Since today is August 16th, let's look at the sixteenth topic on Shelli's list:
16. Something I struggle with as a teacher/in the classroom.
Well, I definitely struggle today with technology in the classroom -- including integrating technology throughout my lessons, as well as classroom management while students are using technology.
I did finally hear a reason why there's so much DeltaMath and Desmos on the syllabus for both Math I and III -- last year, online assignments were given for the benefit of students who tested positive for COVID and couldn't access written assignments easily. (Although COVID numbers should be dropping now, I notice that one class has already had two students test positive.)
While the focus of this blog will be Math I, my tech problems are more noticeable in Math III, due mainly to what the department agreed on for the grade percentage breakdown. In Math I there are four categories worth 25% each -- assignments, quizzes, chapter tests, and midterm/final. But in Math III, homework and classwork are separate categories, with each of the five categories worth 20%. So it's more important to distinguish between homework and classwork, even though most assignments are online.
So here's what I do in my fifth period Math III class today -- I start out with a Vanderwerf name tent prompt (which I'm doing for a second week). Then I try to go over last night's HW on exponents -- which is tricky, since everyone gets different questions on DeltaMath. Then I have the students take out their notebooks and write down the Quadratic Formula. I know that they need more practice with the formula -- but the official classwork for today is a Desmos activity on the formula. So I attempt to have them write some info from Desmos into their notebooks -- which only slowed them down, so that they couldn't finish the activity. So now they have both the "classwork" and the homework to do tonight -- and I can't drop either one, since they fit into different 20% categories.
While all of this is going on, a group of talkative guys (including one who is possibly special ed) is loud during the computer lessons. They end of distracting many of the other students.
OK, so those are all my problems -- how about solutions? Well, I'm already considering a seating change the next time this block meets, on Thursday. And as for the lesson, I'm thinking of changing things up when the other Math III block meets for first period tomorrow. I'll save it for tomorrow's post.
Links to other Blaugust participants: Stephen Dull gets ready to start his twentieth year of teaching:
https://tweakingfornoreason.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/year-20/
There are two songs I perform today. In Math III, I sing "Quadratic Weasel" -- that famous "Pop Goes the Weasel" parody for the Quadratic Formula:
Plus or minus the square root,
Of b squared minus 4ac,
All over 2a.
Bridge #1:
If a's negative, the curve opens down,
Up for positive a.
Vertex x is negative b,
All over 2a.
Bridge #2:
If c's negative, crosses y below x,
Above for positive c.
Vertex x is negative b,
All over 2a.
The line "All over 2a" counts as a hook, even though it doesn't contain the song title. That's because the corresponding line of song it's parodying is the title line, "Pop Goes the Weasel."
In Math I, the song I sing is "Solve 'Em" -- an original song. I originally titled this song "Solve It" (when I posted earlier on the blog), but I took a suggestion from Jim Peterik's book and included the near rhyme "Solve 'Em" and "problem." It is a cumulative song (a "partridge"):
In any math problem,
All you have to do,
Is solve 'em!
Distribute on the right side.
Combine like terms on the right side.
Move the variables to the left side,
Move the numbers to the right side.
Plus/minus on the left side,
The same done to the right side.
Times/divide on the left side,
The same done to the right side.
A number alone on the right side.
That's all you have to do,
To solve 'em!
Since this is an original song, I should post its tune in Mocha. I first wrote this song in G major, years before I learned about Mocha or EDL scales.
The following program is written in 15EDL, an approximation of the F major scale (although Degrees 13 and 11 sound out of tune from true F major). Also, instead of READ and DATA, I take advantage of the cumulative nature of the song and use subroutines (GOSUB and RETURN):
https://www.haplessgenius.com/mocha/
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