Sorry, everyone! I've moved my blog over to WordPress.com.
http://kissmyasymptotes.wordpress.com/
For the very few readers out there, hope to see you there! :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Art of Procrastination (Part II: How to)
[Wow, this blog post is much longer than I anticipated, and I still didn't cover everything there is to my method of procrastination. I may continue a Part III sometime in the far future (kind of like The 8th Habit came after the first 7 in a separate book), but for now, I'll leave you with this. Enjoy! -JT]
The Art of Procrastination (Part I)--an attempt to explain why procrastination is not necessarily a bad habit, but rather an art mastered by lazy people to become efficient, productive, and quality producers.
Now, procrastination is not the only way, nor is it the best way of getting things done. As Jackie commented on my previous post, she is definitely not a procrastinator, but she works very much like one by moving up her deadlines. However, Jackie is not lazy. Lucky her.
On the other hand, Part II is my "how to" guide for lazy people. Unfortunately, there are two types of lazy people: those who do stuff and those who don't. It would be great NOT to have a lazy mentality, but think about all the greatness that have come from possibly very lazy people trying to make life easier--Lazy Boy recliners, calculators, power tools, cruise control, and even electric toothbrushes. Okay, I made that stuff up; but I wouldn't be surprised if the people who thought of those ideas were in fact lazy people.
Lazy != Non-productive. Okay, enough intro stuff. Here's the guide...well, more like tips. You can follow them, or you can not, but if you follow them, procrastination is much less stressful.
1. Know your limits and prioritize--As much as I love to procrastinate, I know my limits and my capabilities. For example, I would not start a 20-page research paper at 5 a.m., when I know its due that same day at 9 a.m. That's insane.
I also know what tasks complete first. Just because things have an earlier deadline, it doesn't necessarily mean its more important. At the same time, it doesn't mean that the most important need to be completed first. Assess your projects and see which ones are the most important. See if other less important ones can assist you in the more important ones.
Lastly, try to assess the people who are giving you assignments and see which deadlines you can fudge. I'm not saying to push back deadlines when possible, but if you find that you've gone past your limit, well, something has got to go!
2. Work while you're not working--HUH? Now that sounds like a contradiction. No, but really. Play video games, take a shower, go out and party, go clean your house, find random YouTube videos, read my blog. Do whatever you do when you procrastinate! But while you are doing whatever it is you choose, always keep your project(s) in mind.
A lot of people try to relax by forgetting everything they have on their plate. That may be nice to do sometimes, but you would definitely be setting yourself up for a load of stress in the future. I enjoy my time when I'm not working, but at the same time, I am constantly brainstorming. People sometimes look at me weird when I drift off into my own world, and end up asking random questions. It's not because I'm ignoring them (well maybe a little), but rather because something may have been mentioned that sparked an idea that I want to continue to explore.
Brainstorming and exploring ideas at all times (whether your working or not) is the key to procrastinating effectively.
3. Get started early--I know what you're thinking. What?? I thought procrastination means to put things off until the last minute! True, I'm full of contradictions. But think about it this way. When you first get a project, it's fresh on your mind, and you may have ideas already spinning inside your head. Get those out early on, even if you only spend 10-20 minutes on it. If anything at least read the guidelines of what you need to get done.
By starting early, I can relieve any stress by just thinking, "Oh! I already got started on that project." Further, starting early primes your brain to begin the brainstorming process. If you put your work out of sight and out of mind right from the start, then it's difficult to follow #2 when you have no idea what you're even supposed to think about.
4. Take on side projects--Be a consistent and constant learner. I always tend to pick up so many side projects, more things to procrastinate on. Do I finish all of them? No. Do they contribute to completing a project, not really. But at least I don't feel like I'm 100% lazy. No, I'm joking, sort of.
When we procrastinate, we often look for something to do other than what we're really supposed to do. Take for example, my blog. I really should be lesson planning, working on BTSA stuff, creating a rubric ([check] done!), etc., but instead I take joy in writing other crap instead. Surprisingly, though, blogging has actually benefited my teaching and my entire lesson planning process.
