This explains why storytelling works so well in teaching languages!
Category Archives: data
What Do We Teach?
I just read this article, Does America’s Math Curriculum Add Up? It says we should teach more “data analysis and problem solving; and linear equations.” This made me think of my freshman year in high school in 1961. The teacher told us we were only taking algebra to get into college. Most of us would never put algebra to any practical use, but all of us would benefit from going to college. I obviously remembered that conversation from nearly 60 years ago. Sounds like it is still true today. The article goes on to tell how difficult it is to get the public and many colleges to accept this new math reality. They want algebra and geometry, just like they had in high school.
This made me think about other subjects, like history. There are so many historical names, places, and dates that every students should know. Would any U.S. History course be complete without a unit on the great Wobblies movement, founded in 1905, or the Battle of Bunker Hill, Korean War, 1952. How embarrassing to not know these names and dates.
There is so much historical information available now that it is mind boggling. Robert Caro spent ten years researching for his 3000 page magnum opus The Years of Lyndon Johnson. If students need to learn data analysis in math, they certainly need to learn research skills in their history classes. This boils down to data analysis. Math deals mostly with numbers. History deals mostly with events. But, when it comes down to it, both are trying to make sense of data. In both cases it is not the data that needs to be learned, it is the crunching of the data.
I am no math expert, but I do know that it is impossible to cover the California history content standards in the time allotted, especially if we take seriously the need for research and analysis. We have only so much time available. This year, it seems like so much less time. How do we spend this time? How do we divide the covering of information with the deep dives that involve real research and analysis. How much time do we spend remembering, and how much time do we spend understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating? This is such a basic question. Why is it so far from being resolved?
Feeling (and over thinking) all of the feels of SEL
This year in Big
History, Gaeby and I, along with the help of Sam Martinez (if you are not picking Sam’s brain, like what are you even doing professionally?), developed a way to get a glimpse into our students’ social emotional lives throughout the course of their freshmen year. We created a “Twice Weekly Check In” Google
Form where students spend a few minutes twice a week in class filling it out
and giving us feedback. Here is what it looks like;
History, Gaeby and I, along with the help of Sam Martinez (if you are not picking Sam’s brain, like what are you even doing professionally?), developed a way to get a glimpse into our students’ social emotional lives throughout the course of their freshmen year. We created a “Twice Weekly Check In” Google
Form where students spend a few minutes twice a week in class filling it out
and giving us feedback. Here is what it looks like;
Here is some of the feedback that I get at the end of each week;
This snapshot is
from the beginning of the year. I saw which girls from my 3rd period
were getting involved in sports, which girls might be struggling socially, and
which girls were still trying to get a hang of how things work academically around
here;
from the beginning of the year. I saw which girls from my 3rd period
were getting involved in sports, which girls might be struggling socially, and
which girls were still trying to get a hang of how things work academically around
here;
This snapshot was
from a couple of weeks ago as girls turned in their first major project in my
class. I can see that many of them are not feeling ready to turn in their
projects which is something that Gaeby and I were able to address with enough
time before meltdown mode. It also shows what else is on my students minds as
they work on this project; shadow visits and frosh council selection.
from a couple of weeks ago as girls turned in their first major project in my
class. I can see that many of them are not feeling ready to turn in their
projects which is something that Gaeby and I were able to address with enough
time before meltdown mode. It also shows what else is on my students minds as
they work on this project; shadow visits and frosh council selection.
Here is what I am thinking a few months into this-
Pros
- Students don’t seem to mind doing this twice a week – it has become a routine!
- I am able to adapt in real time to student needs (ie changing deadlines, making seating charts, changing instructional approaches) that I feel will benefit my students.
- I am
getting much better at having hard conversations with students because I am not
guessing at what their needs are. I know and can get right to the point. - I have insights as to why work is not getting turned in or why a student’s performance might dip.
- The
Freshmen hallway being moved upstairs is HUGE for me and makes casual check ins
really easy. I try to make a point to take notes on some of the fun stuff they
add to the list (like dog costumes & sports) and take some laps upstairs on Fridays to check in
with students as they are packing up for the weekend. - I really feel like I know MOST of my students at this point.
Cons
- COMPASSION
FATIGUE – I do not always have the bandwidth to hold space for student problems
when I am at my own limit so I worry about consistency. - It can
be really easy to forget to have students take the survey when you are caught up in a lesson or trying to get to the end of a unit on time. - I don’t always
know what to do with all of the feedback I get and therefore have probably
become a big pain in the butt for our personal counselors and ed support team with my many questions.
