After reading Brandy's first post, I realized that I haven't adequately introduced myself.
This is my ninth year in teaching, six of those in 7th and/or 8th grades, two in 3rd grade. I currently teach Grade 8 Pre-Algebra and Algebra I Pre-AP in College Station, TX. Home of the fighting Texas Aggies! Whoop!
Last year was my first year to use Carnegie. I mainly concentrated on the Cognitive Tutor software component. Melissa (my "partner in crime") and I dabbled with the textbook portion but found it challenging to fit it in with our previous practice and curriculum. More on that later.
My goal this year is to implement Carnegie's new Middle School curriculum with fidelity, blending both the software and text components with the pure intentions the founders had envisioned. My algebra classes will still only be exposed to Cognitive Tutor, for the most part. One baby step at a time.
I totally agree with Brandy. We definitely are not experts. We are like many of you out there. There are good days and there are not so good days. Sometimes what we do in the classroom is merely trial and error. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them. For clarification, the purpose of this blog is to house conversations amongst educators sharing ideas and classroom experiences. Brandy and I would enjoy hearing many of your stories.
I'm not sure why but I love this age group, otherwise known as the "misfits." No longer babies or children but not quite a full-pledge teenager or adult. Maybe it's because I can relate to them, myself a misfit of some sort. Last year was one of my favorite years teaching! My team had a FABULOUS group of students and I expect this year to be just as great, if not better. I am pumped and ready to get started with my students!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Hello!
First of all I'd like to thank Thuc-Khanh for the wonderful introduction!
Hello! My name is Brandy King, a ninth grade Algebra 1 teacher for a small urban school district near Detroit, Michigan. This year will be my fourth year teaching (3rd year using Carnegie). I'm really excited to share my ideas and classroom experiences with you, but please know that I am not an expert. I still have a lot to learn and hope that I'll be able to learn from all of you through this blog.
Please let me know if there is a topic you are interested in or if there is a issue in your classroom you'd like some incite into. I can't promise that I'll be able to give you the answer, but I'm sure someone out there can help.
I'm really excited about going back to school. As Thuc-Khanh mentioned, we met at the Carnegie National Math Institute this summer. What an awesome experience! Being surrounded by amazing professionals that share in the same goals has me more anxious than usual to get back into my classroom. However, in Michigan we do not start school until after Labor Day (a state law to support tourism). So for the next few weeks I'll be vigorously planning my school year and counting down the days until I can be in my classroom again!
Good luck on your adventure into a new school year!
Hello! My name is Brandy King, a ninth grade Algebra 1 teacher for a small urban school district near Detroit, Michigan. This year will be my fourth year teaching (3rd year using Carnegie). I'm really excited to share my ideas and classroom experiences with you, but please know that I am not an expert. I still have a lot to learn and hope that I'll be able to learn from all of you through this blog.
Please let me know if there is a topic you are interested in or if there is a issue in your classroom you'd like some incite into. I can't promise that I'll be able to give you the answer, but I'm sure someone out there can help.
I'm really excited about going back to school. As Thuc-Khanh mentioned, we met at the Carnegie National Math Institute this summer. What an awesome experience! Being surrounded by amazing professionals that share in the same goals has me more anxious than usual to get back into my classroom. However, in Michigan we do not start school until after Labor Day (a state law to support tourism). So for the next few weeks I'll be vigorously planning my school year and counting down the days until I can be in my classroom again!
Good luck on your adventure into a new school year!
The Excitement and Anticipation
Do you feel the tingling sensation in the air? No, it's not Christmas Eve. Nor it is the release of a new Harry Potter novel or movie. Rather it's the excitement and anticipation of a new school year!
Our students picked up their class schedules today. I could see in their eyes the hopefulness of what lies ahead. What team are they on? Which teachers did they get? Where's their locker? But most importantly, are they in the sames classes as their friends, and do they share the same lunch time? Even though "A" lunch eats early, at least there is always food for the very last person in line. Our cafeteria is known to run out of food by the end of "C" lunch. (Probably not; keep in mind that these accounts come from 13-year-olds who are known to exaggerate a little.)