When taking on side projects, try things that may interest you, but at the same time may in fact make your life easier. As I said in Part I, the laziest people are also the most efficient. Waste time on projects that will help you free more time to waste more time. That's a doozy of a sentence. And if not, you never know when a side project will assist you in completing a real project in the future.
I'm sure Project Euler will one day be useful to me. My photography has already helped me in numerous projects. Same with designing web pages, writing and reading blogs, spending time on Twitter and Facebook, cutting snowflakes, surfing the web, spending time with friends, going out to eat, playing World of Warcraft (this has helped more than you know, but I quit now), going to class, reading books and magazines, rearranging my room...wow, too many things to list. Just do something! But the trick is, don't forget about them either! You never know when they'll come in handy.
***The first four steps are very much focused on preparing yourself to complete a project. If you didn't read them, then basically brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm, constantly, in whatever you choose to do. And apply everything you've learned while procrastinating to your project.
The next steps are focusing on how to do deal with a project once you've gotten to the point where you need to work.***
5. Be rested--If you plan to produce quality work, then you must not work past the point that you are too tired to think. If I'm working into the early morning hours and notice I can no longer think clearly and quickly, I close my laptop, and go to bed. If you don't have time to do that, then you didn't follow #1 and waited too long. If I fall asleep at around 2 a.m., I will set my alarm for around 5, then probably continue snooze-button sleep until 5:30-5:40. At that point a shower will wake me up and energize me enough to keep going with a fresh mind.
6. Don't think too hard--Again, if you prepared correctly, most of the difficult thinking should be done and waiting in your mind, ready to be produced. If you are thinking too hard about what to write/do next, then you are wasting time. Just go with your first instincts and follow the plan that's already in your mind.
7. Adapt to your environment--Personally, I love to work at Starbucks or Panera (I'm actually at Starbucks right now). Unfortunately, those places aren't open 24 hours. When I'm not procrastinating, those are the only places I can get stuff done. Once its crunch time, I have to be able to work wherever is available, whether its home or Denny's. I hate working from home or my classroom, but when time counts, I can't waste time trying to find the perfect place to work.
8. Have backups already in place before you even think about getting started!!--You don't want to be the person who doesn't complete an assignment, or have the test ready for students because you didn't have a place to print, or because your computer crashed. I laugh at people who don't know how to recover from problems. I can list a number of places I will go to print (whether at home, school, work, etc) if my printer fails.
Have a flash drive, and web-mail accounts ready to go, and make sure you save it in different formats. As soon as I finish something on my laptop, I send it to myself on gmail and copy it onto my flash drive. You never know what methods (or software) you'll have available when you need to access your files on your desktop or laptop. Oh, and if possible, PDF versions of your files are awesome too, when you need to print.
9. Don't be afraid to be innovative--I know I've talked a lot about not thinking and letting things flow because of your great non-working time brainstorming. However, if a new idea comes up, then go with it! You start to become a true procrastinator when ideas and innovations come more often, and you learn to more easily incorporate them into your projects.
Side projects, school courses, conversations with friends, ideas from blogs, or random experiences--you're not a true procrastinator until you can really learn from ALL of your experiences and be ready to apply and synthesize on the fly.
By the way, all those people who complain or have complained about the general education/breadth courses in college? They will never be truly successful procrastinators because they aren't learning and applying. Don't be one of them!
10. Get "in the zone"--I can't really explain this one, but it is hands-down the most important skill. You probably already know what I'm talking about, too. And again, hopefully if you follow the preparation stages of procrastinating, getting "in the zone" is becomes much easier to reach.
Getting in the zone is the culmination of all the skills developed by procrastinators, coming together to create a powerhouse worker who understands all, knows all, does all. The more you procrastinate, the easier it becomes.
You reach the point where you just sit down at your computer and everything just flows from your brain to your hands to your computer (or whatever platform you are using to complete your project). Unexpected problems are solved in a matter of minutes, or even seconds. You are so focused on completing your task that time actually slows down for you. It's an amazing feeling once you've reached that point.
