I have created a reference sheet for students to use as they begin to explore DESMOS to graph linear and quadratic functions. This document is elementary yet foundational for the basic use of DESMOS. As students further their exploration and confidence in using DESMOS, there will be more guidance provided, if needed. It has been my experience that once students are comfortable with the basics, that they will then explore without necessary guidance.
Click HERE for the document. This is not an academic post of any sorts. I just want to share that I LOVE teaching so much and a HUGE part of that is the community aspect. I strongly believe in the power of community to cultivate a positive learning environment for students and staff. This video is a clip of RBV's, my Spring student teaching site, annual fundraising event where students and staff participate in a show in order to raise funds for the IB program. Check it out if you have a moment! The article “How to Get a Job at Google, Part 2” by Thomas Friedman continues to discuss the hiring techniques of Google, however, in part 2, Friedman shares parts of his interview with Laszlo Bock, the director of hiring at Google. Bock shares that college is valuable for students who enter this endeavor when they know what are they are pursuing and why they are pursuing it. Bock shares that college and other academic endeavors are valuable in order to build a “base knowledge” for everyone which is a “social good.” He further advocates that students should pursue knowledge but also a skill set that will make them important in their future workplace. He lists the most important trail that college students should acquire in their pursuit of a degree and in term, a career: grit. Bock advocates to not take the easy classes for the higher GPA. Additionally, students should enroll in other non-required classes, such as statistics for a computer science degree (Bock himself did so and shared it was pivotal for his growth). This presents the opportunity for students to break away from a linear progression in their degree path, see different perspectives, and grow a skill set that is diverse.
Relating this mindset in my classroom, I begin to reflect on past experiences and brainstorm for new ones. As a teacher, I do not want my students to take the “easy way out” because it not only cheapens their own education, but it also robs the class as a whole. When I first began my time at Mount Carmel HS as a teacher candidate, I was admittedly a bit intimidated by Common Core. It was so out of the box and was not the way I learned math as a student. However, reflecting on a solid semester at MCHS, I have seen the multiple benefits of straying away from algorithmic math and traditional pedagogy. Students are retaining information because it was not handed to them in ways of a formula or worksheet. Students had to actively collaborate and engage with the curriculum in order to learn it. Connections were made. Students learned. And I learned. I learned grit. I learned that it is ok to be intimidated by new curriculum because I have grown so (so so so so…) much as an educator this past semester, in curriculum and in MANY other areas of teaching. Yes, there were difficult moments but I chose to see them as teachable ones. More importantly, I hope my students saw this modeled to them throughout the semester because words are one thing, but actions are another. I learned grit. They inspired me with their grit with an adjustment to Common Core. We learned together. Future employers seek out candidates who have grit. Grit is not learned in a textbook, it is acquired. Source: Friedman, T. L. (2014, April 19). How to Get a Job at Google, Part 2. Retrieved December 06, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google-part-2.html The article “How to Get a Job at Google” by Thomas Friedman discusses the requirements and characteristics that Google looks for in a candidate during the hiring process. Interesting enough it may not be the class valedictorian nor the president of the Chess Club, although these qualifications don’t hurt either! These are the five things Google looks for when hiring:
Reflecting this model in my classroom, I begin to ask myself “Is this model also seen in my classroom and in my teaching philosophy?” Are my students...
