Get ready, get set, more paperwork

Well, I didn't officially start my non-intervention units yet - November 16 is now the official start date. However, my students did participate in one survey, and I used the results from two class assignments to do the mock up of my data analysis and conclusions.
I can say that my students have a fairly accurate concept of how well they can perform algorithms in math and chemistry classes. This is a very good thing.
After a bit of a panic last night, I have received official permission from my adviser to start my project. Now I need to get permission from the school, the students, and their parents to report what I find out. I can do the research without permission, but I need permission to use what I learn for the MSSE. I also need to submit a draft to a MSSE peer for input, submit the improved draft to three colleagues for more input, submit a proposal to my MSU reader, and make constructive comments about a peer's draft. All this by next Sunday.
More paperwork.

Get Ready, get set,

I'm working on the time line for my action research project. I am investigating the effects of a writing-rich format in my math 11 class. To do this I will need to compare student's attitudes and abilities before the "intervention" with their attitudes and abilities afterward. I want to see if writing and thinking about what they are doing helps in math class, and whether there is any carryover to their science classes. Therefore it stands to reason that I will need to do a 'non-intervention' unit - not much journaling about their though processes as they problem solve; and not many activities which work to make students think about what they are doing, and why they would follow a particular algorithm. So, Tuesday is the big day - I'll start journaling myself as I observe the students working in both math and chemistry.
I think this 'non-intervention' phase will last 4 weeks - until term 1 ends.
I'm nervous about how much writing I'll be doing, but excited to finally be underway.

Tuesdays with Morrie

This weekend I've read two Mitch Albom books. The first "Five People You Meet in Heaven" left me thinking about the connections between people. "Tuesdays with Morrie" has left me wondering about the quality of my relationships with family, friends, and students. "Tuesdays" is a very personal series of essays about his relationship with a former teacher who dies from ALS. What Morrie is able to help Mitch learn is what really matters - Live Life Abundantly, Forgive Others and Yourself, Love Your Family.
The book ends:
"Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head. . . . . The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week. . . The subject was the meaning of life. It was taught from experience. The teaching goes on."
I don't think I have ever had a teacher like that, but wouldn't it be wonderful to BE a teacher like that?
The capstone project I completed in 2003 dealt with qualities which are found in outstanding secondary teachers. The capstone project I'm working on right now deals with ways to help my students see the connections between what they learn in math class and how to problem solve in science classes. Both projects are little stepping stones in my path to becoming a teacher who truly makes a difference in the lives of her pupils.
I have found another role model.

Blogs and Action Research

I ended this summer with big plans for the fall. I would make time to introduce my students to blogs, would have a functional wiki I managed, and would breeze through EDCI 509. My classes would flow smoothly since I have taught them all before and know what I'm doing. My professional relationships would be mutually satisfying, my children would be happy and productive, my husband would feel fulfilled, and the income taxes would all be paid. Then school started.
Well, at least my children seem happy (I think Ryan's car is finally fixed.)
This week I will start on my fall list - or maybe it will be next week. . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/opinion/23friedman.html?_r=1
This editorial speaks to the need to bring people from a number of disciplines to the table when we work to solve problems. I really appreciate the call for multiple perspectives. It seems as though we have learned so much about how small parts of the universe operate, and this is extremely important, however, it takes a new perspective to use what various people have learned and synthesize these bits of knowledge into a cohesive whole.

I will never be a brilliant researcher - I don't have the clarity of mind to compose new questions, or devise new techniques. I am, however, very good at relating what I learn here, or study there, to what I read elsewhere. I need to hone this skill, and practice relating what I teach to a larger whole, so that my students can benefit from a more global perspective.

I would like to move my classroom from a place where students learn Biology, Chemistry, or Math to a place where we learn to use the tools we learned in one class to solve problems in another class, and then to problems in the outside world. I'll be focusing my capstone action research on this sort of transfer, and on the metacognition required to do so. It takes conscious effort to think about how one can solve a new type of problem using tools which one already has. I don't really think that I am the best guide as to how to accomplish this, but I will try to be the best I can.

I haven't formally articulated this before, but as I look back on my years of teaching, I can see that I have been working towards this goal for a quite a while. My plan is to use the MSSE capstone experience to help me be more aware of how I teach so that my students will be more likely to make connections within and between disciplines.

Adventures in Albuquerque

A "neighborhood" roadrunner who came visiting this afternoon. I expected to see the cottontails on the fairway behind my parent's house, but was pleasantly surprised to see the roadrunner visiting right beside the patio.
Yesterday I went to "Learning is Fun" with Shannon and my parents. This particular teacher store is exactly what teaching supply paradise looks like. We spent time and money there - and still have room in our suitcases. Luckily posters and borders for bulletin boards don't take up much space.
Today we went to Borders and to Cottonwood Mall. Books and shoes take up more space in our suitcases- and weigh a lot more than posters. We still have room, but we'll probably have overweight suitcases by the time we head back to BC!
It's been fun to not be working on class assignments. I've had a great time just relaxing, shopping, visiting, and eating great food. I'm very thankful for this opportunity.

Reflections from my creek bank

I really appreciate Wally's post which included Alan Jackson's "I still like bologna". The song gave me a focus for thinking about changes I might need to make to my philosophy for including web tools in my teaching repertoire. This collage demonstrates some of what is still important to me. I will continue to take plenty of pictures, and I'll still share them with students, friends, and family.

I will use more webtools in the future than I did in the past, but they will remain tools of my trade, not the focus of my trade. I will still need to decide if the time spent learning to use a tool is time well spent, or if I would be better off just to teach using a more traditional method.

As I walked to "my" little creek this afternoon, I realized that I learned a lot this summer, but I'm still the same person underneath. I like my cell phone, my laptop, my camera, high speed internet, data sharing and satellite photos but I love walks to the creek, long talks with my family, and watching my kids play a board game. I'm reassured that I have become more confident but I'm still me.