Focused, determined, motivated, everything that a non-procrastinator is, but 100 times more intense. Normal distractions, for you teacher/student ADD people, are no longer distractions, but beautiful compositions of musical elements that increases your cognitive and physical abilities.
Practice procrastination, and you will eventually reach that point. And I will leave you with that.
The Art of Procrastination (Part I)--an attempt to explain why procrastination is not necessarily a bad habit, but rather an art mastered by lazy people to become efficient, productive, and quality producers.
Now, procrastination is not the only way, nor is it the best way of getting things done. As Jackie commented on my previous post, she is definitely not a procrastinator, but she works very much like one by moving up her deadlines. However, Jackie is not lazy. Lucky her.
On the other hand, Part II is my "how to" guide for lazy people. Unfortunately, there are two types of lazy people: those who do stuff and those who don't. It would be great NOT to have a lazy mentality, but think about all the greatness that have come from possibly very lazy people trying to make life easier--Lazy Boy recliners, calculators, power tools, cruise control, and even electric toothbrushes. Okay, I made that stuff up; but I wouldn't be surprised if the people who thought of those ideas were in fact lazy people.
Lazy != Non-productive. Okay, enough intro stuff. Here's the guide...well, more like tips. You can follow them, or you can not, but if you follow them, procrastination is much less stressful.
1. Know your limits and prioritize--As much as I love to procrastinate, I know my limits and my capabilities. For example, I would not start a 20-page research paper at 5 a.m., when I know its due that same day at 9 a.m. That's insane.
I also know what tasks complete first. Just because things have an earlier deadline, it doesn't necessarily mean its more important. At the same time, it doesn't mean that the most important need to be completed first. Assess your projects and see which ones are the most important. See if other less important ones can assist you in the more important ones.
Lastly, try to assess the people who are giving you assignments and see which deadlines you can fudge. I'm not saying to push back deadlines when possible, but if you find that you've gone past your limit, well, something has got to go!
2. Work while you're not working--HUH? Now that sounds like a contradiction. No, but really. Play video games, take a shower, go out and party, go clean your house, find random YouTube videos, read my blog. Do whatever you do when you procrastinate! But while you are doing whatever it is you choose, always keep your project(s) in mind.
A lot of people try to relax by forgetting everything they have on their plate. That may be nice to do sometimes, but you would definitely be setting yourself up for a load of stress in the future. I enjoy my time when I'm not working, but at the same time, I am constantly brainstorming. People sometimes look at me weird when I drift off into my own world, and end up asking random questions. It's not because I'm ignoring them (well maybe a little), but rather because something may have been mentioned that sparked an idea that I want to continue to explore.
Brainstorming and exploring ideas at all times (whether your working or not) is the key to procrastinating effectively.
3. Get started early--I know what you're thinking. What?? I thought procrastination means to put things off until the last minute! True, I'm full of contradictions. But think about it this way. When you first get a project, it's fresh on your mind, and you may have ideas already spinning inside your head. Get those out early on, even if you only spend 10-20 minutes on it. If anything at least read the guidelines of what you need to get done.
By starting early, I can relieve any stress by just thinking, "Oh! I already got started on that project." Further, starting early primes your brain to begin the brainstorming process. If you put your work out of sight and out of mind right from the start, then it's difficult to follow #2 when you have no idea what you're even supposed to think about.
4. Take on side projects--Be a consistent and constant learner. I always tend to pick up so many side projects, more things to procrastinate on. Do I finish all of them? No. Do they contribute to completing a project, not really. But at least I don't feel like I'm 100% lazy. No, I'm joking, sort of.
When we procrastinate, we often look for something to do other than what we're really supposed to do. Take for example, my blog. I really should be lesson planning, working on BTSA stuff, creating a rubric ([check] done!), etc., but instead I take joy in writing other crap instead. Surprisingly, though, blogging has actually benefited my teaching and my entire lesson planning process.
