ECST Mathematics Department
Newsletter
December 5-9, 2022
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ACTIONABLE ITEMs
To the ALGEBRA 1 TEACHERS...
If you have not completed UNIT 2 Linear Equations, Inequalities, and Systems, then you need to make plans to move on by the end of the week. The goal is to get to FACTORING in FEBRUARY and QUADRATICS in MARCH & APRIL. This is similar to the plan from last year.
Building Thinking Classrooms
Building Thinking Classrooms
At the December 14th department meeting, we will begin BUILDING THINKING CLASSROOMS IN MATHEMATICS as I summarize the first 3 chapters for discussion. Please try to read the INTRODUCTION of the book before the department meeting. It will help to understand the purpose of the study and the resulting 14 practices.
REMINDERS & IMPORTANT NOTES
DECEMBER 5-9 - PRECALCULUS TEAM PACING MEETINGS
WED., DECEMBER 14 - DECEMBER DEPARTMENT MEETING
PSAT Results
PSAT Results
The PSAT results have been placed in the Google data folders for each building. Please use this data to guide discussions during PLCs. Click on the links to access the data for your students.
The PreCalculus teachers will be meeting this week to reorder and prioritize the topics from the ECST curriculum and Math Medic. If this time spent produces a scope and sequence that the PreCalculus team determines is beneficial, then the other course teams may do the same. Time to roll up our sleeves and balance "fitting it in" with "deep understanding"!
PROFESSIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES WORTH SHARING
Does Studying Student Data Really Raise Test Scores?
Does Studying Student Data Really Raise Test Scores?
Researchers say the popular practice is largely ineffective
"...[U]nderstanding students’ weaknesses is only useful if it changes practice."
Interested in knowing more? Read this ARTICLE from EdWeek by Heather Hill.
What do Pinterest Fails have to do with Depth of Knowledge?
by Robert Kaplinsky
One of my favorite things to look at online are Pinterest Fails. If you've heard of them, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't, they're basically a comparison between the ambitious photos that people post on Pinterest and what happens when people try replicate it.
For example, someone pinned an image of the Cookie Monster cupcakes below on Pinterest.
Someone else saw it and thought, "This would be great for a kid's birthday party!" Unfortunately, when that person tried to replicate it, it came out looking like the image below.
The results can be hilarious, but how does this happen? All you have to do is follow the recipe, right? The reality is that while recipes can help you get close, there are many details they often overlook. These details may seem minor, but they're the difference between achieving your goal and getting a result that isn't anywhere close to where it needs to be.
I believe the same thing is happening in math education and especially with how people are handling Depth of Knowledge. Educators may think they're following the recipe and expect great results. However when they don't come out like they expected, they aren't sure why.
So, I've written a blog post to give math educators actionable steps they can take to improve their results. Check it out and leave me a comment at the end of the blog post with your thoughts.
Thank you to Mr. Ayman Azab for sharing this FOLDER with many resources.
There will be a QUIZ at the next department meeting about the contents of this newsletter and the next.
"Are you grading this?" -students almost every day. "Yes, Virginia, it will be graded."
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