I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. I guess I haven't really decided whether blogging is an integral part of my professional practice and growth or if it's more of a passion project for me to goof around with in my free time or when I'm procrastinating. The last two weeks I've chosen the latter. … Continue reading Why do I blog? Why do I teach?
Author: Joey Kelly
Everyday
On the first day of school, I gave my students notecards with their table number. On that card, I asked for their name, 2 examples of everyday problems, and 2 examples of everyday creativity. I gave minimal guidance about what an "everyday problem" or "everyday creativity" is. I took the results and turned them into … Continue reading Everyday
Reflections on Math Teacher Training
A few weeks ago, I went to a workshop at BU focused on productive discussions in high school math classrooms. I learned some good stuff, but most importantly, discussions have gotten stuck in my head. I now value discussion – alongside engagement, rigor, and access – as I plan and execute my lessons. I also … Continue reading Reflections on Math Teacher Training
This Year, I’m Excited to Try …
1. Dan Meyer's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... strategy to earn students' attention Getting students' attention in order to transition from group/individual work to whole-class discussion is a classroom management problem that's been bugging me for two years. I've seen and rejected several solutions to this problem because I didn't think I could pull them off; I fear … Continue reading This Year, I’m Excited to Try …
The Best Things I Did Last Year
7. Letting my classwork policy evolve In the first quarter, I graded almost all of the classwork that I had my students do. It was exhausting and pointless. I was only grading for completion or "effort," and my standards were low for both. In quarters two and three, I tried to collect a random sampling, … Continue reading The Best Things I Did Last Year
5. Maximaze
Source: Math Arguments 180 – Day 24: Arithmetic Challenge We tried this problem a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it. We created our own maze, took the operation-number pairs from the original version (Copyright(c) 2003 Ryosuke Ito), added a few extra pairs to fit our larger maze, randomized the operation-number pairs, and started brainstorming strategies. … Continue reading 5. Maximaze
Strategy Showcase: 3 Reads
As I did with I, We, You, today I am going to analyze one of my favorite strategies – 3 Reads – by answering ten questions. Where did I hear about this strategy? Source: OUSD Instructional Toolkit for Mathematics p. 27-28 Also see: Dan Meyer's Post that led me to it I should note that I found … Continue reading Strategy Showcase: 3 Reads
2. Pentagram
Highlight 1: 25 Solutions 21 students, 3 math teachers, and 1 assistant principal submitted successful solutions. Highlight 2: I was one of them. I first saw this problem in grad school, and after trying it for a while, I got rather frustrated. My classmates were trying it too, and I wasn't entirely convinced that the … Continue reading 2. Pentagram
Strategy Showcase: I, We, You
Where did I hear about this strategy? The New York Times recently published the article Why Do Americans Stink at Math? In the article, Elizabeth Green discusses the ubiquitous "I, We, You" instructional strategy, and I thought it would be good to test my Ten Questions on a strategy with which I have mixed-feelings. In fact, I don't … Continue reading Strategy Showcase: I, We, You
1. Split 25
The problem that started it all! This problem was a huge hit with our students, and we actually got enough submissions to sort through them, determine the winners, and post their solutions for all to marvel at. Important note: I suggest that you stop here and try the problem if you haven't already. The solutions below could … Continue reading 1. Split 25
Mister, is this right? 