RUNNING OUT OF GAS?

We're finishing up our proportional reasoning unit after several weeks of exploring different representations for our thinking.  We've converted decimals, fractions, and percents.  We've made tape diagrams, grids, circle graphs, and number lines.  But, are we ready for an assessment?

Yesterday I presented a problem-solving task to my students, hoping that they would jump in with excitement and tackle the problem with some struggle but with success.  I used a task from the Shell Centre for Mathematical Education called Sharing Gasoline Costs.  Students have to use proportional reasoning to calculate the part of the total cost of gasoline for each student in a carpool.  Sounds straightforward enough.

Cue *crickets chirping* and *deer-in-the-headlights* stares across the classroom.

 

My excitement was not enough to carry them yesterday.  Some students gave some effort to solving the problem but most just stared at the paper with no clue where to begin. It seemed like information overload to them.  Beginning a problem is a challenge.  Some students dove into the problem and were convinced they knew the answer rapidly but hadn't considered some key factors in the proportional parts of the problem. This is the "I want to be done" group. 

Teacher is still learning that worthy tasks take t...i...m...e. Slow down. Let the ideas simmer. Afterall, I have a Master's Degree and several (ahem...) years of math experience on them, and it took me a little bit of thinking before I got the problem going on my own.

Today we're going to work on the problem in small groups with some guiding questions.  The groups are going to pool their thinking and come up with one solution and explanation for their group.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and feeling hopeful again today. Some days, I just want to throw my hands up in the air and grab some worksheets for some "drill and kill".  It just seems easier somehow.

I think I can....I think they can....I think I can....I think they can.....

NO EXCUSES....

I just returned from San Diego from attending a conference by No Excuses University which is a network of schools who are promoting college readiness for all students through the development of six exceptional systems within the school.  That sounds very dry and boring - FAR from it!  The founder, Damen Lopez, was a principal who turned around his school from an underperforming to an exceptional school. He's been spreading the word across the country to help other schools to do the same thing.

Dodge became a No Excuses University affiliate three years ago after hearing a brief introduction about the program.  Having Damen come to our school and present the NEU training to our

staff was an inspirational professional development opportunity.

This trip to San Diego was no exception!

Every presenter, every aspect of this conference was top notch and a pleasure, filled with practical strategies, presented by people who are doing the work and not just theorizing about it from their ivory tower.  I can't say enough about the quality of the experience. There are NEU books to read but you really MUST go in person to get your educator battery re-charged and inspired to do great things.

My take-aways from this conference were several:
- we need to set our sights higher for ourselves and for our students (BHAG - big, hairy, audacious goals)
- we are doing a lot of things well at our school
- we need to revisit some of our systems in our school and TRANSFORM them. Tradition sometimes means RUT!

How does your school (K-12) transmit the culture of college to your students? Do your students really think that college is possible for them? Do they understand the difference that a college education makes in the quality of their life in the long-term? Do they know college vocabulary and about the college culture?  Are they charged up about setting academic goals and achieving them?

NEU - it's for YOU!

P.S. ALL of Tucson is mighty proud of our U of A Wildcats - perfect record this season!