Ecology Rocks!

I have to admit that I danced around the room when I received my kit for Ecology: Organisms, Nutrients and Environment. It is this course in Lesley's Science in Education program that I have had the greatest anticipation for. The best item in the kit: a handheld microscope. WOW! This beats a hand lens any day when looking at ROT on the move as we have done this past week. Our first assignment was to get outside and look for signs of decomposition and to post our thoughts on factors involved in the process. I already feel like I've gained a lot of knowledge about the subject.
Our leader, Suzanne Flynn has made great efforts to personalize the experience by touching base with each of us and posting right along beside us. My classmates are from all over the US as well Guatemala and Germany. They bring a wide variety of experience and knowledge to the course. This nine weeks is going to be a fantastic learning experience. Next week's session looks to be even more intriguing. We will be setting up a composting investigation and observing the decomposition of bread. I am currently exposing a loaf of bread to the air to encourage the growth of mold. We'll be putting that good old microscope to use again. (Contented sigh)....the wonders of ROT.

Science is Magnetic!

Who knew that electromagnets could be so much fun?

This week in physics we were challenged to create a simple motor using wire, soap, paper clips, and batteries. The soap was important for placing the paper clips in the correct positions. The electric current made a motor by causing the wire loops to spin. There were many simple and quick Youtube videos that we explored in order to gain a deeper understanding. The physics text really helped us understnad electromagnets and how they are created and what they are used for. Magnets are all around us!

This week really sparked my curiosity for electric motors. My group members and I are all wondering what really makes an electric motor work efficiently and how many types of motors are there?

An Electrifying Week!

We have been challenged this week in the Physics 2 course to understand the answers to these fascinating questions through hands-on inquiry:

How does a battery work?
What does voltage have to do with a circuit?
How do you make a circuit?
What common household objects act as conductors and insulators?

Our first task was to visit a local electronics retail store to pick up low cost items to create simple circuits. I was eager to begin and found that it was fascinating to build different circuit pathways. I found success each time that the figurative light bulb literally lit up! It was fascinating reading other students' posts about the circuits that they were able to create. That is one of the many perks to an online learning community, you can share ideas and help each other reform your scientific thinking.

Our next task was to explore a circuit simulator to learn how voltage affects electron flow in a circuit. The simulator was very student friendly and easy to manipulate. It was a great demonstration of what happens in a circuit when the power source is high voltage.

Did you know that the metal top of a yellow number two pencil can act as a conductor? The last task for the week was to explore insulators and conductors at home. We were able to use a simple circuit to find household conductors and insulators. As a group we explored everything from lemons to cheese graters and we were truly intrigued by our results.

“Are we going to do something fun in math today?”

I just completed the online course in Probability and am looking forward to my next course which is Statistics. I gain a depth of understanding that I did not previously have with every course that I take in this program. In each class I learn strategies for teaching and how students learn best which helps me to become a more effective teacher. In the Probability course I learned the importance of addressing both theoretical and experimental probability. A simple but powerful way to do this is by allowing students to play games of probability. How many times have students greeted you with the question “Are we going to do something fun in math today?” I have been asked this question countless times and now, when we are beginning a unit on probability, I can finally answer “Yes!” As students play a game, you can assess their understanding of probability by asking them the simple question “Is this game fair?” When they attempt to answer this question, one can ask them to explain how they know whether or not the game is fair. One can easily extend this activity by asking students to design a fair game. This hands-on experience helps students to learn about and understand experimental and theoretical probability.
In this course we had the opportunity to design a game that we could use in our classrooms to help students understand experimental and theoretical probability. We were asked to play this game with some children over the summer and report on our findings. I played the game I designed with children from the ages of 5 to 16 and saw the benefits and learning that occurred for children of all ages. One of my favorite memories this summer is playing the probability game on the beach with a daughter of one of my friends. The game was very engaging and the young lady did not realize she was part of a mathematical experiment. When I asked this child to tell me about her favorite part of the game, she simply stated “I liked that we could play this game on the beach and it was FUN!” I learned a great deal from this activity and plan to incorporate the “Fair Game” activity into my lesson plans next year as it is a powerful learning tool.

“Is it a Square?”

