Changing Parents' Mindset

Over the summer I have learned much about the importance of a growth mindset.  I've also learned how devastating it is that our nation is so at ease with the feeling that ""I suck at math".  As I weave together my game plan to overcome this in my classroom with my students I realize there is another game plan I need to put together.  That of teaching the parents of my students a growth mindset too.

What is a growth mindset?
There are two types of mindsets and they are important to understand, especially in the teaching of math.  A fixed mindset basically says that I am good at math because I have an inherent talent for it.  I'm either born with the math gene or not.  This is the mindset most people have and it severely limits the accessibility of a deep understanding of mathematics.  A growth mindset says that I am good at math because I work hard.  The importance of this is that it opens the door to a deep understanding of math to everyone!  You don't have to be born with the math gene you just have to be willing to take responsibility for your understanding, ask questions, and work hard.  Other countries, like Japan, establish a growth mindset in their students and I believe it is part of the reason they fare so well.  There are things you can do to encourage a growth mindset (maybe a post on that in the future) and I'm working at putting those things into play this year.

I suck at reading and that's okay! 
It is a crisis in this nation that so many freely admit and accept being horrible at math yet it is not on the radar as such. Saying one sucks at reading or writing would bring specialists out of the corners to intervene.  Friends would be appalled to hear such a statement.  Yet Americans say they are horrible at math all the time. And most of their friends respond with "I am too."  Why is it acceptable to be horrible in number sense and problem solving (let's face it folks, that's what math is!) but not acceptable to say you are a horrible reader?  Somehow it has become socially acceptable to be bad at math.   This has to change.

How did we get here?
Where this is most concerning to me is when those saying this are the parents of  my students. It concerns me because they say it in front their children during parent teacher conferences and directly to me.  Now I don't blame parents for feeling this way.  In a sense they have been set up for it by the way we have traditionally taught math in this country (something we need to drastically change!).  Parents have come to accept a fixed mindset.  The horrible part is that they are unwittingly passing this onto their children.  I believe that you can't change what you don't acknowledge (Dr. Philism, I think) and I hope to find a way to help parents understand their role in helping me to change their children's mindset.

Let's ask parents, "What if?"
Cracking the shell on "I suck at math" is going to be difficult.  It's ingrained and carries with it many horrible experiences people have had with math.  Rather than confronting it abruptly, I wonder if asking parents to dream a better way might not be the way to go.  I wonder the reaction if I asked parents to consider, "What if?"  What if they had be given the opportunity for a better experience in math class?  What if they had been given the message that they are good at math?  What if their math teachers had given them praise for their efforts?  What if they had been taught that mistakes make your brain grow and they are okay?  What if they had been allowed to work in groups to learn from each other?  I think that if I can get parents to see that their could have been a better way for them that I can get them excited to help me create a better way for their children.

Newsletters never end up home!
I thought about sending home a parent newsletter to give parents information about how to help me change their children's mindset.  And I think for this to be successful they need to feel they are a part of the process.  I certainly can't do this without them! But I know in my own household of five kids, newsletter never end up at home.  If they do they sometimes end up in the garbage or read weeks later.  So I thought I would instead create an online newsletter (think parent blog) that was sent out by a link through Remind 101.  I already have parents sign up for it and that way it goes directly to them. I could even use it to send out periodic hints of things to ask their children about class or positive messages that they can relay to their kids.

Parents are your greatest ally!
I don't think there is anyone more powerful to help us change kid's mindset better than parents.  If they are on our side and working with us our students will benefit greatly.  Although I haven't worked out every detail I have gathered a game plan in my head.  Here are the highlights of that plan:

• Help parents to see how their experience shaped them and how it could be better for their kids
• Show parents how I am doing things differently by sharing what's happening in the classroom
• Ask parents to help me make things better by giving them concrete things to say and do with their kids

I believe that once parents see how doing worksheets of 30 problems on the same concept in complete silence sitting in rows day after day has affected their relationship with math they will be hungry for a better way for their kids.  And when I share with them all that I do in my classroom for students like giving them choice in assignments, having them work in groups, etc. they will see hope.  And maybe, just maybe, through their own children they will change their relationship with math for the better.

Algebra Teaching Game Plan

I have had so many thoughts running through my mind this summer that it became necessary to put them into some kind of organized manner.  Being that I am a visual person I put them together into a Google Drawing with links to the resources.

The Main Idea
I'm starting to see Algebra as really a course in Number Sense and Problem Solving.  I very much wish I could change the name of it but, alas, that will not happen.  My relationship with the teaching math has changed.  I see it as having three personalities that mesh together to form the study of mathematics (or at least the teaching of it). There is the "Conceptual" or all things important to truly understanding mathematics. There is the "Procedural" or the mechanics of math.  And kind of sandwiched between the two is the "Relational" aspect of algebra.  I see that as the ideal kind of relationship students have with mathematics that sincerely supports their potential to understand it's study.

