Box and Whisker Plots and Scratch

The topic of Box and Whisker plots came up today at a department meeting. Apparently they are on the MEAP (State-wide assessment) for 7^th grade or 8^th grade or something. As far as I could tell, that's the only reason we teach them. Students don't see them again until they take statistics as a junior in high school. Standards for the win.

Bonus points to anyone who can knows a professional in any other field that uses/cares about box and whisker plots. I understand the "convenience" of them, but I still think they are a waste of time. If there is some field of, I don't know, sports medicine that actually uses box and whisker plots, then I stand corrected. However, until someone convinces me that normal people use them, I have to think that computers have made them rather irrelevant.

On a separate note, we used the programming, uh, program Scratch today. My tech integration specialist, also known as Geoff, led the kids through the basics of programming today. Kids were totally engaged and we're going to spend a few Mondays trying a little project (and I mean both students and teachers). Students will write a program for a game, animated story, or "interactive art" (not really a game, but not exactly a story).

Goals: The "patient problem-solving skills" will come into play here. There is more than one way to make the cat walk in a square. What actions do you think you will need to make him do so? Also, analysis and reflection will be a big part of the project. How else could you have made the cat walk in a square? What is the best way to make the cat walk in a square? How do you know? Was there a time when you didn't know how to make the cat walk in a square? How did you figure out how to make him walk in a square?

You get the idea. Cool stuff. And it's nice to take a break from the curriculum on Mondays.

New Lupe Fiasco Single

There's a new Lupe Fiasco single out. I'm not normally a fan of rap/hip-hop, but I like some of his stuff.

I have Bicycle Activity that I designed last year, and I hope to improve it this time around.

Eventually, I think it could make a great WCYDWT-style activity. I'm thinking a video that involves a penny-farthing bicycle and a mountain bike, maybe one of those classy, chopper bikes. The question that I'm shooting for is "Which bike goes the farthest in one turn of the pedals?" Obviously, this could quickly become "Which would win in a race?", "How many pedal-strokes would it take to go x distance?", or countless others.

The Context

I don't know a ton about cars or bicycles, but from what I understand the gears on a bicycle provide a good example of a simple transmission. Basically, shifting up one gear allows the bike to move farther in one turn of the pedals, which is why you want to operate in a high gear during races. This achieved through gear ratios. In the old penny-farthing bicycles, there was no transmission, so the gear ratio was 1:1, meaning that one turn of the pedal meant one revolution of the wheel. By making the front wheel really big, the rider would travel farther (equal to the circumference of the front wheel) per pedal turn. Thus less work, farther distance.

But innovations in the world of bicycling have achieved the same result, and far-surpassed the penny-farthing, using transmissions. The transmission shrinks the ratio of pedal turns to wheel revolutions by using (typically) two different gears- front and rear.

 

The Goal

Students can predict how far the bicycle will travel with one turn of the pedals using ratios, proprtions, and equation solving skills. Developing the most accurate ways to measure the diameter of the wheel and gears is an added bonus, and students should be keen to get the best measurement if they want to win the prize for most accurate prediction! Note: Award prizes at your own discretion.

Sad Note

I just typed this whole post and realized I no longer have an electronic copy of plans for the lesson =(

I will re-type them and post them soon. But for now, I leave you with this question: If I were to try and film such a bicycle escapade (and could actually get my hands on a penny-farthing bicycle), what is the best (and hopefully cheapest) way to film and edit a video? I'm talking both hardware and software. I hope to use Qik soon for filming short videos, but it is not available for my phone yet. Thoughts or suggestions?

Chocolate Milk on a Friday

Last Friday, I spoiled my kids. I'm not sure they realized that I almost abandoned the plan because they were struggling to stay focused during the last period of a Friday during a week in which they had spent at least 9 hours taking standardized tests, but I thought "eh… why not?"

Setting the Scene

Its Algebra I, I had just commuted from a very loooong day (and week) teaching at my 6-7^th grade school, and I walked into the high school carrying 2 grocery bags full of milk, Hershey's syrup*, and a 1.5 gallon Rubbermaid container. On the way in, I passed the principal (who I haven't met yet because my Algebra class was added 2 weeks into the school year) and she seemed confused. I'm not sure if it was the milk or the fact that my jacket was covering my ID badge and I look like a 16 year old up to no good. But I smiled and pretended like I was supposed to be there, and we still haven't met.

