For most schools, the year is coming to an end. While this is a time for reflection for both teachers and students, it is also a time for clean up. While you clean and pack up your classroom, don't forget to clean up the teacher's tool kit.
The Carnegie 2011/2012 update for the Cognitive Tutor will occur in July. Before you update, it may be helpful to clean up the teacher toolkit. After talking it over with other teachers from your district, delete any teachers that will no longer be using the tutor, delete classes that will no longer be taught, and students that will no longer be working on the tutor. Be careful because once a student is deleted you cannot get their data back. So please make sure you check with other teachers and are sure you want a class, teacher, or student deleted before doing so. There is a helpful checklist with step by step instructions for cleaning up the tutor available in the teacher resource center. Simply log into your account, go to the support tab, and under guides choose end of the year checklist.
If you will be using the Cognitive Tutor in a summer school program you might want to schedule your update instead of doing it automatically in July. If you need to schedule your upgrade contact customer support by email at help@carnegielearning.com or by phone at 877-401-2527.
Enjoy your summer and I hope to see you in Grapevine Texas for the Carnegie Learning National Math Institute!(There is still time to register!)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
completion
I'm so proud of my middle school class. They have been working really hard to complete the Bridge to Algebra Curriculum. If you remember, they have only been working on the software since the end of January. We have been going to the computer lab at least 3 days a week, so they have had a little more computer access than the recommended 60/40 ratio.
Many of the topic (especially the fractions, decimals, and place value units) were review for them. The goal was for them to review important middle school topics and be prepared to take Algebra 1 next year. When we are in my classroom we have focused on solving equations, writing expressions, and making connections between equations, tables, and graphs.
They have grown a lot since I started working with them in February. Often times they will tell me to go away when they are stuck and will help each other instead. This has happened to me in both the classroom and the lab!
With 4 weeks of school left (including some half days for exams), I had one student finish the Bridge software in class today. He told me that he's never enjoyed math before, but he is now looking forward to being in my Algebra 1 class next year. So starting tomorrow, that student will be working on the Algebra 1 curriculum to get a head start for the fall. I'm so proud!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Win-Win Situation
This past week was monumental for some of our 5th and 8th graders in Texas. These students attempted for the second time this spring to pass the Math and Reading TAKS. Forty-two of my students worked hard for the past two and half weeks, diligently solving questions like those on the TAKS. A handful of them had me as their teacher for an extended two periods a day!
There was one problem I had, though. The TAKS were given on Tuesday and Wednesday. This left me 2 days with nothing to do with these students! Sure, it would have been nice to relax and take it easy, but spring final exams start on Monday. At the same time, these students had a lot of bottled-up energy. What to do, what to do . . .
Then it hit me! Mr. Valdez, a long-term sub for one of our math teachers, was telling us in the teacher’s lounge during lunch one day about an outside activity he had done with his classes that involved both sports and math. That was what I needed to do!
I ran the idea through Mrs. Vaughn, my former student teacher who we hired during this AMI (Accelerated Math Instruction) period. She is taking over the math enrichment classes so that I can return to my regular classes. She liked the idea, but thought getting full involvement from all the students who were let “free” in an open field was going to be a classroom management nightmare. Instead she came up with an option that turned out very well. Watch the video below:
We only have 4½ school days left! Hang in there Texas teachers – summer break will be here before you know it!
There was one problem I had, though. The TAKS were given on Tuesday and Wednesday. This left me 2 days with nothing to do with these students! Sure, it would have been nice to relax and take it easy, but spring final exams start on Monday. At the same time, these students had a lot of bottled-up energy. What to do, what to do . . .
Then it hit me! Mr. Valdez, a long-term sub for one of our math teachers, was telling us in the teacher’s lounge during lunch one day about an outside activity he had done with his classes that involved both sports and math. That was what I needed to do!
I ran the idea through Mrs. Vaughn, my former student teacher who we hired during this AMI (Accelerated Math Instruction) period. She is taking over the math enrichment classes so that I can return to my regular classes. She liked the idea, but thought getting full involvement from all the students who were let “free” in an open field was going to be a classroom management nightmare. Instead she came up with an option that turned out very well. Watch the video below:
We only have 4½ school days left! Hang in there Texas teachers – summer break will be here before you know it!
Monday, May 16, 2011
End of the Year Project
This spring is off to a slow start here in Michigan. However, Last week mother nature finally decided to let us have a brief taste of summer. The weather last week was in the 70's and 80's (too bad it rained all weekend and is now back in the 50's). While it was nice to be able to get out and enjoy the weather my students have now gotten antsy! While I'm sure most of you are having similar experiences, we still have class all the way through June 20th! It's way too early for my students to be checking out for summer.
Last year I ended the second semester with a project. This really seemed to help keep them focus. They worked on it with a partner and after getting instructions worked on their own with little interruption from me. This seemed to engage them and at the same time worked to review a lot of topics we covered over the year.
So what was the project you ask? Students had to create their own Carnegie "packet". Each group of 2 students was responsible for creating their own scenario and writing questions to go along with the scenario. Each packet had to have a table, graph, and required students to write an equation. They also had to include a "Just the Math" section where they had to explain a concept that we had learned over the year. I also required that students create both a blank version of their packet and an answer key.
Originally I wanted groups of students to swap packets so that they could complete each other's work. However, the project took a little longer that anticipated so they presented their packets to the class instead. Some of my students typed their packets while others were handwritten. Overall it was a great way to wrap up the year and it keep students focused.
So that will be the way I end my year. I just have to keep them busy between now and then!
So what was the project you ask? Students had to create their own Carnegie "packet". Each group of 2 students was responsible for creating their own scenario and writing questions to go along with the scenario. Each packet had to have a table, graph, and required students to write an equation. They also had to include a "Just the Math" section where they had to explain a concept that we had learned over the year. I also required that students create both a blank version of their packet and an answer key.
Originally I wanted groups of students to swap packets so that they could complete each other's work. However, the project took a little longer that anticipated so they presented their packets to the class instead. Some of my students typed their packets while others were handwritten. Overall it was a great way to wrap up the year and it keep students focused.
So that will be the way I end my year. I just have to keep them busy between now and then!
Monday, May 9, 2011
From a Womb We All Came
There are an estimated 6.92 X 10^9 (yes, that’s billions!) human beings currently living on the face of this earth. Too astounding to even fathom! Because of this weekend, it made me wonder how many of us are mothers. I asked my husband if he had any idea. His advice was to Google the info. When that didn’t give me an answer, he said that I would need to come up with an equation that would consider the number of females who are of childbearing age. Too complicated and too much work. (Have you heard that before? Hmmmm. Sounds familiar?)
So I decided to make a conservative estimate. If a little less than 50% of the world population is female and roughly half of them are mothers, this would calculate to 1.7 billion mothers! That’s only counting those currently living. How about all the mothers since the beginning of time?
As I work with students who failed TAKS the first time in April and will need to retake it next week, I am baffled at their lack of ability to comprehend extremely small as well as very big numbers. Of course, scientific notation isn’t going to make sense to these students. What does times 10 mean? What’s with the exponents? Why is it positive sometimes but negative other times?
Although I teach middle school, I am a huge fan of children’s picture books. I’m even a huger (I know, it’s not technically a word) fan of picture books that teach math concepts. A couple of my favorite that ones that deal with large numbers are How Much is a Million by David M. Schwartz and Six Million Paper Clips by Peter W. Schroede. If I only had more time in class, think what I can do with books!
To all the moms, grandmothers, and mother-figures out there,
Happy Mother’s Day!!
We LOVE you with all our hearts!!!
So I decided to make a conservative estimate. If a little less than 50% of the world population is female and roughly half of them are mothers, this would calculate to 1.7 billion mothers! That’s only counting those currently living. How about all the mothers since the beginning of time?
As I work with students who failed TAKS the first time in April and will need to retake it next week, I am baffled at their lack of ability to comprehend extremely small as well as very big numbers. Of course, scientific notation isn’t going to make sense to these students. What does times 10 mean? What’s with the exponents? Why is it positive sometimes but negative other times?
Although I teach middle school, I am a huge fan of children’s picture books. I’m even a huger (I know, it’s not technically a word) fan of picture books that teach math concepts. A couple of my favorite that ones that deal with large numbers are How Much is a Million by David M. Schwartz and Six Million Paper Clips by Peter W. Schroede. If I only had more time in class, think what I can do with books!