Playing a big part in how I see teaching algebra differently is using the study of patterns as a foundation. There are so many inherent benefits to teaching algebra from this perspective that it cries for it's own post (I'll get to that soon).  There is the use of questioning to develop many conceptual and relational aspects of algebra. I have a theory that students struggle in math classes because they don't know how or feel comfortable asking questions.  There is much more to how I see teaching algebra (or maybe even math in general) that it is too much for one post.  For now, here is what has been brewing in my brain.

For the image with active links go here: Game Plan Link

Patterns Make Me Feel Stupid: How I'm Turning That Into a Positive For My Students

Having just completed Jo Boaler's How to Teach Math course thought Stanford's MOOC I am left contemplating the importance of studying patterns in Algebra. I understand they are more meaningful than empty equations. But as I study them for myself while trying to develop how I will use them in the classroom I have two reactions I didn't anticipate; 1) They make me feel stupid, and 2) I don't get how they relate to the real world.

Why They Make Me Feel Stupid

I'm talking specifically about working with visual patterns like those found on Fawn Nguyen's website.  I typically have little problem wrapping my head around how the patterns grow. My difficulty comes in finding the 43rd pattern and modeling the growth with an algebraic expression to find the nth case.  As soon as I recognized my internal voice commenting, "I hate these" and "I'm not good at these" I immediately realized that is how many of my students feel. So what was making me think these things? Im a teacher for goodness sake and I should know better. The answer; because they take forever for me to figure out. Epiphany! I was falling into the same trap my students do; if I can't figure it out in a few minutes then I must not know how to do it.  As much education as I have in teaching mathematics I still fall into that crappy old trap. How easy it must be for my students to fall into the same trap!

How Do They Relate to the Real World

Now I get that there is a great deal of learning that goes on in understanding patterns and using algebraic expressions to model them but how does that really relate to the real world? As i pondered the answer I took a walk on the beach during a family vacation. I found myself looking at the footprints and, noticing that some were partially washed away by the waves, I wondered how many waves it took to wash them away? And how does that differ with the varying depths of the footprints?  And why do some footprints vary in their depth? Then I wondered what caused the shoreline to jut out in certain areas and not others? 

So then I began to question whether the study of patterns was really a study of science rather than mathematics. Wasn't it really a question of the physics behind the waves that I was really wondering about? Then it hit me. I was asking the questions because I had been studying patterns.  thats what caused me to look for the patterns in the world around me.  And it is the existence of patterns and our wonderment about their cause that is the basis of science! Epiphany number two!  Happenstance does not give birth to scientific theory. Patterns do!  When we see things that occur regularly and with form; that is when we ask why.  Why does that happen? What is the cause? Can we recreate it?  By looking at patterns and working to model them with algebra we lay the foundation for scientific discovery and wonderment. That is how it relates to the real world. 

In the Classroom

In the end I am sticking with my desire to make the study of patterns much more prevalent in my classroom. I have decided that even though I am not so great at writing algebraic models for patterns, I will learn a great deal by sharing that journey with my students. We will truly be learning together. I will share with them how studying patterns initially made me feel and how important it is to remind ourselves that time and intelligence are not linked. And I will share with them how that created a curiosity in myself to see patterns everywhere and how to use them to explain the world around me. Ultimately I have come to realize that studying patterns is the seed to cultivating curiosity.  And that is more important than than my own feelings of inadequacy. 

Flipped Mastery: My Blueprint

As the school year draws near it has come time to finalize some decisions and layout my game plan for running my Algebra 1 course as a "flipped mastery" course.  Here is that blueprint, which includes the following:

• Background
• General Policies
• Assessments
• Class Structure
• Student Work Flow
• Students Who Do Not Finish Curriculum
• Physical Set-Up of Classroom

Background
I will have ninth graders all year as part of a new Freshman Academy initiative in our building.  The benefit for my flipped-mastery approach is that I won't have to get new students used to the routine and new approach each trimester.  Last year I flipped the entire year of Algebra 1.  Although I have many videos and guided notes to reuse this year, the first three units will need major revamping.  I changed things quite a bit during the first trimester last year as I found what worked (and didn't) for myself and my students.  I am also changing our practice assignments quite a bit from last year.  They are now tiered with a points systems that allows students to have a choice in the problems they do and the difficulty.  It allows for greater differentiation.

