A Mind Opening Approach to Teaching... A Powerful Week of Change

Who knew on Monday what would happen when making my first trek up the Merritt Parkway, paired with an arduous stretch on Interstate 91 north, leading to a tucked away magnet school named "Two Rivers". Who knew that I and many others would find that within four days our entire mindset and approach to teaching and learning would be wholly transformed.

This week I along with 28 other fabulous teachers from Danbury, New Milford, and Newtown are entrenched in a new learning and discovery to help understand how to teach science (and all disciplines) in a more practical, logical, and intrinsically motivating way.  We are instructed by three classroom teachers who have been where we are and still teach in a classroom every day.  They have the knowledge, resources and the "educational toolbox"  to help solve our problems and answer our questions.  

We are learning the process of teaching using inquiry based methods.  I will not outline all of the details, but basically using careful planning, guidance and well executed lessons, you create a framework in your classroom that allows students to dig deeper into subject matter that is highly motivating to them. You create a classroom full of curiosity and wonder, a classroom of discovering, asking more questions, and unearthing new information.  

Tuesday and Wednesday we were exposed to stream tables and did a short guided activity with the flow and slope. Out of this came many questions that we had.  We were then able to pick a question we wanted explore with like-minded individuals who wanted to explore the same question.  There were eight different investigations simultaneously being conducted in a small classroom.  My group of four was so focused on our investigation of the formation of deltas (see our deltas in the picture above), we were oblivious to the flurry of activity around us.  We were given a basic framework, time, materials, and trust to work together to accomplish our goal of making new discoveries. We did.  We collaborated, assigned roles, measured, discussed.  We presented our investigation and the data collected.  Most of all we had fun...and learned.  We learned more than we ever could have in an article about delta formations.  Could an article be helpful to our understanding?   Absolutely!  It does not need to be a front-loading activity for the students.  Much more was gleaned from this cooperative endeavor than could ever be from a text.

Making a shift and leaving your teaching comfort zone is quite a challenge.  My thinking about instruction is beginning to change.  Now I need to jump in, push away the apprehension and doubt swirling about in my mind and get to it.

 Click here to read a Danbury News Times article about the program.

(We have learned so much more.  I will continue to write about this inquiry approach because we will be working on how to implement this in science all year long.  I am going to be thinking about and trying this approach in reading and math as well.  Our program is a collaborative effort between Danbury, New Milford, Newtown public schools, Western Connecticut State University, The Connecticut Science Center, and the Sate Department of Education.  It is an instructional  coaching academy funded through a Math Science Partnership grant.  I will attach the link at a later date.)

The Quest for the Perfect (and economical) Cup of Coffee

The only thing that can bring a smile to my face in the morning besides my wife and children is that heavenly smell of fresh brewed coffee; wafts of steam slowly emanating from the stark white cup.  Java, Joe, Brew, whatever you choose to name your morning, afternoon or evening vice, for some late morning and early afternoon vice too, it does not matter.  What matters is the taste and smell, and the feeling that fresh brew invokes in you.  Whether you have some fancy Krups contraption, a regular old Mr. Coffee 10 cup decanter, or you purchase your lot at the local joint by a barista named Johnny Nice,  you know that first sip will dictate most of the rest of your day.  Sweet, delicious, aromatic prepared just your way, the day will be splendid.  Too much cream, not enough sweetener, watered down, way too strong; your day is headed for sheer disaster.

I do not claim to be a coffee expert in any way.  I know little of the fancy terms that litter the caffeine landscape.  Coffee is my drink, iced once in a while, frappuccino type blended drinks more seldom.  I do know a palatable cup from one I would pour out in the parking lot.  At home we make the standard Trader Joe's Classic Blend, the big 32 ounce can for $9.99 in our Wal-Mart purchased Black and Decker standard white 12 cup coffee maker.  The results are usually satisfactory.  Sometimes quite good.  It all depends on dates of the milk or cream in the fridge. Cups on the road have innumerable variables.

Last year I presented my students with a serious mathematical problem.  We were studying decimals, so I laid out the cost of coffee in varying sizes from three different establishments.  They needed to find out which was the most economical cup.  This led us to the belief that this was the best coffee.  Thinking back, many flaws lie in this thinking. The first and most considerable is taste, with cost a close second.  With taste buds, wallet, and an amateur coffee vocabulary in mind I will try to outline some of the fantastic cups I have enjoyed in my limited traveling area in Connecticut.

The Blue Colony Diner in Newtown was my first foray into the caffeine world as a teen.  Late Friday night or heading out after school meant endless refills for one low price.  I have not been there in years, but that is where my taste buds came alive.  I plan on returning soon to experience once again the roots of my daily vice.

