Teacher “Report Card” Using Google Forms

gradesThanks to @MrVaudrey and his blog post here, I was able to execute a Google Form today with my students, presenting the opportunity to “grade” me using a “teacher report card”.  My students’ eyes grew wide at the notion that they were being asked to give feedback about me and my teaching this year.  Some couldn’t hold back saying “YES!” at the thought of the little role-reversal.   Though I was nervous, I’m glad I did it.

Some observations and direct student quotes:

Students liked the classroom environment.

You are very happy and you lighten up the environment.

I like how energetic it is, because since it is pretty early we need things to perk us up.

It isn’t very boring like most math classes.

She tries to have fun in the class.

The size and comfortability.

It has a stable learning environment.

How we have the freedom to share our opinions about topics as a group.

How we all get along really well.  We work well together. Popularity doesn’t exist in the class.

I love how she comes up with her own easier methods on how to solve problems.  She “yencafies” them.

How much fun it is to come to class and know that I’m going to have fun today and looking forward to it.

This class was AWSOME! I loved how exciting it was and I even came out of my shell!

The material was easy to learn with an enthusiastic teacher that loves math!

 

Students appreciated using iPads.

How much technology is a part of our lessons. It’s almost like we are taking two classes in one. None of my other teachers do a lot with technology but mrs Yenca does and we enjoy it.

How much we use the iPad.

I like the people that are in my class and I really like everything we do on our iPads.

we use our ipads almost everyday

I love your way of teaching! I also love using the iPad for instant feedback on different things! I enjoyed using the fuse app and the socrative app as well.

We use the iPads for math.

We do a lot of activities on iPads.

We can use iPads.

I like the fact that Mrs. Yenca is always willing to try out new things, especially since we have the iPads. It’s such a refresher to not have a boring math teacher.

 

Students enjoyed working together on tasks,                                                              and many students wanted to do so even more… 

That we got to check over our HW with a group.

I like best that we can work together sometimes to see if we got the same answer

Group projects

The group work.

More group working time.

By letting us do more partner work

…yet others expressed concerns about the inevitable                                          noisy environment during group tasks.

 I think there was way to much talking and I got out of hand some times.

Have the class be less loud

Less distractions

More control over students volume during collaborative activities.

 

You can’t please everybody.

Have more free time. We have never had a day off I’m pretty sure.

It went at a too slow pace for me, spent too much time reviewing.

Maybe go a little faster on some topics. I found myself listening to the same ideas over and over at times

Do work slower.

Go a little slower.

more decorations and stuff on the walls so we can feel a little more excited in this room

I don’t think that my class period has anything wrong with it, but I do like the interior decorating and encourage to keep it up.

 

What can my students next year expect?

That the class is really fun and you will learn a lot. It will definitely help you prepare for high school.

You will almost never get bored. She makes sure you understand the lesson before moving forward.

If you ever need help you can always go to her.

She never stops smiling

She teaches really well and explains e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

She’s silly and she works us hard, but it pays off.

try your best and you will enjoy it. but if you dont try dont expect her to do the work for you

I would tell them that they will have to do their homework and study in order to get a good grade in the class.

She is a great teacher and really wants to teach you the material

People says shes cool but gives a lot of homework

She is an amazing teacher and she takes grades very seriously.

Awesome! She is great, make sure you do all of your homework and turn it in on time.

That even though you could write random numbers on the homework s that you can get a hundred for “completing” the assignment, I still encourage you to ACTUALLY do it, because the tests are a lot harder if you don’t pay attention and learn from your mistakes.

She is a great teacher so just try to have fun. You should pay attention in class because if she thinks your not paying attention she will call on you.

Be ready for no break and a teacher who talks in a perky mood

 

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Icing on the Cake:

Thank you for an amazing year and thank you for really caring about me towards the end I couldn’t ask for better. I really hope I have another math teacher that is so great at their job and cares as much as you do next year.

 

thank you soo much for everything you have taught us and by that I don’t only mean math!!!!

In the last years I have HATED math. And I mean hated it. I thought I was stupid and I would come home crying because I didn’t know how to do the work. My teachers could never teach me the right way and I would be so confused. Getting high C’s and low B’s on tests, which was not okay for me because I sorta kinda, okay I have major OCD. And perfection issues. So anyways, I have never been used to getting some of the highest grades in the class on tests and excelling in math, until this year. I think I just understood things more than my classmates. It’s been such a life changing experience having you as a teacher because I’m not afraid of math anymore. And I know I’m not bad at it, I’m actually pretty good! Thank you so much.