I also have the following resources in my classroom:

• 1 cadet teacher (an upperclassman)
• 15 netbooks in the classroom with Wifi
• 24 mp3 players (for students who don't have internet access at home)

General Policies

• Students can move at their own pace.  A “minimum pace” will be established and documented in a class calendar available to parents and students through class website.  
• Benchmark of 70% for assessments (quizzes and unit assessments).  Students must meet this in order to move to next concept/unit.
• Assignments that are not completed on pace will be marked “missing”.  If assignments are not completed by the Unit Assessment date they will become a zero until students complete them.  Note: I have decided to do it this way because I feel that my students will need the "incentive" and parents will need the grade to reflect that a student is behind. I know there is debate about putting in zeros for work that is not complete and I am not sure I will always do it this way, but I need to make some decisions for a starting point and this is it. 
• Parent contact: Contact home will be made if students fall a few days behind pace. Note: This very well will be done by the student themselves during class.
• Students behind pace: Students will have a 1 week window to complete what is “on pace”.  If they become 1 week behind I will call home and require after school tutoring to catch up. If students do not attend after school tutoring they will be required to attend academic lunch detention.  Note: We have free after school tutoring with transportation home. The academic lunch detention will be run by our Link Crew (some of whom are also Cadet Teachers).

Assessments

• Concept quizzes and retakes will be done in class in a "testing area". There is a "Today's Quiz" folder that contains multiple class copies of a "unit" quiz; broken down into sections by concept. Students do not write on these. Each concept has 4-5 questions. I have 12 versions of "Today's Quiz" and put out a new version each day. Students use the version for that day for their initial quiz or retake, whichever they are doing that day. Students have a quiz answer tpacket (SEE EXAMPLE) that they write down their work and answers to make grading easier. Note: I got this idea from @crystalkirch. It is how she has found to be the most efficient way to run paper-pencil quizzes and keep your sanity while grading them!
• Unit assessments will be taken in class during the on pace assessment date. Students who are behind will still take the unit assessment. If they do not score 70% or better they will retake it after completing the outstanding material. Note: I have struggled with what to do with this aspect of my flipped-mastery approach. I feel without the pressing assessments students will fall desperately behind. I may be selling them short and will revisit this if it seems necessary to do so. By having students take the assessments (even if not "ready") I can at least better ascertain how they are doing on the material they have learned.
• Unit assessments retakes will be done before or after school according to a set schedule. Students will need to fill out a "Retake Request Form" (I still need to develop this). This will require students to explain what they didn't understand on the prior assessment (with corrections to their mistakes attached), what they did to prepare, what their original score was, and what they anticipate scoring on the retake.

Class Structure

• Whole-class activity (see BLOG POST of these ideas)
• Check-In during which students get into groups, testing area, netbooks, etc.
• Flex-time during which students have their individual or small group work time (see Student Work Flow)
• Check-Out during which students fill out check out slips to help them reflect on and plan their time (SEE EXAMPLE)

Student Work Flow

From the students perspective, here is the work flow:

• Watch video and complete all guided notes & summary questions (via Google Form)

When they submit answers they are given link to responses. They can check their answers against mine and see how I have coded their answers (GREEN=good, YELLOW=almost, RED=wrong). They will record the date of their submission and the color score on the front of their guided notes packet (I call them VIP Packet - SEE EXAMPLE)

• Complete practice assignment: Students grade their own at the "grading station" and record their score on the front of their VIP Packet. They may work individually or in a group.
• Teacher Conference: Students must get their VIP Packet signed off by me under the "Info & Notes" column. We have a brief discussion about their practice problems and I look over their notes.
• Take concept quiz: The student then takes that day's version of the quiz and turns it in. I will return them, graded, the next day. Students keep track of their scores on the front of their Quiz Packet
• Passed - student moves onto next concept
• Did not pass - student reviews mistakes, gets reteaching in small group or individually with me then reassesses.

Students Who Do Not Finish

Although we are on trimester I will have students all year.  At the end of the trimester any assignments/assessments that students have not completed will be given a zero and that grade (failing if they have not completed curriculum) will be "finalize".  When the next trimester starts any student behind will pick up from where they left off.  Therefore, their "failing" grade is not "final".  At the end of the year if any student is still behind they will come in for summer school and finish what they have not yet completed.   If they do not come in for summer school they will take the last trimester of Algebra 1 at the beginning of their sophomore year.  I do not anticipate anyone being more than 1 trimester behind by the end of the year.  Note: In years prior if a student failed a trimester they had to repeat that trimester until they passed.  We had some students take a trimester over and over again.  My hope is that this will prevent that from happening.

Physical Set-up of Classroom

I have my classroom organized similar to "centers" as follows:

• Groups of desks for students to work together/helping each other or by themselves

• Small table for small group work with me or the cadet teacher

• Testing area for assessments

• Digital Work Station where netbooks will be set up and students can watch videos and do online submissions

• Grading Station where students can check their practice assignments against the answer key. (This used to be my desk. I've decided to give it up!)

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. If there is something I've forgotten, let me know and I'll do my best to address it. This is just the beginning of what I'm sure will be an interesting journey!

~Lisa