To all the moms, grandmothers, and mother-figures out there,
Happy Mother’s Day!!
We LOVE you with all our hearts!!!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Student Questions
One of the goals of the Algebra 4 All statewide project that I am apart of, is to get students to ask questions about mathematics. The goal is to shift the focus from the teacher as the source of mathematical ideas to the students as the source of mathematical ideas. This is definitely not an easy task. I find that students are so used to being told how to do math problems that when you try to make them think they sometimes shut down. Luckily by this point in the year my students are getting used to the idea of working through problems on their own. By this point in the year they are asking each other for help and sometimes even tell me to "go away" because "I got this".
This week we were working on solving systems of equations by graphing. After completing 7.2 and discussing it in class several of my students were upset that not every students' answer to the problem matched when it came to finding the intersection point from student generated graphs. This led to a great discussion about accuracy and the disadvantages of graphing (which we've been discussing all year). One student even mentioned that he thought there must be a better way to solve the system. Luckily for him we'll start solving systems of equations algebraically this week. Who ever would have thought that students would actually get excited about solving systems of equations because they wanted to be able to find a more accurate answer. I'm convinced that these kinds of student revelations do not happen when using a traditional textbook and lecturing (the way I was taught).
This week we were working on solving systems of equations by graphing. After completing 7.2 and discussing it in class several of my students were upset that not every students' answer to the problem matched when it came to finding the intersection point from student generated graphs. This led to a great discussion about accuracy and the disadvantages of graphing (which we've been discussing all year). One student even mentioned that he thought there must be a better way to solve the system. Luckily for him we'll start solving systems of equations algebraically this week. Who ever would have thought that students would actually get excited about solving systems of equations because they wanted to be able to find a more accurate answer. I'm convinced that these kinds of student revelations do not happen when using a traditional textbook and lecturing (the way I was taught).
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sagging Pants
My students have been helping out Carnegie Learning, piloting some of the new problems slated for the middle school Cognitive Tutor. We’re kind of disappointed that the software program is still in the old format, but my students and I are always happy to help out in any way we can.
You know something is up when all of a sudden you hear students shuffling, followed by giggles and fits of laughter. I look up and one girl has several of her friends surrounding her laptop.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
Yeah, right. I go over to the crowd to find out for myself.
“Look, Mrs. Park! Can you believe they would put this kind of problem on Cognitive Tutor?”
I smile as I read about Bob’s sagging pants, the distance representing a negative quantity. The problem asks how far down Bob’s pants will be sagging after so many minutes. Carnegie Learning hit this one right on the dot. My students are talking about this for the rest of the day, warning the next class to look out for this problem.
Not quite children and yet not full-pledge teenagers. Kids this age still enjoy watching Finding Nemo and squirm at kissing scenes in movies.
You’ve got to love middle school humor.
You know something is up when all of a sudden you hear students shuffling, followed by giggles and fits of laughter. I look up and one girl has several of her friends surrounding her laptop.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
Yeah, right. I go over to the crowd to find out for myself.
“Look, Mrs. Park! Can you believe they would put this kind of problem on Cognitive Tutor?”
I smile as I read about Bob’s sagging pants, the distance representing a negative quantity. The problem asks how far down Bob’s pants will be sagging after so many minutes. Carnegie Learning hit this one right on the dot. My students are talking about this for the rest of the day, warning the next class to look out for this problem.
Not quite children and yet not full-pledge teenagers. Kids this age still enjoy watching Finding Nemo and squirm at kissing scenes in movies.
You’ve got to love middle school humor.
Carnegie NMI Conference
I know I talked about this last summer, but I thought it was time to bring it up again. Carnegie is hosting the Carnegie Learning National Math Institute July 10 -13 in Grapevine, Texas. The conference will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center. You can get more info by visiting the conference website http://nmi.carnegielearning.com/.
Now that you know the details, I wanted to tell you why I will be asking my district to send me again this year. This conference is awesome! I've been to many other conferences both in and out of state and this one was the best I've been to by far. So what makes it so great? First of all, the whole conference is geared toward teaching the Carnegie Curriculum with fidelity. Although I'm sure you'd still leave with some great ideas if you don't use the Carnegie Curriculum, that was my favorite part. Each session talked about making connections between the classroom and the tutor, teaching the curriculum with fidelity, ways to group students.... and so much more.
Do you remember how you felt after you left your initial implementation training? I know I do. I was so excited about this new (to me) style of teaching that I couldn't wait to jump into! Of course I was also nervous about teaching a new way, but my excitement was overwhelming. That is exactly how I felt after leaving the Carnegie NMI Conference last summer. I couldn't wait to get home and write down all the new ideas I wanted to try.
Another great thing about this conference is how well you get to know all of the Carnegie Learning Staff. They really go out of there way to make you feel welcome.
I almost didn't put in for this conference this year because I know how my own school is struggling financially. I really wanted to go but didn't think the school had the funds to send me. However, my superintendent came to me asking if I wanted to go again this year. I'm putting my conference request in first thing on Monday. If my cash strapped district can find the funds I'm sure yours can too! Hopefully I'll be seeing you there!
Now that you know the details, I wanted to tell you why I will be asking my district to send me again this year. This conference is awesome! I've been to many other conferences both in and out of state and this one was the best I've been to by far. So what makes it so great? First of all, the whole conference is geared toward teaching the Carnegie Curriculum with fidelity. Although I'm sure you'd still leave with some great ideas if you don't use the Carnegie Curriculum, that was my favorite part. Each session talked about making connections between the classroom and the tutor, teaching the curriculum with fidelity, ways to group students.... and so much more.
Do you remember how you felt after you left your initial implementation training? I know I do. I was so excited about this new (to me) style of teaching that I couldn't wait to jump into! Of course I was also nervous about teaching a new way, but my excitement was overwhelming. That is exactly how I felt after leaving the Carnegie NMI Conference last summer. I couldn't wait to get home and write down all the new ideas I wanted to try.
Another great thing about this conference is how well you get to know all of the Carnegie Learning Staff. They really go out of there way to make you feel welcome.
I almost didn't put in for this conference this year because I know how my own school is struggling financially. I really wanted to go but didn't think the school had the funds to send me. However, my superintendent came to me asking if I wanted to go again this year. I'm putting my conference request in first thing on Monday. If my cash strapped district can find the funds I'm sure yours can too! Hopefully I'll be seeing you there!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
When am I ever going to use this math in real life?
I get this question from my students all the time. Do you? It's a valid question but I don't always have an answer. I am thrilled when I do discover a math application.
For the past several months as I take my daughter to her elementary school, I have witnessed the snail-like construction of a wide, winding sidewalk that leads to the nearby high school. Then there's the construction going on at my middle school. Anticipating an additional 200 students in the next two years, my school is expanding and building six new classrooms.
All this has made me think about the wonders of concrete. Yes, you heard me correctly. Concrete. Did you know concrete is merely a specific combination of gravel, sand, cement, and water? The parts come together to form a new whole. Do you know what this reminds me of? Why, ratio, of course!! The Romans used a form of concrete over 2000 years ago in their now infamous architecture structures. Concrete today is the foundation of any building or structure in our country. Needless to say, I find concrete fascinating.
So lately the wheels in my head are constantly in motion, trying to come up with a math activity involving ratios and concrete. This is as real-life as it gets. My husband is trying to persuade me not to carry through with my plans, reminding me that working with concrete can get pretty messy. I’m not discouraged. I hope to have something ready to go for this week. I’ll let you know if my plans pan out. Wish me luck!
For the past several months as I take my daughter to her elementary school, I have witnessed the snail-like construction of a wide, winding sidewalk that leads to the nearby high school. Then there's the construction going on at my middle school. Anticipating an additional 200 students in the next two years, my school is expanding and building six new classrooms.
All this has made me think about the wonders of concrete. Yes, you heard me correctly. Concrete. Did you know concrete is merely a specific combination of gravel, sand, cement, and water? The parts come together to form a new whole. Do you know what this reminds me of? Why, ratio, of course!! The Romans used a form of concrete over 2000 years ago in their now infamous architecture structures. Concrete today is the foundation of any building or structure in our country. Needless to say, I find concrete fascinating.
