8 things to consider as I start my new year.

My top 8 list for 2017-2018…

At the start of each year I try to set some goals (and reflect on things that worked well the previous years).  I thought I’d share them here.

Math class seating chart

1. Code your seating chart.

   My laminated seating chart has all kind of information about each student – especially learning needs.  See this article for more about this.

2. Try something new.

   This year I’m going to do a lot more with our new edulastic.com web service.  It’s going to allow us to quickly create small assessments (such as a 3 question exit ticket) to get better and instant feedback as to where the class is.  Try using desmos for graphing or perhaps socrative for getting quick feedback. Don’t simply do the same thing as last year – it’s an easy rut to fall into.

3. Listen More.
   

   It’s easy to forget how important feedback is when teaching – because we know so much about this course we’ve been teaching for 10+ years.  There are lots of ways to listen to your students.  One of the quarterly activities we do as a dept. is a reflection paper – where students get a chance to tell us what works for them and what doesn’t.  Read more about it here.

4. Challenge your students at all levels.

   It doesn’t have to count for much – it doesn’t have to be timed.  But when a student is outside their comfort zone – they learn.  Give an honors problem to a CP student that you think wouldn’t normally be able to do it.  Perhaps after school or before a long vacation.  Make some incentive to try it.  Allow them to work as a group to come up with a solution in class after they all try it on their own.  Give a part to each student and then have them have to work together to solve a bigger problem.

5. Put a zero in your electronic gradebook as soon as students miss a test or quiz.

   When you leave it blank (at least in our system) it doesn’t average anything in. But when you put a zero in, the student’s average suddenly drops.  What this does is grabs the attention of the student (and parents) and makes them much more eager to setup an appointment to make it up!

   

   Graphing Calculator

6. Create (more) alternative assessments

   I recently got an email from a student in the workforce about how a little programming assessment we

   did (programming the TI-84 Calculator) made a huge impact on him and his career choice.  Some students will never get the highest grade in the class on a test.  But they might surprise you and create an incredible project because it peaked their interest and it’s not timed.

7. Create videos and try flipping your classroom occasionally.

   We do this for long breaks or even snow days.  I use Camtasia and the camera/mic built into my Macbook.  We tell students that if there is a snow day, check their assignments which will have a link to a video lesson. Students watch it, do the problems in the video for HW, and then they come in the next day with a decent understanding.  10 minutes of lecture to solidify the concepts and then we can spend the entire class doing problems.

8. Remind myself…
   

   Imparting a sense of wonder about math (and the world around them) is much more important than simply passing on knowledge and math skills. Students who wonder and develop a love of learning can always learn more on their own (or via a youtube video!).