A new school year. New teachers. New school supplies. A new wardrobe. Possibly a new attitude. A fresh start.
That's how I view my students at the beginning of every year. It's an opportunity for them to have a fresh start in math class. I do not know many of my students' educational experiences and history. I can pretty guess though that too many of them early on didn't do well and have since developed a self-defeatist mind-set. Oh, how I would love to be able to bottle that first-of-the-year euphoria that makes students feel that anything is possible, however short-loved it may be. The point is that is exists. I would use this potion liberally throughout the school year to help us stay "high" on life.
"Are you excited about school starting?"
"Yeah...I'm just afraid I won't like school once I'm here."
Sounds like a fear of failing.
My hopes and wishes are, by instilling a student-centered classroom, that my students will build confidence in themselves and their ability to work through rich, complicated problems. Wish me luck!
Our students picked up their class schedules today. I could see in their eyes the hopefulness of what lies ahead. What team are they on? Which teachers did they get? Where's their locker? But most importantly, are they in the sames classes as their friends, and do they share the same lunch time? Even though "A" lunch eats early, at least there is always food for the very last person in line. Our cafeteria is known to run out of food by the end of "C" lunch. (Probably not; keep in mind that these accounts come from 13-year-olds who are known to exaggerate a little.)
A new school year. New teachers. New school supplies. A new wardrobe. Possibly a new attitude. A fresh start.
That's how I view my students at the beginning of every year. It's an opportunity for them to have a fresh start in math class. I do not know many of my students' educational experiences and history. I can pretty guess though that too many of them early on didn't do well and have since developed a self-defeatist mind-set. Oh, how I would love to be able to bottle that first-of-the-year euphoria that makes students feel that anything is possible, however short-loved it may be. The point is that is exists. I would use this potion liberally throughout the school year to help us stay "high" on life.
"Are you excited about school starting?"
"Yeah...I'm just afraid I won't like school once I'm here."
Sounds like a fear of failing.
My hopes and wishes are, by instilling a student-centered classroom, that my students will build confidence in themselves and their ability to work through rich, complicated problems. Wish me luck!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Greetings from Aggieland
HOWDY! My name is Thuc-Khanh Park, and I am thrilled to be here!! I, along with Brandy King, will be chronicling the daily events of our Carnegie classrooms - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mine from a middle school perspective; Brandy's from a high school perspective. I live and teach in the south; Brandy lives and teaches up north. (I'll let Brandy introduce herself in more detail in the following weeks.)
You may be asking yourself - or muttering to yourself like I usually am - how did these math teachers get their own blog? Besides the fact that anyone can create their own blog, and it's free. I don't know if by chance I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Or was it destiny? Anyways, there I was sitting and chatting away at the reception for Carnegie Learning's first annual Math Institute in Kentucky this past July. Todd walks up to my little group of colleagues and friends, which coincidentally also included Brandy. Todd was scouring the room for anybody who was remotely interested in writing a blog for Carnegie. We politely declined the offer. Rejected but not defeated, Todd continued his search at other tables.
On the outside, I appear to be pretty reserved, an introvert. In many ways I am. But there is also an adventurous side to me, someone who is willing to step out of her comfort zone, take chances, and try new things. That night and the following day, the more I thought about it, the more I was truly interested in pursuing the possibility of doing a blog. The rest, as they say, is history. And here I am! Brandy and I are picking up where Kasey left off.
So I cordially invite you and your friends to come back and join us on our journey. Until next time. Adios amigos.
You may be asking yourself - or muttering to yourself like I usually am - how did these math teachers get their own blog? Besides the fact that anyone can create their own blog, and it's free. I don't know if by chance I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Or was it destiny? Anyways, there I was sitting and chatting away at the reception for Carnegie Learning's first annual Math Institute in Kentucky this past July. Todd walks up to my little group of colleagues and friends, which coincidentally also included Brandy. Todd was scouring the room for anybody who was remotely interested in writing a blog for Carnegie. We politely declined the offer. Rejected but not defeated, Todd continued his search at other tables.
