Notes – Recipe for Success

When I’m asked what I see as the most important thing I hope to teach my students, knowing the true meaning of positive relationships is what I hope for them. Academically, helping students find their best learning dynamic is of greatest importance; showing them how to use new information by taking meaningful notes and then USING THEM. This is my math teacher passion.

As a student, my strength was in taking colorful and well-organized notes, so it’s logical I share the world of notes with my students. Color, organization, and meaning are the essential ingredients for effective notes. Each one of these ingredients helps season the memory for math success. Without the right balance, solidifying the new knowledge for future use becomes flawed. With a majority of today’s teens afraid of math, grasping to a dependence on a calculator over number sense, teaching math has to be more about putting the right zing into each lesson, and helping them find independence in using what they learn. I had a love for math but was a lousy test-taker. An effective note-taking strategy supported the positive study habits that kept math misery at bay.

So, how does taking notes and learning how to use them support real world experiences?  I often cook without a recipe, however only when I’ve already made a dish multiple times. If I don’t take the time to look up an “un-rehearsed” recipe, I am taking a risk, a big risk; ergot, bad idea!  I prepared a dish for dinner the other night that I had only made one time prior, and I didn’t consult the recipe; this meant I was trying to apply a “skill” not yet practiced enough to be made without flaw. The result was edible (low “C” quality), but there’s no reason to have that low quality of a result when the resource was available to support better results – the recipe. I was stubborn and wanted to believe that since I’d done it once before, I could do it again at a later date. Wrong!

This cooking experience reminded me of the importance of using our resources. I tell my students every day – “Use your resources”, “Consult your notes”, “Leave them open next to you while you work”, “Allow yourself time to acquire the new skill.” Teaching students how and when to use resources is as important as teaching them the content; without notes to follow the first few times, they wouldn’t be able to produce accurate results. They will end up with average results, at best. I don’t know about you, but I most certainly don’t start out my day expecting mediocre results and outcomes!

This recipe disaster reinforced my commitment to teaching students  HOW to follow directions, and how to know what to do when I tell them to use their resources. If I don’t, what’s the point in them taking notes in the first place?

Fixer Upper, the reveal

One of our favorite television shows to watch is Fixer Upper on HGTV. If you’ve watched it before, you’ve seen how Joanna & Chip Gaines reveal the client’s home – there is a large screen that holds the original view of the home from the curb, shielding the homeowner from seeing the final product, creating further anticipation. When the screen is pulled aside, the new house is in view from the curb, and the homeowners squeal and cry, hug each other, and jump up-and-down with excitement.  Joanna keeps every client on the ‘edge of their seat’ in anticipation of their remodeled new home.

The home reveal is like when we are revealing information to students. Sure, it seems like old news, it’s been said over and over again, sometimes for the same audience, other times by other teachers; but, what if I treat it like a Fixer Upper reveal? Not only will I consider each student’s style (of learning)  but I will create moments of anticipation, then they get that final tidbit of information they need to step out on their own. That’s where I step back and watch their faces…see them processing…now, wait for it…wait for it…the suspense sets in…”Aha!” There it is!  The big reveal! Students anticipating new ideas and new thoughts, gaining deeper understanding, excited about the reveal that allows the pride of ownership, they now on the knowledge! That is what I want out of a lesson!

During the Fixer Upper remodel, everyone involved, decorator or laborer, work together for a common goal, not always finding they can create the final product initially envisioned. However, with each of their given talents and training they work together to create the “new” vision. As teachers, our plan doesn’t always go in the expected direction; we adjust. This is the beauty of working in a PLC; professionals, each with their own strengths, provide flexibility and willingness to pool and adapt ideas to reach the learning objective. Vision comes from the depth and variety a group of professionals can bring to the table when they communicate to create the ultimate product. For the Gaines’, that’s a renovated home for a client; for teachers, students are able to continue learning and move forward in their education.

