Comments for Good Math is Hard to Find http://www.mrsfuller.net making mistakes & blogging about it Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:06:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on And it comes back around to SBG . . . again by Kate Nowak http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/07/15/and-it-comes-back-around-to-sbg-again/comment-page-1/#comment-25 Kate Nowak Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:06:10 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=36#comment-25 Your questions are all really important and not at all easy. Here is what I'm thinking, but we all know what works for one teacher often makes another scratch their head and go "You do WHAT now?" 1. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go all in and make the quizzes the whole enchilada. As in weighed 100%. Shawn has convinced me on the homework thing, and it will pressure me to make class time intrinsically more brain-catchy. 2. I wouldn't worry about this. Parents fall over themselves to tell me how wonderful it is. 3. I don't really know. But I think this is part of the whole philosophical shift deal you have to make to really make it work. Lots of "why are we here" conversations with the kiddos and sticking to it and showing them that you care about what they learn and not extraneous points. 4. I want to say I build this stuff into how I conduct class and don't assess it per se. I'm not actually able to say that yet, mind you, but I really want to. Your questions are all really important and not at all easy. Here is what I’m thinking, but we all know what works for one teacher often makes another scratch their head and go “You do WHAT now?”

1. I’m pretty sure I’m going to go all in and make the quizzes the whole enchilada. As in weighed 100%. Shawn has convinced me on the homework thing, and it will pressure me to make class time intrinsically more brain-catchy.

2. I wouldn’t worry about this. Parents fall over themselves to tell me how wonderful it is.

3. I don’t really know. But I think this is part of the whole philosophical shift deal you have to make to really make it work. Lots of “why are we here” conversations with the kiddos and sticking to it and showing them that you care about what they learn and not extraneous points.

4. I want to say I build this stuff into how I conduct class and don’t assess it per se. I’m not actually able to say that yet, mind you, but I really want to.

]]> Comment on And it comes back around to SBG . . . again by mrsfuller http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/07/15/and-it-comes-back-around-to-sbg-again/comment-page-1/#comment-21 mrsfuller Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:15:40 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=36#comment-21 Thanks for the feedback, Andy! I am interested in your "standards had a weight of zero & separate category for the average".How does that work? How do parents/students get an idea of what their grade will be if it's not averaged? (Or is it averaged on a daily/weekly basis?) I like being able to give specific feedback to students & parents, but I know they hate a "surprise" grade on progress report or report card. I noticed on your blog post today that you had a standards (80% weight) & application/extension (20% weight) categories. Would the last two be like projects? Tests that mixed the standards & had questions requiring more than one at a time to answer it? Thanks for giving me something new to think about :) Thanks for the feedback, Andy!

I am interested in your “standards had a weight of zero & separate category for the average”.How does that work? How do parents/students get an idea of what their grade will be if it’s not averaged? (Or is it averaged on a daily/weekly basis?) I like being able to give specific feedback to students & parents, but I know they hate a “surprise” grade on progress report or report card.

I noticed on your blog post today that you had a standards (80% weight) & application/extension (20% weight) categories. Would the last two be like projects? Tests that mixed the standards & had questions requiring more than one at a time to answer it?

Thanks for giving me something new to think about :)

]]> Comment on And it comes back around to SBG . . . again by Andy http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/07/15/and-it-comes-back-around-to-sbg-again/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Andy Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:19:25 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=36#comment-20 (1) I think that even just listing the standards and the students level of mastery into the gradebook will help the parents and the students. This was the single thing that got me buy in from the admin, teachers, and students. They loved it when I could go into a parent teacher conference and say 'Johnny needs to learn such and such standards' and here are some resources. By the end of the year, parents were grateful for the system because it gave tutors an idea of where to start as well as the inschool tutoring system we have. Most of my standards had a weight of zero and then I did a separate category for the average that I wanted to include. It listed everything but didn't throw it all into the student average. I keep 2 categories in mine and will probably make one more for next year. I don't think the standards have to be all of a kids grade. (1) I think that even just listing the standards and the students level of mastery into the gradebook will help the parents and the students. This was the single thing that got me buy in from the admin, teachers, and students.

They loved it when I could go into a parent teacher conference and say ‘Johnny needs to learn such and such standards’ and here are some resources. By the end of the year, parents were grateful for the system because it gave tutors an idea of where to start as well as the inschool tutoring system we have.

