Monday, June 21, 2010
Starting to Emerge
Our school doesn’t seem to incorporate very much technology into any classroom, let alone the math classes. Our scores are low, and it seems to be a struggle to get the kids to learn the basics. This next year is going to be a bit of a change, I hope one of many. Instead of the 5-6th graders only having a 50 minute block of math each day, they are going to have a 100 minute block to split between both math and social. This extra time give the teachers a little leeway in planning out projects and activities that require more time. I am always passing on new ideas to the current math teacher and am excited that she has taken a few of my suggestions. The kids have been into the computer lab to graph results from surveys that they have taken, and to practice for their MCA’s by using both Study Island and Pearson. I currently work with a grade teacher who is always trying to incorporate technology and computers into her classes. I know the ideas in the article are something she will embrace, and am thrilled to pass onto her.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Its great that you are going to pass this on to the teacher you work with. This is what teaching is, sharing ideas and talking with one another on how to make changes to curriculum. I was also impressed that the school is planning on making changes next year... I am glad they see the problem and are trying to fix it.
Our district also does not want to incorporate new technology into the classrooms, especially with math. The teacher who teaches math does not want to learn anything new and feels that our low scores are not his fault but the students lacks of motivation and ability. That is so sad! With all the new technology out there he would be able to reach more students by helping them understand the lesson better because he would have visuals and more hands on manipulatives to work with. He never leaves his desk even when he shows an example on the board and does not allow any questions after the lesson. I was so frustrated when I had him for calc because I needed clarification and he felt that we should of caught on with his lecture and example on the board. Just think what a smartboard could do in his class!
Amy- I admire your ambition to stay involved with guiding them towards change. I know in many situations it is difficult to sit back and not say anything. There are certain teachers who are willing to hear ideas for change and a few who will stick to their ways of teaching until they retire. It is awesome that the teacher you are working with is so appreciative of you. I know the two main teachers, I work with, are the same! It is fun to bring these new ideas we learn from these courses and implement them into the classroom! I am looking forward to summer school to try out some of these Math ideas!
Jennifer, The sad part of all of this, is that there are smart boards in many of the classrooms. The math teachers use them as a white board and only write notes on them.
Post a Comment