On the outside, I appear to be pretty reserved, an introvert. In many ways I am. But there is also an adventurous side to me, someone who is willing to step out of her comfort zone, take chances, and try new things. That night and the following day, the more I thought about it, the more I was truly interested in pursuing the possibility of doing a blog. The rest, as they say, is history. And here I am! Brandy and I are picking up where Kasey left off.
So I cordially invite you and your friends to come back and join us on our journey. Until next time. Adios amigos.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Summer...
Summer officially begins next week (well, for some of you it's already started) and I am so excited about having some time off. One of my teacher friends posted something cute on facebook yesterday..."I can't believe I get paid to be OFF for two months!" (If you can't tell by her comments, she's a first year teacher.) But I would venture to say that for most of us, being off in the summer is one of, if not THE greatest perk of being a teacher.
Here are some GREAT ways to spend your summer.....go to the beach, work in your garden, read a book, re-wallpaper your house, train your dog to sing the national anthem and don't forget to sign up for Carnegie's National Math Institute which has relocated to the great state of KENTUCKY!! Join us in Louisville for plethora of Carnegie-centered sessions tailored to needs and questions of teachers IN the trenches of teaching. It's July 11-14 and there is STILL time to register!
Seriously, though....check it out at http://nmi.carnegielearning.com/.
Enjoy your summer!! You deserve it!
Here are some GREAT ways to spend your summer.....go to the beach, work in your garden, read a book, re-wallpaper your house, train your dog to sing the national anthem and don't forget to sign up for Carnegie's National Math Institute which has relocated to the great state of KENTUCKY!! Join us in Louisville for plethora of Carnegie-centered sessions tailored to needs and questions of teachers IN the trenches of teaching. It's July 11-14 and there is STILL time to register!
Seriously, though....check it out at http://nmi.carnegielearning.com/.
Enjoy your summer!! You deserve it!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The END of the year...
Today I am wondering how many other schools in the United States will still be in session next week?? I know mine will and it's so frustrating! School in June should be outlawed even if we do miss 100 snow days. Anyway, whether you're already out or you get out tomorrow or you have to go all next week like me, we all know as teachers that the end of the year can be very frustrating!! This year, beginning May 3rd, our kids took 6 days of CATS testing, 3 days of Iowa testing, 5 days of MAP testing, 2 days of a tech assessment called Simple Assessment and for some of them a few finals. They are not only "tested-out".....they are "WORN-OUT"!!
So what does a teacher do for the last five days of school when grades have already been posted (per the office's request) without losing her mind? I have the answer my friends....the Cognitive Tutor. I know, it sounds crazy, but it sure worked for me today!! My kids know that we had to have grades posted yesterday. They know that the year is done despite the fact that they still have to come five more days. And somehow, when they walked in my classroom today and I said, "ok we're going to get on the Cognitive Tutor," not one of them complained. They got on, they started working, and they even asked for my help. They wanted to get farther.
I think for some of them it's like a video game they've been playing all year that they just want to get ONE more level on. And for others it's about not being bored to death. And for a few it might be about actually learning all they can before they get to high school next year, but it doesn't matter to me what motivates them...I'm just glad they like to work!!
So what does a teacher do for the last five days of school when grades have already been posted (per the office's request) without losing her mind? I have the answer my friends....the Cognitive Tutor. I know, it sounds crazy, but it sure worked for me today!! My kids know that we had to have grades posted yesterday. They know that the year is done despite the fact that they still have to come five more days. And somehow, when they walked in my classroom today and I said, "ok we're going to get on the Cognitive Tutor," not one of them complained. They got on, they started working, and they even asked for my help. They wanted to get farther.
I think for some of them it's like a video game they've been playing all year that they just want to get ONE more level on. And for others it's about not being bored to death. And for a few it might be about actually learning all they can before they get to high school next year, but it doesn't matter to me what motivates them...I'm just glad they like to work!!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Training!
