*sigh of relief*

Well I got to try some of the things I've learned so far on human guinea pigs. That was pretty fun. They were just what I expected from middle grades: energetic, open, and well -sharp. I didn't manage my time quite as well as I had hoped but I think we made some major progress. Preparation was a huge thing here, I will definitely do more prep work next time. I thought I was asking good questions but they weren't probative enough so I still had to be more involved than I had hoped. The students didn't read the problem as I did so that was different. It was hard to get them to understand what was going on in the problem without just telling them. It's funny because they made it MORE complex than it was written. Weird. I think my interaction with the students was good. I felt comfortable talking to them and listening to them. I found that they did better when they all worked together and bounced their ideas rather than just the small groups. I had one antsy student that was wrangled after he saw the other students interest in the task. I am looking forward to the notes from my observers on my performance. I do think the kids had a positive experience though and that means a lot to me.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

I believe that one of the best ways to learn something is to do it. You can get all the lectures, notes, and discussions but eventually you need to actually get your hands dirty. Well I'll be honest I am scared to death of this activity. I liken kids to an audience at a stand up comedy club. If you aren't funny it will be painfully obvious. But if you kill the feeling will be unlike anything else.

My expectations are that I can first identify with the students. We all have something in common, its just a matter of tapping into it. I hope to get off to a good start and set the tone for the hour. Next, I really want the students to get a sense of 'there is more than one way to do it'. I think the idea that there is only one 'right' way is a major obstacle to true progress in mathematics education. Lastly, I hope to build my confidence behind the wheel in a classroom.

Currently I have a good deal of anxiety about the process. I worry that my group and I aren't working as a group and therefore won't perform well. I don't want to flounder like a fish out of water. I am really concerned that our differences as individuals are getting in the way of completing this task. I thought that by Graduate School we would understand how to work in a group. How do we expect our students to master it if we can't? Charles, I hope you are right and everything will work out fine.

Relevent is relative

In my experience learning math, I wouldn't say that my teachers ever really made an attempt to make the material relevent to me and my life. It was more a matter of this is what you should do and you are going to do it. On the contrary when my mother tutored me all her examples were based on how this could be applied to real life. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't but it gave me the understanding of the neccessity. Now in my tutoring experiences I make sure to say 'suppose you were going to do X' or 'ok think about when you do Y'. I feel like these statements make the concepts more tangible and therefore more likely to stick with them. Both students went on to excel after our work together so I think that is at least a small indication I am correct.

The little lesson plan that could

Honestly when I turned in my lesson plan I felt like I had had a stroke of brilliance. I felt very clever and sure that I had done a good job. Much to my dismay my feelings weren't really shared. I don't mind constructive critism and I am in no way suggesting this feedback was not constructive. I did feel deflated and dejected. I think my philosophies were reflected in my lesson plan but I think my personality was as well. I don't think that's a bad thing but it left some holes that in my mind were not holes. The comments helped me to focus on them and hopefully the refinement plugged some of them (fingers crossed). I did discover in this process that I feel more comfortable coming up with probing questions based on student participation rather than anticipating what they may say and they what I would say. Its a strange conversation with yourself that I admit I am uncomfortable with.

You gotta know when to hold em...know when to fold em

I think the key to letting go is your definition. Some people have the misconception that 'letting go' is synonymous with sitting back and doing nothing. My definition I believe is closer to our goals. Kids will not do all the work for you. But you have to let them make mistakes and really get their hands on the problem: cognitive struggle, right? Asking questions is the biggest part of the letting go that does not involve sitting and your desk and checking email while they work. Why did you do that? How do you know that? What do you think? I don't think this will be a problem for me, conceptually for sure. In the time that I have been tutoring I already ask my students some of these questions and I want them to think about their answers instead of just giving them. I know being in a class with 30 kids is much different than sitting at a kid's dining room table with their mom in the next room but at least I have a start. On the other hand I think there will be times when you have to put the train back on track. You may have to stop them for a second if they have gone awry and nudge them in the direction of the point. This may not be totally in line with constructivism but they don't know everything, that is why they are there, right?

