Teaching Thoughts for Week 27

 Teaching Thoughts for Week 27

 

As I'm typing this up, it's my prep, but Mr. Froiland's class is in my room as he is wrapping up a math league event. I'm enjoying watching his Algebra 2 class wrestle with the questions. One of his students is up at the board trying to work her way through the question. Every student is engaged in the content. Now they're arguing if it matters if they put one equation as "0.5" or just ".5."

 

They are struggling and enjoying every second of it. I love it. One student just said, "We've been working on this problem all hour. Let's move on."

 

"Let's work backwards from the solution to see how they got it," another student just called out.

 

Now they are taking turns reading the problems out loud and discussing different approaches to solve them.

 

I have no idea what they are talking about. But I love seeing students engaged in learning.

 

What units or lessons most engage your students? I'd love to hear.

 

Inside this week's Teaching Thoughts . . . 

 

The World is a Fine Place - Check out this story from Las Angeles. Former students found out that their 77 year former teacher has been living in his car the past 7 years in order to save enough money to send back home to his family in Mexico, and they came to his support, raising $27,000!

 

Book of the Week - Michael Hyatt's Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. I'm not as into branding as I once was, but this book really helped me think about how I present my role as a teacher, the work in my room, and my messaging to my students. The biggest takeaways for me, were his chapter on 3 key takeaways for branding and marketing.

 

            1. Create products that you'd personally use. This is easy for businesses, but what would this look like in a classroom? I try to model how I constantly use the skills I teach in class in the real world.

            2. Create products that solve problems in unexpected ways - This is where I keep a running total of the texts, emails, and shout outs via social media where students end up using skills from my classes or even content we have read already. 

            3. Create products that exceed your customers (students) expectations. How easy is this? What expectations do most students have? I always use this example - think of the unengaging safety training videos we have to watch before each year. Everyone I know just puts it on and does something else. Then they hope to pass the test at the end with the minimum score necessary. Why? When will I ever have to use this? What does this have to do with me? Why do I have to know this? Sound familiar? That's how every students feels walking into our classes! It's our job to wow them.

 

Teaching Thoughts - Check out #120 - Think about having a "Challenge Network."

 

Podcast of the Week - "The Creative Classroom with John Spencer." This podcast episode talks about one of my favorite topics - "Students Should Share their Processes Not Their Products."

 

Video of the Week - Mr. Zutz used to share this with my Teaching and Learning 250 class at UND: Key and Peele's Teaching Center.

 

Give This a Try in Your Classroom - Improv Day. I owe Mrs. Hruby for this one. She sent me a Tik Tok video from @the_mr_steiner and his concept of having an improv day in his classes, mostly before the end of the quarter or the start of a new quarter. He tells his class he has a regular assignment that they can work on OR they can discuss something. They all have to share. They all have to talk. They can talk about whatever is important or relevant to them. He finds that this is a great culture builder as he steps off the stage and lets students - and what really matters to them - take center stage for once.

 

Bonus Content - Check out the most interesting article: "A World Without Standardized Testing." Could you image the horror?

 

I hope you have a great week. Enjoy the little things. Right now, I'm enjoying Mr. Froiland's class during my prep. They looked up from their Algebra 2 problems to see that it was snowing. One of the students broke out her Christmas play list. We enjoyed "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree." I just looked out now and said, "Good news. It's not snowing anymore." The same student with the Christmas playlist now is cranking out her summer playlist.

 

 

PS - the background for this week's Teaching Thoughts is Untitled (1950) from my favorite painter, Mark Rothko.