Dunkin Donuts
Dunkin Donuts came on the scene and was the second place my addiction spread. A decent cup, but undependable flavor.  You also can not find consistency from one shop to the next.  The price on average $2.20 or so for a large is too high for the quality.  You can have a fantastic cup, one you can't put down on Monday, then at the same establishment you need to walk back in to have them make you a new cup on Tuesday because it is half cream and sicky sweet.  I go there quite often for the convenience, drive through or "thru", and sheer copiousness of this franchise that pervades the Connecticut landscape.

Starbucks
Starbucks is the place I am quite ambivalent about.  I always find myself wanting to love the coffee and the ambience of the setting, but for my tastes, neither is just right.  I find the brew too strong, even the mild.  Inside, the color scheme is much more pleasant than Dunkin Donuts, so the experience sure rates higher.  Being able to control the fixings that go into your cup is a big plus.  I want to put the cream and sugar in.  I know as you do, each customer has a perfect color and sweetness.  The logo laden cups and trinkets for sale on every shelf of the store remind me of a vacation gift shop trying to sell you everything as a reminder of the wonderful time you had on your visit.  My favorite mug at home is a cylindrical heavy, 20 ounce white cup with a simple brown Starbucks label.  They make good products, but the coffee, not so much.  The frappuccino is tasty, but for $4.00, a once in a long while treat.  A venti at $2.10 is on average less expensive than Dunkin Donuts, and the paper cup gives it the edge.  As you can  see...ambivalent.

McDonald's
McDonald's has peeked my interest in the past six months or so.  They serve Green Mountain coffee, which on its own deserves a great deal of print space for the delicious flavors they deliver to many different types of coffee shops around the state.  McDonald's carries Newman's Own organic.  Very good flavor, you can fix it yourself if you wish, but... it's McDonald's with their super corporate and step on everyone for a buck philosophy.  The positive in that, that is the cost of the coffee, one dollar for any size, even a twenty ouncer ".  Now that is economical and it is quite tasty.  Good to the last drop.  Just don't order any food there.  That is their hope. With the java, you order sausage mcsandwiches with bacon and more sausage.  If you can avoid that marketing ploy, be sure to give it a try.

Green Mountain and New England Coffee
Back to Green Mountain.  You can find this coffee at many gas stations, small sandwich shops, cafeterias, banks, and libraries throughout the state.  They have a wide variety of flavors, including my two favorites "wild mountain blueberry" and "maple syrup".  I am not a flavored coffee guy but these two are irresistible when available.  This is my brand for the Kuerig maker in my classroom as well.  For a good cup at any time for a reasonable price where you can control the contents of the cup, you can't beat Green Mountain no matter the establishment.  One of my favorites is a gas station off of the Merritt Parkway.  Twenty-four ounces fixed the way you like for $1.90.  If you can find New England coffee, that is a delicious alternative.

My New Favorite
A small coffee shop with good coffee and atmosphere recently closed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut (a section of Newtown) called Mocha.  This quaint shop overlooks a rambling river called the Pootatuck.  A new place Demitasse took its place, so I thought I would give it a try.  Holy cow, I downed this cup in minutes.  After asking a few questions, I learned they serve Willoughby's roasted coffee out of Branford and New Haven.  This is near my home.  I happened to have an appointment right across the street from the Branford Willoughby's shop a few days later.  Reasonably priced, flavorful, leaving you wanting for more. It is just a bit difficult to get to, not on my ride anywhere.  I will go out of my way for this cup though.

Coffee.  What else can be said.  Other thoughts come to mind, but I will save that for another day.  In the mean time, greet good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, with an unforgettable cup of Joe.

Please feel free to add your favorites to this list!

Summer Waning...Random Thoughts

In the weeks leading up to the first day of school my mind begins to fill with work that lays ahead.  Two weeks and two days from now I will go to bed with all of the possibilities.  The racing thoughts will begin.   Is my room ready?  What do I do on the first day of school?  Is there enough time to meet about the new schedule and the new students?  I will toss and turn until the alarm awakens my exhausted body.  Once at school, I will chat with buddies, exchange smiles and pleasantries with colleagues, and hear the same old same old same old "How was your summer?" interactions, innumerable times. Meetings will pass by in a blur, information will fail to penetrate my brain because I will have one thought and one thought only.  "I need to work in my room!" All will be on edge. The fear of unpreparedness will flow through everyone's brains.  The best plan of action:  Ignore, ignore, ignore.  It's best to have tunnel vision.  For now,  focus on anything but school.  Once you step on the treadmill you can't get off, so it's best not to step...yet. Two weeks, two days. I will not waste my time calculating that math problem.  We'll wait...and embrace the sweet last days of summer.

Back to College and My Brain Hurts!

