It’s a shame that we’re just finishing up Quadratics Functions in my IB Math SL course today. After being pointed to the Radio Lab podcasts from NPR by my buddy Shane, I found this video on parabolas in the real world.
It would be interesting to start the unit next year by doing the same pendulum experiment, showing them this video and then discussing the imagery that is shown.
If you were going to center an entire unit on quadratics around a single concept/idea/question, what would it be? Using the MYP holy triumvarate of Significant Concepts, Unit Questions and Area of Interaction focus, this video compels me to think of universal laws (SC), “Why are parabolas used in art and architechture?” (UQ), and Human Ingenuity (AOI).
(For the non-MYP crowd out there, what would be your theme of your parabolas unit?)
IDK – I Don’t Know. (Title for this post blatantly borrowed from Mr. K over at Math Stories.)
Yesterday while talking with a student and her parent I had a brainwave! As a math teacher, when I check homework, it is mostly just to check that it’s been done. I know that there is a lot of copying going on, I know that there are arguments for and against homework. I’ve certainly toned down the amount of homework that I give over the past few years, particularly as I have been teaching more and more middle school classes. What drives me absolutely batty, though, is when I look at a blank piece of paper and the student gives me the “I didn’t know how to do anything and I looked at each problem and didn’t know what to do for any of them” spiel. That could very well be true. That could also very well be untrue. How am I to know? (Some say I’m pessimistic.)
So here’s the solution that I thought of right in the middle of my conversation: if you find yourself in this situation, instead of leaving it blank, write down the questions that you have about the problem!
Simple, elegant, and everybody is happy. Why did it take me years, YEARS, to come up with that?
Things have been pretty crazy in these parts of the woods. I haven’t even had a chance to tell the world that I will have a new job next year!
After our Teaching with Technology PD sessions last November, one question that kept coming up was “Why don’t we have somebody like Jeff Utecht on staff helping us?”
After some last minute lobbying by our Principal, the job of technology facilitator was approved by the board. The position was announced on a Wednesday, submissions of interest were due that Friday, interviews happened on Saturday, and I was lucky enough to be offered the job that night!
Now, if I can only do this new job the justice it deserves… There is so much that can be done and so much that needs to be done. I’m very excited by this opportunity but also a little worried (in a good way!). I hope my PLN is up to the task! I’ll have a million questions for them…
Of course, that means come August the focus of this blog will change somewhat. Hopefully, I’ll also have more time to actually post things to this space too!
I’ll admit it: I love American Idol. I’m not normally a fan of reality TV or the American Idol derivatives, but there is something about AI that captivates me. (Prediction: Danny Gokey is going to be the Season 8 winner. Take it to the bank!) For the record, I also tend to like things that fall into the “So bad it’s good” category: Coyote Ugly, Bring It On!, and the new Knight Rider.
Besides the inherent comic value of the auditions, one of the things I find fascinating about Idol is the judges. More specifically, I find the critique by the judges and the response of the contestants to be totally intriguing. Paula will always say something good about a contestant, even if it has nothing to do with the actual competition, and rarely offers any concrete advice. Simon is brutally honest, acidic and stingy with his praise. Randy is exuberant (”We got a HOT one tonight dawg!”) and truthful (”It was just okay for me.”) but never in a mean-spirited way. (I’m leaving out the new judge Cara because I haven’t figured her out yet. Why is she there?What does she add? I’m perplexed.)
Who do contestants try their hardest to please? Simon. Who do contestants listen to? Simon. As a teacher, who would you want to emulate at your next Parent Teacher Conference night?
Most of the time, I think teachers (all teachers!) are Paula. We feel the need to say something nice. We are all experts at speaking Teacher when we have to, of saying the hard things in a diplomatic and non-threatening way.
Every one of us (okay, maybe just me) dreams of being Simon, if only once. Oh, to say the things that are running through my head in an unedited (but safe for TV) manner would be cathartic! Brutal honesty would suit me, but would it be helpful?
Randy is my Idol when it comes to PTCs. Celebrate the good, acknowledge the bad and give some advice on how to get better. Now, if I can only get away with calling all my parents ‘dawg’…
Who is your PTC Idol?
Relatedly, what do you like that is so bad that it’s good???
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to write anything in this space. With the craziness that end-of-term and reports bring, plus winter holidays in Australia (3 weeks!) and Tet (1 week in Singapore), plus the everyday stuff of teaching, preparing, marking and (oh yeah!) being a parent, time is sparse in these parts.
But, I did want to say that in December I attended an intensive 4 day training in Singapore to prepare to become an MYP Mathematics Workshop Leader. It was a fantastic experience! I think I learned more about the MYP in those 4 days than I had in any given year. Plus, it was just amazing to be in a room full of people (Paula, Aubrey, Richard, Ray, Neil, Curtis, Ashish, Tue, Russell) who are genuinely excited and positive about the programme (if you teach MYP, you know what I mean; if you don’t, let’s just say that not everybody is always on the same page).
I found out this week that I have been accepted into the world of Workshop Leaders and I hope to lead my very first workshop sometime in the next 6 months or so (but no guarantees).
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to write anything in this space. With the craziness that end-of-term and reports bring, plus winter holidays in Australia (3 weeks!) and Tet (1 week in Singapore), plus the everyday stuff of teaching, preparing, marking and (oh yeah!) being a parent, time is sparse in these parts.
