Chapter 13: Effective and Engaging Homework
This is something I struggled a bit with while student teaching. My mentor teacher at the middle school level just assigned worksheet pages, and those seemed very repetitive and not helpful for a lot of students. For those who could be helped by them, they didn't do them. Then, we spent so much time going over two dozen or more problems each day. I was able to try to remedy this last issue some by posting all of the correct answers to the worksheet and then going over just a few problems that I anticipated students would have trouble with, or ones that students specifically asked about.
A heavy focus of this chapter was making sure students understand the point of the homework they are given, and have strategies to help them complete it. These are both so true. Students don't see why they need to practice. Others just give up when they don't know the answer or can't figure out why they can't solve it. I had one student who wrote a formula down wrong in her notes and therefore kept getting wrong answers - she came to school and told me I gave her the wrong formula, so I showed her - and the whole class - how to look back in the book for help on the problems and to double check methods and formulas. It was like they had never heard of such a concept before!
I love the authors' suggestions for creating deep thinking assignments by just adding or modifying a few things. Having students explain what they'll have to do before actually solving anything helps them vocalize the method and demonstrate that they understand the process. Having students create problems is a simple thing to do as well that can be really helpful (I know from experience with college classes!). The authors also suggest that students should evaluate their own performance by marking which ones they are confident and unconfident in. I think this would be a great way to measure the morale in a class - after all, the scores might be all right, but having actual data about students' feelings about the math could just show they they are all guessing correctly without being confident.
Right now, with my Upward Bound students, I've been giving a lot of online homework through EdPuzzle and Socrative. EdPuzzle videos helps me teach some simple concepts without using class time. Socrative lets me check student understanding in the evening, so I can cover any misconceptions at the beginning of the next lesson, instead of a couple days later (as would be the case if I was giving paper homework). Socrative also lets me make sure that I'm giving students useful problems that pertain to what was talked about in class, because I can modify questions before I send it out. If I had paper homework, it would likely have things we hadn't covered yet on it. The only real problem with Socrative is that you can only have one quiz live at a time - which is good for times when you only have one class of students, but would not work well to give homework to all periods. I'll definitely try to continue to use online homework to check understanding, but I'll probably have to find a different method or program.
A heavy focus of this chapter was making sure students understand the point of the homework they are given, and have strategies to help them complete it. These are both so true. Students don't see why they need to practice. Others just give up when they don't know the answer or can't figure out why they can't solve it. I had one student who wrote a formula down wrong in her notes and therefore kept getting wrong answers - she came to school and told me I gave her the wrong formula, so I showed her - and the whole class - how to look back in the book for help on the problems and to double check methods and formulas. It was like they had never heard of such a concept before!
I love the authors' suggestions for creating deep thinking assignments by just adding or modifying a few things. Having students explain what they'll have to do before actually solving anything helps them vocalize the method and demonstrate that they understand the process. Having students create problems is a simple thing to do as well that can be really helpful (I know from experience with college classes!). The authors also suggest that students should evaluate their own performance by marking which ones they are confident and unconfident in. I think this would be a great way to measure the morale in a class - after all, the scores might be all right, but having actual data about students' feelings about the math could just show they they are all guessing correctly without being confident.
Right now, with my Upward Bound students, I've been giving a lot of online homework through EdPuzzle and Socrative. EdPuzzle videos helps me teach some simple concepts without using class time. Socrative lets me check student understanding in the evening, so I can cover any misconceptions at the beginning of the next lesson, instead of a couple days later (as would be the case if I was giving paper homework). Socrative also lets me make sure that I'm giving students useful problems that pertain to what was talked about in class, because I can modify questions before I send it out. If I had paper homework, it would likely have things we hadn't covered yet on it. The only real problem with Socrative is that you can only have one quiz live at a time - which is good for times when you only have one class of students, but would not work well to give homework to all periods. I'll definitely try to continue to use online homework to check understanding, but I'll probably have to find a different method or program.
Chapter 14: Assessment, Feedback, and Grading
I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the point and process of backwards planning and making sure your assessments align with your goals. I also know that assessment should be ongoing, because you don't want a student missing a concept at the beginning of a unit and then being totally confused later on.
