Comments on: Colchester, VT: Standards-Based Grading

By: dy/dan » Blog Archive » [It Got Away] Vermont License Plates

dy/dan » Blog Archive » [It Got Away] Vermont License Plates — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:36:48 +0000

[…] I'm in Colchester, VT and I'm noticing the license […]

By: Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 01:59:24 +0000

I enjoy the folks on my blogroll (to the right there). In grad school, some of my favorite academics are Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Magdalene Lampert, and Jo Boaler. I’d pick up whatever they put down.

By: Bill Tozzo

Bill Tozzo — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 14:13:46 +0000

Hi Dan:

I’m rteading Ken O’Connor’s book, “15 Fixes for Broken Grades . . .” I’m really starting to like what I’m reading. Any other stuff you could recommend?

By: Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:47:54 +0000

I added a few answers to the post proper, if anyone’s interested. Thanks for your thoughts.

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:22:50 +0000

The quadrilateral problems are surely not intended to represent generic quads. I would expect my students to know that symmetry is the correct/easiest approach to these two problems.

Jason Dyer hit on the way that about (maybe) 10% of my students will solve for linear angles, no matter how often we’ve worked with 180. But, if they use the implied circle’s 360, I’m almost as satisfied, and would never dream of giving less than full credit.

I would not use the Law of Sines/Cosines for either of the problems posted here. Would that mean that I would not receive full credit? Is a specified method intended to be a REQUIRED method?

What is the two-step equation intending to test? And is it the only problem that is testing two-step equation solving? I would need to know those two answers before I could comment on the problem itself.

By: Erick

Erick — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:32:01 +0000

The issue with the Law of Sines / Cosines problem is that you do not have to use the Law of Sines / Cosines to solve it. A student can get those right WITHOUT using the Law of Sines / Cosines, especially the 30-60-90. In fact I expect my students to solve 30-60-90’s quickly with minimal computation (if any at all). If these triangles are intended to demonstrate that the student knows the Law of Sines / Cosines, it does not do that.

By: Tara

Tara — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 02:16:48 +0000

Dan, thanks for the time you spent working with our department. I love seeing the view from my classroom on your blog :)

All of the questions you posed made for some great conversations. The best part is that we’re still having them both at CHS and here online!

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:00:18 +0000

The problem I see with the Quad and Triangle questions stems from the minimal amount of information given in each question…”just enough” to apply the Law of Sines or Cosines. A student who had a mediocre grasp on these questions could stumble onto the right answer and look like a star, especially the trapezoid problem.

Throw some more sides and angles at them to sift through…make the triangles non-right and scalene…

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:27:47 +0000

Are students allowed to use a calculator on the two step problem? If so, then it’s a matter of procedure and the calculator can be used to ensure the proper arithmetic.

As for the linear pair, students may forget that linear pairs are supplemental. Not usually a big problem.

The quadrilateral problems arise from the sum of interior angles = 360. Parallel lines and angles on the same side of the transversal being supplemental for the isosceles trapezoid. Recognizing an isosceles trapezoid is also an issue. (Silly things as adults see them, but not so for students.) Remembering non-vertex angles are congruent in kites is an issue easy to overlook for students.

For the Law of Sines and Cosines problems the biggest issue is remembering the formulas, especially for the Law of cosines. Students have a hard time determining c, the variable for which the L of C is solved. It’s more perplexing if the vertices are labeled differently.

Don’t know who Tom is, Curmudgeon, but -25 degrees and cheerly should get him thrown into the lake! ;D

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:25:05 +0000

The trouble with the two-step equation problem is that it’s also an intimidating decimal arithmetic question.

If a student fails it, you don’t know which skill needs work.