Thoughts At The Myke

This was a fun week.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we have block periods that are 90 minutes long; so I see each class only once in the two days.  Because of the longer period I’ve been challenged to find activities that are engaging to the students, and yet, remain task-oriented.  I decided for this week to find an article that had some connection with mathematics to read and discuss with the class.  A sort of  relevancy scaffold.

I found an article that came out in the prior week that told of work being done on the physics of teardrops.  The article was well written and descriptive, but fairly short.  So to help the students understand the princples that were being considered by the author, I found a graphic that gave measurements to the eye and perspective of the shapes being considered.  The students seemed to be engaged by the ideas that were being discussed about something we take for granted, a blink of an eye.

We ended the week working in pairs on application problems.  Something light.  Though I gave them homework, (yeah, I’m so mean,) I also gave them plenty of time in class to work on it.  Saffolding, too!  It was a nice way to end the week.

Last week seemed to be better, again.  It was a relief to know that class is done.  A little more work for that and the end is in sight.  My lesson plans are getting easier to write and I’m doing a better job of finding activities that hold the students’ interests.  I feel the pressure to wrap things up this term and get ready for graduation, and that is always a motivator for me.  (I seem to thrive on being held under the gun.)  Either way, it is time to look for completion and finish strong.

I hope that everyone is looking forward to having some extra time to work this week, with the holiday and all.  Though it will be nice to have a short week at school, I’m figuring that the kids will all be hyped out knowing that they get out at noon on Wednesday.  Heck, I’m hyped knowing that I get out at noon on Wednesday.  So with that I’ll say, “gobble, gobble and don’t eat too much.”  Have a wonderful week, and we’ll talk at you later.

Mychel

Good weeks, bad weeks.  Sometimes I don’t know if I’m doing well or not.  Seems as though when I think I’m doing the job well, I’m corrected that my attention is misdirected.  Live and learn.  Pardon the pun.

Well, I’m setup for this week and ready to give it a go.  I still believe that I will be successful and that I’ve been working for the students best interests.  I’ve come up with some good ideas for the next week that should make class interesting.  One project that I’ll have the students do is to use their mile times from Phys. Ed., and with a formula using mathematics and physics, determine how many calories they burned during their mile run.  I think that most should be surprised.  I’m going to tie that project with a video short on the mathematics in running a resturant.  Should be a good day.

I’m going to call this a day and wish you all well, and have a good week.

Mychel

Well, we rapped up the section on equations this week and the students did their post-assessment.   I’ve spent the weekend grading tests and compiling the numbers.  The averages are coming in, from what I’m being told, as very good.  I have two classes that are in the mid to high “B” range and one that is in the high “C” range.

I’m feeling as though I let the lower average class down by not expecting more from them.  It is my last class of the day and a little difficult to keep on task, but I feel I need to do more with them.  I’m planning on moving a few of the students seating assignments as a way to increase their attention towards the front of the room.  I’m also working on differenciating my lessons a little better for them.

Over all, I feel that I’ve had a good week.  We ended it with an in-school activity on Friday for the students who still hold their gold cards.  The cards enable them to receive certain privleges that other students don’t get.  I ended up staying at the school from 8 am to 9 pm.  Man, that was a long day.

Well, I hope that you all are well and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

Mychel

Boy, did this week feel goulish.  I’m feeling a bit of pressure from my mentor teacher to alter my lesson plans to suit his whims as opposed to working with a schedule that gives the students the best opportunity to learn the material.   I can’t help but feel that I’m tanking this week.  My lessons are going well, and I’ve been taking to heart and practicing the suggestions that my supervisor and he have made regarding my classroom management, but I still feel as though I’m not being successful in their eyes.  Between trying to get the assignments done for class and do the best that I can for the students, its as though I’m letting myself down.  Is there a win-win situation here?

We have a chapter test this week and I’m confident that I’ve prepared the students well.  I go through their homework to narrow down the problems that they are encountering and work with them to solve those problems.  I’m hopeful that my work will bare fruit on Thursday and the results will be there.

