I am happy with the GAME plan I worked on. I still need to be more intentional using online inquiry. I think it could be a great way to get students more involved in their learning of math. During weeks six and seven of the course I also saw some exciting possibilities using online collaboration, especially with professionals who can share the importance of math, and digital storytelling. I can use both of these tools to facilitate both of my GAME plan goals. The digital storytelling will be extraordinarily helpful “to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity” which was my second goal. Working with students to help them visualize math problems and then showcase those visuals in a story that they can share with will be a very powerful tool.
For me, the thing I will come away from the class with that was a brand new idea is digital storytelling. Some of the different ways I could use it in my class to bring out the creativity in my students and to get them to feel more comfortable and confident with story problems are very exciting.
I will continue to spend more time getting my students to work on online inquiry but my most immediate adjustment to my instructional practice will be to build a digital story lesson into my next unit which will be systems of equations. This unit if perfectly timed because some great story problems come from systems of equations.
At this point I am ready to continue working on the GAME plan that I have put in place and I am going to make it a goal to add a few more goals on the GAME plan before the beginning of the next school year.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
GAME plan for students
As a reminder, the GAME plan process is to set Goals, take Action, Monitor progress, and Evaluate and extend. This week we were asked how we were going to use the GAME plan process with our students to help them develop proficiency in the technology standards NETS-S.
Looking at the technology standards for students and teachers, if a teacher is dedicated to using technology and meeting the NETS-T, the students in class will naturally become more proficient in the technology standards NETS-S. Because of this, I do not think that I am prepared or willing at this time to use the GAME plan to help my students develop technology proficiency. Instead, as their teacher, I will use the GAME plan to continually incorporate different aspects of technology into my class which will cause an inherent trickle down effect that will have my students become more proficient with technology.
I like the GAME plan and think that I am going to incorporate its structure into my math lessons, which, while teaching a math class, is where I think I should have my students setting goals. I am going to use the GAME plan with my students at the introduction to each math unit. I will have students write down in their notebooks at the beginning of each notes section, what their goals are for the unit and what actions they are going to take to accomplish those goals. At the end of each class period I always have my students do a reflection about the material taught that day. I am going to incorporate a monitoring piece into their daily reflection so they can evaluate where they are and what they need to do to maintain or get back on track. Then I will have students evaluate their GAME plan with each test and offer extension projects for those who have not met their goals.
Looking at the technology standards for students and teachers, if a teacher is dedicated to using technology and meeting the NETS-T, the students in class will naturally become more proficient in the technology standards NETS-S. Because of this, I do not think that I am prepared or willing at this time to use the GAME plan to help my students develop technology proficiency. Instead, as their teacher, I will use the GAME plan to continually incorporate different aspects of technology into my class which will cause an inherent trickle down effect that will have my students become more proficient with technology.
I like the GAME plan and think that I am going to incorporate its structure into my math lessons, which, while teaching a math class, is where I think I should have my students setting goals. I am going to use the GAME plan with my students at the introduction to each math unit. I will have students write down in their notebooks at the beginning of each notes section, what their goals are for the unit and what actions they are going to take to accomplish those goals. At the end of each class period I always have my students do a reflection about the material taught that day. I am going to incorporate a monitoring piece into their daily reflection so they can evaluate where they are and what they need to do to maintain or get back on track. Then I will have students evaluate their GAME plan with each test and offer extension projects for those who have not met their goals.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
GAME plan progress 3
What have I learned so far?
I have learned that it takes me more time to put an online activity together than I thought it would. The first time I tried to get an online activity ready I budgeted an hour to the task. I found that this was enough time to prepare all of the websites that I wanted my students to look at and set up the basic structure on my Moodle page. What I was not able to do was prepare any forum sections for each website that the students visited. I was running into writer’s block trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to ask my students as they went through the online activity. In the future I need to make sure that I give myself more time and more lead time to make my activities.
What new learning goals will I set for myself?
Looking at Nets-T the next goal that I want to develop is 2c which is to create personal learning experiences. This ties in well with my other goals and is the next step. When I fully implement online learning I would start each year with more directed activities and slowly work to give students more freedom to do independent investigations.
What learning approaches will I try next time to improve my learning?
I need to work to tie online activities in with classroom management. Students can only have the freedom to do independent investigations if they are held accountable to be doing their work. I can’t bring my students to the Grand Canyon and have them tight rope walk across, the results would be disastrous as most of my students would fall off and gain nothing. I need to make sure my students have a bridge with guard rails that they can walk across. They can still see all of the majesty before them but they know they are responsible to go across the bridge.
I have learned that it takes me more time to put an online activity together than I thought it would. The first time I tried to get an online activity ready I budgeted an hour to the task. I found that this was enough time to prepare all of the websites that I wanted my students to look at and set up the basic structure on my Moodle page. What I was not able to do was prepare any forum sections for each website that the students visited. I was running into writer’s block trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to ask my students as they went through the online activity. In the future I need to make sure that I give myself more time and more lead time to make my activities.
What new learning goals will I set for myself?
Looking at Nets-T the next goal that I want to develop is 2c which is to create personal learning experiences. This ties in well with my other goals and is the next step. When I fully implement online learning I would start each year with more directed activities and slowly work to give students more freedom to do independent investigations.
What learning approaches will I try next time to improve my learning?
I need to work to tie online activities in with classroom management. Students can only have the freedom to do independent investigations if they are held accountable to be doing their work. I can’t bring my students to the Grand Canyon and have them tight rope walk across, the results would be disastrous as most of my students would fall off and gain nothing. I need to make sure my students have a bridge with guard rails that they can walk across. They can still see all of the majesty before them but they know they are responsible to go across the bridge.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
GAME plan progress 2
In the past week I have done no further implementation of my GAME plan so this will have to be an overview of the process as a whole.
1. How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals? I am still on pace to introduce inquiry lessons at the beginning of the year next school year. I have already identified some lessons that I could modify and make into mini investigations to train students in what is expected of them when they do investigations in math class. I also have prepared a couple of investigation activities for later in the school year that, even though they are not complete yet will be by the time I am going to use them.
2. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? After using one of my plans for an activity at a math content meeting and watching math teachers struggle with what I thought of as a basic activity I realized that I need to make sure, especially in the beginning, that I am very explicit with all of my instructions. In addition when I use logic puzzles to assist in teaching a topic I need to spend time in the days leading up to the actual activity introducing the logic puzzle so students become comfortable with the puzzle before it becomes tied to the curriculum.
3. What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen? I still need to learn how to respond to students who use activity time as a time to slack off. I need to look at what procedures I need to put in place for when I have students who are not on task.
4. How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs? I do not see a need to adjust my plan at the present time.
1. How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals? I am still on pace to introduce inquiry lessons at the beginning of the year next school year. I have already identified some lessons that I could modify and make into mini investigations to train students in what is expected of them when they do investigations in math class. I also have prepared a couple of investigation activities for later in the school year that, even though they are not complete yet will be by the time I am going to use them.
2. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? After using one of my plans for an activity at a math content meeting and watching math teachers struggle with what I thought of as a basic activity I realized that I need to make sure, especially in the beginning, that I am very explicit with all of my instructions. In addition when I use logic puzzles to assist in teaching a topic I need to spend time in the days leading up to the actual activity introducing the logic puzzle so students become comfortable with the puzzle before it becomes tied to the curriculum.
3. What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen? I still need to learn how to respond to students who use activity time as a time to slack off. I need to look at what procedures I need to put in place for when I have students who are not on task.
4. How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs? I do not see a need to adjust my plan at the present time.
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