As educators, we often times have students ask us "Is this right?" and we typically respond with a proud 'yes' or a hesitant 'no' and then progress into showing the child how to do the problem "correctly". In the book of life, there is not always a "right" or "wrong" solution. More often than not, each situation holds a different "answer". Furthermore, solutions usually have to be investigated and validated before they are considered a solution. When educators respond to a student's "Is this right?" question with an immediate yes or no, they are unintentionally reducing the child's critical thinking opportunity.
In Rebecca Alber's November 12, 2010 article, When Teaching the Right Answers Is the Wrong Direction, Alber discusses how students often times learner better by not getting the correct answer the first time out. Alber suggests that educators promote critical thinking skills via open ended questions and by approaching new problems with more of a questioning approach instead of a demonstration approach. Students may find it more beneficial to discover the solution versus being told what the answer is from the beginning.
http://www.edutopia.org/lesson-planning-inquiry-modeling
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Studnet's Responsibility for Success
On December 3, 2010, Heather Wolpert-Garwin posted a blog article titled Equation of Success: Top Ten Responsibilities that Students Must Own
. In her blog, which was one of three, she discussed that although we as educators are doing what we can (or should be doing what we can) to assist students in becoming successful, there is still the critcal element of the student's involvement and what they put forth to be successful. Her list of top ten suggestions include the following items:
Number One: Be your own advocate. Stake a claim in the classroom by making sure the teacher knows who you are...in a good way.
Number Two: Ask lots of questions....and show confusion appropriately.
Number Three: Communicate your struggles to your teachers. What is going on that affects your work?
Number Four: Think of school as your office in training. Are you a good co-worker?
Number Five: Dress for success, but don't panic, you don't have to wear a suit to be taken seriously.
Number Six: At least do the minimum so you aren't creating gaps that are harder to bridge later. Better yet, do more.
Number Seven: Sweat a little. School is your brain gym. You have to work out your muscles, make them a little sore, if you're going to lift a heavier load later on.
Number Eight: Find ways to relate to your reading and writing. What original thoughts and experiences can you bring to the lesson to make it come alive for yourself?
Number Nine: Be in class. Don't jeopardize your own training.
Number Ten: Surround yourself with other students who can help you. You don't have to be best friends with everyone you seek advice from, but find friends or acquaintances that are rooting for you, the best of you.
I could not agree more. Although students are bound to make mistakes and act immature from time to time, they still have to realize that they make their own beds. If they are not willing to put forth the effort or at least try, there isn't much that educators can do to help them be successful. Students must realize that they have to help themselves before they can be helped by someone else. I couldn't agree more with Wolpert-Garwin's top ten list!
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-responsibility-academic-success-heather-wolpert-gawron
. In her blog, which was one of three, she discussed that although we as educators are doing what we can (or should be doing what we can) to assist students in becoming successful, there is still the critcal element of the student's involvement and what they put forth to be successful. Her list of top ten suggestions include the following items:
Number One: Be your own advocate. Stake a claim in the classroom by making sure the teacher knows who you are...in a good way.
Number Two: Ask lots of questions....and show confusion appropriately.
Number Three: Communicate your struggles to your teachers. What is going on that affects your work?
Number Four: Think of school as your office in training. Are you a good co-worker?
Number Five: Dress for success, but don't panic, you don't have to wear a suit to be taken seriously.
Number Six: At least do the minimum so you aren't creating gaps that are harder to bridge later. Better yet, do more.
Number Seven: Sweat a little. School is your brain gym. You have to work out your muscles, make them a little sore, if you're going to lift a heavier load later on.
Number Eight: Find ways to relate to your reading and writing. What original thoughts and experiences can you bring to the lesson to make it come alive for yourself?
Number Nine: Be in class. Don't jeopardize your own training.
Number Ten: Surround yourself with other students who can help you. You don't have to be best friends with everyone you seek advice from, but find friends or acquaintances that are rooting for you, the best of you.
I could not agree more. Although students are bound to make mistakes and act immature from time to time, they still have to realize that they make their own beds. If they are not willing to put forth the effort or at least try, there isn't much that educators can do to help them be successful. Students must realize that they have to help themselves before they can be helped by someone else. I couldn't agree more with Wolpert-Garwin's top ten list!
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-responsibility-academic-success-heather-wolpert-gawron
Kettering University Commencment
I wanted to give Kettering University recognition with regards to how they run their graduation commencement ceremonies. At each of their commencement ceremonies, which take place twice year, they offer an "Honorary Doctorate Degree" in which the university selects someone that has outstanding accomplishments within their field of occupation. For the December 2010 ceremonies, Kettering will be honoring Stanford R. Ovshinsky. Ovshinsky is an American inventor born in Ohio and has produced more than 400 U.S. patents. Some of his patents include an environmentally friendly nickel-metal hydride battery used today in laptop computers, digital cameras, cell phones and electric and hybrid cars; the flexible thin-film solar energy laminates and panels; flat screen liquid crystal displays and other important industry and technology inventions.
