ImagineIT Timeline
My ImagineIT project is to transform my math department into a professional learning community. I want to infuse STEM teaching and learning into our math lessons. STEM requires teachers to give students the time and space to struggle with concepts and having them discover the lesson.
Looking back on my project so far I think I have made great strides. I see my department collaborating when planning and reflecting on what students need. If I had to start over again, I would have preferred to not have a new book program to implement at the same time as creating my PLC. My team was confronted with not only a new textbook but also me, asking them to really think about what teaching and learning looks like in their classrooms. I witnessed their frustrations with so many new things on their plate. I think we made it through and are ready to take the next step together as a learning community. Teachers will be surveyed in February and in June to give feedback to me about our professional learning community. I have ordered Jo Boaler’s Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. I would like my PLC to explore the following areas:
In addition to this philosophical discussion about math, we will be giving the mid-year test and the end of the year test to see if we can see students’ growth as we progressed through the year.
I also will be working on integrating Chromebooks into my class lessons. I was fortunate enough to have two Donors Choose projects funded in the past year and now have fifteen Chromebooks to use in my classroom. I want this tool to be more than just access to the Internet. I want the Chromebooks to help my students engage in learning. I have implemented problem-solving play days. I find unique and interesting strategy games for the students to play for fifteen minutes one day a week. We talk about perseverance and belief in success as what motivates them with the games. They need to transfer that motivation to working with derivatives or compound interest or truth tables.
Finally, I would like to approach the science department about ways that the math team could collaborate and support science teaching and learning. I think this is an ambitious goal but I think it would be quite powerful for our students to see interdisciplinary units with interdisciplinary teacher collaboration.
Looking back on my project so far I think I have made great strides. I see my department collaborating when planning and reflecting on what students need. If I had to start over again, I would have preferred to not have a new book program to implement at the same time as creating my PLC. My team was confronted with not only a new textbook but also me, asking them to really think about what teaching and learning looks like in their classrooms. I witnessed their frustrations with so many new things on their plate. I think we made it through and are ready to take the next step together as a learning community. Teachers will be surveyed in February and in June to give feedback to me about our professional learning community. I have ordered Jo Boaler’s Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. I would like my PLC to explore the following areas:
- the power of struggle and mistakes
- growth mindset grouping
- mathematics and equity
In addition to this philosophical discussion about math, we will be giving the mid-year test and the end of the year test to see if we can see students’ growth as we progressed through the year.
I also will be working on integrating Chromebooks into my class lessons. I was fortunate enough to have two Donors Choose projects funded in the past year and now have fifteen Chromebooks to use in my classroom. I want this tool to be more than just access to the Internet. I want the Chromebooks to help my students engage in learning. I have implemented problem-solving play days. I find unique and interesting strategy games for the students to play for fifteen minutes one day a week. We talk about perseverance and belief in success as what motivates them with the games. They need to transfer that motivation to working with derivatives or compound interest or truth tables.
Finally, I would like to approach the science department about ways that the math team could collaborate and support science teaching and learning. I think this is an ambitious goal but I think it would be quite powerful for our students to see interdisciplinary units with interdisciplinary teacher collaboration.