for calculus ... even for algebra 2, because it's nice for the kids to refresh their memories on OLD topics.

Nature Break

Over winter break we went to Red Rock Canyon: Death Valley:

Death Valley:
And Zion National Park:
Every place was more stunning than the one before, and we had many hikes and long nights of sleep and surprisingly tasty dinners in small towns.

You're Welcome

The e-mail one father should have sent me:
Thank you:
-for coming in practically every day at 7:30am and leaving at 5:00pm and tutoring and teaching my child,
-for giving her retest opportunities throughout the fall to improve her grade,
-for curving the finals grade so that even though she missed 21 out of 40 questions, she had an opportunity to pass for the semester,
-for allowing a notecard on the final to relieve added stress of a big stakes test,
-for only putting 40 multiple choice questions on the final with an ample 2 hours to complete it.

The one he sent instead:
"K. indicated that she was not allowed to finish her final, was there some reason why? Usually they have been allowed to finish in the past, please advise..."

(translation: you ripped the test out of her hands while she lay sobbing and laughed maniacally while you informed her she could not finish)

Finals Shminals

My favorite note ever was handed to me today by a student before her finals: please allow W_____ to check on her chickens after her math final.

Last Week of the Fall

As usual it just seems to zip by. Last period of the last day of last week - antsy chomping-at-the-bit squirmy students. I jokingly told them they'd drive me to drink, and then in my mind I was thinking about the glass of wine I'd have later.

I also had a student leave class and not come back 30 minutes into our 1.5 hour block. Oh my was I furious. I debated referrals, calls home, e-mail to the kid. I ended up calling his mom and describing the incident and venting. She said she'd talk to him. I see now that I have an e-mail from him on my school account titled "apologies", but I'm not ready to read it yet.

He's a funny, good-natured kid who's struggling with the math, and his way of dealing with it is to not come in for help, and to turn in work late and to apologize after the fact and swear up and down that he'll change his ways, and then continue on in his fashion. Let's see if a miracle occurs, and he figures things out next semester.

On a positive note, we started our optimization unit in calculus, and I created an activity that I think will aid them in their understanding. I cut up colored paper/cards with 6 problem statements. Then in a different color I cut up pictures related to the problems. In a 3rd color I cut up main equations and "helper" equations. They were to match up all scenarios, then write them down on a prepared sheet. The last part was to use the "helper" equation to reduce the main equation down to 1 variable, and then to finally graph the main equation with their calculator and draw a good sketch of it on the sheet. No solving yet. They worked in groups and eventually (we didn't finish), I think we'll have a good discussion about the domain of the variable and then the "solving" will be work they've done before. We'll see after break.

Bullying

This past Saturday we had an AP Calculus and Statistics prep session at our school for 7 area high schools. There were 4 simultaneous sessions going on, with 3 different time slots for a total of 12 sessions. As students were deciding which sessions to go to, one boy from another school was by me and mentioned that everyone seemed to be sticking with kids from their own school, and then he mentioned that everyone at his school hated him, so he wanted to be in another session. I don't remember what I said. I didn't know the student, so I probably made some light remark and got him on his way.

Later on, in one of the sessions I sat in on, this boy was in there, along with, apparently, at least 4 other students from his school. This boy would listen to the teacher, and frequently make remarks or contribute to the discussion or ask questions to clarify. It was clear he was not up to speed with the topics, and was just trying really hard. Every time he made a comment, the 2 students near him would look at each other and semi-silently laugh. Every time. And 2 other thuggy looking boys that sat farther away would make louder comments, but not loud enough to warrent a comment from the presenter. I finally couldn't stand it any more, and when I didn't think the other students would hear me, I turned to the 2 laughers from my back seat post and warned harshly, "stop it". I gave the one of the other boys a dirty look, but that was about it.

This poor kid. Yes, he was annoying. But imagine going through the whole day, and maybe the whole school year with a wrought up gut knowing others are laughing at you all day. ... I sat in on another session, and the laughers didn't seem to be laughing at him any more, but maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see. Sheesh, I hope I'm not blind to this in my classroom as I'm up front with a million other things on my mind. I try to make an all inclusive class, and I do have a similarly challenged kid in my class. I need to be more diligent with how others are potentially making under-breath comments.

Voiceless

I felt a cold coming on last week at the start of the week, and then, wham, on Thursday and Friday, I guess my tonsils were so swollen, they constricted my throat, and I basically had no voice. I don't like to take days off, so I plowed through and sounded throaty and squeaky and husky and not as loud as I wanted to be. My kids were great, though, and they shushed each other, and we got through it. But oh my goodness, it's Sunday right now, and I still speak funny.