As science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates prepare themselves to enter the work force, I think that having these honor degree guests talk at commencement ceremonies is highly motivational. Additionally, it serves as a great example that we can do anything we set our minds to!
http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=3061
As science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates prepare themselves to enter the work force, I think that having these honor degree guests talk at commencement ceremonies is highly motivational. Additionally, it serves as a great example that we can do anything we set our minds to!
http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=3061
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Girls and STEM Programs
Suzie Boss' article Got Game: How to Keep Girls Interested in Computer Science published on the Edutopia website on December 9, 2010 was quite interesting. The article discusses how a high school out in Maryland has created an after school program for girls to attend and learn more about computer programming and gaming. This school had been seeing a declining trend in the number of girls that were enrolled in the first computer programming course versus the second course. The teacher started to talk to the girls to see why and he found out that they were not interested in being in a class with "geeky boys". The teacher then tried creating an after school program for girls only to see if this would help and it did. They have since noticed an increase in enrollment for both the first and second level courses offered within their school.
Some of the comments to this article bothered me. I do not see how people can say that this is a "sexist" approach. Whenever there are discrepancies or declines in any type of program or environment, we are generally curious as to why. I think this school did a great thing in investigating the root cause behind the decreasing enrollment and trying to fix the issue. As a female with a mechanical engineering degree and someone that has worked in industry, I can see why some girls may be intimidated by "geeky boys" or not want to take a lot of classes with these kids.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/computer-science-education-girls-increase-interest-suzie-boss
Some of the comments to this article bothered me. I do not see how people can say that this is a "sexist" approach. Whenever there are discrepancies or declines in any type of program or environment, we are generally curious as to why. I think this school did a great thing in investigating the root cause behind the decreasing enrollment and trying to fix the issue. As a female with a mechanical engineering degree and someone that has worked in industry, I can see why some girls may be intimidated by "geeky boys" or not want to take a lot of classes with these kids.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/computer-science-education-girls-increase-interest-suzie-boss
Girls and STEM Programs
Suzie Boss' article Got Game: How to Keep Girls Interested in Computer Science published on the Edutopia website on December 9, 2010 was quite interesting. The article discusses how a high school out in Maryland has created an after school program for girls to attend and learn more about computer programming and gaming. This school had been seeing a declining trend in the number of girls that were enrolled in the first computer programming course versus the second course. The teacher started to talk to the girls to see why and he found out that they were not interested in being in a class with "geeky boys". The teacher then tried creating an after school program for girls only to see if this would help and it did. They have since noticed an increase in enrollment for both the first and second level courses offered within their school.
Some of the comments to this article bothered me. I do not see how people can say that this is a "sexist" approach. Whenever there are discrepencies or declines in any type of program or environment, we are generally curious as to why. I think this school did a great thing in investigating the root cause behind the decreasing enrollment and trying to fix the issue. As a female with a mechanical engineering degree and someone that has worked in industry, I can see why some girls may be intimidated by "geeky boys" or not want to take a lot of classes with these kids.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/computer-science-education-girls-increase-interest-suzie-boss
Some of the comments to this article bothered me. I do not see how people can say that this is a "sexist" approach. Whenever there are discrepencies or declines in any type of program or environment, we are generally curious as to why. I think this school did a great thing in investigating the root cause behind the decreasing enrollment and trying to fix the issue. As a female with a mechanical engineering degree and someone that has worked in industry, I can see why some girls may be intimidated by "geeky boys" or not want to take a lot of classes with these kids.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/computer-science-education-girls-increase-interest-suzie-boss
Friday, December 10, 2010
Parental Assistance with Student Mathematics
J. Michael Shaughnessy, NCTM's president could not have summed it up any better than he did in December's NCTM Summing It Up article called Support for Parents and Families: Helping your Math Students. Shaughnessy's article diiscusses what to tell parents when their child asks them for math help that they are unable to do themselves. The biggest red flag that could be thrown out there is the comment "I don't know. I was never any good at math myself." Shaughnessy actually addressed this type of response and the "math gene" as some people believe they either "have or don't have" in the October issue of Summing It Up.
The three things Shaunessy reecommends that educators tell these parents are as follows:
1) Remember, mathematics is important, and we can all do it.
2) Work together as a team with your child—don’t show (them) how to do it.
3) Investigate the NCTM resources that can provide assistance when helping your children with their math work.
Personally, I think that if you sit down with your child and show them that we do not always know all of the answers to every problem at hand, but we CAN research and utilize valuable resources to investigate a solution, I think this is a very valuable lesson. I don't know about anyone else, but I can tell you that I have had to look some solutions up myself or spend a day or two thinking about it before I can fully explain a particular situation. By making it a learning process for both the child and the parent, I believe the parent is setting a better example than some parents who may know how to do the problem and just give the solution to thier child.
http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=27223
The three things Shaunessy reecommends that educators tell these parents are as follows:
1) Remember, mathematics is important, and we can all do it.
2) Work together as a team with your child—don’t show (them) how to do it.
3) Investigate the NCTM resources that can provide assistance when helping your children with their math work.
Personally, I think that if you sit down with your child and show them that we do not always know all of the answers to every problem at hand, but we CAN research and utilize valuable resources to investigate a solution, I think this is a very valuable lesson. I don't know about anyone else, but I can tell you that I have had to look some solutions up myself or spend a day or two thinking about it before I can fully explain a particular situation. By making it a learning process for both the child and the parent, I believe the parent is setting a better example than some parents who may know how to do the problem and just give the solution to thier child.
http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=27223
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