Here is the spreadsheet in all of its unedited glory if you’d like to check out my report card in its entirety – I only omitted student login information to protect student identities.  Also, I wasn’t able to complete this task with every class, but I got most students today.  I encourage you to give the “teacher report card” a whirl – some comments will hit you where it hurts, but others will refresh and inspire you! (See Mr. Vaudrey’s blog for a sample form to save on Google Drive to edit for yourself here.)

Teacher Report Card Anonymous 2012-2013

 

 

 

Posted in Algebra 1, Pre-Algebra | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

ThingLink Mobile – New Ways to Explain Student Work!

Screen Shot 2013-05-24 at 8.19.15 PMI read on Twitter that ThingLink had released a mobile app, so I wanted to give it a try.  If you know me, you know ThingLink has become my very favorite “pre-teaching” tool this year.

Once I downloaded the app on my iPad, I searched through my camera roll for an image to link some things to.  I stumbled upon some digital samples of student work from the “scratchpad” feature built in to the HMH Fuse App we used as a textbook this year in my Algebra classes.  To test ThingLink Mobile, I chose a sample showing student work for solving and graphing a 1-step inequality.

As I strategically placed my first nubbin 😉 I thought, why not have students create work using a drawing app, then use these “work images” in ThingLink Mobile to explain their thinking?  I have to admit… I did not plan this strategy at all… it just kind of happened!  I’m excited to give it a try, and I think it has great classroom potential!

Since students will generate their own mathematical work on a specific topic by “drawing” it, the math symbol issue that rears its ugly head so often when integrating technology and mathematics becomes a non-issue.  Kids can explain anything they can draw themselves!  On the flip side, with students using text in ThingLink to explain their mathematical steps, they’re forced to use language to describe their work succinctly.  Again, math syntax is a non-issue because we’d want kids to explain their thinking in sentences.  And how cool is it that a “nubbin” can be strategically placed within work without covering it up?  Imagine having many of these student-generated-and-annotated work samples for students to reference – what a cool way to study and review!

Filing this strategy away for the fall!  What do you think?

Curious about other strategies for using ThingLink in the classroom?  Check out this ThingLink Doc.

Posted in Algebra 1, Pre-Algebra | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Don’t Wait For PD – Join Twitter

imagesI initially signed up for Twitter several years ago.

Upon joining, I sent my first Tweet along the lines of:

“I signed up for Twitter… now what do I do?”

And there my account sat, untouched, for several years.

Fast-forward to July 2012…  (I downloaded my Twitter archives to see when I actually started using Twitter to connect with other educators.)    It is sincerely hard to believe I’ve had Twitter in my professional life for less than a year!

Why?

Because, Twitter has helped me connect with other educators who are just as passionate and crazy as I am about mathematics, education, technology, and most importantly, students!  I learn so much that I can hardly remember what I did without Twitter.  Connecting with people and content through Twitter is a regular, daily part of my practice.  Here are a few highlights of specific ways Twitter has impacted me, and can impact you too:

1) Twitter helps me reflect about teaching and learning.

 

2) Twitter helps facilitate ongoing, relevant professional development.

 

 

3) Twitter helps me connect with educators worldwide – check out the Global Math Department! #globalmath

 

4) Twitter allows me to connect with app developers and make an impact on new tools by providing classroom feedback.

 

5) Twitter allows me to compare teaching strategies with other teachers in no time at all!

Would you believe a teacher in Canada, a teacher in California and I have made videos of how we teach factoring polynomials just to share with one another to compare methods?

 

6) Ever wish another teacher was in your classroom so you could laugh with someone else who “gets it”?  Twitter makes that happen too.

 

7) Twitter helps educators unite and know we’re not alone in our thinking!

 

8) Twitter helps me find quality resources I can use in my classroom tomorrow… then provides a platform to discuss how the resources impacted instruction.

 

Follow me, I’ll follow you, and let’s get learning!  

Also check out #mathchat and #ipaded as a few hashtags to get you started on finding other kindred spirits to follow.

Posted in Algebra 1, Pre-Algebra | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Teachers Pay Teachers: Kids Benefit Most!

Screen Shot 2013-05-12 at 7.58.54 AMI was thrilled to see this news report out of Clearfield, Pennsylvania on wjactv.com.  The emphasis on quality materials and student engagement makes my heart sing.  I’ve been sharing resources on TpT since 2010, and it’s been an exciting experience to know that other teachers are using resources I designed.  Receiving feedback of teachers using my “stuff” in ways I never thought to use it helps me implement my own materials better!  Likewise, when I use a resource another teacher created and my students go bonkers, I can’t wait to provide feedback to let that teacher know how much my students enjoyed it.  Teachers Pay Teachers provides a great way for teachers to help one another grow our students… and grow ourselves as educators.