So lately the wheels in my head are constantly in motion, trying to come up with a math activity involving ratios and concrete. This is as real-life as it gets. My husband is trying to persuade me not to carry through with my plans, reminding me that working with concrete can get pretty messy. I’m not discouraged. I hope to have something ready to go for this week. I’ll let you know if my plans pan out. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Public Access Woes
So this week my school is finally on spring break. Grades for the third quarter are due when we return. I of course told all of my students that this break would be a great opportunity for them to make up computer time/sections completed for days they were absent. The problem with that is many of my students do not have Internet access at home. I reminded them that they could do the Cognitive Tutor anywhere they could get Internet access including a library or a friends house. To my dismay, I had a parent email me saying that she took her daughter to the library to work on the Cognitive Tutor but that the library computer software would not allow them to download the program. A pop up on the computer told her to see the network supervisor for permission to access the program and the library people told her they could not allow her to access the program. I felt bad for the student who really did try to put in some extra effort. It's disappointing that she can check her facebook account at the library but was unable to access an educational software. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem on a public computer?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Lacking Numerical Sense
We math teachers somewhere in the past decade or two have failed at stressing the value of the decimal. The once 14-years-old are now 20-somethings, making up a large percentage of the working force in the service industry. Many of them are in decision-making, managerial positions. These people would swear on their lives that 25 cents is written as 0.25¢! You see signs everywhere stating, “All size drinks for only 0.99¢!” Even if I were to plunk down a shiny new penny and order one large Coke, Suzy behind the counter wouldn’t have the faintest idea where I was coming from. It would only annoy her that I was slowing down the line.
Not all 4’s are created equal. Huh? Let me clarify. A salary of $4,000 is quite different from that of $40,000. Wouldn’t you agree? All because of one seemingly insignificant little dot. So, how can $0.25 = 0.25¢ or 25¢ = 0.25¢ ? It totally baffles me.
Here are other examples I have found in the last eight months.
Don’t despair. There is hope. A nearby grocery store remodeled recently. During their grand reopening, I noticed that in their produce section, all price signs had both a decimal point and a cent sign. How sacrilege! Much to my teenager’s dismay and embarrassment, I took it upon myself to remove all the plastic decimal tiles and neatly placed them in a pile to the side. You will be happy to know ever since that liberating day, this particular grocery store has not made the same erroneous mistake. Somewhere in their security office is probably a picture of me with the caption, “WARNING: Watch out for a crazy woman rearranging store merchandise!”
Not all 4’s are created equal. Huh? Let me clarify. A salary of $4,000 is quite different from that of $40,000. Wouldn’t you agree? All because of one seemingly insignificant little dot. So, how can $0.25 = 0.25¢ or 25¢ = 0.25¢ ? It totally baffles me.
Here are other examples I have found in the last eight months.
Don’t despair. There is hope. A nearby grocery store remodeled recently. During their grand reopening, I noticed that in their produce section, all price signs had both a decimal point and a cent sign. How sacrilege! Much to my teenager’s dismay and embarrassment, I took it upon myself to remove all the plastic decimal tiles and neatly placed them in a pile to the side. You will be happy to know ever since that liberating day, this particular grocery store has not made the same erroneous mistake. Somewhere in their security office is probably a picture of me with the caption, “WARNING: Watch out for a crazy woman rearranging store merchandise!”
Monday, April 11, 2011
The results are in (well sort of...)
So last week we I received our score report from the Juniors' ACT testing. This year's Juniors were the first class to use the Carnegie instruction for Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. In addition we've made an effort at our school for all classes to incorporate test preparation in one way or another throughout our courses instead of just cramming in review for a few weeks before testing. I'm happy to report that our math scores are up! I don't have the exact numbers, (we're currently doing our own analysis of the data) but there are definitely more students with college ready math scores than last year (and we had less students testing this year). It appears that our hard work is paying off. We still have a way to go, but we are making huge strides at our school. There are 3 tests that go into creating our AYP school report card. The ACT is only one part. The other two parts are the ACT Work Keys Test and the MME (Michigan Merit Exam, which is based on the MI standards and benchmarks). Our overall results won't be available until later this summer, but the math department is happy with our progress and hopes that our scores will continue to rise.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Judgment Day
When the last student finished her test at 5:00 pm today, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Today was a monumental day for 8th graders in Texas. They took the math TAKS, the state’s standardized test. This year I felt a heavier burden of responsibility for my students. I’ve never been more nervous for them. Not sure why. The results come in three weeks. Three very long weeks.
It’s been long days for the past couple of weeks and I’m exhausted. I’ll be back before this week ends. Good-night.
It’s been long days for the past couple of weeks and I’m exhausted. I’ll be back before this week ends. Good-night.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Leading the Way
I think I've mentioned in earlier posts that one period of my day is a middle school transition class. The goal to to prepare the students (who are old enough to be in high school but for one reason or another haven't finished middle school) to be high school students next year. I'm using the Carnegie Bridge to Algebra program to help them with their math skills. At first I thought I would be doing a traditional combination of the Carnegie text and Cognitive Tutor. It turns out however, that my students are really flying on the tutor. They have been doing so well on the tutor that the past two weeks we have only gone to the lab. The class is very small. There are eight students so usually I can find a way to squeeze us into a lab. With only eight of them I've been able to really work with them one on one with the areas they are struggling with. One of the students has already completed half of the Bridge software! All of the students came from different schools and had different teachers in the past. Using the software has been the great equalizer. Students who have had experience with a particular topic move past it quickly while those who need extra practice get it until they master it. They have been pretty competitive with one another about their progress. They are helping each other when they get to a new section and lately students who are further along are doing most of the teaching to the students that are slightly behind. It's amazing to see what a collaborative community they have created even while in the lab. I'm excited to see how well these students will do next year when they are in my Algebra 1 class. I can see that these students who before claimed to be bad at math are going to be leaders next year. Wow what a positive experience this had turned out to be for both myself and these students!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Function Aerobics
I love how the Carnegie text has students working with linear functions from the very first chapter (even though students don't know that is what they are called at that point). Linear functions play a very large role in the Algebra 1 curriculum. Students work with linear equations on the cognitive tutor and in the text a lot! I've found, however, that students begin to think that everything they graph will be a line.
Last year when I started the chapter on quadratics many of my students thought they had done something wrong because their graph did not look like a line. So this year I decided to change things up a bit. Before starting the official work on linear functions we looked at all of the basic parent functions and a few of their transformations. So when students get to the quadratic chapters they know that if they see x^2 in an equation they should expect to see a parabola and when they see x in an equation they should expect a line and so on.
I had each student graph the parent function for six of the families of functions. After everyone successfully finished the parent graphs we did some "function aerobics". I ask (force) the whole class to stand and we make the parent graphs with our arms (and sometimes the rest of our body if needed). The principal at my school found out that the other Algebra 1 teacher and myself were doing this and even designed and ordered us function family t-shirts. We can now have "Function Fridays" were all 9th graders wear their shirts and we practice our functions aerobics. While my students whined at first about getting up and moving around, they all did extremely well on a quiz we had where they had to identify the parent equation and family give the basic graph. Our Algebra 2 teachers are thrilled that our students will know these basic functions when they get to their classes.
However, we didn't stop there. After finishing the basic graph each group of four students was assigned to a family of functions and became experts with the basic transformations. They made posters of the parent function and several transformations which now hang on my walls. An example of one of their poster is show below:
Last year when I started the chapter on quadratics many of my students thought they had done something wrong because their graph did not look like a line. So this year I decided to change things up a bit. Before starting the official work on linear functions we looked at all of the basic parent functions and a few of their transformations. So when students get to the quadratic chapters they know that if they see x^2 in an equation they should expect to see a parabola and when they see x in an equation they should expect a line and so on.
I had each student graph the parent function for six of the families of functions. After everyone successfully finished the parent graphs we did some "function aerobics". I ask (force) the whole class to stand and we make the parent graphs with our arms (and sometimes the rest of our body if needed). The principal at my school found out that the other Algebra 1 teacher and myself were doing this and even designed and ordered us function family t-shirts. We can now have "Function Fridays" were all 9th graders wear their shirts and we practice our functions aerobics. While my students whined at first about getting up and moving around, they all did extremely well on a quiz we had where they had to identify the parent equation and family give the basic graph. Our Algebra 2 teachers are thrilled that our students will know these basic functions when they get to their classes.
However, we didn't stop there. After finishing the basic graph each group of four students was assigned to a family of functions and became experts with the basic transformations. They made posters of the parent function and several transformations which now hang on my walls. An example of one of their poster is show below:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Go for GOLD!
The feature that students like most about Cognitive Tutor is the skillometer. What is a skillometer, you ask? As the word skill-o-meter implies, it is a meter that keeps track of your math skills in real time as you work through the problems. Now that’s what you call immediate feedback!