I tried something different in all my classes. After we went over homework, I handed out a 1/4 sheet of scratch paper, and put a 1 question "homework quiz" on the overhead (cough cough ... document camera, that is ... I'm so lucky). They couldn't use their notes or talk with people. I walked around and checked their progress, and made suggestions as needed. After a wee bit, I asked them to write down their status "yes I got it", "I needed to look at my notes", "I got help from ____ and then got it", etc. We discussed answers, and I collected them. This will give me a better sense of who needs help, and it will also allow me to make comments on the "quizzes" that they can read when I hand them back tomorrow.

Holiday School Holiday Sandwich

We went to Idaho Falls, Idaho and Jackson Hole, Wyoming over Thanksgiving break. Here is a picture taken after the "lighting of the elk arches" in the town square of Jackson Hole. Apparently, there are vast numbers of elk that migrate around the area, and their antlers just drop off like matchsticks, and people collect them, and, hey, let's build 4 arches made of elk antlers to welcome people into the square.

We also hiked around the Grand Tetons for 3.5 hours, the first 2 hours of which were great, but then (no names mentioned) someone started getting hungry and cranky and did NOT want to hike to the 2nd lake because it impeded their eating schedule.

Now it's back to school, and I was cranky about that - just the rush rush rush feelings of "am I going to get everything done" and "will they successfully learn what I want them to learn", but then I get to school, and the kids are funny and it's good to see them and talk with them.

They are learning my annual fraction song, and today I quizzed them on it, and maybe we'll put it on YouTube because I think it would be a riot. I don't know if that's kosher to tape them and put it on there, but it's not kiddie porn or anything, and the students think it'll be a hoot, so we'll see.

Nonmath Moment

Last Monday in one of my classes a student asked, "if my dad dies in debt, am I responsible for paying everything off?". She was worried because apparently he has never sent child support and apparently has debt, and she didn't want to have to pay. Then my other students started piping up with, "yes you have to pay" in so many ways and how they were so sure that was the case and they'd discussed it with so-and-so and basically you were responsible.

Ew. I didn't know the answer, and we went on with our math. After class I looked it up, and no, you are not responsible, so I sent out a quick e-mail note to my students with the links just so they wouldn't stay under the false impression.

Well, I sent this via our gradebook program that allows you to just send notes, and one of the parents sends back: What are you doing looking into our debt? You shouldn't be teaching this! ...... So I sent back a note explaining the situation, and he calmed down, with no apology of snapping at me and assuming we were all going online and doing credit checks on parents and making big charts to show to the class. Oh my.

Continuity...(it never ends)

Blach! I'm having the hardest time getting the bulk of my calculus students to follow a (seemingly simple) recipe for proving continuity. Come on people, it's 3 steps. I've given you worked out examples. We've drawn pictures. We've modeled it with our hands. We've talked ad naseum about it. I made you write about it. Three steps! It's all I ask. Don't make me hurt you.

Identifying Coasters

I know I have kids in class that are polite and quiet and pay attention (or look like they do) in class, and attempt the homework, and yet are just not getting it. They don't come in for help. They don't ask questions in class. It's easy for them to just not be actively involved in the learning in class and coast and "pass" (though maybe not on tests).

I have various strategies when students answer questions in class to get everyone to participate: talk to someone next to you quietly about ..., help someone or have someone help you with ..., give me a thumb vote on the answer to ..., write down your answer to ____ and I'll walk around and check.

But as I'm walking around or waiting for them to talk to each other or ask questions, there are still kids "fake" doing it. So I debate whether to call them on it or not. I don't think I can do this every time and reach every student because the lesson has to go on and that seems like it would take too much time and maybe have a negative effect. Students can just look busy or look like they're working, and maybe they are, but they're not done by the time most others are done with the current task.

Today I was starting the calculus class, and we were going over homework on the "1st derivative test" to identify maxes and mins. I asked the class as a whole, what were the steps of doing the "test". The usual suspects started to answer, and I stopped them and did something I hardly ever do. I picked on a random student by name. "I don't know". I picked on another (making sure not to pick the kids that got it). "I don't know". So I stopped class and said, "look over your notes from last class, and I'll pick on random people to answer various questions about this topic". Well. That got the motivation up. Everyone was looking through their notes and discussing things with their neighbors and one student was so excited, "I GET it, it's this and this and this". Then I picked by name random students to answer the remaining questions.

I don't do that enough. I've gotten set in my ways and rely on the strategies I mentioned way above, thinking that everyone would get a chance to discuss and learn things before someone called out the answer, and I failed to notice that there are kids not participating too many times, and that it was easy to just sit and vegetate.

Helicopter Parents

I just read this term the other day, and then had an experience with it myself soon after. Apparently, these are parents that hover over their children and are super involved in their school and other activities and help run the kids' lives without letting the kids figure things out for themselves and make mistakes and learn and fend for themselves.