Our project as teachers  is too important to treat it like we have done it over and over again, instead we need to be excited about the privilege of doing it again. Revealing the knowledge we possess and creating fresh ideas for each student is an art and a privilege that we are fortunate to be given. When the big revealing moment arrives and our students are ready to move onto the next exciting episode of their education, we smile and start working on the next lesson.

 

 

When You Least Expect It

Educators, have you ever felt like there is no way you will ever be good enough? I admit to having that very feeling today; in fact, went home and told my husband I wasn’t sure I was cut out to be a teacher!  As the lady who preaches positive talk in order to maintain a growth mindset, this was a dangerous place to be!

Did I mention it was BTS night? Of all the days to feel defeated! Here is the blessing – PARENTS! The parents lifted me up! They fed my soul! Even better, this translates to students and their reflection of what their teachers provide for them during the day. To hear the words, “you are my child’s favorite teacher”, “my kid is excited about math, you are magical”, and, then, “thank you for all you do!” Blessed.

I apologize for this personal and emotional post. But, isn’t that what teaching is all about? It is emotionally impacting, and being good at it means investment, which translates to emotional investment.

 

 

Looking for the Perfect Ice Breakers!

After a full week of professional development, the first days with students have finally arrived! The new faces of 7th and 8th grade students will be the faces I see for the next 9+ months. Creating the BEST first week line-up is essential since classroom culture is the single most important element in creating an environment where students want to learn, come to learn, and discover new ideas and thoughts (that will form their futures). This is where the “perfect” ice breakers come into play; I want them to be interesting, exciting, able to produce connections student to student, and student to teacher/teacher to student.

I am fortunate to teach in a middle school where our leadership believes in and supports a first week dedicated to building classroom culture and developing relationships with and among our students. We are not pressured to hit the content during this first week, and I could not be more grateful!

The question is –  Should I weave math-ey activities in with the standard ice breakers these first days? “Yes!”  I want my students to be comfortable with constructive mathematical discourse; I want them to have productive conversations that will aid in their mathematical development; and, I want them to be excited about the possibilities the class holds for them in the upcoming year! My first week activities will start with some standard ‘get-to-know-you’ activities, then ease into math related group activities. Continuing with group work throughout the first week, while easing them into the content, mindset will be monitored so that the students are setting themselves up with a pro-learner attitude and are open to making mistakes while forging forward into the math curriculum.

I am uber excited for this year! This will be my first season teaching standard math content, and a first year with a roster well over 150 students. My goal is to continue teaching with the same focus on student individuality as I did with a short roster.

My mindset for success is very important as I move into this monumental school year! Stay tuned as I document this journey! Until my next post, happy mathematical reasoning, and keep your smile on!

New is Nice!

IiiSo, as I prepare for the adventure of a new school district, new school, new colleagues, new students…(well, you get the “new” theme), why not start a new blog! I absolutely love, love, love reading teacher blogs, in fact, I have gotten a large part of my teacher bravery and any confidence in my ability to “go for it” from great teacher bloggers!

This summer was my first summer since becoming a teacher without something taking up the time; whether it was grad school, family illness, this was the first without any of the planned or unplanned dominating themes running through it. I feel as though it may have flashed by in a blur! The outcomes of my “free” summer – Twitter PLN developed and I discovered some great teacher chats there, a new job became reality, and I may actually have gotten my home dug out of disarray. The one last of my goals list that I want to be certain I get checked off is this blog launching! Yes, this is a boring post, but in an effort to get it going, this is what I’ve got right now! Ha!

I spent the past three years as the Tier 2 Interventionist for 7th and 8th graders in an urban school. The individual lessons I created were mostly based on understanding a fraction as a number, often dipping down to basic addition with carryover, but always connecting back up to ratios and proportional thinking for both levels, and also including connections to functions for 8th graders. It was a big job! I am ready for new adventures and look forward to documenting the classroom experiences here!

My goal will be to post periodically (see how I left it wide open for frequency!), reflecting on the new adventures of teaching Math 8 and Math 7 in my new environment. I look forward to sharing as others have shared with me!

Thank you for joining me!