Look at the upper right corner of the web page. The skillometer is a row of green bars. Each bar represents a math skill that you are trying to master. The green bar increases for every question you answer correctly. On the down side, it also decreases for every question you answer incorrectly. Hint: the fewer mistakes you make, the less number of problems you have to work out! Slow down and don’t rush.
Eventually, the green bar should hit gold. This means that you have a 95% chance of correctly answering a similar question targeting that skill. You should see how excited these teenagers get when they see gold! It’s a great motivation to push the students to continue when sometimes they would rather quit. Once all the bars turn gold, you get promoted to the next unit.
If you click on the darker green upside down triangle, a list of the skills will appear. The more skills that are listed, that more dynamic the bars are. If there is only one or two skills, then students will have to work at least a dozen problems before the bar will even budge.
“Mrs. Park! Cognitive Tutor must be broken.”
“Why?”
“I’ve worked 100 problems and it won’t move me on!”
The English teacher will be happy to know that our students are great at coming up with hyperboles.
Look at the upper right corner of the web page. The skillometer is a row of green bars. Each bar represents a math skill that you are trying to master. The green bar increases for every question you answer correctly. On the down side, it also decreases for every question you answer incorrectly. Hint: the fewer mistakes you make, the less number of problems you have to work out! Slow down and don’t rush.
Eventually, the green bar should hit gold. This means that you have a 95% chance of correctly answering a similar question targeting that skill. You should see how excited these teenagers get when they see gold! It’s a great motivation to push the students to continue when sometimes they would rather quit. Once all the bars turn gold, you get promoted to the next unit.
If you click on the darker green upside down triangle, a list of the skills will appear. The more skills that are listed, that more dynamic the bars are. If there is only one or two skills, then students will have to work at least a dozen problems before the bar will even budge.
“Mrs. Park! Cognitive Tutor must be broken.”
“Why?”
“I’ve worked 100 problems and it won’t move me on!”
The English teacher will be happy to know that our students are great at coming up with hyperboles.
Friday, March 18, 2011
It’s Not Rocket Science
Deciding how you will grade your students on Cognitive Tutor is not an easy task. Do you base it on the time clocked in? Or how many problems solved? How about the number of errors they make? Above all you want to be consistent and fair. If I’m not, my students will definitely let me know about it.
Giving everyone a 100 for effort sort of makes the students loose respect for the software program, minimizing its effectiveness to engage students and push them to excel without frustrating and alienating them. (In my opinion.) But maybe effort grades work for you and your students. Every teacher has to decide for her/himself.
Cognitive Tutor Teacher’s Toolkit offers a wide array of reports that you can view and print out. My grading system for Cognitive Tutor is based on one or two of these reports. The only way to really familiarize yourself with the specifics of each report is to get your hands dirty, jump right in and browse through the different reports.
I believe Kasey and/or Brandy came up with some kind of formula putting into account the number of problems completed, the amount of time spent on the program, and the number of errors made. To be totally honest, I don’t have the time, or have made the time, to do this complicated, convoluted algorithm in order to assign a CT grade. Sure I can probably come up with some kind of excel program to make my life easier, but like I mentioned earlier, it’s not a priority at the moment.
My students receive weekly daily grades for Cognitive Tutor. At the beginning of this year, I gave students the goal of completing so many units or sections per week, however long it took them. As the fall semester went along, I noticed that a student one week would complete a unit in 30 minutes while this same student took five hours the next week. I felt guilty for having my diligent students work so hard to meet my haphazard goal. Over three hours on CT per week seemed a little obsessive for even me.
So then the weekly goal was revised to say that students needed to put in a minimum of one and half hours per week. This worked well for most of my students. However, I had a handful of students that beat the system by putting in their required time but only completed a fourth of the six weeks curriculum. I added an additional requirement that students had to complete the curriculum by the end of the six weeks. This particular goal counted as four daily grades.
This system works for me. I might have to change it next year, depending on the students I have. What do you do?
Giving everyone a 100 for effort sort of makes the students loose respect for the software program, minimizing its effectiveness to engage students and push them to excel without frustrating and alienating them. (In my opinion.) But maybe effort grades work for you and your students. Every teacher has to decide for her/himself.
Cognitive Tutor Teacher’s Toolkit offers a wide array of reports that you can view and print out. My grading system for Cognitive Tutor is based on one or two of these reports. The only way to really familiarize yourself with the specifics of each report is to get your hands dirty, jump right in and browse through the different reports.
I believe Kasey and/or Brandy came up with some kind of formula putting into account the number of problems completed, the amount of time spent on the program, and the number of errors made. To be totally honest, I don’t have the time, or have made the time, to do this complicated, convoluted algorithm in order to assign a CT grade. Sure I can probably come up with some kind of excel program to make my life easier, but like I mentioned earlier, it’s not a priority at the moment.
My students receive weekly daily grades for Cognitive Tutor. At the beginning of this year, I gave students the goal of completing so many units or sections per week, however long it took them. As the fall semester went along, I noticed that a student one week would complete a unit in 30 minutes while this same student took five hours the next week. I felt guilty for having my diligent students work so hard to meet my haphazard goal. Over three hours on CT per week seemed a little obsessive for even me.
So then the weekly goal was revised to say that students needed to put in a minimum of one and half hours per week. This worked well for most of my students. However, I had a handful of students that beat the system by putting in their required time but only completed a fourth of the six weeks curriculum. I added an additional requirement that students had to complete the curriculum by the end of the six weeks. This particular goal counted as four daily grades.
This system works for me. I might have to change it next year, depending on the students I have. What do you do?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Differentiating via the Cognitive Tutor
Last week I left the building to get Subway for lunch. During this time I had a chance meeting with a parent who sends their student to a local elementary school. He noticed my name badge and started asking me about the school where I teach. One of the questions he asked me was how I deal with some students understanding a topic while others still need more practice. I think this is something that every teacher struggles with (how do we differentiate our instruction). I think this is a great question for a parent to ask! Of course everyone wants to know how you can teach their child on their level!
Luckily for me I use the Cognitive Tutor! I told this concerned parent (who's child could be coming to me for Algebra 1 next year) about the Carnegie program. I explained how the Cognitive Tutor helps me to get students to master skills before moving on new ones. It gives my students that need it extra time with a topic while allowing other students to move forward at their own pace (I'm not holding them back waiting for others to catch up). I also told him about how in my class students work in groups. They help each other so that everyone is successful.
The parent was really excited about the idea of his child receiving individualized attention. His daughter (who happened to be with him) told me that she likes math and couldn't wait to be able to work on the computer! Although the Cognitive Tutor is not the only way I differentiate my instruction it is definitely the way I do it most often. Yet another reason to love the Cognitive Tutor software :)
Luckily for me I use the Cognitive Tutor! I told this concerned parent (who's child could be coming to me for Algebra 1 next year) about the Carnegie program. I explained how the Cognitive Tutor helps me to get students to master skills before moving on new ones. It gives my students that need it extra time with a topic while allowing other students to move forward at their own pace (I'm not holding them back waiting for others to catch up). I also told him about how in my class students work in groups. They help each other so that everyone is successful.
The parent was really excited about the idea of his child receiving individualized attention. His daughter (who happened to be with him) told me that she likes math and couldn't wait to be able to work on the computer! Although the Cognitive Tutor is not the only way I differentiate my instruction it is definitely the way I do it most often. Yet another reason to love the Cognitive Tutor software :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Creating a Custom Curriculum for CT
When you first create classes in Cognitive Tutor and input your students’ names, you can assign them one of Carnegie Learning’s curriculums. In my case, I have access to Bridge to Algebra and Algebra I. Bridge to Algebra has 53 units with 1-7 sections per unit while Algebra I has 47 units with 1-7 sections per unit. The goal is to complete all the units in one curriculum within a school year’s time. With its artificial intelligence-like capabilities, CT keeps track of one’s mastery of specific concepts. Basically, the less errors that you make, the quicker you proceed through the curriculum.
One of the best features of Cognitive Tutor is that you are allowed to create custom curriculums. Let’s say that you district’s scope and sequence differs from that of Carnegie Learning. No problem! I create a custom curriculum per six weeks to mirror what my students are learning in class. Keep in mind you can only chunk together units. You cannot separate the sections under each unit.
