Inquiry project ideas

 I'm curious about the current research on standardized testing and the different views that students, parents, teachers, administrators, and government officials might have regarding the issue. Recently, I received two messages with completely opposing opinions on the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA), a mandatory test for students in BC. One message, from the BCTF, claimed that the test is harmful and negatively impacts student learning, while the other, from the administrators of my little sister's school, claimed that the FSA is a useful tool for assessing learning and that it is mandatory for all students. I wonder why education experts have such diametrically opposing views. Who is right? What does the research actually show?

My inquiry question might be: What are the arguments for and against standardized testing in BC schools?

Some concepts might be: 

• What are the views of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the ministry of education? 
• How does standardized testing affect student outcomes?
• What is the opinion of BC teachers? To what extent is there dissent from the official BCTF stance?

Entrance slip: Refocusing our efforts: A shift from grading to an emphasis on learning

I really appreciate the opportunity to reexamine Alfie Kohn's ideas about grading from last week's video. I really want to learn more about how grades can affect students' motivation and anxiety levels, and especially what I can do about it as a new teacher. I love the idea of giving students more choice about what to study and allowing students more agency to control their learning. I also want to give my students the room and opportunity to fail and learn from their mistakes. In that vein, I think I will definitely try to include more projects and presentations (and fewer tests) in my future classrooms.

Unfortunately, I must admit to being a bit discouraged when I read the authors' reflections one year later. It seems to me that despite what they've learned from their research, they did not find significant ways to change their practice. They admit that: "Our philosophy about grading has changed but we find it difficult to implement practical changes in the classroom.". 

One change that I think is worth trying is the Credit/D/Fail system that we have here at UBC. I think it would be awesome to allow students to choose which courses they want to "compete for marks" in. For example, someone aiming to attend university for science might opt-in for grades in their math and science classes, but choose to credit/D/fail their language and humanities courses. And really eager, high achieving students could opt-in for marks in all of their courses and have a similar high school experience to what is currently offered. I wonder if there is any research on how the system is working at UBC and other universities with similar grading policies? And how might I convince my administrators or even the ministry of education to give this a shot?

 

References

Sarte, J. and Hughes, S. (2010). Refocusing our efforts: A shift from grading to an emphasis on learning Educational
Insights, 14(1).
[Available: http://www.ccfi.educ.ubc.ca/publication/insights/v14n01/articles/sarte/index.html]

Exit slip: Reflections on Beautiful Maths How successful school approaches change students' lives (Jo Boaler)

In the video of Jo Boaler’s presentation at OISE (https://youtu.be/2OgKnrPNZiI), I was not surprised, but rather curious about her opening remarks that maths is the subject with the greatest difference between how it’s taught and how research demonstrated it should be taught. I wonder why that is. Do we need more teacher development classes programs to teach the teachers? Maybe someone needs to develop a set of “math labs” or activities similar to the classroom skateboarding example shown in the presentation that teachers can use and adapt. Does change need to come from top down – i.e. curriculum and assessment changes from the ministry? Or is it ultimately up to classroom teachers? Reflecting on this in my group, I believe that as a future teacher, I will have to first focus on my own classroom and work within the given framework to bring engaging maths to my students. I need to accept that change takes time and a lot of hard work, but that as part of the next generation of teachers, I can help to bring about the changes I envision. 

I don’t think Boaler’s main point that everyone can be good at maths is quite accurately, or at least nuanced enough. I would be curious to see her claim of “a wealth of research” that supports her claim, but from my experience, there is a large variation in ability for any skill and I don’t see how math would be an exception to that rule. In addition, how can we dismiss the evidence that supports the existence of dyscalculia? Of course, as a teacher, I will do my best to support all of my students and foster a growth mindset so that everyone can learn and get better at math, but I think it’s disingenuous to claim that everyone can be “good at math” unless we bend what we mean by “good at math” to mean that they simply enjoy or appreciate math.

I agree that speed should not be part of math assessment  as that would just cause unnecessary anxiety. However, I don’t see anything wrong with practicing speed and encouraging students to become more familiar with basic calculation skills. 

As for Alfie Kohn’s video on why grades shouldn’t exist (https://youtu.be/lfRALeA3mdU ), I think it’s an awesome idea. I’ve definitely noticed in myself, and in my friends that grades were usually a significant, often negative, factor when making decisions about school. However, practically speaking, grades do serve a purpose of comparing students and selecting students for limited spots in universities. In addition, the long tradition of assigning grades will be difficult to change. Perhaps we can start by implementing the Credit/D/Fail system used at UBC in high schools. Maybe only students who are interested in studying science or math in university need to be graded for those courses. 

I’m looking forward to discussing all of these issues with my SA during the upcoming practicum. 

Entrance slip: Dancing Teachers Into Being With a Garden, or How to Swing or Parkour the Strict Grid of Schooling

In the article I read this week (referenced below), I really liked the metaphors of swing music/dancing and parkour to illustrate how teachers can work with, and not within the grids that permeate our classrooms. I think it is important for teachers to play, experiment, and adapt for their students while also respecting the responsibilities imposed on them by their FA, SA, administrators, government, etc. I anticipate this being one of my main challenges as I start teaching and I imagine that it would be a sort of dance with many partners.