Friday's lesson was on ratios, but because I have 8^th grade advanced kids, I thought I could probably kill ratios and proportions in one day. Silly me, Trix are for kids! The ratio portion went OK, but not to where I felt like we could a.) do the unit conversions necessary for my plan, and b.) knock out proportions in the same day. So instead, while I mentally debated the benefit of ending class 20 minutes early to make chocolate milk, I realized that the 2 gallons of milk I had just bought would only go to waste, so I decided that I would not disappoint.

I busted out the milk, chocolate, and cups and laid out the ground rules. They must listen carefully to the questions I asked, and answer even more carefully if they wanted a treat. I wanted to use this experiment as a springboard for the discussion on Monday. And this was 100% an experiment. Last time I made chocolate milk, my students wouldn't drink any because I bought skim milk. Also, the ratio of chocolate to milk for glass using Nesquik is not equivalent to the ratio for a gallon.

Making Some Milk… And breaching the health code in a million ways I'm sure…

Hershey's calls for 2tbsp of syrup for 8oz of cold milk. Ok, but I want a gallon. Convert the units, and… Boom! 16oz of syrup for 1 gallon of milk. And I will say, Hershey's has got it spot on. In the words of one of my kids (on Monday) "That was the best chocolate milk I've ever had!"

 

Bonus: They knew exactly what we did on Friday afternoon and we continued right where we left off on Monday, using Dan Meyer's "How many fish are in the lake?". Everybody wins.

What Can I Do With This?

Why do I feel like my teacher training was useless?

I know it wasn't totally useless, my thoughts on teaching have changed significantly since I began the teacher ed program. But now that I am in my own room, why do I feel that I have not used a single material or even piece of paper that was ever given to me in college? I have a shelf full of binders that I have turned to many times in these first few weeks, only to walk away empty handed and frustrated.

Meanwhile, I'm stealing lesson ideas, classroom setups, organizational tools and whatever else I can grab from teachers left and right.


What gives?

And yes, that was a reference to Dan Meyer, who unknowingly inspired me to start this sad excuse for an edublog in the first place.

What about procedures?

I used to hate them. The rules for entering the classroom. The rules for turning in homework. The rules for sharpening your pencil during class. The rules for... the list continues. And the punishment for breaking the rules could include anything from embarrassment in front of your peers to a trip to the office or a call home. I used to wonder whether it was really worth the teacher pitching a fit because a student got up to sharpen his pencil during a lecture. Is that really necessary, beneficial, or even respectful? To yell at a student when we teach them not to respond by yelling?


In short, no. But, I have learned the benefits of establishing some procedures. For example, I want my students to have their homework out on their desk when class begins. Why? Because it allows me to quickly check their work (I only check for completion/attempt), uses minimal class-time to complete a mathematically insignificant process (putting a grade down for homework), and it allows me to immediately see who was able to complete the assignment instead of having to wait until after class to grade papers*.

So what procedures are healthy? How does one determine that a certain procedure is actually providing stability and an outlet rather than an unnecessary hurdle for learning? And finally, what is the best way to teach and enforce procedures?

More to come, I'm sure. I'm only four weeks in. But I'm sick and I'm pretty sure no one is going to respond or leave comments anyway. Helloooooo tylenol.

*Added bonus: Its an opportunity for me to be near every student in the first 3 minutes of class. I think breaking that physical barrier of the teacher behind the desk or in front of the room make me much more approachable from a student's perspective. Also, it helps with classroom management (I think) because it means that just because someone is sitting in the back does not mean that they are out of my "reach."

The Kicker in the Can

The first post of this blog is not a credo for me or this blog. It was intended to mark the wide-eyed curiosity that sparked me just enough to start a blog, a curiosity that I hope will continue to motivate me as a teacher, learner, and person.

My intent here is two-fold. One, that I might have a running record of the thoughts of a new teacher, in hopes that one day, when I am an old teacher (and supposedly wiser one at that), I might refer back to it in order to give advice to future young teachers. The second purpose is much less noble and far more practical. I have thoughts about the landscape of public education in the United States, an institution with rich history that I know far too little about, and specifically thoughts about math education. This is my space to share these thoughts (though at times they may simply be musings) and hear feedback, collaborate, share ideas, all with the hope that everyone involved in the process might emerge more enlightened about what actually happens in classrooms across the country.

I hope to be helpful, but more than that I hope hear and be heard.

My name is Andrew and I am a math teacher in Holland, MI.

Cheers.

By No Means

By no means...

I am a teacher, but I believe I am still much more a learner than a teacher. I have been teaching for three days, but am I a teacher yet?

By no means are my students just students. They will undoubtedly teach me things in the days and weeks to come, and I look forward to it with great anticipation.

By no means...