If my students finish a Six Weeks curriculum before the six weeks is over, of course, I am going to want them to continue to work on Cognitive Tutor and not do anything for 2-3 weeks. So I will advance them to the next six weeks or assign them to CL’s curriculum.
At the beginning of the following school year, CL will ask you if you want to keep your custom curriculums or get rid of them and start over. Totally up to you. It’s nice to have some input. Creating a custom curriculum is not difficult at all. Give it a try.
I’m enjoying a week “off,” taking it easy and spending time with my family. Happy Spring Break to everyone in this part of Texas!
One of the best features of Cognitive Tutor is that you are allowed to create custom curriculums. Let’s say that you district’s scope and sequence differs from that of Carnegie Learning. No problem! I create a custom curriculum per six weeks to mirror what my students are learning in class. Keep in mind you can only chunk together units. You cannot separate the sections under each unit.
If my students finish a Six Weeks curriculum before the six weeks is over, of course, I am going to want them to continue to work on Cognitive Tutor and not do anything for 2-3 weeks. So I will advance them to the next six weeks or assign them to CL’s curriculum.
At the beginning of the following school year, CL will ask you if you want to keep your custom curriculums or get rid of them and start over. Totally up to you. It’s nice to have some input. Creating a custom curriculum is not difficult at all. Give it a try.
I’m enjoying a week “off,” taking it easy and spending time with my family. Happy Spring Break to everyone in this part of Texas!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Pi Day
One of my favorite holidays is next week! What holiday is it you ask? No, It's not St. Partrick's Day. Monday, 3/14, is Pi day in my classroom (Pi is approximately 3.14 hence 3/14 is the day to celebrate everything Pi related!). When I was in high school my teachers always had fun activities for us on this day and I have continued the celebration with my own students (other teachers in my building have also started celebrating it too!)
So how does one celebrate Pi Day? While there are many options (just google Pi Day to find many suggestions), I start by reviewing parts of a circle. Then students get circular objects and measure there diameter and circumference to discover where Pi comes from. (Similar to a Carnegie lesson from the Geometry book). We make a scatter plot with the diameter on the x-axis and circumference on the y-axis and draw a line of best fit. Next to make it a little more Algebra related, we find the slope of our line of best fit. It usually ends up being close to 3 point something and leads to a discussion of error in measurement. I use a NCTM applet to show that if we could be 100% accurate we would always get the same number if we divide the circumference by the diameter and that we call that number Pi. I even wear I shirt that says "Math easy as Pi"(it has the symbol not the word).
Of course no Pi day celebration would be complete without eating Pi(e)! I bring in some pies and offer extra credit to the students who bring in a pie to share with the class. Two years ago I had a lot of pies left over and we donated them to a local shelter. It's a fun way to excite my students about math and give them a lesson they won't soon forget.
Happy Pi Day!
So how does one celebrate Pi Day? While there are many options (just google Pi Day to find many suggestions), I start by reviewing parts of a circle. Then students get circular objects and measure there diameter and circumference to discover where Pi comes from. (Similar to a Carnegie lesson from the Geometry book). We make a scatter plot with the diameter on the x-axis and circumference on the y-axis and draw a line of best fit. Next to make it a little more Algebra related, we find the slope of our line of best fit. It usually ends up being close to 3 point something and leads to a discussion of error in measurement. I use a NCTM applet to show that if we could be 100% accurate we would always get the same number if we divide the circumference by the diameter and that we call that number Pi. I even wear I shirt that says "Math easy as Pi"(it has the symbol not the word).
Of course no Pi day celebration would be complete without eating Pi(e)! I bring in some pies and offer extra credit to the students who bring in a pie to share with the class. Two years ago I had a lot of pies left over and we donated them to a local shelter. It's a fun way to excite my students about math and give them a lesson they won't soon forget.
Happy Pi Day!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Testing
This week my school will testing all of our 11th grade students. They will take the ACT tomorrow, the Work Keys on Wednesday and Thursday will take the Michigan Merrit Exam. Students who are not testing do not have school tomorrow but have half days on Wednesday and Thursday. The half day starts at 11:30 and we have difficulty getting students to come in for a half day. As a result my attendance is usually really low. It's hard to plan for these days. I cannot begin a new lesson or continue on a previous one when so many people will be absent. A lot of teachers show random movies or allow students to work on missing assignments. It makes this whole week almost a waste of instructional time.
So what's a teacher to do with low attendance and students who are bored in their classes? Take them to the lab of course! It is the perfect solution. Students who do not come can make up the time at home. Students who do come will get to do some meaningful math and be engaged in learning on a day that is a waste of learning time in a lot of other classrooms. Myself and another teacher are going to combine our classes so that we may both take advantage of the limited lab space we have. Stead of trying to fill our time with review assignments or meaningless busy work our students will be challenged and working on relevant mathematics. Plus the tutor will help prepare them for their turn to take the test a few years from now.
So what's a teacher to do with low attendance and students who are bored in their classes? Take them to the lab of course! It is the perfect solution. Students who do not come can make up the time at home. Students who do come will get to do some meaningful math and be engaged in learning on a day that is a waste of learning time in a lot of other classrooms. Myself and another teacher are going to combine our classes so that we may both take advantage of the limited lab space we have. Stead of trying to fill our time with review assignments or meaningless busy work our students will be challenged and working on relevant mathematics. Plus the tutor will help prepare them for their turn to take the test a few years from now.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
If They Build It, They Will Learn
I asked my principal this past summer if I could teach our math enrichment course. It is an “elective” course where students have a second hour of math either because they failed TAKS in seventh grade and/or are not being successful in their current pre-algebra class. To my delight, he agreed to let me take on the challenge.
There is not a set curriculum for this class. Basically I can do whatever I feel is necessary. Going into this, I knew that I did not want it to just be another study hall for these students to work on homework. Although the students are occasionally given time to finish assignments from other classes.
We spend Mondays looking over all their grades from all their classes and setting goals on how to improve and bring up failing or low grades. This mostly means getting the students to go into tutorials to turn missing assignments or make-up failing ones. Easier said than done. At the same time, I am encouraging and trying to instill into the students the habit of being proactive, planning ahead for major projects and tests.
They then spend Fridays on Cognitive Tutor. For some reason, Carnegie Learning and Cognitive Tutor have a reputation in my district as being a “remedial” curriculum for those who are not successful in the regular setting. Boy is it far from that! Just ask my advanced algebra students. Carnegie Learning and CT make the students think and reason through math concepts as well as apply them to real-life settings. Nothing is dumbed down.
My math enrichment kiddos spend the rest of the week supporting what is being taught in their pre-algebra classes. Sometimes I set the foundation for what’s to come. Other times I reinforce what their pre-algebra teachers are doing. Whether I’m pre-teaching or re-teaching, I try to make the lessons and activities hands-on and engaging, many times non-traditional.
My pre-algebra students recently finished a two-month long study over geometry. Over the holiday break, I kept wondering what I was going to do differently with my math enrichment students. One of my family’s favorite traditions is building gingerbread houses. This became the inspiration for my ME class. The best part? Gingerbread house kits are on clearance after the holidays!
My student teacher and I divided the class into groups of 2-3 students each. Each group received their own gingerbread house kit. They spent the next month or so naming shapes, measuring (a lost skill for most people) the dimensions of the cookies and calculating their perimeters, areas, and volumes. It was so nice to see the students come to class every day excited about doing math! To top it off, they cooperatively worked together, helping one another and being supportive. Each person had his/her own strengths to offer to their group. “Riley” is your typical passive student who won’t give you trouble but at the same time will not put any effort into learning. During this unit, he “woke up” and came out of his shell. One day I overheard him explain to his group why they were only given three of the walls (cookies) instead of all six. I love it when my students take leadership roles in class!
Overall, the GEOMETRY-bread House unit was a success! I can’t wait to implement it again next year.
There is not a set curriculum for this class. Basically I can do whatever I feel is necessary. Going into this, I knew that I did not want it to just be another study hall for these students to work on homework. Although the students are occasionally given time to finish assignments from other classes.
We spend Mondays looking over all their grades from all their classes and setting goals on how to improve and bring up failing or low grades. This mostly means getting the students to go into tutorials to turn missing assignments or make-up failing ones. Easier said than done. At the same time, I am encouraging and trying to instill into the students the habit of being proactive, planning ahead for major projects and tests.
