Free Resources for Math Teachers?

If you are familiar with TES.com and "Tarisa" get in touch and leave a comment below, not really sure what to do with this-was told to download files...

https://www.tes.com/

http://www.mmlsoft.com/index.php/downloads

https://mrnussbaum.com/math

Blogger vs. Wattpad

At what point is becoming a blogger just a matter of self-publication. Are you not a published author if you are a blogger?

I am working on a personal understanding of  enough is enough. If I haven't gotten published by a renowned company or press yet-will I ever? I have three more big ideas to put on paper before I find out for certain. these three big ideas are by far innovative and hopefully as wonderful as I hope they are.

The writing process of blogging is so much different than that of creative writing. What if, the line were blurred-thus "Wattpad". I am working on my travelling teacher (A teacher memoir) that obviously won't be finished until I have reached my goal of becoming a principal-even then, I may still continue to write just to show what I had done to get that far. 

Putting it all together-I am hoping to wrap it all nicely and fit it onto teacherspayteachers to help build up my digital footprint and online portfolio for future applications to school boards.

Now I am finding myself circling around in a manner of speaking, not repeating but sprreading my ideas all over (in Chinese, a person who spreads things out a long the street, a vendor, is called a "Bai Tan'Er" and my wife loves calling me this for the reason that I physically do this with my personal items at home-ALL THE TIME).

May be in a creative writing course, this is a notable process "Blog, Plot, Write." and if so-I think this may be one of my most innovative portfolio projects in class yet.

Looking forward to the end of these projects-but hot damn I enjoy seeing whats created in the end!

Vice Videos For Students and Teachers!

Changing Your World!

https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/vice-lgbt-trans-student-brought-gender-neutral-bathrooms-to-his-high-school/5a3837eb177dd437a11bef33

Toxic Tourism

https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/toxic-tourism-in-california39s-imperial-valley/5637cd24d140e599358eddab

Garbage Island/Sustainability

https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/garbage-island/563b9c912aab5c416bc75039

"The Learning Teacher"

https://heidiallum.wordpress.com/2018/04/08/from-patterns-to-algebra-the-genius-of-dr-beatty-and-dr-bruce/

This looks useful!

http://passyworldofmathematics.com/balance-beam-equations/

http://www.visualpatterns.org/

another couple shared resource form my AG Prof.

Check it future math teachers!

Effective Feedback

Can grades inhibit learning? In what ways have these resources affected your ideas about the role of feedback in math learning?

Discussion Post: 

Teachers used to feel compelled to mark copious amounts of student work and tests, and to “crunch numbers” to determine percentage marks. We now do much more assessment that is intended to inform our teaching in a manner that is responsive to our students’ learning needs. An important part of responsive teaching is feedback (self, peer, and teacher) that promotes learning.

1) Assess your own feedback practices by completing “My Feedback Practices”:

. Do not post your questionnaire – it is for your own reflection.

2) Based on your assessment of your own feedback practices and other learning in this module, set a SMART goal for improvement in your math feedback practices. Share your goal as your Discussion post.

I'll save my questionaire answers for myself but I will post a link to the PDF used: 

2) My feedback practices are sound and complete. Like everything else there is room for improvement most in the "Using Feedback to further learning" learning section. Right now, my last few years of teaching has been in a volatile department. No year is ever the same. The curriculum is the same but the expectations of the teacher are always changing to become more standardized. I have always been resilient but  still needing to change the materials I develop to meet the required amount of assessments. Funny fact: Some teachers and admin get upset with my findings after my AQ's because I raise too many questions about the system-no one wants to take the time to due their due diligence or pay the right people to get the job done. Nonetheless, my feedback practices do not reflect further teaching, the system I am currently working under now follows a strict timeline and expectation for teaching content and assessments. I spoke about this in my "Diagnostic Assessment" post, but I know I can do it. my SMART goal is below to improve my habits in regards to effective feedback:

S-I will develop a unit in Algebra that aims to meet the needs of BOTH 7/8 student Linear Equation Strand expectations

M-Each lesson regard concepts or instruction should reflect student diagnostic activities to enhance or further learned skills/knowledge

A-This goal should be achieved by the end of the Math AQ course that I am taking now. I'll know I have completed my goal once it  has been tried and tested by peers or myself.

R-This is a realistic goal because of the fact that have created a lesson plan,a unit plan, a full unit before

T-This should take about a month to complete.

