A couple of weeks ago, a student called me out on a mathematical mistake during class. I don't remember what the situation was exactly, but I was inspired by the way this student caught my mistake and then clearly articulated their correction. (For the record, I make mathematical mistakes all the time, but this particular situation sparked the following reflection.) So I began thinking about a way to reward this student and any other student who catch my mistakes.
During this time, I was also becoming increasingly frustrated by the number of irrelevant questions that my students were asking. Middle Schoolers are AWESOME at distracting themselves and others around them and even me... everything from "I like your hair" to "What's for lunch today?" They truly have a talent! In a close second to these types of questions are questions that should be irrelevant. "Please turn to pg. ___ and look at #___," I often say while I'm also writing the appropriate page and problem number on the board. **30 second pause** "Mrs. Gosnell, what page are we on?" **Insert groan.**
These two thought processes are what led to our new game! Right now I'm just calling it "Mrs. G versus Students." Please lend me any creativity you have to offer! Here are the rules:
--I (Mrs. G) score if a student asks an irrelevant question (including a question that I have answered in the past 5 minutes).
--The students score if they catch me in a mathematical error.
I keep a tally on the whiteboard divided by class. I'm winning in most classes, but my 9th grade Honors Geometry class is currently beating me by two or three points... I hope to quickly remedy that situation ;) We haven't decided what the reward will be for any class that beats me. I'll probably do ice cream sundaes or a pizza party at the end of the year, of course that is IF they beat me :)
My only issue has been that, in some classes, I apparently wasn't clear about what sort of "error" they get a point for. As soon as I stumble over a sentence or reword something, some students cause a scene trying to say they deserve a point. I point out that it's not mathematical and have even told a few students that they won't be allowed to continue playing if they use the game to distract from class time. Overall, it's been a success! The students are
really on the lookout for me to make a mistake and they're getting
better about catching themselves before asking an irrelevant question. We think it's fun!
What do you think? Any ideas for a better name?
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Replying to a Wrong Answer
I recently discovered the mathtwitterblogosphere... you know, because I have nothing else to do ;) Anyways, through their site, I found this blogging initiation. I'm too late to join in on the actual initiation, but I decided to read through their prompts to get ideas. One of the options from week one was to take a picture of something in your classroom that you're proud of and then write about it. Clearly I don't have a picture, but I am proud of myself for thinking through this issue and finding a productive way to improve my teaching style.
When a student raises their hand in class, they're taking a risk. Whether they're asking a question or answering one, there is the potential that their classmates will think them particularly smart or particularly dumb. I've often struggled with how to respond to students in particular situations, but one that bothered me recently was what to say when a student answers incorrectly. I don't want to emphasize their wrong for fear of embarrassing them, but I'm obligated to make a point of clearing up any misconceptions.
So what's a teacher to do? Turn to google, of course. These are results of my search or results of my thought process that the search invoked. The most helpful reference was here.
When a student answers incorrectly...
When a student raises their hand in class, they're taking a risk. Whether they're asking a question or answering one, there is the potential that their classmates will think them particularly smart or particularly dumb. I've often struggled with how to respond to students in particular situations, but one that bothered me recently was what to say when a student answers incorrectly. I don't want to emphasize their wrong for fear of embarrassing them, but I'm obligated to make a point of clearing up any misconceptions.
So what's a teacher to do? Turn to google, of course. These are results of my search or results of my thought process that the search invoked. The most helpful reference was here.
When a student answers incorrectly...
- Emphasize any part of their answer that is correct: "I really like that you remembered to subtract first, but can someone else help us with what comes next?"
- Accept answers from other students: "Ok, thanks! Did others have a different response?" The idea here is to have several students answer and by the time I affirm the correct answer, the students have mostly forgotten about the original wrong answer.
- Affirm their thought process: "That's not quite what I'm looking for, but I understand why you think that." Sometimes I explain the misconception here, others times I move on to give a correct answer. It usually depends on how "popular" I think their misconception may be.
- Lead them to a correct response: "Are you remembering that trapezoids have only one pair of parallel sides?"
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Does Life Require "Busy"?
I constantly struggle to maintain a healthy balance between my home and work life. My mental and physical energies lean towards the work side 95% of the time... We're on "Winter break" this week (a perk of living in the North) and I'm struggling to relax. I have a hard time slowing down. My mental to-do list is never ending and I often feel guilty for "resting." So I'm re-evaluating, I guess. I'm trying to learn what it means to "rest." This post is really me processing my thoughts; bear with me and feel free to offer any advice you may have.
When I was in high school, I assumed that I was busy because I chose to be involved in so many different things - church youth events, vocal ensemble, piano lessons, school plays, etc. During my years at Ouachita, I was still busy - double major, marching band, dating Adam, assisting in youth ministry, etc. Then we experienced our first year of marriage which doubled as my first year of teaching, so I was busy yet again. And now we've moved to "the North," Adam's in grad school, I'm teaching, and I am STILL busy.