They then spend Fridays on Cognitive Tutor. For some reason, Carnegie Learning and Cognitive Tutor have a reputation in my district as being a “remedial” curriculum for those who are not successful in the regular setting. Boy is it far from that! Just ask my advanced algebra students. Carnegie Learning and CT make the students think and reason through math concepts as well as apply them to real-life settings. Nothing is dumbed down.
My math enrichment kiddos spend the rest of the week supporting what is being taught in their pre-algebra classes. Sometimes I set the foundation for what’s to come. Other times I reinforce what their pre-algebra teachers are doing. Whether I’m pre-teaching or re-teaching, I try to make the lessons and activities hands-on and engaging, many times non-traditional.
My pre-algebra students recently finished a two-month long study over geometry. Over the holiday break, I kept wondering what I was going to do differently with my math enrichment students. One of my family’s favorite traditions is building gingerbread houses. This became the inspiration for my ME class. The best part? Gingerbread house kits are on clearance after the holidays!
My student teacher and I divided the class into groups of 2-3 students each. Each group received their own gingerbread house kit. They spent the next month or so naming shapes, measuring (a lost skill for most people) the dimensions of the cookies and calculating their perimeters, areas, and volumes. It was so nice to see the students come to class every day excited about doing math! To top it off, they cooperatively worked together, helping one another and being supportive. Each person had his/her own strengths to offer to their group. “Riley” is your typical passive student who won’t give you trouble but at the same time will not put any effort into learning. During this unit, he “woke up” and came out of his shell. One day I overheard him explain to his group why they were only given three of the walls (cookies) instead of all six. I love it when my students take leadership roles in class!
Overall, the GEOMETRY-bread House unit was a success! I can’t wait to implement it again next year.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Change is Inevitable
Those of you who know me or have gotten to know me through this blog wouldn’t be surprised to read that in the back of my mind, I teach with the philosophy “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I stopped writing in journals when I went off to college, but I am constantly reflecting on my teaching and how lessons are received.
If my students struggle on certain units or lessons, I ask myself, “What do I need to change in order to help them grasp the concept?”
I don’t play the blame game.
To meet the needs of my students, my curriculum is forever evolving. I am always tweaking or changing something from year to year. This has put a strain on my family because the time commitment it takes to search for different, better ideas and then to mesh it with the other lessons in the unit. My husband realized early on that I couldn’t teach any other way and is supportive. Luckily he’s there to keep me on track when I stray off too far.
One of my biggest challenges the past couple of years has been the lesson on how change of dimensions affects perimeter, area, and volume. All of us here have tried to improve this lesson one way or another. CSISD’s 8th grade teachers committed three days to the concept and Laura had revamped the lessons and assignments to align with one another. Much to my dismay, 95% of my students this year still struggled with this.
Carnegie Learning is currently working on producing lessons on change in dimensions. It should be ready for the national edition of their middle school curriculum. Until then, I am asking for your help. Do you have any suggestions? Do you mind sharing? I’ve searched online and haven’t found much. NASA put something out in 2004 in conjunction with their Personal Satellite Assistant robot. I haven’t had a chance to delve into it yet to see if it’s feasible to implement. Because direct instruction hasn’t worked, I am looking for a discovery lesson where students must be able to generalize the concept for themselves after they’ve done some kind of hands-on activity. Am I asking too much? I hope to hear from some of you out there!
If my students struggle on certain units or lessons, I ask myself, “What do I need to change in order to help them grasp the concept?”
I don’t play the blame game.
To meet the needs of my students, my curriculum is forever evolving. I am always tweaking or changing something from year to year. This has put a strain on my family because the time commitment it takes to search for different, better ideas and then to mesh it with the other lessons in the unit. My husband realized early on that I couldn’t teach any other way and is supportive. Luckily he’s there to keep me on track when I stray off too far.
One of my biggest challenges the past couple of years has been the lesson on how change of dimensions affects perimeter, area, and volume. All of us here have tried to improve this lesson one way or another. CSISD’s 8th grade teachers committed three days to the concept and Laura had revamped the lessons and assignments to align with one another. Much to my dismay, 95% of my students this year still struggled with this.
Carnegie Learning is currently working on producing lessons on change in dimensions. It should be ready for the national edition of their middle school curriculum. Until then, I am asking for your help. Do you have any suggestions? Do you mind sharing? I’ve searched online and haven’t found much. NASA put something out in 2004 in conjunction with their Personal Satellite Assistant robot. I haven’t had a chance to delve into it yet to see if it’s feasible to implement. Because direct instruction hasn’t worked, I am looking for a discovery lesson where students must be able to generalize the concept for themselves after they’ve done some kind of hands-on activity. Am I asking too much? I hope to hear from some of you out there!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Feeling SMART
So this week I was able to attend training for my new SMART Board. I am so excited about the new possibilities. I think this will help me to make more connections between the text and the Cognitive Tutor. I used to have to bring in my laptop and extra cables to show the tutor in class. Now all I have to do is launch the tutor on the board. It will save me so much time!
I also think I'm going to use the screen capture tool to bring problems from the tutor into my lessons. (This means no more print screen!) The digital copies of the text are going to be very useful too!
Does anyone else have ideas for using Carnegie along with the SMART Board? I got the feeling at the training that one teacher thought that he couldn't use both simulataneously. I on the other hand think it will enhance what I'm doing and will increase my use of the tutor examples on nonlab days. What do you think?
Monday, February 14, 2011
ready set... test
In Michigan our AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) status at the high school level is determined partially by testing that occurs each March. All Juniors take the ACT, ACT Work Keys, and the Michigan Merit Exam. Our students performance on these test is one of several factors that determine AYP. Last year my school improved our math and reading scores and we're hoping for an even larger increase this year. The students that are testing this year are the first group to use the Carnegie Curriculum for Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Everyone is anxious to see how our students perform.
Next week our school will be on midwinter break. When they return students will be testing. Our school came really close to meeting our testing goals last year and are really confident that this year we will meet our goals. However, next year might be a different story. The state of Michigan recently decided to raise the bar for students to receive a "passing score" on these exams. Next year it will be even harder for students to pass these high stakes test. This means that our school and our students (along with every other school in Michigan) will have to work even harder to meet the goals set by our state. This has caused some anxiety amongst our teachers who are already anxious about this year's scores.
For now all we can do is wait and see how this years scores turn out.
Next week our school will be on midwinter break. When they return students will be testing. Our school came really close to meeting our testing goals last year and are really confident that this year we will meet our goals. However, next year might be a different story. The state of Michigan recently decided to raise the bar for students to receive a "passing score" on these exams. Next year it will be even harder for students to pass these high stakes test. This means that our school and our students (along with every other school in Michigan) will have to work even harder to meet the goals set by our state. This has caused some anxiety amongst our teachers who are already anxious about this year's scores.
For now all we can do is wait and see how this years scores turn out.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Math Phobia
I am having a great time teaching the Bridge to Algebra curriculum and am absolutely in love with the software. The course that I am teaching is for middle school students who need to transition into the high school due to their age. I have taken my class to the computer lab only 3 times since the semester started. They had a hard time adjusting to the idea of picture algebra at first but now are doing great. My students have started asking one another for help (instead of calling for me!) and are really progressing through the software well. Today I got a new student. As I was getting him setup on the software and was teaching him how to use the tutor he told me "math isn't my thing" and "I've never been good at math". I told him that this class was going to be different and that I was going to show him that he cannot only learn math but that he might actually learn to enjoy it. I hear this comment a lot from students. It seems like I always have to get them past their math phobia and build their confidence to prove to them that they can do math.
Why is it that so many people have a math phobia? Whenever I tell people that I am a teacher the first question they ask is, What do you teach? When I tell them math they wince and say something along the lines of "that was my least favorite subject" or "I don't like math". It's strange to me that people are not embarrased to say that math is not something they are good at. Usually people try to hide their faults but with math it seems to be socially acceptable to admit that it's not your strong suit.
I tell all of my students that I will not allow them to say "I'm not good at math" or "I don't do math". Instead I tell them to say "I don't get it yet, but I will". I truly believe that all of my students can "do math" if only I can help them build confidence and believe in themselves. As for my new student today... by the end of the period he had already finished the first unit and was already telling me "I can do this". I have to thank Carnegie for making confidence building a little easier!
Why is it that so many people have a math phobia? Whenever I tell people that I am a teacher the first question they ask is, What do you teach? When I tell them math they wince and say something along the lines of "that was my least favorite subject" or "I don't like math". It's strange to me that people are not embarrased to say that math is not something they are good at. Usually people try to hide their faults but with math it seems to be socially acceptable to admit that it's not your strong suit.
