I did this game this week in all of my classes - honors and regular. I don't have a name for it yet, so if you've got an idea for it, let me know. Maybe someone else made it up before me, but feel like I discovered it on my own. Here's what happened:
0. I split the class into teams. I prefer groups 4 or smaller. Four is even a little big. The goal of the game is to get the most points.
1. I cut some scratch paper up into 1/8th sheets and pre-made a bunch of inequalities that students need practice solving. I had enough for about 1.5 per group.
2. I handed out a paper with an inequality on it to each group. Each team's job is to solve the inequality on a SEPARATE piece of paper and then bring their solution with the card to me.
3. I then sat at a desk with my handy-dandy 10-sided die of fate and a colored pen. When a representative of the team showed up with a solution I would quickly look over it and offer changes they need to make it right. They then had to go fix their mistakes (even little ones.) A line quickly formed. Even simple mistakes puts you at the end of the line.
4. If a solution was presented to me that was correct, I would say so and roll the Die of Fate. Whatever number showed up would be how many points I'd write on their paper and initial. I would then give them a new paper with a new problem and they would solve that one. This continued until I decided it should stop (about 5 min before the bell to take care of business.) Winners got a prize - candy.
Comments: I absolutely love the random amount of points awarded. Difficult problems can end up being worth 1 points while easy ones can be worth 9. I think it helped my "un-engageables" become involved because even though they didn't answer as many questions, they could still win the game due to the random factor. I also gave them easier questions to start and worked them towards the harder ones. I also like how this game is very general: I can put whatever problems I want on the cards. Take that! classic worksheets. Why do a worksheet when you can play a game?
Concerns: It is difficult to monitor the class while you're looking over solutions. One team member could be doing all of the work.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Two weeks in and I'm already back to habit
I'm now two weeks into the school year and I'm noticing a lot of similarities to past experiences:
1. Having a top-down approach to pacing is bad for me trying to be better. Our district has dictated the scope and sequence for the year's standards to be met. With my math department we (they) drew up a calendar for when we're teaching what. This has been horrible for what I want to do: not be a traditional math teacher. I want students to discover things on their own. Our first two weeks was all about solving equations and non-compound inequalities. I wanted my students to decide on "rules" for solving equations by having them create equations and challenge each other to solve them (the one day we spent on it was actually a lot of fun and they came up with some great stuff!) But we couldn't fully develop the ideas and test them out because we needed to "cover" other things like solving inequalities. The result is my students have an incomplete understanding of solving equations and I had to do some crappy lessons using direct instruction methods which my students were immediately turned off by. I feel like my good plans can't fit in the top-down system... can't we focus on learning rather than teaching?
2. I'm some students' favorite teacher because I let them sit by their friends, and some students hate me because I'm not a traditionalist and don't just tell them exactly what to do. I had a few students tell me I was their favorite on the second or third day and this past Friday I signed at least two forms transferring students out of my classes.
3. We had a quiz that I know my students weren't ready for. Another interesting tradition that schools have: we give tests because that's when they're scheduled. Some people say it is so you can stay on schedule. I say we should just schedule better. Personally I'm a fan of giving students a quiz they're not ready for. It helps them see what they do and don't know - we just need to make sure they have an opportunity to redo it later.
4. There are a lot of things I want to do, but I don't have the time to do them all so I only get to do half of them halfway and so nothing works out close to what I planned and now my students don't know as much as they should. Wow, that was a long sentence, but it get's to the point. I need to choose my battles better. Maybe this isn't the year I have a complete problem-based approach to teaching. Maybe this is the year that we do a cool task once or twice a week while we focus on Assessment for Learning techniques everyday.
I think this is what I'll try: Focus on one cool task a week and Assessment for Learning. I am really new (2nd yr teacher) and I've got oodles of extra stuff to do: Go to district classes two nights a week, finish moving in, get all of my Master's Program homework done, and spend time with my wife. This is sounding like a good plan to me. And I don't have to be a traditional teacher during the rest of the week either. I can turn typical guided/individual practice into games which I love playing :) I think I'll actually use that Game Library that I've been building.
1. Having a top-down approach to pacing is bad for me trying to be better. Our district has dictated the scope and sequence for the year's standards to be met. With my math department we (they) drew up a calendar for when we're teaching what. This has been horrible for what I want to do: not be a traditional math teacher. I want students to discover things on their own. Our first two weeks was all about solving equations and non-compound inequalities. I wanted my students to decide on "rules" for solving equations by having them create equations and challenge each other to solve them (the one day we spent on it was actually a lot of fun and they came up with some great stuff!) But we couldn't fully develop the ideas and test them out because we needed to "cover" other things like solving inequalities. The result is my students have an incomplete understanding of solving equations and I had to do some crappy lessons using direct instruction methods which my students were immediately turned off by. I feel like my good plans can't fit in the top-down system... can't we focus on learning rather than teaching?
2. I'm some students' favorite teacher because I let them sit by their friends, and some students hate me because I'm not a traditionalist and don't just tell them exactly what to do. I had a few students tell me I was their favorite on the second or third day and this past Friday I signed at least two forms transferring students out of my classes.
3. We had a quiz that I know my students weren't ready for. Another interesting tradition that schools have: we give tests because that's when they're scheduled. Some people say it is so you can stay on schedule. I say we should just schedule better. Personally I'm a fan of giving students a quiz they're not ready for. It helps them see what they do and don't know - we just need to make sure they have an opportunity to redo it later.
4. There are a lot of things I want to do, but I don't have the time to do them all so I only get to do half of them halfway and so nothing works out close to what I planned and now my students don't know as much as they should. Wow, that was a long sentence, but it get's to the point. I need to choose my battles better. Maybe this isn't the year I have a complete problem-based approach to teaching. Maybe this is the year that we do a cool task once or twice a week while we focus on Assessment for Learning techniques everyday.
I think this is what I'll try: Focus on one cool task a week and Assessment for Learning. I am really new (2nd yr teacher) and I've got oodles of extra stuff to do: Go to district classes two nights a week, finish moving in, get all of my Master's Program homework done, and spend time with my wife. This is sounding like a good plan to me. And I don't have to be a traditional teacher during the rest of the week either. I can turn typical guided/individual practice into games which I love playing :) I think I'll actually use that Game Library that I've been building.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)