I feel that my classroom management has gotten better this week.  I’m more assertive towards the students who are disruptive and am doing better at pulling reluctant students into the discussion.  I’ve also taken the concrete shoes off and now find myself doing a better job of cruising the room and checking on students to make sure their on task.  Now, if I can get grading the homework to a more reasonable time limit.

Well, see you all on Wednesday.  Have a great week.

Mychel

We started the week with continuing simplifying and solving equations by moving from two-step equations to multi-step equations.  The block days, Tuesday and Wednesday, included some time in the computer lab to show the students a website that they could use to practice this skill, as well as others, in a fun and interesting environment.  Though, there were a few glitches with the computers and the network, the overall opinion was positive.  It made for a nice break from working in class and the students seemed to enjoy working on the computers as opposed to working on paper.  I think that we’ll do this again.

Most of the students are adjusting well to the format of writing across an equal sign in a downward format, but some are resistant to changing their habits of writing their equations across the page.  I’m not quite sure if their not understanding why we write in a downward fashion or if they are just being defiant.  But, with a test coming up in a week and their grades not keeping up with those who have taken my message to heart, as well as the increasing difficulty of the problems, I think that there may be some more converts to this new method of communicating their work.

I have continued with my practice of looking over each student’s homework, even as it has added to my work, and have found that the information that I can glean from their errors has enlightened me to how I can help them.  Spotting a pattern in the mistakes in their work helps to focus my efforts on precisely what they need to solve their misunderstandings.  An example is one student who has impeccable handwriting but who has continually struggled to understand the format on writing their thoughts in a clear and logical manner.  For this person I can see that some one-on-one time may be required.  As for the rest of the class, I’m going to try a practice of switching warm-up papers and having someone else try to follow the logic to correct it.  I think that may give them some insight to what I mean about communicating their thoughts.  It could be fun, ok only for me.

We also had parent-teacher conferences this week, and I have to say, all went well.  I feel that those parents who did attend and sat with me, felt that my system of grading is fair, my comments on student homework has been honest and clear, and that my methods promote learning, as well as rewarding those who work to excel.  I can still see areas that I need to improve but I’m confident that with more time and experience all will work out.

Well, feeling a little long on the tooth, I bid you all a prosperous week and I’ll see when we gather next.

Mychel

Well, we finished our first chapter and the results are in on the final quiz.  The students who did well, and those who didn’t, was as expected.  (There IS a direct positive relationship between doing homework and level of success, as was demonstrated by the students in a homework assignment.)  The response from my mentor is pretty positive, and I’m feeling recharged about heading into the second chapter.

I am still having trouble figuring out how to fill the time on the block days of Tuesday and Wednesday.  Ninety minutes is a long time in a math class when you don’t want to overload the students with new concepts.  For this week, I took the opportunity to give the student a pre-assessment before starting the new chapter.   It worked out well in that I was able to combine two days worth of plans into one.  So after their chapter quiz on Monday, I gave them another quiz on Tuesday.  Oh, the fun of it all! They took it well.

After the quiz, which was only graded on participation,  we pushed right into chapter 2.  Now this is new material!  I’m expecting to see a greater number of students scratching their heads and am prepared to do more scaffolding.   I believe that we have created a good base of understanding and have rooted out most of the difficulties that students were having from what had been presented to them from prior classes.  I have also seen an increasing number of students improving their penmanship and written organization.  These are skills that I feel are of great importance in helping the students to communicate effectively with me as well as with themselves.  I believe that if someone else can’t read the writing or follow the logic of the problem, then communication is not happening.  And, as I tell my students, “Math is your second language.”

See you all in class and, as always, have a great week.

Mychel

It seems, this week, that I have reached a changing point.  Things seem to be falling into place.  My lesson plans are flowing with a new found confidence and clarity.  My planning has become, to some degree, more manageable and concise, and at the same time more responsive to the needs and desires of the students.