On May 18, 1996 and 1997 I graduated undergraduate and graduate school at UCONN.  Once leaving those institutional doors I thought there was no chance of ever going back.   "No more teachers, no more books no more teachers dirty looks."  I am a teacher so I see those dirty looks every day.  Well, on May 18, 2010 I went back to college. An opportunity came that I couldn't pass up.  Free college, with a stipulation that I work with fellow teachers at my school to help be a Math and Science coach.  Wish me luck.    The second homework assignment, quite impossible.  I needed help from two colleagues joining me in the program to answer the 5 end of chapter questions.  None of us were sure we were right.  It took us all at least 2 hours to complete. Sitting in class, the ADD sets in immediately.  The fear of being wrong when answering questions creeps back into my head.  Friends do help keep the focus and the fun, thank goodness. 

Yes, my brain does hurt. A good hurt.  

Hopefully it gets easier!

The Power of Goal Setting!

I am not a big reader.  I do not like reading books very much.  My lack of focus sets in making it difficult to persevere through novels, even ones I particularly enjoy.   Barnes and Noble purchases can be found unread in every room of my house. Overdue library books are on the coffee table, partially read.

Twitter and Facebook are the greatest inventions of all times.  140 characters, short blurbs with links if you want to read on are my type of reading. Thank goodness for the 21st Century. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader (The Twitter and Facebook of the 20th Century) was my favorite college read;  short, to the point, satisfying.  Newspapers are pretty good as well.  I'm too cheap to subscribe to them anymore though.  The iPhone covers most of the sources I need.

As a teacher my job is to help students become exceptional readers who can connect and interpret, analyze and write about a variety of texts.

How can I do this?

I do use the other students in the room.  The influence of readers around the room is a great incentive to those few who are unmotivated and unfocused (like me).  The students discuss and recommend novels and series daily. Unfortunately, watching and listening to others does not necessarily get some where they need to be.

That's where I come in.  Oh boy.  This is the hard part.  One student came to me on the very first day of school.  He told me that he hates reading.  Hates reading?  This is going to be a long year I thought. My response to him at the time was that hopefully we can change that this year. He looked quite skeptical.  I was quite skeptical.

We have an excellent program called Accelerated Reader.  (Click on the link to learn more information.) This program helps students become phenomenal readers in a fairly authentic and self-motivating way that I was quite skeptical about from the start.  My views have changed significantly since our students have found great success. The students set personal goals that they try to attain each marking period.

This boy did not respond well to this motivation.  So we went to the next step.  He chose a book. We did some math, he loves math.  We divided the number of pages in the book by how many days he wanted to take to complete it.  Then a sticky note was placed for each day on the goal page.  I checked in with him each day.  He finished one day early and said that he felt proud of himself for this big accomplishment.  He said that it was not as hard as he thought, and it was "pretty fun".   The final thing he said was "I didn't realize I could read a book so quickly".


SUCCESS!

I need to take my own advice.

Trashketball and Monday Morning Quarterbacks!

Today we played a quick game to help students understand the connections between fractions, decimals, and percents.  The students all know how to convert with ease between them.  Now we are focusing on real-world examples.

One thing I thought of on the way to school to make it interesting was to take five shots at a trash can and record your ratio (fraction) after each shot.  The students stand about five feet away from the can and take shots with recycled paper.  They record each students' scores as well.

Here were my scores:  1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5
I made my first shot, then missed the next four.

So what were the decimals and percents.
After the first shot, 1.0 or 100%, Then 50%, Then 33.3%, Then 25%, Then 20%.

The students then followed to complete this task.  (Most fared better than me.)

At the end of the lesson, one of the students said we should call this "Trashketball".
A quick google search found this to be a game developed by math teachers already for all kinds of math activities.  How cool.  I will be sure to  try some of their suggestions.

On Monday we will branch off into looking at the group as a whole, simplifying the fractions, comparing fractions within and between groups, adding and subtracting fractions.

Thanks to those of you who shared ideas. A former colleague sent along a great football idea.  Can't wait to try this Mrs. M.

A Quest for Ideas to Shake this Turkey Funk

We are working on decimals, fractions, and problem solving in class.

I am feeling quite uninspired with ideas.  It must be the Thanksgiving fog I'm still living in.

I need your help.

I need a diverse group of people to respond to tell me how they use fractions, decimals, percents, with problem solving (because it is all problem solving) in their occupations or hobbies.

Don't worry if it doesn't apply to the sixth grade set.  That will be my job to make it real.  It just may shake me from this "Turkey Funk".

Happy December.

Did you know that if you add consecutive odd numbers starting with one they equal squares?

1+3= 4 (2 squared)
1+3+5 = 9 (3 squared)
follow the pattern.

Pretty neat!