Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning

In the article students were involved in project-based learning using geometry to construct buildings. The teacher mentioned that students need many opportunities to work with complex, high-stakes content, similar to what they would encounter in their communities and workplace. Students used rubrics to guide their work, scoring included quality, accuracy, clarity, presentation, and teamwork. Reflection was a valuable part of the project, providing students with a deeper understanding and retention. Students later presented their work to architects who evaluated their work provided feedback to students.

After doing a similar building design with my students, they noticed that their research played an important role in the quality of their project and it was for a solution that could be considered in desert regions. They became highly engaged, and viewed their efforts as practice toward becoming more creative problem solvers. This article confirmed what I have noticed over the years with my students with a variety of assessments, especially reflection. Reflection helps improve retention and the quality of projects, while refining and extending their thinking. After reading this, I also saw the value in providing evaluators from the community, who can provide specific feedback.

Kids Master Mathematics When They're Challenged But Supported

In the article, New Jersey teachers found that when underachieving students were allowed to struggle with challenging math problems, they improved dramatically on test scores, confidence, and interest in math. They said the key is to do it in a nurturing environment. Kids begin to view frustration as an opportunity for success instead of an indication of failure. Students built confidence by being allowed to use their own and explain their own strategies. Students reported feeling frustrated, satisfied, proud, and willing to work harder next time.

I’ve found motivation a struggle with a few of my students. I will continue to find problems that are interesting and challenging to them specifically. I’ve noticed that many times, when sharing their own strategies, these students get excited that they find patterns, complex solutions, or novel ways of looking at problems that others did not consider or were not able to do.

The Sky's the Limit: Kids' Top Tools for the Classroom

The article’s author asked teachers to ask their students a few simple questions: "What technology do you use outside of school that would be good for the classroom? Why? How would that work?"
Here's what the students came up with
1. laptops
2. Bluetooth-exchanging information between electronic devices
3. cell pone-“Mobile Prep” use electronic flash cards, generate questions based on student proficiency. Students can share and sell decks they generate.
4. digital camera-take a picture of the whiteboard to cut down on notetaking time
5. graphing calculator-new applications on website for company, create own programs to solve equations in physics; it can manipulate data quickly and has many applications.
6. Nintendo DS-Brain Age
7. Video Camera-tape the class to study later; or post it to school’s website for other students to download
8. FlashDrive-carrying a great deal of information without the weight of books
9. Public-Address System-music could play during class transition times in middle and high schools.
10. Universal Remotes, controlling all equipment in classroom
11. webcam-students can talk to kids across the world
12. iPod-allows students to listen to music while studying, blocking out distractions, listen to books, catching up on the world of podcasts.
13. Sims-artificial environments-allows social interaction and group learning.

I know I need to be more open-minded about recording things. I’m not comfortable recording and posting my teaching on the web. I do like the music for transition times, maybe I can use that between activities. I did use Skype for the very first time on Monday. I can’t wait to connect to other classrooms soon.

Ten Steps to Better Student Engagement

The author travels the country teaching teachers strategies for creating and managing high-quality project-learning environments. He gave ten strategies teachers should use to keep students engaged. The classroom should be emotionally safe. There should be varied rich, complex tasks where every student has a chance to excel. Teachers keep students engaged and try to keep a high level of engagement where projects are challenging with appropriate support. Students should reflect often, and have flexibility in approach to solving problems. Students should use the design process to revise work to raise the level of quality. Students should develop a list of big ideas to help them make connections between assignments and real life.

This article reiterated what I know to be true about engagement. I liked the idea of revising work in a variety of subjects/activities, so students produce work of a better quality. The reflection time gets limited or not included many times in my week.

What's Not on the Test: How to Turn Assessment into Learning

Rob Riordan is a veteran teacher who’s message is rigor within work that has lasting value. He says that assessment includes making sure our kids graduate from schools qualified and ready to enter college; reading, writing, and computing well. The other part of assessment he is most passionate about is having students produce work of lasting value. His claim is that we need to have students do frequent presentations of learning and classroom critiques, where kids reflect on the work they’ve done. Students should be engaged in work where they are pursuing their interest and passions. Students should be telling teachers what they are learning, what they think while learning, and what they still don’t understand. Assessment should be part of instruction where kids are presenting their work all the time.

I agree with his approach. There must be a balance in our approach to assessment if we are to prepare students for the 21st century who are thoughtful problem solvers passionate about learning. Not only should they be producing and presenting work they can be proud of, they need to become fluent in skills and processes needed to perform well on any standardized test. Other research about the brain, shows that by having students go through the act of teaching/explaining their thinking, they learn and remember more. Their responses also provide a great checking point to see where students are in their understanding.

How to Teach with Technology: Science and Math

The article gave tips from students and teachers for high-tech learning. One example was in honors chemistry class, where students were to perform video interviews from local experts on a research topic of their choosing. Students worked through video editing tutorials outside of class. Another student mentioned in the article that video reports would be much more fun than research papers. Another example was to have students create their own video games. Projects, resources, and a program for teaching students how to design their own game were listed. Students also like the idea of using movies and cartoons to learn science. One student suggested analyzing the movie, "Transformers," to demonstrate what laws of motion the movie follows or breaks. Other ideas include using animated characters using the software “Xtranormal.” You pick characters, settings, and voices for characters. Students can create scripts for them.
Java Gaming site helps students learn science and other subjects with fun quizzes and games. Text students weekly math extensions via “Brain Stokes.” Disposable, video, or digital cameras could be used to have students find angles out on a scavenger hunt for a geometry lesson. On interactive white boards, students can clone red circles to use as manipulatives to show multiplication facts. 4 groups of 3 circles is 12 circles. “Lego Batman” could be used to teach math through scientific notation of large numbers of pieces and multiplication. In “Voki,” teachers could use a character to explain math problems in class. They could replay anything they want repeated. They can embed their Voki into Web pages, wikis, or blogs, and write or record the text it speaks. “Math Blaster” is a computer game to practice math skills.

I think I will try the following within my classroom: I will try having students embed a Voki to our class wiki to read text. I will try the SmartBoard activity and have students move circles around to practice their multiplication facts. I will also have students use cameras for various scavenger hunts for different concepts we are learning, including geometry.