So I got a new iPod touch this week and I have fallen in LOVE! I had no idea that it would be so much fun, but it is. I downloaded iTunes (all by myself) and uploaded my music and even a few new applications and I was ready to play. Or at least I thought I was!! Until one of my students noticed my new toy.
You know, I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent human being. In fact, in my school building, I'd say that I am the second "go-to" person when it comes to technology issues. Little did I know, though, that my students had MUCH more knowledge on how to get the MOST out of using my new iPod than I could have ever dreamed of!! The student showed me all sorts of cool things I could do, applications I could download to make my life easier, ways to check my email, how I could text (for free...without a phone), and even ways I could use it in the classroom. Who knew?!??
Anyway, I realized on my way home yesterday how much like trying to teach the Carnegie way without the proper training my iPod situation was. You think everything is going well and you know what you're doing. Students seem to enjoy the lab and their grades are a little better. But you have no idea how much MORE effectively you could teach with Carnegie PD. (Well, at least that was true for me.)
I have talked to many teachers who use Carnegie over the last several years and nine times out of ten the ones who are frustrated with it haven't been trained to use it. If you are teaching with Carnegie and have had NO training (directly from Carnegie), even if you're enjoying it and feel like you're doing a good job, trust me, life would be much easier and you would be teaching much more efficiently if you DID get some training!! (Plus, it's fun.)
I had three different Carnegie Professional Development's before I started using it in the classroom and two more after. Now, that's a bit on the extreme side, but I am telling you from experience, getting the PD straight from the creators of the curriculum and software is a no-brainer! Thanks to the trainings I have attended, I have learned so much about how to introduce Carnegie, set up my classroom and lab, choose groups of students, implement the text effectively, monitor the lab, pace my teaching, authentically assess my students, and the list goes on and on.
All this being said, I realize it isn't easy for some of you (teachers) to get yourself into training. You could look for some regional trainings, attend the National Math Institute this summer in Nashville, TN or if you are using Carnegie district-wide get onto your district PD coordinators and ask why they haven't already scheduled you some Professional Development!!
You know, I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent human being. In fact, in my school building, I'd say that I am the second "go-to" person when it comes to technology issues. Little did I know, though, that my students had MUCH more knowledge on how to get the MOST out of using my new iPod than I could have ever dreamed of!! The student showed me all sorts of cool things I could do, applications I could download to make my life easier, ways to check my email, how I could text (for free...without a phone), and even ways I could use it in the classroom. Who knew?!??
Anyway, I realized on my way home yesterday how much like trying to teach the Carnegie way without the proper training my iPod situation was. You think everything is going well and you know what you're doing. Students seem to enjoy the lab and their grades are a little better. But you have no idea how much MORE effectively you could teach with Carnegie PD. (Well, at least that was true for me.)
I have talked to many teachers who use Carnegie over the last several years and nine times out of ten the ones who are frustrated with it haven't been trained to use it. If you are teaching with Carnegie and have had NO training (directly from Carnegie), even if you're enjoying it and feel like you're doing a good job, trust me, life would be much easier and you would be teaching much more efficiently if you DID get some training!! (Plus, it's fun.)
I had three different Carnegie Professional Development's before I started using it in the classroom and two more after. Now, that's a bit on the extreme side, but I am telling you from experience, getting the PD straight from the creators of the curriculum and software is a no-brainer! Thanks to the trainings I have attended, I have learned so much about how to introduce Carnegie, set up my classroom and lab, choose groups of students, implement the text effectively, monitor the lab, pace my teaching, authentically assess my students, and the list goes on and on.
All this being said, I realize it isn't easy for some of you (teachers) to get yourself into training. You could look for some regional trainings, attend the National Math Institute this summer in Nashville, TN or if you are using Carnegie district-wide get onto your district PD coordinators and ask why they haven't already scheduled you some Professional Development!!
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