I love the support that administration very clearly articulates here as well.  There is immense value in gaining perspective about how other teachers are engaging students through high-quality resources.  When administration supports and understands that, it’s a good thing!

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http://tinyurl.com/encouragingTpT

Side Note: I always cringe, however, when the title of such reports calls TpT a site where teachers sell “lesson plans”.  I don’t think “lesson plans” are what TpT  is all about.  Teachers plan lessons based on learning targets/objectives for the “what” of lessons.  TpT helps with the “how” by providing teacher-created classroom-tested resources and activities.  The “what” and the “how” are quite different.

Final Thoughts:  There are certainly TpT critics out there… (I often wonder just how many products the critics have even closely examined… it is so easy to criticize something one knows nothing about…) so I wanted to share just one of many precious pieces of feedback I’ve received in my own TpT experiences.  Authentic feedback like this is quite rewarding!

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HCMS Shares iPad “In-Site”

This past week, Hill Country Middle School hosted its third and final iPad Site Visit of the 2012-2013 school year.  I couldn’t resist my title’s “punny” play-on-words… if you know me at all you know my sense of humor is quite dry!

With “TechChef4u” Lisa Johnson as our hostess and emcee, teachers and students welcomed colleagues from other districts to visit classrooms, take part in panel discussions, and present the realities of implementing iPads one-to-one this year.  I was honored to be asked to share about apps and tools that have enhanced my students’ mathematics experience this year!

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If you’d like a sneak peek into the activities of the day, check out the archived LiveStream videos here:

 

 

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Visualizing Domain & Range From a Graph

I learned a nifty domain and range trick from an online workshop about using stickie notes to help “frame” the graph of a function.  The idea is to use 4 notes so that all you see is the graph, which can make identifying the domain and range a little easier.

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Slide a stickie note from left to right until you “bump into” the function, and stick it on the paper.  Likewise, slide a stickie from right to left, top to bottom, and bottom to top, until the graph is framed, like so:

Now, students can see that the domain can be expressed as -5 ≤ x < 5 and the range can be expressed as 0 ≤ y < 6 (It’s easier to see on a graph whose axes are numbered a little better, but you get the idea if you peek at the original graph above).

I like the strategy a lot –  it’s tough for kids to visualize domain and range with the plethora of unusual and squiggly graphs out there.  Since I’m guessing most of my students won’t walk into the EOC with Post-Its in their pockets, I like using highlighters to color-code things a bit.  Here are several work samples from students today showing their different interpretations of the strategy.  I like how they took the stickie strategy and made it more practical based on the writing tools they *will* have when taking the Algebra 1 EOC next week.

Screen Shot 2013-05-06 at 7.21.28 PMScreen Shot 2013-05-06 at 7.22.23 PMScreen Shot 2013-05-06 at 7.21.49 PM

Update!

Check out this idea I found on Pinterest – another nifty way to help students visualize domain and range:

Posted in Algebra 1 | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Math PSAs: A Mental Break from Testing

After 4 hours of testing, I decided to provide my afternoon math classes with an opportunity to decompress.  Our mental brain-break took a detour from the scope-and-sequence toward an impromptu mini-project:  Creating a “Math PSA”.

I suggested several topics to students as options.  My ideas came from a few of my own personal math pet peeves.

First – the Facebook problem.  Every time I see one of these, I can’t help but peek at the answers.  Every lesson ever taught using Order of Operations seems to have been done in vain.  So, I suggested that students create a PSA teaching the world the correct order of operations using problems like these.

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Another option was to find common math errors in advertisements, such as these, and create a PSA explaining proper usage of decimal points, dollar signs and cent signs.

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I also showed this example of a math PSA to give students a sample to consider.  With iPads in hand, students got into groups and began writing scripts and planning their scenes.  I did not suggest nor require any specific apps to be used.  Most students opted to create videos.  Here are a few samples for your enjoyment and mine.

 

Slope … If Only I’d Known!

I think it’s fair to say, after watching this video, none of the students in this class will ever forget that a vertical line has a slope that’s undefined.  Especially the wall-runner 😉

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People, We’re Serious – It’s GEMDAS Everyone.