I am beginning to think that business is a choice and I don't want it anymore. I want to enjoy my twenties; I want to enjoy my husband; I want to enjoy my life without feeling like I'm drowning in it. Yes, my job requires A LOT of me - ask any teacher you know. But let's be real - everyone's job requires a lot of them. My nurse friend works 12-hour night shifts, three or four nights in a row. My stay-at-home mom friend is on-call 24 hours a day for their one year old (oh, and she's growing baby #2 as a side job). Another friend has a chronic illness that consistently drains her emotional, physical, and mental energies. Life requires A LOT.
But my question is: Does life require "busy"?
When I was in high school, I assumed that I was busy because I chose to be involved in so many different things - church youth events, vocal ensemble, piano lessons, school plays, etc. During my years at Ouachita, I was still busy - double major, marching band, dating Adam, assisting in youth ministry, etc. Then we experienced our first year of marriage which doubled as my first year of teaching, so I was busy yet again. And now we've moved to "the North," Adam's in grad school, I'm teaching, and I am STILL busy.
I am beginning to think that business is a choice and I don't want it anymore. I want to enjoy my twenties; I want to enjoy my husband; I want to enjoy my life without feeling like I'm drowning in it. Yes, my job requires A LOT of me - ask any teacher you know. But let's be real - everyone's job requires a lot of them. My nurse friend works 12-hour night shifts, three or four nights in a row. My stay-at-home mom friend is on-call 24 hours a day for their one year old (oh, and she's growing baby #2 as a side job). Another friend has a chronic illness that consistently drains her emotional, physical, and mental energies. Life requires A LOT.
But my question is: Does life require "busy"?
Friday, January 17, 2014
For the Student Teacher
My little sister will begin student teaching in February! I am SO proud of her. She has worked so hard to get to this point and I can't wait for her to finally see all of that hard work pay off! As we talk about her student teaching, I find myself wanting to give her 5 million tips from my student teaching experience (and now 1.5 years teaching). I've held back because I know she doesn't need my help, but I decided to write a blog about it anyways. Now she can read them if she wants, but I'm not being her "second mother"... At least not this time. Here are a few things to consider:
- Teaching is exhausting in ways you may not be expecting. Your students quickly become your kids - you will love them, you will take care of them, you will desire their success, much like a parent might. I believe this is one of the best and hardest parts of teaching. Because just like every child does a parent, your students will let you down. Your students will not always appreciate your care, will not always meet expectations, etc. This part of teaching is what you can't prepare for - the emotional exhaustion - the part that refuses to let your heart rest.
- Teaching is exhausting physically. Your feet won't hurt so much after the first week or so :) But expect them to hurt again come January and again in August - it's amazing how quickly our bodies change and adapt. The same goes for your voice - it will be hoarse and scratchy at the beginning, but this too shall pass. On that note, invest in a good water bottle and USE IT!
- Some kids will love you (and want to please you) because you are young; others will test you (and want to make life more difficult) for the same reason. Be thankful for the priors and patient with the latters.
- You can't do a fancy project or activity EVERY lesson. One of my advisers suggested to have a goal of one "fancy thing" per week. Once you're keeping your boat afloat while doing that you can start adding more.
- Pick a lesson planning format and stick to it. I truly believe that colleges and teacher prep programs teach you "rules" for lesson planning SO that you can BREAK them. Your lesson plan has to work for YOU.
- Your "To Do" list is never ending. It doesn't matter if it's September or June, there is always "just one more thing." Learn to set boundaries and stick to them. Learn to take breaks and rest.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Math Toss and Pair-Share
In an attempt to procrastinate on my lesson plans a little bit longer, I've decided to blog about a couple of simple math "activities" that I do to keep my class a little more interesting. I say "activities" in quotes because they're not full-blown projects or even games necessarily. I just use them to try to make math problems less boring. As much as I love math, handing a student 15-20 equations and saying "You learn by doing!" is torturous, so here we are :) (I may have blogged on this first activity already... I'm not sure).
Math Toss - I borrowed/stole this activity from one of my favorite professors, Mrs. Rachel Pool. It can be adapted for several different types of problems, but I used it most recently for solving and graphing inequalities.
*Problems are given on the board. I provide 2-3 different problems and assign rows of students to do each one. They still work independently, but this gives me the opportunity to go over more than one problem after the activity.
*Students work on a half sheet of paper and are told to solve the inequality but do NOT graph (yet). When they finish, they crumple their paper into a ball. (They begin to get restless and excited at this point!)