As a teacher, this is what I want for my students. A teacher dreams of high scores and a peaceful and productive classroom environment. That is ideal, I agree. However, that’s not education. Education is working with people and that can be tricky most of the time. Education is not a linear field. It can be easy to micromanage grades, tests, and student behavior; however, if this is a teacher’s focus, I fear they miss the point. As a teacher, yes, I aim for high scores, but more importantly, I aim for kind-hearted, thoughtful and creative citizens. And the optimistic side of me knows that creating and cultivating a positive and welcoming classroom atmosphere is critical to this goal. My future classroom will advocate for errors and collaboration because we will learn from them and from one another. There will be no “smart kids” and “non-smart kids” because every student brings a diverse ability and perspective to the classroom environment and this diversity will help us all grow as a class... just like it did for the Google company. Yes, I care about their grades and their knowledge, but I care MORE that they want to learn and are contributing members to a society that needs them. This is my philosophy as an educator. Source: Friedman, T. L. (2014, February 22). How to Get a Job at Google. Retrieved December 04, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html?_r=2 This is the fourth blog in a four part series on the topic of Rethinking Education. Dustin, an engineer who has a YouTube series called Get Smarter Everyday, challenges us to unlearn in order to learn. Pause right there. Yes, that's right. We need to unlearn in order to learn. Let me explain... Dustin explains in his video his journey to riding a "backwards bicycle", that is where if you turn right, the bike goes left, and vice versa. You think simple, you switch your hand movement to steer the pack. Yes, this is the correct habit flop that needs to occur; however, it is not as easy as it looks. As Dustin puts it, the knowledge does not equate to understanding. Why not? Because our brains have (many) years of riding a traditional bike and while we KNOW we need to switch movements, our brain does not UNDERSTAND how to do so. As revealed in his video it took Dustin eight months (approx. 5 minutes/day) to learn to ride the backwards bicycle. In essence, he had to UNLEARN in order to LEARN. Dustin had to rewire his brain's "bike riding" norm in order to effectively ride this new bike. (I don't want to give it away but check out the time it took his son to learn to ride the new bike.) How do this relate to education? I think of the transition from the traditional algorithmic and computational math curriculum to the Common Core curriculum. It is in my opinion that many stakeholders have a negative perception of Common Core, and while it has been a shaky transition at times with implementing a new way of thinking, the intentions of Common Core are great! The Eight Mathematical Practices of Common Core (see below) emphasize critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. This is where math is heading and I think it is AWESOME!! We are leading students towards advanced ideas where their contribution matters. No longer is math solely number-crunching. It is about exploration and making connections. This is a needed attribute for the future! So let’s UNLEARN our algorithmic and computational mindset for math and LEARN to explore and connect with deeper meaning. This is how math will make a difference in the future! Watch this video - I think you'll enjoy it! Sources: (n.d.). Youtube.com. The Backwards Brain Bicycle - Smarter Every Day 133 - YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDaBzBlL0 Standards for Student Mathematical Practice [Eight Common Core Mathematical Practices]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2016, from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B19SejfvMU1rbW1sbEZ3Y1E1Qkk/edit This is the third blog in a four part series on the topic of Rethinking Education. I am a social media user. I am a proponent on the use of social media in education because I recognize that students are social media users as well. So why not use a platform that students are familiar with in order to share knowledge or expose them to new academic platforms? I am a social media user. And even more specifically, I am an Instagrammer. I don't post my daily morning lattes nor my #OOTD (outfit of the day - this is a real thing!), but I DO post my travel adventures, my hikes with my dog, and moments that I like to look back on. The overuse of posting on Instagram is a no-go in my book. However, my absolute favorite part of the 'Insta' is following accounts that I wouldn't get a chance to see. Meaning, I would not meet these people in person and get a chance to talk with them about their experiences, perspectives, and their life. Instagram does this for us. Yes, on a smaller scale, but it's better than nothing! Instagram uses the power of a photo and a written component to connect people, more than Twitter and Facebook. I absolutely think everyone should follow the National Geographic Instagram account! The pictures they share always leave an impression on me, both positive and negative. They allow me to self-reflect on my own biases about a region, culture, or species. Or, on the flip side, their posts leave me in awe of our planet and all its beauty. The NG Instragram account allows me to "see" the world in a glimpse without really seeing it. And an added bonus, it allows me to add to my bucket list of travel adventures. Additionally, I also follow many fitness accounts to learn more about health, nutrition, and weight lifting. This may seem silly but this is an area that I am interested in and want to continue to grow in knowledge. I enjoy scrolling through my Instagram feed in moments of free time and reading about other people's fitness journeys and tidbits of knowledge they want to share. Now, I recognize that their information is not always 100% accurate, so I definitely research beyond Instragram, but Instagram sparks my interest and passion in fitness because I find something new and relevant daily. So relating the use of Instagram to education, I can foresee myself using a separate class account to connect students with other math-related accounts. This can spark interest in math-related fields, including science, engineering, and technology (the STEM fields). It can share that STEM fields go beyond equations, textbooks, and algorithms. Instagram could allow students to see STEM in real life! In