I tell all of my students that I will not allow them to say "I'm not good at math" or "I don't do math". Instead I tell them to say "I don't get it yet, but I will". I truly believe that all of my students can "do math" if only I can help them build confidence and believe in themselves. As for my new student today... by the end of the period he had already finished the first unit and was already telling me "I can do this". I have to thank Carnegie for making confidence building a little easier!
Monday, February 7, 2011
A Nod to Super Bowl XLV
A football field is a good analogy to use to introduce integers and to visually show adding and subtracting integers. A good teacher friend of mine told me about this activity about ten years ago. It was the pre-technology age, at least for our school, so we created our football field out of green butcher paper and drew in the boundaries, lines, and numbers. The butcher paper was laminated for longevity’s sake. My friend decided to cut out helmets from construction paper. I, on the other hand, went to the local craft store and bought 3-D football helmets used for making homecoming corsages. I then hot glued magnets on the backs of the helmets to use on my chalkboards. Not only did we use the field to introduce the lessons, but we then also used it for a review game. Can you imagine how easy this all would be to create on a SMART Notebook?
So who did you root for during Sunday night’s football game? I wanted the Green Bay Packers to win. Well, I’m not actually a cheesehead. Brett Favre – is there more to say? I was actually against the Steelers. Why? Growing up in Texas in the 70s, the Dallas Cowboys were our hero. I vividly remember those Super Bowl games that Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers barely beat our Cowboys. Roger Staubach and Tom Landry (God rest his soul) are/were two great classy men. I admire them for the virtues they embodied both on and off the field.
I’ve gotten off on a tangent. I’m going to apologize in advance for offending any Packer or Steeler fans. Go, Cowboys!!
So who did you root for during Sunday night’s football game? I wanted the Green Bay Packers to win. Well, I’m not actually a cheesehead. Brett Favre – is there more to say? I was actually against the Steelers. Why? Growing up in Texas in the 70s, the Dallas Cowboys were our hero. I vividly remember those Super Bowl games that Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers barely beat our Cowboys. Roger Staubach and Tom Landry (God rest his soul) are/were two great classy men. I admire them for the virtues they embodied both on and off the field.
I’ve gotten off on a tangent. I’m going to apologize in advance for offending any Packer or Steeler fans. Go, Cowboys!!
Friday, February 4, 2011
School Canceled for Today!
I woke up this morning to find the grounds covered with a light blanket of snow. It’s quite a beautiful sight, unadulterated and serene. With school canceled for the day, pretty soon all the neighborhood kids will be out building snowmen and pelting each other with snowballs, my own children included. I think I will lounge in my flannel pajamas as long as I can and enjoy the scene from the warmth of my home.
Today was originally designated for Cognitive Tutor time for my pre-algebra classes. I have made a conscious effort this semester to allot one day per week for my pre-algebra students to spend on CT. (My algebra and math enrichment kiddos have always had class time to spend on CT this whole school year.) My dilemma is whether to allow them to spend Monday on CT or to push forward with my plans to continue our unit on surface area. They will have next Friday to be on CT. I totally haven’t decided what to do.
I received word from Carnegie Learning this past week that the trial-version for their new middle school Cognitive Tutor software program is coming out this month. I am so excited to have my students try it out! Supposedly this new program is geared towards the humor of middle schoolers. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Have a good weekend and stay safe.
Today was originally designated for Cognitive Tutor time for my pre-algebra classes. I have made a conscious effort this semester to allot one day per week for my pre-algebra students to spend on CT. (My algebra and math enrichment kiddos have always had class time to spend on CT this whole school year.) My dilemma is whether to allow them to spend Monday on CT or to push forward with my plans to continue our unit on surface area. They will have next Friday to be on CT. I totally haven’t decided what to do.
I received word from Carnegie Learning this past week that the trial-version for their new middle school Cognitive Tutor software program is coming out this month. I am so excited to have my students try it out! Supposedly this new program is geared towards the humor of middle schoolers. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Have a good weekend and stay safe.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Building Bridges
This semester I'm taking on a new class. The last period of my day I am teaching a transition math course. The students are in middle school (even though their classes are held at the high school) but because of their age need to transition into our high school. My job is to get them ready for Algebra 1 next year. I'm using the Bridge to Algebra Carnegie text and Cognitive Tutor to get the job done! It's only been two days, but so far I am in love with this class. The students are eager to learn and are really excited about using Carnegie (especially since they know that's what the high school kids are doing).
Today was my first time working with students on the Bridge to Algebra version of the Cognitive Tutor. I started them out on the picture algebra unit. I absolutely love that students visually get to see "twice as much", "three times as many", etc. It took them a little while to get used to the tutor but once they got used to drawing the pictures they were soaring through the problems. It was so fun to see them get excited about their bars growing and turing gold. They were helping each other out as they were figuring out how to work the software. These students have had difficulty being successful in school yet they were all successful in class today. The smiles on their faces and enthusiam for gold bars was so contagious!
Here in Michigan we are preparing for a large blizzard. School is already canceled for me tomorrow and it maybe for a few days. One of the things on my to do list for these snow days is to work through some Bridge problems on the tutor. I need to be prepared for helping my students and to properly do so I must make myself familiar with the software units. I'm sure I'll be telling you about more of my exciting discoveries with this new adventure over the rest of the semester!
Stay warm and enjoy your snow day if you're being affected by this blizzard!
Today was my first time working with students on the Bridge to Algebra version of the Cognitive Tutor. I started them out on the picture algebra unit. I absolutely love that students visually get to see "twice as much", "three times as many", etc. It took them a little while to get used to the tutor but once they got used to drawing the pictures they were soaring through the problems. It was so fun to see them get excited about their bars growing and turing gold. They were helping each other out as they were figuring out how to work the software. These students have had difficulty being successful in school yet they were all successful in class today. The smiles on their faces and enthusiam for gold bars was so contagious!
Here in Michigan we are preparing for a large blizzard. School is already canceled for me tomorrow and it maybe for a few days. One of the things on my to do list for these snow days is to work through some Bridge problems on the tutor. I need to be prepared for helping my students and to properly do so I must make myself familiar with the software units. I'm sure I'll be telling you about more of my exciting discoveries with this new adventure over the rest of the semester!
Stay warm and enjoy your snow day if you're being affected by this blizzard!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Child’s Play = Learning Math
WARNING: For those of you who are philosophically opposed to Barbie dolls, the following post may offend you. Read at your own risk.
Have you noticed kids (and some adults) of all ages, surprisingly both boys and girls, have this fascination with Barbie dolls? I’m not here to debate the pros and cons that Barbie has had on our society or why this plastic object has become the anti-symbol for women’s liberation. Instead I want to discuss how I used her universal appeal to teach a group of middle schoolers the math concept of proportionality.
In preparation for the upcoming Algebra I course in high school, grade 8 math curriculum in Texas centers around the concept of proportionality. To help students establish a firm foundation with ratios and scale factors, my hands-on activity allows students to experience a real-life application of proportionality. One of the central goals of this activity is to help students have a smoother transition into high school math courses.
One day last semester, I casually mentioned to my now student teacher my idea of using Barbie in a proportions lesson. Coincidentally she and a group of other pre-service teachers had done a presentation for one of their courses on the different proportions of various toy dolls. This saved me the time and trouble of looking up all the measurements of body parts. My students compared the proportions of a Barbie doll body measurements to the proportions an average woman's body measurements. I have already planned for students to then use the calculated scale factor to enlarge and draw a life-size Barbie next year.
On a side note, for Christmas during my first grade year, Santa gave my younger sister a Barbie doll while I received a Darci doll. Which one of them has endured the tumultuous 70s? Survival of the fittest in action.
Have you noticed kids (and some adults) of all ages, surprisingly both boys and girls, have this fascination with Barbie dolls? I’m not here to debate the pros and cons that Barbie has had on our society or why this plastic object has become the anti-symbol for women’s liberation. Instead I want to discuss how I used her universal appeal to teach a group of middle schoolers the math concept of proportionality.
In preparation for the upcoming Algebra I course in high school, grade 8 math curriculum in Texas centers around the concept of proportionality. To help students establish a firm foundation with ratios and scale factors, my hands-on activity allows students to experience a real-life application of proportionality. One of the central goals of this activity is to help students have a smoother transition into high school math courses.