Questions
- What
days of the week are best to survey students? - Is this
actually improving my teaching and if so how do I measure that? - Are students going to get burned out on surveys?
- Might they have expectations of me checking in with them personally that I cannot always meet, and therefore disappoint them?
Well if you scrolled down the page this far thanks, any thoughts or feedback is much appreciated!
Also, Here’s a quote that I came across today that I really liked;
“Every time you think of calling a kid an “attention-seeking” this year, consider changing it to “connection-seeking” and see how your perspective changes
– Dr. JodyCarrington
1 in 5 incoming freshmen hate history…..okay then.
1 in 5 incoming freshmen
hate history…..okay then.
hate history…..okay then.
Recently I went back through the incoming frosh home surveys
to find that out of the nearly 180 incoming freshmen 20% of them stated that
history was their least favorite subject. Ouch. While I wouldn’t say that this
is a crazy high percentage, it is also significant that one in five of the
girls in my class will have said that history is their “LEAST FAVORITE”
subject.
to find that out of the nearly 180 incoming freshmen 20% of them stated that
history was their least favorite subject. Ouch. While I wouldn’t say that this
is a crazy high percentage, it is also significant that one in five of the
girls in my class will have said that history is their “LEAST FAVORITE”
subject.
Here are some of
their responses as to why,
their responses as to why,
“Boring”
“No clue. Just never liked it”
“Boring”
“The material does not keep my
attention”
attention”
“Boring”
And my favorite…….
“My least
favorite subject is Social Studies because I’m not all that interested and
fascinated by wars and big events that went on back in the day. Not to mention
there are a lot of terms that have to be memorized, which can be quite
despicable to study. I respect everything that went down in history, but I
don’t find too much joy in learning about it.”
favorite subject is Social Studies because I’m not all that interested and
fascinated by wars and big events that went on back in the day. Not to mention
there are a lot of terms that have to be memorized, which can be quite
despicable to study. I respect everything that went down in history, but I
don’t find too much joy in learning about it.”
(“despicable”……..lol who is this kid??)
None of the students who claimed to dislike history said it
was too hard or that they didn’t perform well on tests, they just flat out have
apathy towards it. Yikes.
was too hard or that they didn’t perform well on tests, they just flat out have
apathy towards it. Yikes.
What this means for the
history team as we start the year:
history team as we start the year:
· We need to assure and prove
to students that Big History is not on an endless memorization/test cycle.
to students that Big History is not on an endless memorization/test cycle.
· We need to continue to build
projects that engage students who are not naturally inclined to the subject.
projects that engage students who are not naturally inclined to the subject.
· We need to do a better job
of connecting currents events to past events in order to make the past feel
more relevant. I mean that’s kind of easy given the plethora of crazy current
events.
of connecting currents events to past events in order to make the past feel
more relevant. I mean that’s kind of easy given the plethora of crazy current
events.
· In the end, we need them to
see that it is not a “world history class” that is going to change their lives
but that the skills we are offering them to develop just might!
see that it is not a “world history class” that is going to change their lives
but that the skills we are offering them to develop just might!
What I am hoping for these
students in the long term:
students in the long term:
· In my fantasy world – students will become so engaged in
history they will count down the hours of the day until Big History and then can’t
wait to get home to do their homework.
history they will count down the hours of the day until Big History and then can’t
wait to get home to do their homework.
· In the real world – That these students see history as a
subject through which they can engage in and develop as readers, writers, inquisitors,
researchers, arguers, etc.
subject through which they can engage in and develop as readers, writers, inquisitors,
researchers, arguers, etc.
The good news is that about 17% of the same pool also said
that history is their favorite subject. Later in the fall they will be surveyed again. I am looking
forward to knowing if our new curriculum is making an impact on girls at both
ends of the spectrum. At the end of the day this data is not a subject by
subject popularity contest but rather a pulse on where are students are, my hope
is not to convert the history haters into history lovers, but to engage them in
a way that it will be impossible for them to say that history is boring.
that history is their favorite subject. Later in the fall they will be surveyed again. I am looking
forward to knowing if our new curriculum is making an impact on girls at both
ends of the spectrum. At the end of the day this data is not a subject by
subject popularity contest but rather a pulse on where are students are, my hope
is not to convert the history haters into history lovers, but to engage them in
a way that it will be impossible for them to say that history is boring.