"You need to git up, git out and git something / Don't let the days of your life pass by /
You need to git up, git out and git something / How will you make it if you never even try" - Outkast on their song "Git Up, Git Out" This has actually been my anthem for the week. On the ride to school before I make my daily phone calls. This song puts me in a productive mindset - I feel like it's a mantra to live by. The chorus repeats constantly and is a reminder throughout the day to make the most of every moment. And like just about everything else in my life, I thought about my students. Our energy and dedication often determine our students' energy and dedication. That is not to say that students won't have bad days, or that you won' t have bad days. It is to say, however, that everyday is a chance to get up, get out, and get something - for us and our students. Getting Up could mean the simple act of actually waking up - there are some days when this can be hard - but it's the first, and often most important, step. This could also mean getting up from a "fall" - whether that be from something that happened at home, at work, or in between. I try to teach my students that getting up and trying after a failure is an important part of the learning process. Most of us, if not all, fail before we can succeed. Winston Churchill said it best, “success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. Getting Out is much more of a personal challenge. I find that it's really easy for me to get in a groove, or comfort zone. However, my "groove" can be a rut. At a recent professional development the speaker said, "the only difference between a rut and a grave is the dimensions". This has stuck with me as I've started this semester. As much as I don't want my students to be in a fixed mindset, I must do the same with myself. One way I've tried to revert this process is to ask more questions and lean on the wisdom of the educators - most of them being the others in the math department - around me to help me make more improvements. What's most important about this group is they remind me that it starts with me and I have the final say on how my classroom is run. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it. Getting Something is probably my favorite of the three; it's a complete shift in mindset. Everyday we should be getting something that's going to help up. Dr. Charles Clark tells his classes, "the day I stop learning is the day I stop teaching". Regardless of it's a good day or a bad day, there is some nugget to grab for the day. Seeking these out has been refreshing - and something I can pass to my students. To anyone reading this -- Get Up, Get Out, Get Something. P.S. If you any songs that get you in a good mood in the morning, share them!
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Teaching in the Middle
“I'm dead in the middle of two generations / I'm little bro and big bro all at once” – J. Cole on his song Middle Child I graduated high school in 2014, which seems like a lifetime ago, honestly. As I recall my high school experience, the use of technology was embraced by some teachers and others strayed away from it. In my AP English class, we used a class set of iPads that we were able to take home and complete assignments. My History teacher had his own website where we could find materials. However, my Calculus teacher was still using the old school projector with the clear slides, and to top it all off, my Geometry teacher still used the same chalkboard from when he started teaching in the 80s. This made for a very interesting experience. In the years since I graduated high school, there have been 6 new versions of the iPhone, 5 new versions of the iPad, the introduction of software such as PhotoMath, and a wave of online curriculum. Even more so than in my generation, today’s youth have had technology at the palm of their hands for as long as they can remember. I asked my students how old they were when they got their first phone. What was the average age? 10. As I began to enter the education field, I wanted to utilize this. In some ways, I wanted this to help drive how I taught. I wanted to use as many online resources, computer applications, etc. as possible. What drove this further was the fact the school I was hired at began using an online companion to the curriculum. This week I taught a lesson that included a simulation using playing cards to practice adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. The computer simulation shuffled the deck and handed out the cards. My students DID NOT respond well to this simulation. Ninety percent of my students gave me confused looks, I thought that this would have resonated. I was wrong. I went back to the drawing board and I decided to make it a physical game with actual cards. The next day I tried again, I added a competitive feature and the real playing cards. I was surprised at how well this game went and how much the students actually enjoyed it. The students were, for the most part, engaged in the math – asking questions, struggling and persevering, and constructing new knowledge. Competition and collaboration – these two things still drive students. The more things change, the more they stay the same. We often drive our students to more isolation by the use of computers, when students really have the desire to be social and collaborate. As educators, we must create an environment that is conducive for learning. This environment should utilize the strengths of your students and shore up their weaknesses. I’m becoming a believer that technology has its place, but it should be used like a textbook – as a resource. |
AuthorJustice Walker is a math teacher at Crockett County High School in Tennessee. His passion for teaching is fueled by his desire to grow students and help them become independent. ArchivesCategories |