Ashley's First Tumblr

As a statistics teacher, one of the best things I get to see is students actually USING math, and being able to model it in many ways. One of the ways my students this year have been modeling math is through the use of applets.  They get to actually work with the math, the numbers, and the concepts “hands on” through technology.  We could do a lot of the same things using something as simple as an index card, but it is more meaningful (and much quicker) when students can see multiple representations.

Our school became a Google driven school the year before I was hired, so I have been immersed in Google-stuffs since I started teaching.  But, it really is very convenient for a number of different reasons...least of which is that of hitting MANY learning strategies that are stressed in education.  

One of the learning strategies that is stressed in education is teaching students to evaluate their work. Google Docs works great for this because you can set up a form for all students to fill out, like a survey.  This allows students to think about how they did and reflect on their work.  As the year progresses, Google Docs has the option that students can create their own surveys within groups, or even come up with their own questions they hope to ask on the reflection survey. 

Another strategy that is greatly improved through the use of Google Docs is collaboration.  Google Docs makes it easy for students to collaborate from multiple places and at different times. Students can be working on three different parts of a project at the same time, but within the same document.  Gone are the days of everybody writing their own thing and then one person being in charge to type it up...now students can do it all at once!

While looking for grants that would specifically work for me, I typed a basic google search for "Mathematics Education Grants". I wasn't surprised by the amount of grants there were, but I was surprised about the types of grants.

I went to the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of mathematics) website to look at the grants they are showing.  They have grants not only for "enhancing learning through technology" but also just for professional development in general! I find this really important because it isn't just that you need the technology in your classroom; you as a teacher need to know how to use it! I plan to take an Eduspire class in the next year or so on Ipads in the classroom so I can become more competent in the use of tablets.  To see offerings of classes in your area, go to: https://www.eduspire.org/course/ipads-in-education/1

I have never written a grant. As a teacher, I didn't think I would ever have to write a grant, but it has become very clear through this class at Wilkes University that there may be times that I will want to take the initiative and write a grant. For this reason, I have spoken with a colleague of mine who has written a grant before.

I am a math teacher.....however, I at one point thought about being a music teacher.  I chose to have a career where I would more likely have a job, so instead of being a music teacher, I teach music in Marching Band.  I am getting ready to create my technique packet for my front ensemble for this year’s marching band season, and have been looking for some ideas.  When I found this, I realized how this is an AMAZING example of how visuals help you learn. 

If you look through this packet, you will see an example of the technique used by mallet percussion instruments (like a xylophone or marimba).  There are pictures to show you where your mallet should be placed on the bars of the instruments, and what a full stroke looks like.  I plan on using some of this, as well as creating some of my own.  

One of the hardest, yet easiest, concepts for students in my class is the Pythagorean Theorem.  It is one of the easiest because if students memorize the formula, they can just plug and chug all they want.  But, what is difficult is the reasoning behind WHY it works.  Students start to understand that the hypotenuse is the largest side, but this visual is always best to show so students really see it.  This is also a great way to introduce students to the many ways that you can prove something in math....it doesn’t always have to be boring and/or difficult! Sometimes a simple picture is all you need!

I have begun using this series in my Statistics Classroom.  I love this series because it allows my students to see statistics in the real world, and it comes complete with teaching resources (such as a worksheet to check video understanding!) I have only used this one time so far, and sometimes the students thought it was a little cheesy, but overall they enjoyed being able to see something other than me talking to them. 

Something very near and dear to my heart right now that integrates distance resources into learning is that of a Flipped Classroom.  I recently began doing a flipped model in my room, and am excited to see the ownership of learning that is occurring already. 

My students do not all have the ability to watch videos outside of class, so my “flipped” classroom is not necessarily one where they are required to watch the video outside of class and come prepared, but instead is set up so that students can work through at their own pace and are able to ask questions when they need to.  Instead of me standing at the front of the room lecturing, I am walking around helping students on their work, checking their answers to work, giving (almost) immediate feedback on work, and allowing students the ability to check their understanding as they go. My videos are broken down in the 3-7 minute videos, then they have practice problems, then they have a mini-quiz to test their knowledge.

So far, students are starting to get it..starting to see that they can ask me more questions, understand better because I’m not spending time teacher, but instead just working with them.  Most of the students are on board. But understand, it is not an easy process. I have a few students who are VERY against this method, and they and a few others feel that I am no longer doing my job....I’ll be honest, I was afraid of that too. But, if anything, I feel I can do my job better now, because I have the ability to work one-on-one with these students. Before, after teaching a lesson, we’d be lucky to have 10 minutes for students to work on their homework or classwork before the bell would ring.

As teachers, we tend to talk all the time to students about how they need to not cyber-bullying and how they can deal with it...but I think often, we don’t educate the parents enough about it as well.

I love Garfield...who doesn’t?! So, when I was looking around trying to find a good resource to talk about for cyber-bullying, imagine my surprise to find Professor Garfield! Professor Garfield is an online (and app-based) learning program designed to help students with specific life skills, one of which is understanding cyber-bullying. They also have lessons for math, science, and English!!! 

I worked through some of these myself and think they are just amazing.  They might be a little too cheesy for most high schoolers, but I think it is great for middle school, and maybe even late elementary school. The life skills include cyber-bullying, managing stress, manners, giving back, and more. 

This would be a fun little activity to get students thinking about cyber-bullying and all it entails.  But, be sure to check out the content area lessons as well!

Cartoon above and lessons from:

So many schools have funding problems and always have the problem of not enough money for devices! This is a great way to get devices in the classroom, without needing one for every student! Plicker is a program that only requires ONE mobile device with a camera.  Students get cards (printed by the teacher) so they can give their answers to multiple choice questions. Then, the teacher can take the one mobile device and scan the cards in the room. 

One of the most useful digital devices we have at our school for math classes is the TiNspire. The TiNspire is the newest calculator from Texas Instruments and it is an AMAZING resource for teachers and students.  I have posted one activity I have used with my classes here, so feel free to search around the site from this link.

Each pre-made lesson has teacher notes, student activity pages, and the files to be downloaded to the TiNspire. I love how easy these are for students to follow, and how easy it is for teachers to use.  My students found this activity engaging and also very useful.  The hardest part for teachers is to download it to all of the devices.