During the fraction teaching excercise I received the great compliment that I asked good questions. It was a great boost and let me know that at the very least this doesn't just sound good in my head. :-)

When life hands you lemons...

The more we explore this student centered way of teaching math the more our realism kicks in. Sure we have good intentions and great expectations. But, can this actually go from paper to live action? Right from the start we all saw holes in this plan...how long will this TAKE? We already have lots of lots of things to accomplish in a period and now this? Next, how will we make sure all the important things are learned, like vocabulary and FORMULAS for the CRCT! And lastly, what will happen if kids are afforded all this freedom and power over their own education? Ok enough whining...where's the lemonade already?

Let's see...we can 'engineer' our classrooms not to spiral into chaos when its time for discussion and groupwork. Maybe if we explain our expectations to the kids and be consistent? The whole point is that kids can be taught so why not teach them how to participate in a student centered classroom? This sounds like an uphill battle to me. So you are teaching new tricks...tricks that are even new to you? Kids are very wrapped up in their apathy and there is nothing wrong with comfort. My major concerns are that I won't be able to ask enough questions that the students come up with y=mx+b. And when it comes to test time I'll have pumped them up only for them to fail in the traditional sense of the right answer. I am still not completely confident about this...stay tuned.

To build or not to build...

I had never heard the term constructivism prior to this class. I knew there was 'more than one way to skin a cat' but it had not occurred to me to let students come up with their own methods. This way makes more sense to me though because I can come up with a hundred ways to solve something but there will always be another way maybe your way. I can see how allowing them to struggle cognitively will force them to ask more questions. With these questions, no matter who is answering, they will build understanding. I think the saying 'necessity is the mother of invention' is most relevant here. In the classroom, I would envision students communicating with each other only involving the teacher if absolutely necessary. The sense of accomplishment that would come from gaining understanding their own way would create an empowerment that would translate throughout their classes and experiences. However several issues arise with this new method of teaching. You have to combat student apathy. They've been programmed to wait for you to give them the answers which may make it challenging to have them take responsibility. Also, there has to be assessment that can be quantified. This can prove challenging if the lesson was learned in a non-traditional way. That means the assessment and grading must be non-traditional too, right? This is where its gets fuzzy for me...

Initial Observation

After a single class of EDCI 6540 I have made some assumptions, seen some true colors, and even reiterated why I'm in the program in the first place. Not bad for a first day huh?

The 'radical' ideas of Dr.Matthews make me wonder if I am 'radical'. I thought the way I thought of learning and teaching was just the way it was. Apparently again I am an odd duck of sorts. Some of my classmates believe there are rules that must be followed. The notion of the new math teacher seems like it will be an uphill battle for some. But for me I don't see why it wasn't this way in the first place. I learned math the same way that they did: watch the teacher do it, copy it exactly and mirror it on the test. At the time it didn't matter to me one way or the other as math was a means to my scientific end. The light came on for me as a tutor in a seventh grade classroom my senior year at Ga Tech. The teacher whom I respect as a person was covering pi. He explained that pi was the circumference of a circle over its diameter. A female student who was uninterested in the class and proclaimed along with many others that she hated, a student who I admit didn't seem like a particularly bright star, said 'so its just a ratio?' Oh my GOD, I thought. That's amazing! I had never thought of that and perhaps had never been taught but this unlikely genius dropped this little nugget like a hot potato. The teacher said 'yeh' and continued with his lecture, completely unphased. It made me ill that her spark was not kindled in fact it was snuffed out. Thanks a lot, I thought.

The purpose of education is not regurgitation. We don't just want robots programmed to repeat what we say word for word, do we? Where would Einstein have been? If Galileo were forced to think only inside a box would we now have the scientific method to follow?

If students can only focus on what is being taught then how exactly will the subject matter evolve. Several years ago a student at Paideia private school made a discovery concerning the Pythagorean theorem. Wow! I thought. How amazing. Can that happen in a public, predominately Black, middle class to low class school? It can and it will if the notion of the 'new math teacher' is embraced. Otherwise we'll continue to follow while others lead, just like we are taught.