*On my count, students are allowed to throw their "ball"... at me. I should probably be concerned that they get SO excited about throwing something at me, but I just go with it!
*Once they've tossed their ball, they come up and retrieve one (my mantra here is "It doesn't matter who it belongs to or if it's your own. Pick one up and go back to your desk"). When they get back to their desk, they check the work done and then graph the inequality.
Pros: Students are having fun and doing math, need I say more? Students get out of their seats. Students practice evaluating someone else's work.
Cons: Students get caught up on, "Whose problem is this?" Without clear direction, they can get out of hand when throwing but I'm fairly strict in my directions so it's not usually a problem.
Pair-Share - This can also be adapted for several different types of problems. I'm using it this week with Greatest Common Factors.
*Each student makes up their own _______. For GCF this week, it will be a random number (with reasonable parameters given).
*Students are to pair up with another student and find the GCF of their two numbers.
*I usually have them pair up with a different student after this for more practice.
Pros: Students work together. Students "create" their own problem. Students get out of their seats.
Cons: If what they're supposed to make up is too complicated (perhaps an algebraic expression), it can be confusing when they pair up.
That's all I have for now... I suppose I'll have to actually finish my lesson plans now :)
Math Toss - I borrowed/stole this activity from one of my favorite professors, Mrs. Rachel Pool. It can be adapted for several different types of problems, but I used it most recently for solving and graphing inequalities.
*Problems are given on the board. I provide 2-3 different problems and assign rows of students to do each one. They still work independently, but this gives me the opportunity to go over more than one problem after the activity.
*Students work on a half sheet of paper and are told to solve the inequality but do NOT graph (yet). When they finish, they crumple their paper into a ball. (They begin to get restless and excited at this point!)
*On my count, students are allowed to throw their "ball"... at me. I should probably be concerned that they get SO excited about throwing something at me, but I just go with it!
*Once they've tossed their ball, they come up and retrieve one (my mantra here is "It doesn't matter who it belongs to or if it's your own. Pick one up and go back to your desk"). When they get back to their desk, they check the work done and then graph the inequality.
Pros: Students are having fun and doing math, need I say more? Students get out of their seats. Students practice evaluating someone else's work.
Cons: Students get caught up on, "Whose problem is this?" Without clear direction, they can get out of hand when throwing but I'm fairly strict in my directions so it's not usually a problem.
Pair-Share - This can also be adapted for several different types of problems. I'm using it this week with Greatest Common Factors.
*Each student makes up their own _______. For GCF this week, it will be a random number (with reasonable parameters given).
*Students are to pair up with another student and find the GCF of their two numbers.
*I usually have them pair up with a different student after this for more practice.
Pros: Students work together. Students "create" their own problem. Students get out of their seats.
Cons: If what they're supposed to make up is too complicated (perhaps an algebraic expression), it can be confusing when they pair up.
That's all I have for now... I suppose I'll have to actually finish my lesson plans now :)
Friday, November 15, 2013
Mr. Gosnell Goes to CCA
Adam is on the substitute teacher list at CCA. However, we (CCA faculty/staff) fill most of our absences in house, so he's never been called - until today! He subbed for our Latin teacher for about half a day. I knew that he was coming in at 11 a.m. and I was a little anxious. It was my idea for him to apply to be a substitute. I knew that he would do a good job, but really I wanted him to like it! (I secretly want Adam to teach high school one day, but that's a different story.)
11 a.m. came and went. The bell rang for lunch and the next thing I know, I have 5 or 6 students come by my classroom... "Mrs. Gosnell, your husband is here! He is SOO cool!! He let us ask him questions. He should get a job teaching here - I would be in his class." And on and on it went! Haha. Apparently Adam made quite an impression :)
I'm so thankful that he was able to come and that he had a positive experience. It's exciting to share such a huge part of my life with him - even if it was only a few hours.
He told one class that if/when they finished their work, they could each ask him two questions. Here are a few of our favorites... (A = Adam; S = Student)
--A: I'm Mr. Gosnell. S: The same as Mrs. Gosnell?!
--S: What do you do? A: I'm a student. S: But what's your job? A: I'm a full time student. S: Well how do you support Mrs. Gosnell?
--S1: How old are you? A: 23.
S2: How long have you been married? A: One year.
S3: How old were you when you got married? A: ... 22.
--Questions also included "What's your favorite color?" "Do you have any siblings?" "How old are your siblings?" "How did you propose to Mrs. Gosnell?"
11 a.m. came and went. The bell rang for lunch and the next thing I know, I have 5 or 6 students come by my classroom... "Mrs. Gosnell, your husband is here! He is SOO cool!! He let us ask him questions. He should get a job teaching here - I would be in his class." And on and on it went! Haha. Apparently Adam made quite an impression :)
I'm so thankful that he was able to come and that he had a positive experience. It's exciting to share such a huge part of my life with him - even if it was only a few hours.
