Tag: resource

Posted on

Leveling Up Homework

My homework system challenges students to be independent learners

I like this. But many of my students don’t know how to study particularly effectively. Most students, period, don’t know how to study particularly effectively, but it’s particularly challenging to do it as an adult with competing responsibilities.

This year, I challenged them to try some different study goals and formats. I gave out a list, added it to their homework folder, and asked them to initial/date when they achieved each.

(In the future, I might find a way to integrate my  homework log and this list, but I’m not there yet)

Here’s the current version of our ‘Level Up’ Homework Challenge

(The title was inspired by the power of ‘leveling up’ in Chip and Dan Heath’s The Power of Moments) 

The goal was to encourage them to work more at home, in general. But in particular, to help them become better independent learners by experimenting with different formats (to see which worked for them and/or do something new)

My impression as we went along was that students’ mostly forgot about the list, and certainly weren’t challenged or inspired by it.

Yet.

(that powerful word)

There are some advantages to our frequent first days. Lots of fresh starts and chances to improve.

As we change terms, I’m asking students to review their progress and set some goals for the next trimester.

And I’ve already made a note on my term plan: in a few weeks, we’ll be checking in on our progress, and I’ll be returning a copy of their goals to them as a reminder.

Here’s the check in we used (PDF)

Posted on

Habit Stacking: End of Term Reflections

I’m trying out a new end of term reflection.

You don’t know me well enough to know that this is not news.

I’ve tried a new end of term reflection approximately every other term of my teaching career. Obviously, I like the idea, but it rarely feels as reflective/meaningful/helpful as I hope.

This terms’ effort is motivated by three thoughts –

They need more scaffolding if they’re going to produce meaningful, helpful reflection

I need to pick something and stick to it (for my sake, and theirs)

It’s easier to stick to something by building on an existing habit, than creating new habits from scratch (aka habit stacking )

 

So, my new end of term reflection, for now and for future terms, in three steps

  1. Reread all of the metacognition they’ve already done.

I’ve been saving their exit tickets in a big pile on my desk (not sure what I’d need them for, but sure they would be good for something) + their homework folders and their review folders each contain a weekly comment about their progress or process.

Because, data helps.

And because it’s hard to hold a whole term in your head at once, and even harder to see yourself clearly.

  1. Write observations about themselves as learners this term, based on their review of the available evidence.

I’m structuring these as “I notice ____” to nudge them towards the specific, and asking for three.

  1. Give their future selves advice

I’m pointedly not taking these (although I’m taking a look) Instead, I’m asking students to put their advice someplace where they’ll notice it when they need it.

Here’s a copy of my end of term reflection

What I like about this plan:

It feels doable – for me and for them. 10 minutes of class time, I can do that. 3 sentence stems and some advice, they can do that.

It builds on what we’re already doing, so it feels connected. But also, I hope knowing they’ll be re-reading them and using them, nudges students to give more thought to the short metacognitive comments they were already writing.

Posted on

Constant Cumulative Review: Pt 4 Implementation Considerations

Read: Part 1: Start with Why , Part 2: Making Materials without Going Insane, Part 3: Putting it into Practice and/or Classroom Routines: You will metacognate for background

Consideration 1: Why I love it…

  • Having a routine buffers the chaos at the start of class, and buys me a few minutes to deal with whatever needs dealing with that day (a student back from an absence, a message from the counselor, laying out materials for an activity) while students are getting to the work of learning. If it were not this, I am now sold on some consistent ‘do now’ activity.
  • Retention – My students’ learning never gets more than a week or two from the top of their minds, and this really does seem to help them retain what they’ve learned. (yay!) This has the side benefit of dramatically reducing frustration, and boosting their sense of competence as math learners. (double and triple yay!)
  • It makes me feel better when a student doesn’t totally grasp something in class. We’re not moving on and leaving them in the dust, they’ll see and try it (and get to ask questions about it) again and again and again until they get it.
  • The metacognitive elements, but especially students taking ownership – correcting, commenting, choosing independent work
  • All the good brain science (more on that below)

 

Consideration 2: But, the time!