This chapter brought up the idea that some students are only concerned with getting the right answer, which I haven't yet encountered, but I like the solution for it - give students the answers and ask them how to get there. Seems a great solution to the problem!
I also like the idea to have students find their own mistakes, and I'm also in favor of them correcting these to earn more credit. This was always a good motivator for me in college. The only downside would be more grading, but if it makes students understand the math better and be more confident in their skills, then that's all right. This chapter also introduced group assessments, which I have tried to great success before. I had students solve the calculation part individually to show that they could do it, and then they could work the problem solving portion with a partner (each completing their own sheet), because in real life, you will almost always be able to consult with someone else. I think this worked great for me because I could still see who had what errors from the individual work while still assessing problem solving skills.
As for the suggestions on grading, I'm still not sure how I am going to handle all of that. I didn't have to do that too much during student teaching. I'm doing some of it now with Upward Bound, and I feel its working okay. I also haven't decided whether I want a clear points system or something weighted. I think weighted grades are better to keep things fair and balanced, but I also know that a lot of parents and students have trouble understanding that type of grading, especially if they haven't encountered it before. Perhaps an explanation sheet would be good.
This chapter brought up the idea that some students are only concerned with getting the right answer, which I haven't yet encountered, but I like the solution for it - give students the answers and ask them how to get there. Seems a great solution to the problem!
I also like the idea to have students find their own mistakes, and I'm also in favor of them correcting these to earn more credit. This was always a good motivator for me in college. The only downside would be more grading, but if it makes students understand the math better and be more confident in their skills, then that's all right. This chapter also introduced group assessments, which I have tried to great success before. I had students solve the calculation part individually to show that they could do it, and then they could work the problem solving portion with a partner (each completing their own sheet), because in real life, you will almost always be able to consult with someone else. I think this worked great for me because I could still see who had what errors from the individual work while still assessing problem solving skills.
As for the suggestions on grading, I'm still not sure how I am going to handle all of that. I didn't have to do that too much during student teaching. I'm doing some of it now with Upward Bound, and I feel its working okay. I also haven't decided whether I want a clear points system or something weighted. I think weighted grades are better to keep things fair and balanced, but I also know that a lot of parents and students have trouble understanding that type of grading, especially if they haven't encountered it before. Perhaps an explanation sheet would be good.
Chapter 15: Other Elements of Teaching
Finally we get to some technology stuff!! I love using technology in math, especially graphing tools. Today they are so sophisticated, easy to use, and great to learn from. My favorite is Desmos. There were a few new technology suggestions/ideas that I love. First, the authors say that students should have a plan for using the technology before they start hitting buttons. This is akin to having a storyboard before filming or creating a movie or digital story. I hadn't thought about this before, but I think it's definitely important. Second, the authors suggest letting students work with partners at their own pace, which I do, but they went even further and suggested that one person be the controller at a time, then switching, so that everyone has equal opportunities to interact with the technology.
The next part of this chapter dealt with communicating with parents, which I haven't had great opportunity to do besides with family nights. I do believe that it is good to praise children to their parents from an early point, so they see you as an ally and someone who wants their kid to succeed. I also think it's important to keep parents aware of general happenings in the classroom, which I'll do with a webpage for the class.
The final part of this chapter and this book was about standardized testing, which I learned a lot about in my assessment class last year. I believe that if you teach kids to be good problem solvers and critical thinkers, they will do well on an assessment, so that's my goal. They do also have to be taught about the format of the test so they don't get confused or frustrated.
The next part of this chapter dealt with communicating with parents, which I haven't had great opportunity to do besides with family nights. I do believe that it is good to praise children to their parents from an early point, so they see you as an ally and someone who wants their kid to succeed. I also think it's important to keep parents aware of general happenings in the classroom, which I'll do with a webpage for the class.
The final part of this chapter and this book was about standardized testing, which I learned a lot about in my assessment class last year. I believe that if you teach kids to be good problem solvers and critical thinkers, they will do well on an assessment, so that's my goal. They do also have to be taught about the format of the test so they don't get confused or frustrated.
Overall...
Overall, I think this was an amazing book for any math teacher, but especially first year ones! I would recommend it to anyone! It was easy to read, had good examples, was to the point, and covered every topic I could have wanted. I'll probably be revisiting this book a lot!