A Little Help'd Be Nice

So why do districts have a staff full of IT people who are great at networking, troubleshooting hardware/software problems, etc. but don't have a single person to help teachers implement the technology in their classrooms?  Why are there  SmartBoards all over the place and many of them are used as the screen for the overhead projector?  Or maybe, just maybe they are being used as a glorified white boards whose markers don't run out of ink. 

Where is the person who can show a teacher how to use a SmartBoard in their specific content area? 
Where is the person who says, "what types of things would you like to do in your classroom and how can I help you find ways of doing that?"

Where is the person who can actually take the time to research different tools and help teachers use them to take their current lessons to a different level? 

Where is the person who has an understanding of the curriculum and can help teachers develop lessons that they never thought were possible?

I'm not upset or anything.  Just askin'.

So What Does That Look Like?

I love all these great conversations via the blogs and Twitter. I really do. But someone's gotta help me out a bit. I keep reading about things like:

• have students take ownership of their learning
• let them decide what they want to learn
• let 'em "play with math"
• make sure you differentiate your instruction

But I've yet to see a concrete example of what it all looks like. Are these just the phrases we should use to demonstrate we're in the club like some sort of secret handshake?

Or was I absent that day it was all discussed?

If so, can I borrow your notes?

Test Prep

This probably isn't the most pedagogically sound thing I do, but it works.  We usually carve out a couple of weeks for test prep and I have a bunch of practice problems for my kids to do.  At this point, I usually go from teacher to coach.  By that I mean, we are simply trying to prepare these kids for what they are mentally going to have to deal with when they have that test in front of them.  I put a clock on them to add a little extra pressure because they tend to stress themselves out anyway.  I guess I figure they either need to learn to take the stress out of their tasks or they need to learn to work through it. 

I don't spend much time talking about the importance (or lack thereof) of "The Test" during the first semester, but whether we like it or not, these kids are going to have to deal with tests in some way-shape-or-form for quite some time.  I can downplay its importance all I want, but my kids (and their parents) have bought into THE STATE TEST.

Every one of us has a breaking point.  We all have a part of us that eventually says, "I don't give a crap how the rest of this goes, I just wanna be done."  And I spend some time talking to my students about this.  On a long test--whether it's the SAT/ACT/GRE/MSAT/LMNOP or just a semester final, a student reaches a saturation point.  For some it is at about the 50th question or so; for others, it's right after the test starts. 

I figure my job is to help them take those thoughts captive, recognize where their threshold lies and encourage them to push through it.

We just finished today.  I can see it in their eyes.  It's that I-really-get-this-stuff-now-but-I'm-ready-to-do-just-about-anything-but-this look.

And I'm kinda ready to do something else with them too.

ExamView and Summative Assessments

I use the phrase summative assessment very loosely because as long as my class and I have some time together, they can continue to improve upon weaknesses.  But with most of my assessments covering one skill at a time, there may be a need for assessments that check for retainment of concepts (ie. benchmarks, finals, etc.)  Now that I have created assessments for each skill, I want a way to create assessments that combine multiple skills and, ultimately, culminate into and end-of-course-test.  Fortunately, I don't have to re-create the wheel. 

The process is actually pretty simple. 

Export Skills Tests to an ExamView Question Bank
Simply take an existing test and export as a question bank.  This will allow you to use these questions in the creation of future tests. 

Choose Method for Selecting Questions
For this test, I chose to select questions while viewing.  I have a good idea of which skills/standards I want on the test, so I want to be able to look at the question before selecting it. 

Switch Banks to Select Questions
Now that I can view the questions, I just need to be able to switch from one question bank to another. 

And...

Done!
Did I mention, that I'm kind of a fan of this thing?

Nice Try

I feel like I've had the same conversation many times today as we review linear equations. Students have been given an equation in Standard Form and are asked for the x and/or y intercepts. It has gone something like this:

"Mr. Cox, I don't know how to do this."
"Do what?"

"Number 12."
"What's it asking you for?"

"I am supposed to find the x-intercept."
"What's the equation?"

"2x + 3y = 6."
"So what do you know about all x intercepts?"

"They're on the x-axis."
"Alright, then give me an example of an x-intercept."

"5."
"That's a number, give me an x-intercept."

"(4,0)."
"Give me another."

"(-10,0)."
"And one more."

"(7,0)."
"Ok, now what can you tell me about all of those x-intercepts? What do they have in common?"

"y = 0."
"So what do..."

"Oh, that's right, I let y = 0 and solve for x."

It's funny how the default is always "I don't get it." Don't let 'em fool ya. They know more than they let on.

Tough Nut to Crack

I'm all for a challenge, but this one is tough. I have a student who completely freezes when called upon in class. I mean, I've had kids who get really shy and give the shoulder shrug in hopes that I forget I asked them a question. I've dealt with kids who try to lay low in hopes that if they aren't looking at me, then I'm not looking at them. But never, in my 15 years in the classroom have I had a kid who actually leaves the classroom when spoken to.

And believe me when I say that I've emptied my bag-o-tricks on this one. That is until the other day I made myself invisible too.

Students were doing some review work and I went and sat next to this student who was burying himself in his work-almost to the point that he was under his paper.


He was low; so I got lower.

He is quiet; so I got quieter.



*in a faint whisper*
"Why don't you answer me when I ask you questions?"
"Because I'm embarrassed."


"Why are you embarrassed."
*no answer*


"Have kids made fun of you before?"
*nods head*


"Has anyone made fun of you in my class?"
"No."


"Do you know what I'd do if they made fun of you in here?"
"What?"


"I'd beat 'em up."
*looks up puzzled*


"Ok, so I won't beat 'em up, but I will NEVER allow a student to make fun of you, ok?"
"Ok."


"So let's set a goal. Before the end of the year, I want to be able to ask you a question from across the room and you answer it, alright?"
"Ok."

And off I went. I had sat next to him before and spoken quietly, but I had always been louder and more conspicuous than he was willing to be.

Yesterday, he used his vocal chords.

Can You Be Too Nice?

A few days ago I had a great conversation with a couple of other math teachers while doing bus duty. One of the teachers is in his third year and he was describing what reminded me of the scene from Summer School where the students take turns humming just to piss off the teacher-really giving him a rough time. Some teachers offer advice like, "make sure you bring the hammer every day" or some other respect-my-authority-if-I-say-jump-you-ask-how-high type of classroom management philosophy. I remember being 23 and teaching younger brothers and sisters of kids I went to school with and how fine that line is between being relevant and trying to buddy up with students. As a result, I think I tried to impose authority unnecessarily and it didn't take too long to figure out that it doesn't work.

After a few minutes I asked, "did you get in much trouble when you were younger." I figured the problem is that he doesn't have a mischievous bone in his body and he has no way of getting into the heads of his students. He doesn't understand the thinking of a kid who doesn't automatically respect all the adults he encounters because he wasn't one of them.

What advice do you give a young teacher when his students are going out of their way to give a hard time?