He told one class that if/when they finished their work, they could each ask him two questions. Here are a few of our favorites... (A = Adam; S = Student)
--A: I'm Mr. Gosnell. S: The same as Mrs. Gosnell?!
--S: What do you do? A: I'm a student. S: But what's your job? A: I'm a full time student. S: Well how do you support Mrs. Gosnell?
--S1: How old are you? A: 23.
S2: How long have you been married? A: One year.
S3: How old were you when you got married? A: ... 22.
--Questions also included "What's your favorite color?" "Do you have any siblings?" "How old are your siblings?" "How did you propose to Mrs. Gosnell?"
Sunday, November 10, 2013
On My Mind...
(1) Sundays. Although we love our new church home, it's been a long time since I woke up on Sunday actually wanting to go to church. My weeks are long and I've been tutoring on Saturday mornings, so usually my first thought on Sunday is: "But I could sleep in..."
(2) Babies. I'm not ready to have a baby and that's okay. Yes, I'm only 23. Yes, there's plenty of time to think about kids. No, I shouldn't be worried about it. Yes, I'm enjoying the time alone with my husband. I know these things! But, unfortunately, it doesn't change the fact that I have to remind myself at least once a week.
(3) Student comments. CCA progress reports go out next week and each Middle School student receives a comment from each of their teachers. I appreciate the importance and impact these comments can have, but they can also be stressful. Kudos to our principal who is planning to read each one before they are sent. We're thankful for his support!
(4) Christmas... *Sigh*. Sure, I love the Christmas season. I love seeing the pretty lights and decorated trees. I love singing Christmas carols and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I'm looking forward to time away from work and traveling to see our family and friends. BUT. I am a terrible "gift giver." The idea of deciding on and buying gifts, wrapping them, and making sure they get to all the right people is very stressful to me.
(5) Friends and distance. We are so thankful for the friends God has already blessed us with here in MA. But we have many friends back in the South and it's hard to keep a strong relationship with all of them.
(6) Facebook. Why is it addicting? Why do I feel the urge to check it once, twice, even three times daily? I don't post very often. I haven't updated pictures recently. There's no one that I really uses Facebook to stay in constant contact with... So why the pull?
(7) Rest and hobbies. Currently my hobby is work or maybe a logic puzzle on my phone... Neither of which prove truly restful. I have a day off tomorrow and already I have a mental list of errands to run, laundry to wash, grading, etc, etc... But I know myself. If I don't get those things done, I'll sit around lazily and wish that I had the energy to go do them instead of taking the time to rest. It's a vicious cycle really... There has to be a better way.
This post evolved into a list of mostly negative feelings. I don't think that I write all of this in a spirit of complaining or whining - I simply wrote what came to mind. I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of good things going on in my life right now. I'll plan to write more on those things soon.
(2) Babies. I'm not ready to have a baby and that's okay. Yes, I'm only 23. Yes, there's plenty of time to think about kids. No, I shouldn't be worried about it. Yes, I'm enjoying the time alone with my husband. I know these things! But, unfortunately, it doesn't change the fact that I have to remind myself at least once a week.
(3) Student comments. CCA progress reports go out next week and each Middle School student receives a comment from each of their teachers. I appreciate the importance and impact these comments can have, but they can also be stressful. Kudos to our principal who is planning to read each one before they are sent. We're thankful for his support!
(4) Christmas... *Sigh*. Sure, I love the Christmas season. I love seeing the pretty lights and decorated trees. I love singing Christmas carols and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I'm looking forward to time away from work and traveling to see our family and friends. BUT. I am a terrible "gift giver." The idea of deciding on and buying gifts, wrapping them, and making sure they get to all the right people is very stressful to me.
(5) Friends and distance. We are so thankful for the friends God has already blessed us with here in MA. But we have many friends back in the South and it's hard to keep a strong relationship with all of them.
(6) Facebook. Why is it addicting? Why do I feel the urge to check it once, twice, even three times daily? I don't post very often. I haven't updated pictures recently. There's no one that I really uses Facebook to stay in constant contact with... So why the pull?
(7) Rest and hobbies. Currently my hobby is work or maybe a logic puzzle on my phone... Neither of which prove truly restful. I have a day off tomorrow and already I have a mental list of errands to run, laundry to wash, grading, etc, etc... But I know myself. If I don't get those things done, I'll sit around lazily and wish that I had the energy to go do them instead of taking the time to rest. It's a vicious cycle really... There has to be a better way.
This post evolved into a list of mostly negative feelings. I don't think that I write all of this in a spirit of complaining or whining - I simply wrote what came to mind. I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of good things going on in my life right now. I'll plan to write more on those things soon.
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