Well, unfortunately, it has been a few weeks since I last posted. Time this summer just has not been consistent. Running my kids to their camps and lessons, my own PD, my internship project to complete my principal certification classes, and life in general has just made this summer fly by!
Last week I attended an AP Summer Institute at UT-Austin for pre-AP Math with a focus on Algebra 1 and Geometry. I finally was able to have some hands on time with CBR's and LOVE them! Now I'm much less scared to use them in my classes! We did a lot of activities and problems to introduce more rigor and Calculus concepts earlier in the math curriculum. All I can say, is I'm glad it wasn't an AP Calculus or Stats institute! The limited calculus we were completing was stretching my memory much farther back than I care to admit!
Now though, with just a few weeks before school begins, I'm at a point where I wanted to have some lesson plans completed and ready to go, but I still find myself looking for information and sorting through what I really want my priorities to be this year. So, to help me fine tune that and figure out my goals, I'm going to list out the ideas to maybe help make some sense of what I should focus on for the benefit of my students.
1. Flipped lessons - I want to have a blended plan, not all flipped, but shoot for about 50% or more of the notes in a flipped setting. Great ideas from Todd Nesloney at 3 Tech Ninjas!
2. Interactive Notebooks - I've been afraid of incorporating these because my students cannot show up with a pencil, let alone a notebook, but I'm wanting to do this and figure out a way to make it work.
3. Technology! - This is on several levels. I want to use our graphing calculators more wisely. I'm tired of the cell phone/iPod fight, so I want to figure out how to teach responsible use of devices. I want to incorporate Twitter, QR codes, Google docs, etc.
4. Mathematical Habits of Mind - I like the idea of this concept I heard at CAMT2013 from Cathy Seeley and want to incorporate the idea into my lessons for my students.
5. Growth mindset - I want to focus on this concept so that my students will be in the right frame of mind to begin not only to understand high school mathematics, but to enjoy it!
6. Teach like a Pirate - Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask & Analyze, Transformation, and Enthusiasm! All thanks to Dave Burgess!
7. Perplexity - "The times they are a changing!" Thanks to Dan Meyer! - Can use some of the pre-AP training ideas here to add to challenge and student centered learning.
8. iPad - I splurged and bought myself an iPad yesterday, so now I have to learn to use it and use it effectively!
Hmmm, now that I have compiled a list, even though it does seem I'm missing a few things, it doesn't seem quite as overwhelming as it did before starting this post. Seeing the benefits of posting and reflecting and the school year is still a few weeks away!
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