When taking on side projects, try things that may interest you, but at the same time may in fact make your life easier. As I said in Part I, the laziest people are also the most efficient. Waste time on projects that will help you free more time to waste more time. That's a doozy of a sentence. And if not, you never know when a side project will assist you in completing a real project in the future.
I'm sure Project Euler will one day be useful to me. My photography has already helped me in numerous projects. Same with designing web pages, writing and reading blogs, spending time on Twitter and Facebook, cutting snowflakes, surfing the web, spending time with friends, going out to eat, playing World of Warcraft (this has helped more than you know, but I quit now), going to class, reading books and magazines, rearranging my room...wow, too many things to list. Just do something! But the trick is, don't forget about them either! You never know when they'll come in handy.
***The first four steps are very much focused on preparing yourself to complete a project. If you didn't read them, then basically brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm, constantly, in whatever you choose to do. And apply everything you've learned while procrastinating to your project.
The next steps are focusing on how to do deal with a project once you've gotten to the point where you need to work.***
5. Be rested--If you plan to produce quality work, then you must not work past the point that you are too tired to think. If I'm working into the early morning hours and notice I can no longer think clearly and quickly, I close my laptop, and go to bed. If you don't have time to do that, then you didn't follow #1 and waited too long. If I fall asleep at around 2 a.m., I will set my alarm for around 5, then probably continue snooze-button sleep until 5:30-5:40. At that point a shower will wake me up and energize me enough to keep going with a fresh mind.
6. Don't think too hard--Again, if you prepared correctly, most of the difficult thinking should be done and waiting in your mind, ready to be produced. If you are thinking too hard about what to write/do next, then you are wasting time. Just go with your first instincts and follow the plan that's already in your mind.
7. Adapt to your environment--Personally, I love to work at Starbucks or Panera (I'm actually at Starbucks right now). Unfortunately, those places aren't open 24 hours. When I'm not procrastinating, those are the only places I can get stuff done. Once its crunch time, I have to be able to work wherever is available, whether its home or Denny's. I hate working from home or my classroom, but when time counts, I can't waste time trying to find the perfect place to work.
8. Have backups already in place before you even think about getting started!!--You don't want to be the person who doesn't complete an assignment, or have the test ready for students because you didn't have a place to print, or because your computer crashed. I laugh at people who don't know how to recover from problems. I can list a number of places I will go to print (whether at home, school, work, etc) if my printer fails.
Have a flash drive, and web-mail accounts ready to go, and make sure you save it in different formats. As soon as I finish something on my laptop, I send it to myself on gmail and copy it onto my flash drive. You never know what methods (or software) you'll have available when you need to access your files on your desktop or laptop. Oh, and if possible, PDF versions of your files are awesome too, when you need to print.
9. Don't be afraid to be innovative--I know I've talked a lot about not thinking and letting things flow because of your great non-working time brainstorming. However, if a new idea comes up, then go with it! You start to become a true procrastinator when ideas and innovations come more often, and you learn to more easily incorporate them into your projects.
Side projects, school courses, conversations with friends, ideas from blogs, or random experiences--you're not a true procrastinator until you can really learn from ALL of your experiences and be ready to apply and synthesize on the fly.
By the way, all those people who complain or have complained about the general education/breadth courses in college? They will never be truly successful procrastinators because they aren't learning and applying. Don't be one of them!
10. Get "in the zone"--I can't really explain this one, but it is hands-down the most important skill. You probably already know what I'm talking about, too. And again, hopefully if you follow the preparation stages of procrastinating, getting "in the zone" is becomes much easier to reach.
Getting in the zone is the culmination of all the skills developed by procrastinators, coming together to create a powerhouse worker who understands all, knows all, does all. The more you procrastinate, the easier it becomes.
You reach the point where you just sit down at your computer and everything just flows from your brain to your hands to your computer (or whatever platform you are using to complete your project). Unexpected problems are solved in a matter of minutes, or even seconds. You are so focused on completing your task that time actually slows down for you. It's an amazing feeling once you've reached that point.
