“what if we try putting all 54 students together and create missions for them?<\/em>”<\/p>\n “what if we go shoot pool?<\/em>”<\/p>\n … These were some of the statements during our collaborative planning meeting today. We are working on updating the grade 12 Vectors unit and are all itching to try something new. Less (or no?) direct instruction, less (or no?) note-taking. More group activities, more outside the classroom, more facilitating and less ‘teaching’.<\/p>\n Image via wikihow.com<\/p><\/div>\n My action plan is currently on its third iteration for this year. I’ve had so many avenues I want to pursue and I think it’s time to be honest with myself: this<\/em> is the stuff that I get excited about. Clubs<\/a> are great, nuts-and-bolts<\/a> are practical, but finding ways to make Mathematics come alive — this is what I DO<\/em> all day long, and it’s where my action plan has come to rest this year.<\/p>\n Last year one of my professional goals was to get away from direct instruction, and the students and I both found it liberating\u00a0once I worked more to facilitate their learning<\/strong> rather than to teach them knowledge. A natural consequence has been that I am on the hunt for more inquiry-based activities to support\u00a0this approach. I am very lucky<\/span> to work in a department with fantastic colleagues\u00a0who are keen to try new methods, and are highly engaged in the process.\u00a0Collaborating with them on this updated Vectors unit is certain to be one of the highlights of my school year, and I look forward to posting some progress on our vision and its implementation as we move forward!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PS. Composing this post reminded me of a delightful conversation I had last year with a Computer Science professor from a local university, and I wanted to share it with you here:<\/p>\n Professor: “You’re a teacher? Ah yes, well. Those who can’t do, teach.<\/em>”<\/p>\n Me: “Oh, I think you misunderstand. That is what I do. I teach<\/strong>.<\/em>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pad1.whstatic.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1c\/Play-Pool-Like-a-Mathematician-Step-5.jpg\/670px-Play-Pool-Like-a-Mathematician-Step-5.jpg\")
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