#ITeachBecause: Why I teach
#ITeachBecause it is fun and challenging. Teaching requires strong content knowledge and managerial/coaching skills. I love the challenge of math, and engineering and science, but I’ll stick to math here because that is what I teach. Math is a puzzle that requires logic, complex thinking, and the abliity to connect many things together. My Algebra I class is studying number systems this week, and I have always found the hierarchical structures of number systems fascinating, b
How Do you Reassess in Your SBG Classroom?
Do you use standards-based grading? I started several years ago in my arithmetic and Algebra I classes at the early middle college I teach at. Students were not using their assessments as a way to gather feedback and make improvements so I decided to try changing the type of feedback they got. I find it much easier to discuss and develop growth mindsets in the standards based grading classroom, but I do see students falling back into the same mindset I saw before I switched t
The Marshmallow Tower Challenge & Mindset
On our first day of school this week, all of our math classes did the Marshmallow Tower Challenge. One of our math teachers found this challenge last spring; we thought it would be a great way to start the semester, get the students talking to each other, and alleviate some stress about math class. Little did I know, this challenge would provide me with so much information about my students. Our program’s theme this year is growth mindset based on Carol Dweck’s research. Some