Focused, determined, motivated, everything that a non-procrastinator is, but 100 times more intense. Normal distractions, for you teacher/student ADD people, are no longer distractions, but beautiful compositions of musical elements that increases your cognitive and physical abilities.
Practice procrastination, and you will eventually reach that point. And I will leave you with that.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Sandy the Superintendent
The Principal and Superintendent came around to every classroom today. I dread when the Principal drops by my classroom. I always feel like I'm being judged. However, when our Superintendent visits, it is a bit of the opposite feeling.
Mrs. T was the principal during my first year as a student at my high school. Now, I'm back, but I don't think she really remembers me. Anyway, whenever she comes in, she gives me a big hug and tells me how proud she is of me.
I'm know she does that with everyone, but whenever she comes in, I feel like such a little kid getting praised by a nice lady. I love it!
Some of the other teachers don't like being hugged, and truthfully, I'm not big on the whole touchy-feely thing. But it just really lifts my spirits when she comes in and acknowledges my teaching.
Mrs. T was the principal during my first year as a student at my high school. Now, I'm back, but I don't think she really remembers me. Anyway, whenever she comes in, she gives me a big hug and tells me how proud she is of me.
I'm know she does that with everyone, but whenever she comes in, I feel like such a little kid getting praised by a nice lady. I love it!
Some of the other teachers don't like being hugged, and truthfully, I'm not big on the whole touchy-feely thing. But it just really lifts my spirits when she comes in and acknowledges my teaching.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Art of Procrastination (Part I)
Procrastination is often looked down upon as a bad habit, or poor time management. I, on the other hand, disagree--mostly.
As I've said before, I am a huge procrastinator, and I have been all my life. I believe that if done correctly, procrastinators can definitely reach the same level of success as those who plan their time "wisely", while building new use skills and enjoying life, simultaneously. Part I focuses on these skills gained while learning to procrastinate.
I know what you're thinking. Sure you can enjoy life, but what skills can you possibly learn by procrastinating? Well, in my opinion, procrastination is an art, and if you're able to master this artform, then you must have demonstrated an ability to understand and apply a number of key principles and skills.
Decision making. I've tried the step-by-step, take-it-a-bit-at-a-time method of getting things done. It didn't work for me. With so much time, I could not make any decisions! You limit your amount of brainstorming, with the intention of getting started. Then you sit there trying to figure out how to really get started. It just seems like such a waste to just sit there and think.
Problem solving. Being able to make quick decisions comes with the highly valuable skill of problem solving. I think its funny that when people have problems, whether they are last minute or not, they go and start crying to someone else about how things aren't going as planned rather than making the modifications to just fix it. You got a problem? Then fix it yourself! Don't waste time whining to others. Procrastination forces you to do this.
Efficiency. I think it was my dad who once said, "The laziest people are the most efficient people." I admit that I am lazy (I think I admit way too many my own faults on this blog). But I will also say that often times, I can finish projects or quick tasks in a fraction of the time compared to most others. When procrastinating, you really have to be able to catch on fast, and work efficiently, or the quality of work will suffer. You create strategies and devise methods to make sure every working second is productive and efficient (I think I've used the word efficient enough times already, but efficiency really is key to procrastination!)
Brainstorming. In order to be an efficient procrastinator, you really must know what you're doing. While I'm procrastinating, no project is ever completely out of mind. I'm constantly brainstorming, and forming, and structuring, and exploring constantly in my head. Although efficiency is key, brainstorming provides the foundation of procrastination. With sufficient amount of brainstorming prior to working, you can get things done quickly. Fast. Like That.
I will continue with my Part II soon. My rules and tips on how to procrastinate, sort of.
As I've said before, I am a huge procrastinator, and I have been all my life. I believe that if done correctly, procrastinators can definitely reach the same level of success as those who plan their time "wisely", while building new use skills and enjoying life, simultaneously. Part I focuses on these skills gained while learning to procrastinate.
I know what you're thinking. Sure you can enjoy life, but what skills can you possibly learn by procrastinating? Well, in my opinion, procrastination is an art, and if you're able to master this artform, then you must have demonstrated an ability to understand and apply a number of key principles and skills.
Decision making. I've tried the step-by-step, take-it-a-bit-at-a-time method of getting things done. It didn't work for me. With so much time, I could not make any decisions! You limit your amount of brainstorming, with the intention of getting started. Then you sit there trying to figure out how to really get started. It just seems like such a waste to just sit there and think.
Problem solving. Being able to make quick decisions comes with the highly valuable skill of problem solving. I think its funny that when people have problems, whether they are last minute or not, they go and start crying to someone else about how things aren't going as planned rather than making the modifications to just fix it. You got a problem? Then fix it yourself! Don't waste time whining to others. Procrastination forces you to do this.
Efficiency. I think it was my dad who once said, "The laziest people are the most efficient people." I admit that I am lazy (I think I admit way too many my own faults on this blog). But I will also say that often times, I can finish projects or quick tasks in a fraction of the time compared to most others. When procrastinating, you really have to be able to catch on fast, and work efficiently, or the quality of work will suffer. You create strategies and devise methods to make sure every working second is productive and efficient (I think I've used the word efficient enough times already, but efficiency really is key to procrastination!)
Brainstorming. In order to be an efficient procrastinator, you really must know what you're doing. While I'm procrastinating, no project is ever completely out of mind. I'm constantly brainstorming, and forming, and structuring, and exploring constantly in my head. Although efficiency is key, brainstorming provides the foundation of procrastination. With sufficient amount of brainstorming prior to working, you can get things done quickly. Fast. Like That.
I will continue with my Part II soon. My rules and tips on how to procrastinate, sort of.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Wordle
Did this at wordle.net. I just thought it was interesting that the word "students" stood out so much.
Classroom Observations
This is my third year teaching, but only my first year doing BTSA. Oh, the joy. Sarcastic much?
Anyhow, I completed my observation of a veteran teacher today--of my department chair, actually. It was a useful and somewhat enlightening experience, though not because I gained a lot of new strategies and ideas as one would hope.
I'm not saying that my department chair is a bad teacher. No, far from it. I really admire and look up to him as a model teacher and strong leader for the math department. However, observing him today helped me to realize that even the best teachers have to deal with real students.
Classroom Management. This year, I have really worked to earn the respect of the students and have been really successful in actually managing the classroom, compared to years past at least. While in the dept chair's class though, he also sometimes struggled to have students settle down, or grab complete attention.
"5-4-3-2-1..." Nope still talking. Actually, I used that technique last year. It didn't work for me. This year, I just silently raise my hand, and they tend to quiet themselves down. It works well for me.
Teaching Strategies. I think its funny how I feel like every day should be have an exciting activity or lesson that's completely innovative and different. As much as I would like that, it's just not possible. After some time, I just run out of ideas (or run out of ideas I've stolen). I don't like to do the same thing over and over, week after week, because then even my best strategies get old and boring for my students. On the other hand, if they do work, of course I do bring them back, regularly.
Today I observed a very straight-foward, direct-instruction lesson. Examples were already set up on the board, and he went through them one by one. A bit dry for my taste, but it works. I always tell myself, there's gotta be a way to change it up a bit, to encourage more critical thinking, or collaboration, or something! But when my mind fails, I always rely on--yup, whiteboards (if you read my last post).
There are always a variety of activities you can do with whiteboards, so if they seem to be getting bored, its very easy to modify the instruction. I don't think I'll ever be able to just do problems, then give a worksheet. I don't know why.
Technology. This teacher is very tech savvy. I was actually surprised that the only technology he used was a projector to show the daily bulletin, and the document camera to explain homework questions. I do the same.
Post Observation Thoughts. I think its funny when you are formally observed by an administrator, we are expected to pretty much put on a show. Not that the strategies I use during an observation I don't use on a regular basis, but I feel that administrators often forget what it's like to be in the classroom themselves.
Especially as a math teacher, I feel like some administrators don't really understand the idea that students say "I don't get it!" Or what happens in an every day classroom setting. I already have strategies planned out in my head for my formal observation with the Principal.