Most of my standards had a weight of zero and then I did a separate category for the average that I wanted to include. It listed everything but didn’t throw it all into the student average.

I keep 2 categories in mine and will probably make one more for next year. I don’t think the standards have to be all of a kids grade.

]]> Comment on 3 down, 1 to go by mrsfuller http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/03/11/3-down-1-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-17 mrsfuller Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:37:07 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=34#comment-17 @Lori--thanks for the encouragement. I know it's the right thing to do, but sometimes it's hard to keep it up. @LSquared--love the article! http://www.nctm.org/eresources/article_summary.asp?URI=TCM2005-01-246a I have been thinking about this in terms of "access"--any student can solve any problem, I just have to provide an entrance point for them where they can be successful. Some students can start from scratch and work out everything themselves, but others need more scaffolding--maybe doing a warm-up problem that gets them thinking about key points, or giving them a graph that is already scaled and//or labeled instead of having them make their own graph . . . you get the picture. That sort of differentiation is tricky, but so important! @Lori–thanks for the encouragement. I know it’s the right thing to do, but sometimes it’s hard to keep it up.

@LSquared–love the article! http://www.nctm.org/eresources/article_summary.asp?URI=TCM2005-01-246a
I have been thinking about this in terms of “access”–any student can solve any problem, I just have to provide an entrance point for them where they can be successful. Some students can start from scratch and work out everything themselves, but others need more scaffolding–maybe doing a warm-up problem that gets them thinking about key points, or giving them a graph that is already scaled and//or labeled instead of having them make their own graph . . . you get the picture. That sort of differentiation is tricky, but so important!

]]> Comment on 3 down, 1 to go by LSquared http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/03/11/3-down-1-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-16 LSquared Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:51:39 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=34#comment-16 Sounds like a fine plan--being easy often does not equal learning. On a related topic, I found a little article in Teaching Children Mathematics a couple years back to be most insightful. It's called Vygotsky and the 3 bears--in order for problem solving to result in learning, the problems have to be not too hard, and not too soft--just right (finding "just right" is, as I'm sure you know, the hard part). Sounds like a fine plan–being easy often does not equal learning. On a related topic, I found a little article in Teaching Children Mathematics a couple years back to be most insightful. It’s called Vygotsky and the 3 bears–in order for problem solving to result in learning, the problems have to be not too hard, and not too soft–just right (finding “just right” is, as I’m sure you know, the hard part).

]]> Comment on 3 down, 1 to go by Lori Mathhead http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/03/11/3-down-1-to-go/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Lori Mathhead Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:02:44 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=34#comment-15 Dear Mrs. Fuller, Please, stick to your guns. It comes down to this: you want your students to feel the satisfaction of hard work and a job well done, some of them want the easy way out. They do not realize that perseverance and problem solving skills are needed for every kind of paid and unpaid work and that every good employer wants THAT kind of employee. Indeed, functioning well in life takes these kind of skills. Don't give up. Dear Mrs. Fuller,
Please, stick to your guns. It comes down to this: you want your students to feel the satisfaction of hard work and a job well done, some of them want the easy way out. They do not realize that perseverance and problem solving skills are needed for every kind of paid and unpaid work and that every good employer wants THAT kind of employee. Indeed, functioning well in life takes these kind of skills.

Don’t give up.

]]> Comment on Why I think I should blog by Tom DeRosa http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/01/01/why-i-think-i-should-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Tom DeRosa Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:54:39 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=18#comment-13 GREAT blog name! I agree that it's a great idea to blog about your mistakes (and don't forget your successes), and I'm excited to follow along with you! GREAT blog name! I agree that it’s a great idea to blog about your mistakes (and don’t forget your successes), and I’m excited to follow along with you!

]]> Comment on Why I think I should blog by Chris_1974 http://www.mrsfuller.net/2010/01/01/why-i-think-i-should-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Chris_1974 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:13:54 +0000 http://www.mrsfuller.net/?p=18#comment-8 Me too. It is pretty daunting but the support from my tweeps has been positive. Keep it up and we can both share all our mistakes. Me too. It is pretty daunting but the support from my tweeps has been positive. Keep it up and we can both share all our mistakes.

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