I also believe I could improve the ways I am getting students to reflect on their own learning. The BC curriculum that is being implemented is currently moving into a model that does this more. Using the ideas of the K/U;T;A;C model in Ontario. Instead of assigning them marks for these things, students are awarded personal merits. They have called these the "Core Competencies". I have developed a lot of resources in regards to this and I'll add some to give you examples of what I am working on. Like in Ontario, we are asked to write lesson goals on the board. We are a heavy paper based school and I have been working to make classroom management more effective for incoming teachers as well as returning teachers are in heavy content classes. The reflection process has proven very effective for students but needs to be fostered in the correct environment.

Complimentary resources to help foster growth mindsets through feedback!

http://thelearningexchange.ca/who-makes-the-biggest-impact/

http://thelearningexchange.ca/videos/feedback-and-mindset/

Meeting "Needs" in Math

A responsive learning environment “responds” to the needs of the learner.  Of everything that you have explored in this module, what is one aspect of the math learning environment that struck you as particularly important for adolescents in Grades 7 and 8? To clarify, what is crucial for students of this age in particular? Explain.

I think the most important part of learning math in a classroom-or learning environment in general is recognition. As viewed in the First Nations section of this module, there is a framework and principles of First Nations learning that takes place in a classroom. I spoke earlier about the 4th principle-Wisdom. Taking a look at that list overall is speaking to the importance of the recognition I am talking about.

When a teacher completes and IEP for a student, it is not just simply a washing of hands and responsibilities. It is a form of acknowledgement by the teacher that there are some further tasks we need to complete to ensure that this student is receiving the attention and support needed in order to say they had a fair shot at being the best they can/could be. 

Marion Small's thoughts on the BIG IDEAS are not to better categorize and or assist in the circulation of mathematics for teachers in particular, her work in the field of education is aimed at ensuring that all students (regardless of incoming mathematical skills), have a fair and equal opportunity at making the most out of a subject that they can. As much as the BIG Ideas are for the teachers, the benefits of using these ideas spill over for students to reap as well.

If needs can be identified, (no matter to the extent of which are needed) a teacher can inspire a student to do there best. Sometimes, students who try their best may not succeed or excel like others-but on an individual plane-its the best. For these students, their best is the most important thing. The next level for some of these students might be that they caught up with materials or simply, excel. Regardless, everyone needs recognition. This is something I reflect on a lot coming from an ESL teaching background.

"Diagnostic Assessments" in Math

This image resonates with me because of the fact that it requires teachers and students to realize that, 'This is where I start." Even if the student struggles to see where they NEED to arrive, having them develop that recognition of the next step is the teachers task, not just helping students get to the next spot-but knowing what the next spot is.

This image/list of accommodations resonates with me the most because of an experience I had mentioned in an earlier post in which my teachers in elementary school for negligent to provide us with, assisted learner tools (manipulatives). We were not entirely denied these tools but were certainly expected to be able to mentally comprehend the math at a very early stage of the learning process.

Generic Rubrics are something that I feel can be reflective of accessible learning as well. As an English teacher, these are useful tools for assessing For and Of learning. I like to use Checkrubrics for assessment for learning. the English Curriculum of Grades 9-12 has some excellent examples of Checkrubrics and T/I;A;U;C rubrics for different types of writing. 

The growing success documents are exceptionally good at introducing the different parts of assessment because of the constant myths of assessment. "The more work, the better its understood," to an extent, one could apply the 10,000 hours till expertise philosophy, but the reality is-NO student is spending 10,000 hours on one task in one class. This means teachers need to find an alternative mode of assessment. In China (where I am teaching now), parents get physically upset when their children are not sent home with homework or even homework for the holidays-granted most of the parents are never home, but still-what is the purpose of the homework if the student doesn't understand it in the first place OR understands it well. 

In my opinion, homework is dead-its a vehicle of information to the parents/guardians letting them know what is happening the classroom with their child. I feel homework is not a form of assessment-especially in English because their is no way to really know it was that student's work. 

Teachers are sometimes looking for ways to build marks of students-well lets mark that homework, there are two things wrong with the way this is being handled in my opinion. 1) My earlier point about homework not being used properly, and 2) Teachers are missing the fact that the number of assessments SHOULD NOT be the focus of evaluations, but the number of authentic assessments-see earlier point about English teacher's homework worries.

At this age, (I have touched on a lot) I think its most important that students get feedback and guidance. Homework as take home tasks for support from guardians is important-but not as an assessment or evaluation. Rubrics are great for providing feedback and "next steps". I think at the 7th and 8th grade levels. This is the most important time for students to be exposed to rubrics in all subjects, not math. A teacher provides good feedback, but if a student can understand how to reflect on that feedback before high school (seeing where they stand on a rubric versus where their goal is to be-ZPD), that student will be extremely successful. What I could summarize with is, assessment of learning is most important for students at the 7th and 8th grade levels at this point. Two rubrics I designed that I'll be adding into my final project are attached.