This group also went on to create a second video, explaining the correct Order of Operations.  Here’s the dramatic intro:

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Math Must Be Interactive!

Enjoy the silliness, but hear the message loudly – students are sharing insight about how to make mathematics class enjoyable for them!  A request for making math “interactive” and sharing “jokes” is conveyed here.  Kids want to be involved in learning mathematics, and they want a teacher with personality – great tips guys.

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And one group’s Pic Collage PSA:

Perhaps the original plan was to look for “fractions” as indicated by the title… even so, the poster shown here doesn’t do justice to the dialogue that occurred while this group of students surfed the web, discussing math oops after oops.

PicCollage

 

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Time Travel

My algebra students have been reviewing for their Algebra End-of-Course exam, and encountered an interesting problem today.  It was the very LAST problem in a problem set, and we discovered it at the end of the period!

Rats! Who can I share this problem with?

Yep – I can always count on Twitter for a little fun. 😉

photo 

 

I plan to share this post with my students to continue the conversation!

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Nearpod (Free) Downloads – New Homework Feature Too!

Thanks to my Twitter-bud @RafranzDavis, I just realized Nearpod published another of my Nearpod presentations on their “store”!  And… thanks to the Nearpod Authors program, there’s a growing library of classroom-ready Nearpod presentations on lots of topics, free for the downloading!

Please check out my latest, “Solving Radical Equations“!

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Later this week, I look forward to presenting the “Classifying Polynomials” NPP to my students by using the new “homework” feature on Nearpod!  I’ll be at a meeting, but my students will still be able to experience the lesson without me!

With the new “homework” feature, students are given a unique Nearpod PIN as in the past… yet this time, rather than waiting for Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 9.59.48 PMme to control the flow of the NPP, students will *finally* have that swiping control they crave.  Interactive features within the NPP are fully functioning for students, and my hope (since I am brand new at this feature too) is that I’ll be able to login to the teacher side to view all of their data!  Great feature to use with a substitute when the teacher can’t be there, and even better for students to review after a lesson at their own pace!

Photo Skitch DocumentNearpod, once again, you ROCK!

 

Posted in Algebra 1, Pre-Algebra | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Blame Game

I can’t say enough about how having iPads has impacted formative assessment in my classroom this year.  (Check out any one of these formative assessment posts for details).  Students love the instant feedback that apps like Nearpod, Socrative, and ThatQuiz provide.  However, students often change their tune when iPads are used for assessing something that is *GASP* graded.

UnknownEarlier this year, I could agree with my students when Socrative was used for graded assessments.  It IS very easy to accidentally press the wrong answer choice on a touch-sensitive iPad screen.  Though I asked students to be careful and intentional about selecting their answer choices, I didn’t like the anxiety it caused them to have no recourse if they made a mistake.

Aviary thatquiz-org Picture 1So, I investigated other options and have been using ThatQuiz.org as a replacement.  ThatQuiz allows students to change their answers, and navigate through questions as much as they’d like.  When creating the quizzes, if math syntax becomes too complex to type, I’m able to upload images in the question prompts themselves (a feature I understand has now been added to Socrative too). Students have ample opportunity to review and revise answer choices, and must very intentionally submit their answers to me.

You would think students would be showering me with thanks for providing such a user-friendly platform for assessments.  You would be wrong.

Screen Shot 2013-04-21 at 12.27.12 PMInstead, I find students blaming the iPad for their mistakes.  I have heard comments about preferring paper to the iPad.  The ironic thing about this recent complaint is that it was made specifically in reference to a quiz whose questions were actually on paper, and the iPad was simply used as an answer-entry tool.

What’s somewhat awesome for dispelling this “blame game” is the data provided by ThatQuiz.  I can select a student’s score, see the correct answers, and see the answers the students chose.  100% of the time, the wrong answers have nothing to do with the iPad and everything to do with a math misunderstanding.  While I like being able to pull students aside and show them the undeniable truth that such data provides, it seems it will take some time to stop blaming the iPad, start owning up to math mistakes, and start being more proactive about preventing these errors.

I also find myself reminding students that, just because a quiz is being taken on the iPad does NOT imply that it’s a “mental math” quiz.  I provide scrap paper for those who need some.  If I don’t do this, I notice kids will just sit there staring at the iPad screen, trying to do math in their heads that was never meant for that!  Perhaps this is just another part of the iPad learning-curve – combining paper-pencil and the iPad successfully in an assessment experience…?

Anyone else experiencing the “blame game”?

Posted in Algebra 1, Pre-Algebra | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments