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Category: conferences

Total 78 Posts

Asilomar #2: Proportions

By • December 1, 2007 • 1 Comment

Session Title

“Meaningful Mathematics: Using Proportional Reasoning”

Presenter

Jim Short. District Math Specialist, Oxnard UHSD

Narrative

Proportions are one of Algebra’s biggest ideas and I was pumped to attend a presentation whose title (at least) shared that ethos. Halfway through I bailed.

First activity: the presenter passed out a cool problem concerning proportional reasoning. My seatmate and I discussed our solutions. Then the audience discussed its solutions, generally affirming everyone, etc.

But then the presenter passed out twelve more problems, all entry-level, and we started running through solutions for each one and, I dunno, the crowd seemed into it (a fight basically broke out over one problem) but if I need anything from a 90-minute stretch, it’s a certain unpredictability.

Which isn’t to say you’ve gotta pull rabbits out of hats and then jump into a harmonica medley, just that, if I can figure out the course you’ve charted for my next ninety minutes, I’m bored.

Presentation Notes

PowerPoint. Bullets came in with what looked to be a “Float” animation. The presenter showed off our work with a document camera.

Homeless

  • I swear, I’d die if I saw another mid-20’s male ’round here.

For Your Consideration:

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Asilomar #1: Motivation

By • December 1, 2007 • 3 Comments

Session Title

“Tell Me Something That is Going to Work: How To Motivate Students!”

Presenter

Timothy Kanold. President, National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.

Narrative

I relaxed my stance on exclamation points in presentation titles and was pleasantly rewarded with a maximum of sober introspection and a minimum of canned inspiration.

Kanold, if nothing else, asked a battery of good, tough questions, starting with:

  • What is your area of no-talent? (A: Running.)
  • When did you decide it was an area of no-talent? (A: High school, mile three of a nineteen mile run with the cross country team)

And then the big crossover:

  • Can all kids learn math?
  • Whose responsibility is it to be motivated?

We discussed these questions with seatmates and there was a lot of discomfort throughout both, a vast difference between what people wanted to say and what they felt comfortable saying.

I asked TMAO’s miserable icebreaker, “What percentage of the responsibility for student achievement rests on the teacher?” From the guy on my left and the girl on my right came the same response: 50%.

50% in spite of our advantages in age, education, confidence, and salary. I don’t think I have much use for that figure.

Kanold talked about how easy motivation is for math teachers. Kids are pressed into it. Math is required for graduation. He noted, however, that graduation is a lousy stick to get kids motivated since a lot of kids just don’t care about graduation.

His recommended motivational strategies:

  • meaning and context sparks motivation, connecting these things as much as possible to their experience.
  • assign work that is worthy of their effort, as in, not #1 – 50 (odd).
  • communication and engagement reign supreme
  • congruent and comprehensive assessment, emphasizing a “menu” style assessment which sounded somewhat familiar.

He asked us, finally, to agree or disagree with three outlooks on student achievement:

  • What we’re doing here is important.
  • You can do it.
  • I’m not going to give up on you โ€“ even if you give up on yourself.

I want to work in a school where those affirm those statements are promoted and those who waver and demure are marginalized so they can do no more harm.

Presentation Notes

PowerPoint. Low word count, especially compared to later presenters. Early projector malfunctions attest to the need for good preparation and backup plans.

Homeless

  • “Think like an elective.”
  • “Make a place that’s so compelling I want to be here.”
  • Song of the Day: “Jedi Mind Trick,” Lupe Fiasco

For Your Consideration:

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Asilomar 2007

By • November 30, 2007 • 10 Comments

or: What Not To Call Your Presentation.

I’m taking a schoolUpdated: my school is paying for my substitute and registration. Thanks a bunch. day today and driving 45 minutes South to Monterey, CA, for two-and-a-half days of math-instruction instruction. I’m pumped.

This blog was born during Asilomar last year, y’know? I got into a conversation with this lady named Rebecca who was all crazy about blogs in the classroom and I was like, huh?, and she said, well you’ve heard of David Warlick, right?, and I was like, huh?, and the conversation kept up like that until the day that you and I first metWish I could find Rebecca’s blog now. She’s, like, medium build, shoulder-length hair, and, um, average height. Maybe one of you School 2.0 types knows her..

I’ve been looking forward to Asilomar 2007 ever since. This year you’ve got my favorite high school math teacher (Sid Bishop, Ukiah High School) and my favorite college math professor (Tom Sallee, UC Davis) conducting sessions back to back. Them boys are gonna bring the walls down.

But excepting sure-bets like those, selecting breakout sessions is a delicate game. One can’t help leaning heavily on session titles.

The titles which beckon me:

  • Using Manipulatives and Investigations in Geometry
  • Who Should Take Algebra? And What If They’re Not Ready?
  • 50 Years Since I’ve Taken Algebra 1. What’s Happened?
  • From My Algebra Toolkit To Yours โ€“ From a 24-Year Veteran
  • Math 20-20 Vision: What Will K-8 Math Education Look Like In 2020“For the first time in 2,500 years, we have a medium ideally suited to teach basic math skills.” Suppose he’s talking about the phonograph?
  • Amazing Things To Try With Your Class Set Of TI-83s
  • Math In The Real World: Investments and Taxes
  • Algebra Techniques Using An Excel Spreadsheet
  • Streamlining Your Classroom

Or, basically, give a clear, targeted goal or issue a clear, intriguing question and I’m sold.

Conversely, here are the titles which’ll have me hovering around the pastry cart for the duration of the session:

  • Games And Tricks To Put The F-Word Back In Teaching โ€“ FUN!Oh man, I almost thought he was gonna go there.
  • Eureka! Discover Gold! Integrate Math And History.
  • LOGical Arithmetics: Fun, Insightful And As Easy As Falling Off A Log!
  • Engage!
  • The Ethnomathematics Of Dance!Oh man, this one hits all of my buttons.
  • Teach With 99% Inspiration And 1% Perspiration
  • Math’s a Beach

So, best to avoid cheap puns, promises of inspiration, uplift, exclamation points.

But, I mean, don’t take any of this too prescriptively. I’m at sessions as much for presentation style as content so maybe you want to ward off ornery kids like me with a few exclamation points.

No way I sleep all weekend. If you’re heading my way and want to meet up, get at me on my burner, or just keep an eye out for a tall dude, head tucked low, back of the room, scribbling all over a yellow legal pad. That’ll be me.

for your consideration:

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