addition, students can share and/or tag the class account in things they find! It can be a platform to share discoveries. A second criteria I would have with the use of an Instagram in the classroom would be the rule, like Casey shared in his video: do NOT overpost. Too much posting leads to information overload, and then students are tempted to not follow you. And then the platform becomes useless. The use of social media in the classroom is a fun idea and something I wish to further explore, including setting rules/norms of use for students. This video, created by Casey Neistat, promotes the use of Instagram, not specifically in the classroom, but in life. He advocates that Instagram, when used properly and effectively, is a sharing platform that allows users to see into one another's lives in a unique way. I recommend you check out this video. It made me laugh and nod my head in agreement. Source: Caseyneistat. "Instagram I Love You." YouTube. YouTube, 02 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. This is the second blog in a four part series on the topic of Rethinking Education. This TED Talk (see below) is one of my absolute favorite educational TED talks I have seen to date. Rita Pierson's passion about the power of relationships is evident in her shared stories. Rita's stories and talk inspire me as a future educator. Rita Pierson begins with her talk with the quote from James Comer, "No significant learning can occur with out a significant relationship," She then continues to share the power of connection, community, and relationships in education. I could not agree more with this quote! Let me share why.. Reflecting back as a student, I can quickly name the teachers who impacted me the most, and not solely in academics. These teachers created a culture of community and connection in the classroom, and not in a superficial way. These were classrooms were I felt that my teacher was my advocate, or in Rita's words, my "champion." Now fast forwarding to the starting stages of my teaching career, I want to replicate this in my classroom. I want the following philosophies to be seen, known, and evident in my classroom: Apologize and admit when you are wrong (it will happen). Be kind and greet one another. Be more human. Empower your neighbor. Respectfully advocate for yourself. Listen first, speak next. These are to be modeled every day. It is important that I live these out in order to show my students that I highly value community, in my classroom, school, and every day life. These philosophies create community and powerful students. Community creates connection, and connection creates change. To end this blog post, I would like to share Rita's ending quote in her TED Talk: “Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our would be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion. Every child deserves a champion. An adult who will never give up on them, understands the power of connection, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.” Source: T. (2013, May 03). Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson. Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw&index=9&list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp This is the first blog in a four part series on the topic of Rethinking Education. After watching the video linked below, I am encouraged. As a teacher candidate with aspirations to become an effective math teacher, Dan Meyer’s TED Talk gave me (well, all of us) effective strategies to model patient problem solving in the classroom. Before I start discussing my takeaways from this video, let’s retract in order to identify some current areas of concern in math education, along with my experience as a high school math student. Dan Meyer some factors that are currently misshaping and hindering the potential in math education. He lists out the following as bad features commonly seen in classrooms and among students: (1) lack of initiative, (2) lack of perseverance, (3) lack of retention, (4) aversion to word problems, and (5) eagerness for formulas. As a high school math student, there were many times where I resonated with one or more of these factors, specifically eagerness for formulas. As a learner, I wanted the quickest solution as possible so I could move onto the next problem set and be done. I was a computing, memorizing, algorithm machine with one goal: to get an “A” in my math classes. The problem with this mode of thinking is that my retention was short-lived, usually from one chapter test to the next. As a student, I knew this was bad, but I was so focused on getting the “A”, passing the class, and ultimately, graduating. Reflecting back, I can honestly say that I sacrificed my full capacity to learn. Now, as a teacher candidate and having beginning experience leading students in math in the classroom environment, my biggest hope is that students don’t fall into the same trap I did. My hope as a teacher candidate is that students are engaged in the content they are learning and that they are persistent to resolve problems, ones in the textbook and in real-life. Ultimately, I want my students to be confident in their mathematical ability even when the solutions aren’t obvious. As a teacher, I hope to implement the strategies that Dan Meyer shared in his video. I am going to share those exact strategies here: (1) use multimedia in the classroom, (2) encourage student intuition, (3) ask the shortest question you can, (4) let students build the problem, and (5) be less helpful. These strategies shy away from curriculum-driven math, rather they are centered around collaborative and persistent learning. Dan Meyer’s frames these five strategies around the need for math to be real, relevant, and no longer theoretical. This includes technology in the form of pictures and video that allow students to visualize the problem. The integration of technology in the classroom, as minute as the use of a calculator and DESMOS, is important because these are readily available resources for students, even after they leave the classroom. In conclusion, when I entered the Single Subject Credential Program at CSU San Marcos with a dream to educate the next generation, my goal was always to keep it real and relevant. It is refreshing to find others in the education field that see the need to do the same! Source: TEDx Talks. (2010, April 12). Dan Meyer at TEDxNYED. Youtube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BlvKWEvKSi8?list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp |
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