I love this system, but, nothing is without trade-off’s. And the big trade-off here is that I devote a lot of class time to this.

The whole routine takes about 30 minutes (out of a two hour class) It could be less, but a) the hazards of teaching adults with jobs/kids/broken down cars  include someone straggling in late b) I time it by watching my slowest students  c) we’re doing a lot during this time.

(Although, also, I imagine that a K12 class might need less time)

For me, the returns in the form of learning are high enough that I’d do it anyways, but I have also learned that we do get some of that time back at a few points:

-Those all-review days– before the test, at the end of the year, at the end of the term etc. – because we’re reviewing as we go, I can have a ‘real’ lesson on those days.

-Some of the time I’d spend on “Ok class, who remembers what we did last time…?”  *crickets* Because we’ve just done a review, I can get to the new stuff faster. (Having the review at the start of class is also a great activator)

-Some of the time I’d spend catching up lost students, or those who take longer, or who had it but forgot, or who just haven’t grasped that one. specific. thing.  They’ll get to work on whatever that stuck point is, as part of the regular flow of class, so we’re not doing (as much) time away from class to address their confusion.

 

Consideration 3: High impact practices

Yes, time intensive, but worth it to me in part because it folds in so many high impact learning practices.

Retrieval practice (remembering what you learned by quizzing etc. )

 (My open notes decision undercuts this a bit but, frankly, most students are not taking great notes so I’m not sure who much help they get and they need the encouragement to take any notes.)

(I’m currently experimenting with a ‘purer’ retrieval practice, adding a question at the end asking them to put away the notes and free write what they remember from the previous class. My template includes versions with and without this) 

  Spaced repetition (aka distributed practice, the opposite of cramming)

Metacognitive Reflection

Interleaving (Studying a mix of topics)

Differentiation/ Student Choice work

Activating Prior Knowledge

(I also have a hunch that this is a sort of informal exposure therapy for the math and text anxiety that run rampant through my classroom. Face a well-supported, low stakes version every week and eventually it gets normal enough to be a little less scary….? I don’t have the research, except a suggestion in this study, if you know more than me, please comment!)

 

 

Consideration 4: Adapting it

Spacing – Perhaps a monthly or bi weekly schedule makes more sense for your class, or maybe you do a (more extensive?) version as a transition between each unit?

Correcting – My classes are ungraded (except for the minor matter of the ultra high stakes high school equivalency exam) Perhaps having students correct themselves wouldn’t work in your school culture. Perhaps you grade them, but maybe pairs exchange papers to correct, or the class reviews results together, or you beat me to the technological punch and use a self-grading quiz program.

Timing – A half hour suits my class, but perhaps you reduce the number of questions, or cut back on the folder comment writing and student choice work to make it quicker. Or, extend it to an occasional full-period activity with more questions and review stations.

Structure – Perhaps this is not your starter, but your end of Friday routine. Perhaps the review sheets go home as homework.  Perhaps pairs or teams work together, instead of solo.  Maybe the process of reviewing is what matters and you drop the folder writing and/or independent work elements altogether.

Posted on

Constant Cumulative Review: Pt. 3 Putting it into Practice

Read: Part 1: Start with Why , Part 2: Making Materials without Going Insane and/or Classroom Routines: You will metacognate for background

(In brief – My classes start with a cumulative review every week, it’s a process, and I love it)

Once I had figured out how I could make materials, I had to figure out how they’d fit into my classes. In the end, we built a multi step routine that works for us.