One day last semester, I casually mentioned to my now student teacher my idea of using Barbie in a proportions lesson. Coincidentally she and a group of other pre-service teachers had done a presentation for one of their courses on the different proportions of various toy dolls. This saved me the time and trouble of looking up all the measurements of body parts. My students compared the proportions of a Barbie doll body measurements to the proportions an average woman's body measurements. I have already planned for students to then use the calculated scale factor to enlarge and draw a life-size Barbie next year.
On a side note, for Christmas during my first grade year, Santa gave my younger sister a Barbie doll while I received a Darci doll. Which one of them has endured the tumultuous 70s? Survival of the fittest in action.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Smart Board
So this week was really crazy. Not only was it exam week, but I also decided to move my classroom. Why would I do so in the middle of the school year you ask? Another teacher in my building is leaving and I chose to move my classroom because his old room has a Smart Board. I'm so excited about using it! I do not know much about it yet because I have never used one. I had to register it under my name and I'm going for training in two weeks. I can't wait to try doing some Cognitive Tutor stuff on it this week and to find new ways to enhance the Carnegie curriculum by using the board. Do any of you use a Smart Board? If so, how do you use it in conjunction with Carnegie? I'm thinking that all of the digital textbooks, assignments, and other files in the resource center are going to be even more useful now. I'd love to hear how you use a Smart Board in your classroom! Thanks in advance for sharing your ideas.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Former Students
You know you are loved as a teacher when your former students willingly give up one of their precious Saturdays to come help proctor a MATHCOUNTS competition. Luckily I had kept past email addresses and sent out a request for volunteers. At first I wasn’t sure if I would get any takers. Then one or two would respond. Some even took the time to tell me that they would have loved to help but had prior commitments. They also added to contact them again when another need arises. Still others told me that they were going to come even if I had enough volunteers. They wanted to come see me. Anyways, before I knew it, I had as many proctors as I had competitors. Half of these volunteers weren’t even past MATHCOUNTS mathletes.
If you had asked me my first couple of years of teaching what the most important part of my job was, I would have answered with getting the students to learn math. I would have also added that I was not at school to be their mother. I soon realized that building and nurturing a positive relationship is as important as covering the content. Feeling respected and valued is what people remember from their middle school years; not necessarily how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem appropriately. But you know what? If they feel that you care about them, they will want to learn math and do the work, if for anything, to please you.
My current 8th grade students have already asked if they could come back next year and volunteer. I could not have asked for a better compliment.
Happy 7th Birthday, my sweet Madeline!!
If you had asked me my first couple of years of teaching what the most important part of my job was, I would have answered with getting the students to learn math. I would have also added that I was not at school to be their mother. I soon realized that building and nurturing a positive relationship is as important as covering the content. Feeling respected and valued is what people remember from their middle school years; not necessarily how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem appropriately. But you know what? If they feel that you care about them, they will want to learn math and do the work, if for anything, to please you.
My current 8th grade students have already asked if they could come back next year and volunteer. I could not have asked for a better compliment.
Happy 7th Birthday, my sweet Madeline!!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Half way there!
So this week my class is preparing for midterm exams (which students take Wednesday and Thursday next week). Each year when I create my midterm (none of my midterms have ever been the exact same in 4 years) I try to reflect on all of the topics we have covered. One reason I do this is to make sure all of the important material is on the exam. Also, about this time I usually start worrying about pacing. Seeing how far my students have come since September makes me feel better about not necessarily being where I want to be in the curriculum.
Last year when I was creating my exam I realized that an important part of my class was not covered on the exam, the cognitive tutor! We spend about 30% of our class time on the computer yet that did not reflect directly on the test. I mean sure doing the problems on the tutor has helped students reach a better understanding of the topics we covered in class. However, if you looked at my exam you would have no idea that students ever went to lab. So I decided to add a "computer problem" to my midterm exam. I did this by typing out a problem from the Algebra 1 Cognitive Tutor unit titled "Linear Models and First Quadrant Graphs". I pulled up the curriculum browser and randomly chose a few problems from the unit, typed them up and gave it to students as part of the exam. Students had to fill in a table (including quantity names, units etc.) and graph the scenario on a template that looks a lot like a screenshot of that unit.
Where did I get the template you ask? The resource center of course. You too can use this template. Simply log into the resource center. Then click on community tab then "see all in algebra 1". The file is on the second page and is called Algebra -unit 2 graph and table worksheet quadrant 1. It was created by Brian Reeves. Thanks Brian, I love the template!
Most of my students had finished this unit a while ago. So this week we did a practice problem in class and I had them log into the Cognitive Tutor under review mode so they could get more practice. My students usually do really well on this part and it shows that they have mastered graphing, writing expressions, evaluating expressions, and solving equations! That is a lot of information in one problem!
How do you incorporate the Cognitive Tutor into your midterm and final assessments?
Last year when I was creating my exam I realized that an important part of my class was not covered on the exam, the cognitive tutor! We spend about 30% of our class time on the computer yet that did not reflect directly on the test. I mean sure doing the problems on the tutor has helped students reach a better understanding of the topics we covered in class. However, if you looked at my exam you would have no idea that students ever went to lab. So I decided to add a "computer problem" to my midterm exam. I did this by typing out a problem from the Algebra 1 Cognitive Tutor unit titled "Linear Models and First Quadrant Graphs". I pulled up the curriculum browser and randomly chose a few problems from the unit, typed them up and gave it to students as part of the exam. Students had to fill in a table (including quantity names, units etc.) and graph the scenario on a template that looks a lot like a screenshot of that unit.
Where did I get the template you ask? The resource center of course. You too can use this template. Simply log into the resource center. Then click on community tab then "see all in algebra 1". The file is on the second page and is called Algebra -unit 2 graph and table worksheet quadrant 1. It was created by Brian Reeves. Thanks Brian, I love the template!
Most of my students had finished this unit a while ago. So this week we did a practice problem in class and I had them log into the Cognitive Tutor under review mode so they could get more practice. My students usually do really well on this part and it shows that they have mastered graphing, writing expressions, evaluating expressions, and solving equations! That is a lot of information in one problem!
How do you incorporate the Cognitive Tutor into your midterm and final assessments?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Save the Date
Happy New Year!!!!
My family and I have had a rough start. Nevertheless, I feel that this is going to be a fantastic year.
For Christmas, my daughter gave me her cold. Such a sweet child to think of me. We spent several sleepless nights because of her ear infection. As a result, my days and nights kind of flip-flopped. When students and teachers returned to school on Tuesday, I had not slept in 24 hours. I don’t tell you all this so that you will feel sorry for me. Only that you’ll understand if some of my writing in this post makes no sense at all. I am functioning on three hours of sleep.
If you have a running wish list for school, add attending Carnegie Learning National Math Institute. It will definitely be one of the best professional developments that you participate in this year. You will learn useful, practical information that you will be able to implement immediately. You’ll also be exposed to the latest research in the education field. This year Carnegie will hold its institute in Grapevine, TX, near Dallas from July 10 – 13. My home state! Woohoo!!
OK, if you’re wondering what’s the rush? It is a whole eight months away. Most districts allot a certain amount of their budget for their teachers to attend conferences and workshops. Once the money is gone, it’s gone. So I would ask now while there is probably some money left.
Here is the website with more details: http://nmi.carnegielearning.com/
I am going to call it a night. Until later.
My family and I have had a rough start. Nevertheless, I feel that this is going to be a fantastic year.
For Christmas, my daughter gave me her cold. Such a sweet child to think of me. We spent several sleepless nights because of her ear infection. As a result, my days and nights kind of flip-flopped. When students and teachers returned to school on Tuesday, I had not slept in 24 hours. I don’t tell you all this so that you will feel sorry for me. Only that you’ll understand if some of my writing in this post makes no sense at all. I am functioning on three hours of sleep.
If you have a running wish list for school, add attending Carnegie Learning National Math Institute. It will definitely be one of the best professional developments that you participate in this year. You will learn useful, practical information that you will be able to implement immediately. You’ll also be exposed to the latest research in the education field. This year Carnegie will hold its institute in Grapevine, TX, near Dallas from July 10 – 13. My home state! Woohoo!!
OK, if you’re wondering what’s the rush? It is a whole eight months away. Most districts allot a certain amount of their budget for their teachers to attend conferences and workshops. Once the money is gone, it’s gone. So I would ask now while there is probably some money left.
Here is the website with more details: http://nmi.carnegielearning.com/
I am going to call it a night. Until later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
