Rock the Classroom

As my colleagues find new and exciting ways to integrate technology into their content areas, I often struggle to do the same in mathematics. I find myself being creative with the way I use a tool in order for my students to see that mathematics can be more than just computation and problem solving. To increase student engagement and discussion, I introduced Padlet . This "virtual bulletin board" allows users to post text, links, and pictures. Often when I create a Padlet for my students, my intended purpose is for the students to reflect on the notes they took the previous night. Without using their notes, they must write at least one piece of information they remember, find an image to share with the class, or find an online resource that might be helpful for the new information we will be learning. This Padlet will be accessible via Google Classroom throughout the unit of study and students can refer back to these sources during their unit. After students h...

My principal recently showed a video in our afterschool professional development from a TED Talk by Simon Simek. He explains why it is important to start with the "why" rather than the "what" or "how." At the beginning of the year, I created a "why" statement. I thought about why I became I teacher and what drives me to come back to the classroom each and every day. Why did I look forward to coming to work? Why would my students look forward to learning in the classroom? Why would students want to learn with me? What drove me to become a teacher? Once I had gathered all my thoughts (there is a lot going on in this brain of mine sometimes), I created a great why statement, I wrote it on a small chalkboard, and put it on a bulletin board in my room to display with the hope my students and I would see it every day as a reminder. I thought this was a great why statement - it shows inclusivity, supportive environments, and ...

Geometry was never my best subject in math - I loved algebra, but geometry just wasn't my thing. Now I'm teaching it and my students feel the EXACT SAME WAY. So I asked myself, "Self, how do you get your learners to engage with the material even if its not their favorite? How would you have enjoyed learning this material?" I knew it was certainly not with the packets I had been giving them for the past 4 months . . . So after a lot of reflection and searching on the internet and Twitter,  "Geo in the Wild" was born. I originally saw this idea from another user on Twitter. This was an engaging way to introduce the new unit's vocabulary and integrate technology effectively. In "Geo in the Wild" students work collaboratively to create a definition of the vocabulary word given to them by the teacher. They can use any of the resources around them (i.e. their Chromebook, geometry book, each other, Interactive notebook, etc.). They also find a pic...

Over the past hundred of years, classrooms have stayed remarkably similar. The teacher instructs students from the front of the room while students sit in rows to learn. But, what if this was different? School districts around the country and world are creating a revolution of change in redesigning the ways their classrooms look and function. If you could design your ideal classroom, what would it look like? Mine one would be one where students are empowered by their learning through passion projects and engaged by the content because they have student choice in what they are learning. Technology is integrated in every content area and students collaborate often with the teacher as a facilitator in their learning. The classroom environment allows for flexible seating with desks that can easily move around, ones that can change levels from sitting to standing, natural light, comfortable and ergonomic seating, and easy movement to form small groups. In addition, the classroom en...