  1. This is my ‘do now’. The copies are waiting on the front table when students arrive, and so early or late they know to start when they get to class. It’s open notes (to encourage note taking and using), and question-asking is allowed (so confusion gets cleared up).
  1. When students are done they correct it themselves with an answer key. And  I’m making (slow/uphill) progress at teaching them to use the key and/or questions as a tool to understand the ones they missed on the first try (instead of marking a despairing X and moving on).
  1. Each student has a (plain manila file) folder with a log stapled inside, where they file the corrected review sheets + their scores + a comment (my metacognition!). I keep the folders in the classroom so they don’t get lost, and so I can review periodically and see how students are progressing)

(I have ambitions of these folders working/feeling more like portfolios, but so far they remain just collection points)

Here’s a version of the score/comment log that I use

  1. As they finish the folders, my students know there are milk crates full of materials – and that their task is to grab something they need to brush up, and work independently until the next activity starts. (Some need more reminding of this knowledge than others, but in general, they’ve just had a good reminder of what math needs some practice)

 

While students are arriving/settling/working on this review, I’m also collecting and checking homework folders and finishing any set up for the rest of the lesson.

 

Essential elements:

Students doing most of the work.  I answer questions and attend to those who are stuck, or off-course, or need a nudge to work, but after the first couple of rounds most of my students can handle most of this process.

Making it routine. My students can do much of the work because they’ve done it before. The first weeks of the term, I spend more time directing the process, but they get into the routine pretty quickly. The routine also saves my brain – I don’t have to decide how we’re starting class, or figure out how to do review because I’ve already set that up. I’m grateful to put that brain power to some other planning question.

Posted on

Constant Cumulative Review: Pt. 2 Making Materials without Going Insane

Read: Part 1: Start with Why and/or Classroom Routines: You will metacognate for background

When my student asked for cumulative reviews the first, highest barrier was figuring out how I could possibly make custom materials, at a scale that would be useful, without going insane or putting in more hours than I had to give.

There was a learning curve, but with practice, and a system, it now fits into my weekly prep routine without too much fuss.

 

Essential Supplies: One of those accordion folders with multiple pockets, scissors, glue stick, paper.

(I have dreams of one day getting organized enough to do this electronically, but I’m not there yet)

The Process:

Round 1:  New school year, I stock the first section of my accordion folder with a few worksheets worth of review skills that students should know coming in. I cut out 1 or two problems from 3 or 4 sheets and glue stick them to a piece of scrap paper.   I make copies and answer keys, the class does them, then moves on to learn some new math. At the end of our learning, I put some of the leftover materials in a new pocket of the folder.

Round 2: One or two problems from 2 or three review skills, plus a problem or two of the newly learned skill. Glue stick. Copies. Answer key. Class. New math. Extra materials to the accordion folder. (Each unit or major skill gets a pocket in my folder)

Round 3: A few review problems, one or two of the skill we learned two weeks ago, and one or two more of the skill we learned last week.  Glue stick. Copies. Answer key. Class. New math, extras to the accordion folder.

Rounds 4 to n: 6 or 8 or 10 (if I’m feeling ambitious, mostly 8ish) problems cut from increasingly scrappy looking worksheets.

As the year goes on and we’ve learned more than 6 or 8 or 10 skills, I select quickly, without getting too bogged down. There’s always the last thing we learned, a selection of previous skills, and usually some basic number sense item that I want to drive into their brains through the power of repeated practice.

Most weeks, it takes me about half an hour to make review sheets, answer keys  and copies for two levels of classes. (My classes change just enough each year that I haven’t found it worth it to try to reuse them from year to year, but maybe you’re consistent enough to pull it off)

I’ve created a template (although you hardly need it) 

 

The essential elements:

Organization. For me, the accordion folder (perhaps for you another easy-organization binder-ish alternative)  If I had to find 6 or 8 or 10 types of math questions every week, I wouldn’t do it, but I can cut and glue 6 or 8 or 10.

Letting go of any perfectionist impulses. I move quickly and don’t agonize too much over which items to include (or how DIY it looks). This is the power of doing it regularly – anything I don’t cover sufficiently this week, will certainly be covered in other weeks.

 

Stay tuned for Part 3: Putting it into Practice and Part 4: Implementation Considerations

 

Posted on

Metacognitive exit tickets (work in progress)

This was one of my teaching goals for the school year, a way to build in a tighter feedback loop so I’d understand something about my students’ thinking each class and so they’d start to understand something about it too.

I hoped they’d pay attention to when they struggled and when they had success, what study strategies or teaching modes they preferred, how they were progressing, all the big questions.

In August it seemed simple, hand out a quarter sheet of paper, write a question on the board, collect responses. Go. It would be great.

(Oh, August. Always so hopeful.)

In practice, it was ok.

But I had to come up with a question every week targeting some bit of metacognition. And truthfully, it was often the last thing I planned, on the fly, rushing to get everything ready. It didn’t always get my best thinking. (Hi there, decision fatigue).

And they had to understand the question well enough to write an answer so they could get out the door (at 8:30 pm, after a full night of math, when they were kind of fried)

So, this winter, we (I) got a little more structured. I stumbled across this article , and decided to adapt and adopt the traffic light exit ticket.

I’d ask my students the same question every week: identify one moment when you were stuck, when you were slowed down, OR when you were cruising along.

I’d save the bit of brain power I’d spent on other questions for something else, they’d get good at answering this one question, it would teach them to self-monitor. It would be great. (January, also hopeful.)

In reality, a few weeks in, some students are still better than others at it. Some are distinctly perfunctory.  Some are beautiful. Some go in my ‘reminders for a bad day’ file

DSC_1509

The common question is worth taking a decision off my plate, though, and has made it easier for the students to focus their thinking. And, I’m hoping I’ll be able to give each student their own pile of tickets at the end of the term and have them look for patterns in their thinking.

I may refine it for next year, but I think it’s already better than the previous version.  And both are better than nothing.

If you’d like to try it in your class, here’s a version of my ticket. (updated Jan. 2020)

Posted on

Turning the Tables – Error Correction (Lesson Sketch)

Theory:

Catching your own errors is hard. It’s helpful (and more fun) to practice catching someone else’s errors. (Especially the teacher’s) (Also, to do it, you have to pay close attention to the correct method)

 

In practice:  

Do the worksheet you would have given your students… badly. (I usually aim for about a 50/50 error rate.) Plan your errors for the kind your students are mostly likely to make. (I’ll be forgetting to treat both sides of an equation equally, and reversing operations this week)

Give students the error-filled page(s) and a red pen. Their assignment: correct your work.

But not just correct it, give the kind of detailed feedback that would help this poor struggling teacher student learn. I ask my students to:

-Mark each question right/wrong

-Circle the specific error

-Write the correct method

-At the end of the worksheet, write a note with the reminders this student might need. (The notes are really sweet, I hope they talk to themselves as encouragingly as they write)

 

((Bonus, they will now appreciate how much work grading/your job is))

 

Easily adapted to:  Just about any topic. In my experience, it works best with multistep calculation tasks where procedure/precision matter.

Resource:  Algebra by Example (Example-based problem sets, many of them correcting an error)

 

 

Posted on

Lesson Sketch: Proportions Project

Lesson Sketch:  Not a lesson plan, but a sketch, an idea, adaptable to your context and content

 

Theory: If you’re going to do math you need numbers. And they might as well be about something. And that something might as well be how learning happens.

DSC_1495

Practice: Tonight’s lesson on ratios and proportions.

  1. Conduct teeny (anonymous, paper) survey about big learning topics.

For my class,  three yes/no/maybe questions: learning preferences (aka, learning style*), do you know yours?; math anxiety, do you have it?; studying independently, do you do it?

(Here’s a version, if you’d like to borrow it) 

2. Three questions, become 3 student groups. Groups convert data to ratios, then ratios to proportions as they estimate the number of students in the school who do or don’t have math anxiety, study independently etc. Statistics become posters as they present their findings. (Or not, if like me, you run out of time for posters)

 

Expansion possibilities:

-Offer resources on learning preferences/styles, anxiety etc. when students complete math project.

-More statistics! Sample vs. population, survey methods etc.

 

Easily adapted to: Making bar/pie graphs, percents, simple statistics.

 

 

*Yes, I know the research that learning styles aren’t a thing. But for students who’ve always experienced school as a disempowering struggle, thinking about their preferences and the different ways one might learn is still a useful conversation.