I hope that in my future classroom, I would have the autonomy to adapt my lessons as much as needed to reach my students. This article presents ideas that inspire me to push some boundaries and experiment in my future practice. One thing that I really appreciate about the metaphors is that swing dancing and parkour are really difficult to master. I know that all of the dances I will have to do as I start teaching will be difficult as well and I hope that I will have the perseverance and skill to master them.

I'm really excited to try!

References:

Gerofsky, S., & Ostertag, J. (2018). Dancing Teachers Into Being With a Garden, or How to Swing or Parkour the Strict Grid of Schooling. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 34(2), 172-188. doi:10.1017/aee.2018.34

Exit slip: climate change and compass and straight edge

What a nice coincidence that we read the article on teaching climate change when the 2021 Nobel prize in physics was awarded to climate scientists Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann and physicist Giorgio Parisi. 

I really like Renert’s point about not making math black and white. In my opinion, it really is essential to let our students know that some questions, such as the math about climate change, might not have a clear answer. It’s important for students to see how adults also struggle with concepts like large numbers and chaos theory.

My favourite part of today’s class was working with the compass and straight edge. It was fun to do some geometry again and I was reminded that somehow, this wasn’t really covered well in any of my math classes! It’s definitely time for me to read through some of Euclid’s Elements and try some proofs and constructions myself. I liked how easy it is to see how we can bisect angles and draw perpendicular bisectors with the basic tools. I found out that these were just propositions 9 and 10 in the first book of Euclid’s Elements so I will be working through the propositions in order to see how the reasoning flows. 

I also enjoyed seeing how circles and straight lines can be used to sketch a leaf. I think that this activity would be really fun for my students. I noticed how many curves can be approximated as segments of a circle and I had a good time playing around with the compass. Here is my drawing:

Sit spot second observation

 It’s even colder today, but I’ve finally started wearing a sweater so I’m good. The needles on the trees are yellowing and yet are just as spiky to the touch. The tractor’s rumbling and squeaking dominate the soundscape. Today, I’ve decided to take off my mask and the smell of fresh clean air is definitely better my coffee breath from last time. I have some coffee left and can taste it lingering in my mouth. It’s warm and comforting so I feel pretty good. 

Entrance slip: Mathematics for life

 Moshe Renert (2011) argues that mathematics education must address the difficult global challenges of our time. In particular, teachers have a duty to educate students on the mathematics and science of climate change so that they are prepared to have informed discussions and contribute to the solution. One quote that made me reflect on my own growth as a teacher is this (Renert, 2011):

Mathematics is popularly conceived of as a pure body of knowledge, independent of its environment, and value-free (e.g. Hardy, 1940). From the Platonist perspective, connections between global warming and the topics found in mathematics textbooks, such as fractions or quadratic equations, are not readily apparent. (p. 20)

I would have likely agreed with the "popular conception" at the start of the B. Ed. program and not really cared that fractions and quadratic equations aren't easily relatable to global warming or any "real life" issues. Personally, I still think of mathematics as a mostly "pure body of knowledge" that is fun to study for its own sake. I used to believed that sharing my passion and knowledge is my primary responsibility as a teacher, but as I've been reading on the extent that teachers influence their students, discussing the purpose of schooling and the role of teachers, and studying how and why the curriculum is written the way it is, I've come to value the social aspects of teaching – teachers must prepare students to participate in their society. I believe that Renert is justified in his call to include subjects like climate change in math lessons.

I used to think that the common complaint that school doesn't teach things that are relevant to real life was not really fair and can be addressed by showing passion and demonstrating how learning abstract things can be fun and rewarding. I still think that learning abstract ideas is important and that it can be fun, but I am warming to the idea that the complaint is legitimate and that teachers do have a duty to try to show their students why they are learning the subjects we teach them.

I also really like Renert's (2011) example of a transformative approach to teaching how to think about large numbers:

Most mathematical problem solving in today's classrooms relies on the unchallenged assumptions that each problem has one correct answer and that the teacher knows this answer. Students' creativity is therefore limited to replicating solutions that are already known by an adult. In contrast, the solutions to many problems of sustainability are not known a priori , and in some cases there is no certainty that solutions can be found at all. A different order of ingenuity is required to approach these problems,one that we may call radical creativity. (p. 23)

I think this is still a very common issue at school, even at the undergraduate level and I look forward to designing lessons with this transformative approach in my practicum.

References:

Renert, M. (2011). MATHEMATICS FOR LIFE: SUSTAINABLE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION. For the Learning of Mathematics,31(1), 20-26. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/41319547.

Exit slip: using our senses, writing poetry, making rope,

The start of today’s class was meditative and calming. We each found our own spot around the garden and examined what we saw, heard, smelled, and felt. I think, as teachers, we do need to encourage our students to be reflective and engaged with their environment. Even in secondary school, where teachers feel more pressure to cover the curriculum and students have increasing expectations from their parents, I think reflecting on our environment could be a valuable exercise for students to recentre and be primed for yet another engaging lesson. 

Next, we made rope out of various materials - grass, ripped shirt fabric, and corn husks. Doing this while also listening to a podcast really reminded me of how my sister likes playing with various fidget toys in class. I think it’s important for students to work with their hands and I’m looking forward to learning more hands-on math and science activities that I can share with my future classes. I will definitely try to look into how rope making is studied from a mathematical viewpoint. Maybe knot theory or topology? I wonder where this might fit into the BC curriculum and what interesting and accessible concepts I can teach with this rope making activity. 

I’m really enjoying the outdoor learning and will definitely try to introduce it to my own classrooms.