I realize she likes to see student collaboration, technology, and class control. Luckily I already do those on a regular basis, and I'm going to be sure I use either the Quick Draw for Points activity or Math Conversations activity. Though I want to do the math conversations, I'm leaning toward QD4P since it seems easier to implement when working with rational expressions.
Anyway, so how did this observation help me? First of all, it made me realize that all teachers have normal class days, and they don't always give amazing lessons that will blow everyone away. Learning about so many ideas and activities at conferences, workshops, school, and other teachers, I always feel like everyone is doing amazing things in their classrooms every day. I tend to forget that other teachers are real people and have real students.
I know it is not okay to show up to work with the same boring lesson and strategies every single day of the year. I will continue to strive to be the best teacher that I can, and that includes varying instructional strategies, engaging activities, and student collaboration. However, I understand that is normal to have the occasional "normal" lesson, as well. And now because of today, I'm okay with that.
Anyhow, I completed my observation of a veteran teacher today--of my department chair, actually. It was a useful and somewhat enlightening experience, though not because I gained a lot of new strategies and ideas as one would hope.
I'm not saying that my department chair is a bad teacher. No, far from it. I really admire and look up to him as a model teacher and strong leader for the math department. However, observing him today helped me to realize that even the best teachers have to deal with real students.
Classroom Management. This year, I have really worked to earn the respect of the students and have been really successful in actually managing the classroom, compared to years past at least. While in the dept chair's class though, he also sometimes struggled to have students settle down, or grab complete attention.
"5-4-3-2-1..." Nope still talking. Actually, I used that technique last year. It didn't work for me. This year, I just silently raise my hand, and they tend to quiet themselves down. It works well for me.
Teaching Strategies. I think its funny how I feel like every day should be have an exciting activity or lesson that's completely innovative and different. As much as I would like that, it's just not possible. After some time, I just run out of ideas (or run out of ideas I've stolen). I don't like to do the same thing over and over, week after week, because then even my best strategies get old and boring for my students. On the other hand, if they do work, of course I do bring them back, regularly.
Today I observed a very straight-foward, direct-instruction lesson. Examples were already set up on the board, and he went through them one by one. A bit dry for my taste, but it works. I always tell myself, there's gotta be a way to change it up a bit, to encourage more critical thinking, or collaboration, or something! But when my mind fails, I always rely on--yup, whiteboards (if you read my last post).
There are always a variety of activities you can do with whiteboards, so if they seem to be getting bored, its very easy to modify the instruction. I don't think I'll ever be able to just do problems, then give a worksheet. I don't know why.
Technology. This teacher is very tech savvy. I was actually surprised that the only technology he used was a projector to show the daily bulletin, and the document camera to explain homework questions. I do the same.
Post Observation Thoughts. I think its funny when you are formally observed by an administrator, we are expected to pretty much put on a show. Not that the strategies I use during an observation I don't use on a regular basis, but I feel that administrators often forget what it's like to be in the classroom themselves.
Especially as a math teacher, I feel like some administrators don't really understand the idea that students say "I don't get it!" Or what happens in an every day classroom setting. I already have strategies planned out in my head for my formal observation with the Principal.
I realize she likes to see student collaboration, technology, and class control. Luckily I already do those on a regular basis, and I'm going to be sure I use either the Quick Draw for Points activity or Math Conversations activity. Though I want to do the math conversations, I'm leaning toward QD4P since it seems easier to implement when working with rational expressions.
Anyway, so how did this observation help me? First of all, it made me realize that all teachers have normal class days, and they don't always give amazing lessons that will blow everyone away. Learning about so many ideas and activities at conferences, workshops, school, and other teachers, I always feel like everyone is doing amazing things in their classrooms every day. I tend to forget that other teachers are real people and have real students.
I know it is not okay to show up to work with the same boring lesson and strategies every single day of the year. I will continue to strive to be the best teacher that I can, and that includes varying instructional strategies, engaging activities, and student collaboration. However, I understand that is normal to have the occasional "normal" lesson, as well. And now because of today, I'm okay with that.