In each on-line class that I have taken at Lesley, I have been given investigations and problems that I can use immediately in my classroom. Every week, I anxiously wait to see what problems I will be given to investigate. I am able to select one or more of these problems and give them to my students to explore and solve. I often give one of the problems as a challenge problem. Some of my students have become hooked on these problems and are disappointed if I do not have one for the week. I have been amazed to find some of my students who are not motivated to finish other assignments tackle the challenge problems with enthusiasm. Their passion is contagious. They often want to discuss their progress with me and other students become interested. Soon more students ask for challenge problems to try.
While taking Geometry 1, I was working on a problem for my class. I typically do not give my students a problem until after I have solved it. A copy of the problem was on my desk and another teacher saw it and asked about it. Students overheard our discussion and asked for a copy of the problem so they could try to solve it. I warned them that I had not yet completed the problem, but their curiosity was peaked. It is not often that eighth grade students plead with me to give them a math problem, so how could I say no? I agreed to make copies of the problem during my preparation time. While making copies, two other teachers saw the problem and asked for a copy as well. The problem was simple. There was a diagram of a shape that looked like a square and the question simply was “Is it a square?” It was made up of smaller squares and some additional information was given. Students were also asked to explain their answer. I could see that this was going to be the problem of the day at our school so I solved it during my preparation time. I watched amazed at how engaged students were in trying to figure out this problem. They worked collaboratively and were very creative in their many different approaches. They celebrated when they came up with a solution and were able to prove their answer. They wanted to share their solutions with me and give the problem to their classmates who had not yet seen it. At the end of the day, one of the teachers who had asked for the problem earlier came to my classroom door and simply said, “Is it a square?” I replied, “What do you think?” Our answers matched. I then told him about a student who had solved it in about three minutes which was the record for the day! He shook his head in amazement as he walked away. I am grateful to have a new source of rich problems for my students. These problems bring math alive and help my students practice true problem solving skills. After one of my students solved a challenge problem I was rewarded with her final comment which was, “I think that is the coolest thing I have ever seen in math!”

“I Don’t Get What They Don’t Get!”

I was working with my co-teacher and we were planning math lessons for the next week. We were to begin a unit on linear equations which we had taught many times before. Many of our students struggle to understand the concept of slope even though we have come up with many creative ways to introduce and explore linear functions. Despite our best efforts, we were not reaching all of our students. My co-teacher turned to me and said “I don’t get what they don’t get!” That was a pretty profound statement coming from her considering that she was an expert in understanding how to help students “get it”. This made me pause and consider what I had learned in my on-line classes at Lesley. I remember learning that students need a strong foundation in ratios and an understanding of proportional reasoning in order to be successful in learning about slope. Was this part of the problem? We decided to give our students a pre-assessment and learned that our students were weak in proportional reasoning. As a result we spent several days exploring proportions and using proportional reasoning to solve problems. Students were finding success with this work because they had been exposed to ratios and proportions before and just needed more practice to solidify their understanding. The day came when we moved onto slope. A day or so into our explorations, one of our students practically stopped the class. He stood up and announced, “Wait, just a minute here. Could you say that slope is just a ratio and that’s all there is to it?” I gave this student a high-five and felt great relief. At times during the past week, I wondered if the work with proportional reasoning would make an impact. This was the first hint that it had indeed helped. My students were having less difficulty with the explorations and needed less support. Follow-up assessments showed that they were indeed learning and were “getting it”. We still had students who required interventions and support, but overall, we had found a better way to introduce a difficult topic.

I am now halfway through my on-line masters program in math at Lesley. This is just one example of how the math classes I have taken thus far have impacted my teaching practice. I am finding that with every class I gain new insights about student thinking and understanding. This allows me to develop tools that I can use to help guide my students toward mathematical success and true understanding of concepts. When I can figure out what they don’t get, then I have the opportunity to make changes that will help me become a more effective teacher in the classroom.

Why Online?

I have just completed my fifth on-line class in the M.Ed. in Mathematics Education at Lesley and am beginning my sixth course. I will complete this program in two years, taking one class at a time. I have been asked by my colleagues at work how I feel about being in an on-line program. Since I am half-way through my coursework, I am in a position to speak about some of the benefits that I have found from being in the program at Lesley. Every class that I have taken has aligned to what I teach as a middle school math teacher. Each professor has been excellent, not only because they are knowledgeable about the content, but because they also have experience in the classroom. They are passionate about their areas of expertise and go above and beyond to help everyone in the class grow as a teacher of mathematics. It is hard to explain how one makes a connection with on-line classmates so quickly. It happens because we are afforded so many opportunities to interact. We share mathematical solutions, teaching strategies, and work on group projects. We give one another links for teaching resources, trade lessons and discuss our successes and challenges. Most importantly, my classmates provide support and help whenever I need it and I am grateful when I am able to do the same for them. With the start of each class, I am excited to “see” familiar faces and find that I quickly make connections with classmates I am meeting for the first time. The online classroom allows me to experience diversity; my classmates come from all over the country, or I should say all over the globe. The on-line classroom experience is enriched because of our varied backgrounds. Collectively we teach in different places, use different curriculums, and teach at different grade levels. I picked this program initially because I live in a somewhat remote location and it would be a challenge to commute and attend class in person. I also liked the idea of being able to schedule the time when I would “attend class” and complete my coursework. I did not foresee all of the other advantages. I have grown in my understanding of mathematics and as a teacher of mathematics. I have been humbled as I continue to learn how much I have yet to learn!