Further reading/resources:
​Dan Meyer: https://blog.mrmeyer.com/2007/the-comprehensive-math-assessment-resource/ Thomas Guskey http://tguskey.com/presentations/ Matt Townsley http://mctownsley.net/standards-based-grading/ Sam J. Shah https://samjshah.com/tag/standards-based-grading-sbg/ Other relevant books and thinkers https://otus.com/guides/best-mastery-grading-resources/ My Math Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/naderm
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Another year is off to a start, and a pretty good one, I feel. This marks year three at my school and I have basically used the same introductory presentation all three years, with minor modifications. The students seem to enjoy the brain exercises (not yet enough content to call it on-level mathematics) but both they and I seem to be a bit bored during the syllabus discussion.
I thought seriously this year about starting off with a 3-act task, but I will instead hold that off until I see the kids again for a second time. I'd like to do math on day 1 and set good norms from the start but I don't think putting it off for a day or two is going to hurt. I will start pretty simple with the Popcorn Task which not only reviews some important Math 8 standards (a class most of my geometry students don't take) but is also easily accessible and counter-intuitive. Calculus will be more of a "what is calculus?" lecture along with getting student voice on the answer to that question. Having to start with limits is something of a pain, and while some teachers forego it entirely, I don't yet feel comfortable doing that. One benefit, though, is getting a good handle on where my students' skills are without simultaneously introducing them to new content like the derivative. I have yet to incorporate the new AP Course Description breakdown of concepts, and their 3-tier approach to content is going to make it harder to put into an SBG format. As far as I can tell, the return of L'Hôpital's rule is the biggest change. Once again, I have my kids read an excerpt from Paul Lockhart's famous essay, "A Mathematican's Lament," as their first homework assignment. I'm eager to hear their feedback about the essay. I find it difficult to meet the high bar Lockhart sets for educators while still meeting my requirements as a public school math teacher--even in a private setting, a teacher will have the pressure to prepare kids for ACT/SAT testing and a balance of creative inquiry learning and standard test-prep content will probably be best. But if I can bring out the life, beauty, and creativity in math, then I think I am on the right track. Here's hoping the first full week goes nicely. This is where I'll be posting thoughts about mathematics, education, technology, politics, and the intersection of those sets iff such an intersection is not the empty set. Some personal/fun stuff, too, possibly.
Some things I believe in:
My goal is developing curious, numerate, technically adept, critically-thinking synthesizers of information who can make informed, justifiable decisions and analysis to improve themselves and the lives of others. You can connect with me on twitter @nad3rm |
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About the AuthorNader Mohyuddin Archives
October 2022
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