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Routine Day
I admit, I am not perfect.
My biggest flaw (which I would never mention in an interview, yet am quick to admit to the public) is also one of my strengths, sadly. And that is the art of procrastination.
When it comes to procrastination, I am the biggest culprit. I wait until the last minute to work on... well, everything. Some people are great at working on things in a timely manner, but I'm the type of person who will wake up at 4 a.m. on the day a project is due so that I can complete it by 9 a.m.
Is it stressful? Perhaps, at times. Does it affect the quality of my work? Well, that one is debatable. After all, I do consider procrastination an art.
I'll save my little "schpeel" on procrastination for another day, though.
Although I procrastinate, it is very rare that I walk into my classroom without anything prepared for the day; but it does happen. And today was one of those days.
It's interesting, though, that when you have a routine set for the classroom, the lessons do pretty much flow. I usually plan a variety of activities throughout the class period (ya' gotta if you teach in a block schedule), but there are those activities that always come up and that you can always fall back on. That was today.
When I have nothing else, I know I can always rely on [drumroll please...] MINI-WHITEBOARDS! No matter how often I use these things, the students never get tired of them!
Notes-->Examples-->Practice on whiteboards--> Rinse and repeat!
So today's lessons consisted of taking notes from PowerPoint slides I made in a couple minutes prior to class, example problems worked out using a combination of my wireless tablet and inquiry-based classroom discussion, then practice problems on the whiteboards.
With set routines, there's no guessing or struggling to get through the day, and the students leave the classroom happy that they didn't have to spend an entire class period of 95 minutes on a worksheet. In addition to that, I get immediate feedback on who does or does not understand it, and I can change the lessons or practice on the fly.
Now, I don't ever want to become one of those teachers who walk in their classroom every day, and do the same routine every day of the year, with hardly any planning. But I do want to make sure that on the days that I do come in not fully prepared, I still have lessons that are effective and engaging.
No teacher is perfect, and I know my flaws. But part of overcoming your flaws is knowing what to do when you screw up. I'm pretty good at that.
My biggest flaw (which I would never mention in an interview, yet am quick to admit to the public) is also one of my strengths, sadly. And that is the art of procrastination.
When it comes to procrastination, I am the biggest culprit. I wait until the last minute to work on... well, everything. Some people are great at working on things in a timely manner, but I'm the type of person who will wake up at 4 a.m. on the day a project is due so that I can complete it by 9 a.m.
Is it stressful? Perhaps, at times. Does it affect the quality of my work? Well, that one is debatable. After all, I do consider procrastination an art.
I'll save my little "schpeel" on procrastination for another day, though.
Although I procrastinate, it is very rare that I walk into my classroom without anything prepared for the day; but it does happen. And today was one of those days.
It's interesting, though, that when you have a routine set for the classroom, the lessons do pretty much flow. I usually plan a variety of activities throughout the class period (ya' gotta if you teach in a block schedule), but there are those activities that always come up and that you can always fall back on. That was today.
When I have nothing else, I know I can always rely on [drumroll please...] MINI-WHITEBOARDS! No matter how often I use these things, the students never get tired of them!
Notes-->Examples-->Practice on whiteboards--> Rinse and repeat!
So today's lessons consisted of taking notes from PowerPoint slides I made in a couple minutes prior to class, example problems worked out using a combination of my wireless tablet and inquiry-based classroom discussion, then practice problems on the whiteboards.
With set routines, there's no guessing or struggling to get through the day, and the students leave the classroom happy that they didn't have to spend an entire class period of 95 minutes on a worksheet. In addition to that, I get immediate feedback on who does or does not understand it, and I can change the lessons or practice on the fly.
Now, I don't ever want to become one of those teachers who walk in their classroom every day, and do the same routine every day of the year, with hardly any planning. But I do want to make sure that on the days that I do come in not fully prepared, I still have lessons that are effective and engaging.
No teacher is perfect, and I know my flaws. But part of overcoming your flaws is knowing what to do when you screw up. I'm pretty good at that.
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