Oct 19 Exit Slip... Proficientcy scale and extreme views

Today's discussion was fascinating as the proficiency scale has been a contentious issue with many teachers across the province. Given that I was not taking the assessment class with Kevin, some of the points brought up with classmates gave me much insight regarding the proficiency scale. Some include how the scale paints broad strokes of a percentage so students know how well they are doing without showing them a percentage. The proficiency scale prevents students from stressing over percentages and allows them to focus better on the learning rather than the exams. Another interesting view on the proficiency scale is how we assess students. We favour early assessments less at the beginning of the year, and students will be able to bounce back and not let a bad mark drag them down. Once again, this helps with learning as students will feel more motivated instead of seeing a bad mark from the beginning of the year ruin everything.

The other exciting idea introduced was Alfie Kohn and his strong view against competition. With the discussion in class, I have also concluded that he is very extreme on this point of view, making it difficult to agree with his point as it is very radical. Kohn's view ties into how I think the extreme political left and extreme political right are similar. Both sides agree to their ideals so much that they prevent dialogue from happening to anyone. Kohn makes me feel that he is so extreme that he will refuse to dialogue with anyone with a different idea. While he makes good points, the extremeness pushes me away.

Inquiry Question

 

Section 1 and 2 of the template

Lisa and I decided to have our inquiry question on the "Thinking Classroom" as we find it quite an exciting concept to bring into our classrooms. I want to explore alternative options to traditional classrooms, and the "Thinking Classroom" is one such alternative. My main goal here is to explore the "Thinking Classroom" to its extent, including how students perceive this shift, what classroom changes are needed, and the issues of the thinking classroom. It would also be nice to see how the thinking classroom can be used in other subject areas, as it can be applied and extended easily. Depending on the results we get from the inquiry, it will move me in a different direction than the expected traditional classroom.

Oct 19 Entance Slip... Braiding Sweetgrass

In a classroom, scientific/mathematical terminology is jargon to a lot of the students, more specifically, jibberish. Unless I can provide meaning and reason to my students, these terminologies will not apply to them as they are hollow words that a teacher mentioned in class. Depending on the class context, there would also be less emphasis on scientific/mathematical terminology. For example, workplace math would contain few uses of mathematical terminology as students in that class would not find much use of those terms. However, in classes like Pre-Calculus 12, mathematical terminology would be more critical as these terms will show up in post-secondary, and professors will not likely explain what each terminology means. I still remember the time in Calculus 1 when my professor showed a lot of new notation that I had never seen before, but many students understood it immediately. I spent much time learning things outside my Calculus 1 class, which was time-consuming.

Dr. Kimmerer's introduction of indigenous terms in their classroom is brilliant but more limited to things in the natural world. I have minimal resources to try and indigenize my classroom, but one is Tluuwaay' Waadluxan Mathematical Adventures by Dr.Cynthia Nicol, published by School District #50 Haida Gwaii. This book gives ideas that allow me to include a place-based approach to implementing curricular content and competency. Otherwise, I need help finding exciting resources that will enable me to indigenize my classroom and curriculum.

Edit: Oct 18...

After reading a bit of Tluuwaay' Waadluxan Mathematical Adventures and having a brief discussion with Susan regarding indigenizing my classroom and curriculum, I have realized that I cannot adapt resources like Tluuwaay' Waadluxan Mathematical Adventures directly into the classroom. Many of the ideas present are connected deeply to the Haida nation, so many students in the lower mainland will need help to connect deeply with these topics. Instead, the best way to indigenize the classroom would be to research the land and the places around the school I am teaching and find local indigenous things so students have a better connection to them. Otherwise, if I force it into the classroom for the sake of doing it, I will help build disdain with the students regarding indigenous issues. I have had students tell me they do not like it when teachers do it to be relevant. Thus, there is a need to slowly integrate these topics into the classroom naturally so students have a better connection to them.

Oct 5, Exit Slip... Gender Bias and Inquiry Question

Today's inquiry on gender bias in STEAM for all genders was a great starting point on how we, as teachers, can support students better to do what they want. We should encourage students to try a variety of subject areas in school so they all end up with a better understanding of what they enjoy learning. More often than not, most students do not go into a gender-biased faculty because they have never experienced anything about it. If we as teachers do not allow students to play with these different subjects, then subconscious bias will point students to apply to the faculty that most students of their gender go into. Subconscious bias only happens with a lack of experience, which causes students to be scared to go into that faculty. By encouraging curiosity, we help build experience in these students so they have a better knowledge of each subject area and not what their subconscious bias tells them.

My inquiry question is something related to the traditional class room. More specifically different ways to spice it up so that we do not regress on the usual cycle of lecture, homework, exams for mathematics education. However, I will need to see if there is suffcuent research into this idea.

Oct. 5 Entrance Slip... How to Swing or Parkour the Strict Grid of Schooling

Given how natural gridded patterns looked, I have never stopped and thought, wait a minute, why did we do a grid pattern instead of a circular or triangular one? Similar to how we love to have a set of 3 items, these are things we grew up with, thus causing them to feel natural. While reading, when I encountered the idea of swinging, I thought of swings in their non-grid-like motion. While it has been a while, I thought it was weird at first, but after getting used to a swing, it felt very natural. Swing beats are very similar, as many musicians who first encounter them would feel very out of place, especially if they play with the traditional rhythm. Going in that round motion would initially feel different to many students, but as you interact with swings and swing beats, you will eventually find it natural. Similar to how a teacher tries something out of the norm while following the curriculum. Many students might find it weird or disgusting at first, but as students adapt and get used to this new way of teaching, they will eventually find joy in a different environment for once. Making a swing classroom allows us to experiment and make our classroom experience unique for the students so they can have fun while learning. It gives me hope that I am not the only one trying to make a change in the classroom situation, and building upon others' ideas is a great way to develop them further and make them better.

Sept. 28 2023, Exit Slip... What should a teacher do to help a student?

One of the most significant impacts a teacher can have on a student is allowing them to experience various things. When people experience many things, they can get a better grasp of the world, themselves, and the people around them. They can form stronger beliefs on ideas that someone's statement could easily overwrite. With a more concrete belief, you will question things that go against it and come to a better conclusion on what is true. With the world going faster and faster, one needs to be able to digest large amounts of information quickly daily. So when you come across something that seems off, it is a sign for them to slow down and research it better before agreeing with it. This fast-flowing news could include seeing sensational headliners about various things, such as politics, climate change and technological advancements. While the student believes these beliefs may be counter-productive to society, it is not within the teacher's right to force the student to believe in something they do not, as this will cause them to rebel against you. Only with various experiences can we shape the students better, and hopefully, they do good for the world.

As we look back on the math curriculum, everything seems very linear, and if you fall behind, you have a lot of work to catch up. However, with the hidden side of the math curriculum, problem-solving, critical thinking, etc., it is more of a logarithmic growth. Early on, when you are young, you learn a lot about solving problems and thinking logically. But, as you grow older, you only refine those skills by adding different skills to think logically up to a certain point. Thus, most students fall behind in math because their ability to think logically or problem-solving skills are lacking. Given the growth in this skill set is logarithmic, this causes students to be much further behind their peers, which makes them feel left out. Once students can pass a specific point of developing skills, this gap is much smaller, and the main difference here is the ability to keep up with the curriculum. Thus, as teachers, we should focus more of our teaching time on honing students' logical thinking, critical thinking and all these hidden problem-solving skills, as once students are up to par in that department, many would like mathematics more.