I just gave a 2 question, short quiz in calculus. I thought it was doable. The related rates problem involved a right triangle, so I expected the students to look at it and think, "hmmmm, right triangle, what sorts of equations do I know about right triangles" and then go from there. Well, oh my god, you'd have thought I asked them to prove Fermat's last theorem. One girl immediately started hounding me about it. Then after class she hovered and said that I shouldn't count that question as a grade. Then 20 minutes later I notice my message light is on for my phone, and it's her mother saying that E. was upset about the test and didn't feel prepared and could I please call her. Ewww. It creeped me out.

Cheating

I want my precalculus students to know (at least) sine, cosine, and tangent of all the special angles (at least) in the 1st and 2nd quadrants by heart and quickly. Therefore, I told them early last week that they will have a daily timed quiz with 14 questions that they know in advance, and they have to answer ALL correctly in a set amount of time. I took the 1st one with them and told them I'd double my time and that would be their time. It turns out they have 2 minutes for 14 questions. Doable. I keep giving them a pep talk. You can do it. It's not brain surgery. I'm not smarter than you, I've just been doing it longer. Study. You only need to be able to do each question in just under 10 seconds each. And so on.

They get a 0% until they get all right in 2 minutes, then they get 100%, and they can take it as many times as they need to in the remaining weeks of the 6 weeks. I've already had 3 kids pass in the first few days, and many are close.

Then there are those that seem to make no progress. They don't study for it, and they don't memorize (yet?).

Then there are the 2 boys I caught cheating with the weird "oh, let me look at my palm while I'm taking the test. What a fascinating life line I have." ... or "oh, let me look down at my lap, what a great leg I have.". I stared hard at the boys. I stood by the boys. I didn't say anything directly to the boys. They did not pass, and were nervous while I was standing near or looking at them. Why didn't I say something? But now I can no longer trust them. I also mentioned to my OTHER 2 classes about the cheating without naming names, and discussed how that was trust lost and very hard to earn back.

Blach. I should have a palm check before the quiz, or a stand up and let me look at your lap check. But how silly and weird.

Opinion Changes

It's always nice and surprising how my first impressions of students and students attitudes in class improve (generally) as the year starts rolling. I guess they get used to a new teacher and how tests are given and what's expected of them. They get out of their summer mode of thinking and start actually doing work and coming in for tutoring.

So far I can think of these students:

"M" was twice absent on calculus test days. When he made them up, he complained about the difficulty and how I didn't give a formal review sheet (I told them what was on the test and they had old homework and answer keys to study). I told him that I didn't want to hand hold him, and if he needed to review, then he had to put out an effort. This last test he VASTLY improved his scores, and in class he's actually been participating.

"R" was goofy in class and talked talked talked. He was not doing well on precalculus tests. Lately, he's been coming in for tutoring and zeroing in on specific things he was having trouble with, and he's grasping things much better.

"E" has a surly haughty expression in calculus class and always seemed annoyed with everything I did. And yet, she advocates for herself: can you repeat that? can you wait a bit? can you explain that another way ("in English" another student pipes up). She really wants to grasp things, and now she has started cracking the occasional joke.

"M2" is STILL absent frequently in precalculus class and he's still constantly sleepy in class, but he makes up all his work and when he comes in for tutoring, he asks intuitive questions and has unique, clever ways of solving problems.

There are more, but I love as the year goes on how my kids grow on me.

Take 4

1st period/time through the spaghetti sine graphing activity:
me: read the instructions, they're clear, and you can follow them, and you'll be amazed at the results of graphing y = sin x without a calculator or ruler.
them: help. help. help. I don't get it. help. help.
me: running around helping everyone with the same questions over and over.

2nd period/time through the activity:
me: let me give you an overview of what you're doing here. overview. read the instructions, they're clear, you'll be great.
them: help. help.
me: running around helping.

3rd period/time through the activity:
me: here is a detailed overview with hand puppets and motions on the overhead of what you'll be doing. let me do it slowly and clearly. the instructions are VERY CLEAR. Read the instructions before you ask me any questions.
them: help.
me: I help. Class, ... so-and-so is now an expert on instruction 4. If you have questions on #4, ask so-and-so. ... So-&-so is an expert on instruction 5. Ask him/her.
them: so-and-so, help.
me: (nothing to do).

4th period/time through the activity:
me: (see 3rd time through) with the addition of: the instructions are VERRRRRRYYYYY clear. You'll be great. I expect great things from you. Did I mention that the instructions are clear? Here, look at my hand puppets.
them: help
me: (post-help) so-n-so is an expert on #4, etc. Ask so-and-so.
them: (scurrying over to student to get help)
me: (do dee do dee do ... nothing to do but walk around and watch them work)


oh! and a joke I read on You Tube:

What did "0" say to "8"? ..... "Nice belt".