We are concluding the first chapter this week and I’m optimistic that the students will do well on the final quiz.  An indicator was given this week when one of my struggling students had an epiphany.  It seems that a certain basic concept had never been presented to her in the manner that I prefer.  (I give them every trick that I know to remember concepts.)  We were having a discussion on a subject that uses the concept in its operations when, all of a sudden, she raised her hand.  Upon recognizing her desire to speak, she asked, “Do you mean …?”  When I confirmed her suspicions, she glowed with her new found affirmation.  It was as if you could physically see her confidence raise, that a source of much frustration had been removed from her shoulders.

Another area that I feel I have gained ground is in the area of classroom management skills, though I am concerned about alienating some students who have come to think of me as “soft.”  Previously, I had been trying to choose my battles as I learned to find my weaknesses.  Now I am working on complimenting many of the management techniques that are practised by the other teachers at Fern Ridge Middle School.  I still choose my battles, I just do it with a greater awareness of how my choices can influence the students’ actions and perceptions of behavior in other classes.

Have a good week all!

Mychel

This was an interesting week.  I kind of stumbled at the beginning, but by midweek I had picked myself back up and moved forward.  Before I knew it, the week was rushing to an end and the stress seemed to slip away.

On Monday, we reviewed the first section of chapter one for testing on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I took great care to prepare a review lesson that touched each of the sections that we covered, and I hoped that the test wasn’t too hard, or too easy.   This was our first test of the term and I knew that they would have some test anxiety, so I gave them a few “test tricks” to help calm their nerves.

The most of the students seemed to do well on test day and they have shown quite an interest in finding out how they did.  They will have to take the test home for their parents to sign so I’m sure there is a little apprehension there.  I will be handing the tests back on Monday so we’ll see how well they take it then.

The rest of the week seemed to go off without a hitch.  The students seemed to understand what I was explaining, and I tried hard to make it as interesting as I can.  It is math, after all.  I’ve found that they are interested in real life examples, things that they can relate to.  I’ve been reading a lot to try to come up with one or more interesting facts on a daily basis.  It helps to fuel the discussions and keeps them tuned in.

All in all, it was an enjoyable week.  I’m looking forward to next week and finishing the chapter.  That’s all for now.  See you all, on Wednesday.

Mychel

The week started with what has become, a familiar feeling. It’s a mixture of confidence, excitement, exhaustion, anticipation, and woefully, a little fear. It’s the kind of fear that heightens your senses. That keeps you on your toes. You’ve got to love it!

With the return of my mentor, a different presence has come over the classroom. Thankfully, all is well on the baby front and he is now able to turn his attention to his classes. But because of the suddenness of his departure, we started the year with little guidance as to his immediate plans. So in doing what we did, some of the activities that he traditionally would have done, weren’t. Changes are required. A division of styles needs to be melded towards one. As the song says “Mack is back in town…”

On Monday the lessons came easily; papers were completed and handed in, students were interested, and participated in the discussion, all was as it should be. That was Monday.

Tuesday didn’t go as well. My preparations ran short. I needed to take longer presenting the information, or have the students do another activity. I could have assigned more work, but how much is too much? How much is too little? I like to give students time in class to work on their assignments, that way I’m available to answer questions, but it seems that the students are finishing their homework before class is over. I don’t want to be an overbearing teacher, but it does create some classroom management issues.

Wednesday was better. The students did a better job of staying on task and keeping themselves busy, and the extra activity that I had them complete helped to reinforce the lesson. Still, even with the extra activity, some students finished their homework. I just think they get it. We’ll see next week.

Thursday and Friday went about the same. At the insistence of my mentor, I’ve started doing my lessons off of a Powerpoint display. It’s something he does and wants to see me do. I’ve found it to be quite helpful in reducing the amount of time I spent writing on the board and with my back toward the class. The slides also provided a consistent order to my presentation from one period to the next.