Amazingly, we seem to be a school that starts late. Amazing because we are still starting before Labor Day. As a kid, school always started after that holiday. From my new Twitter adventures, I realize that many in the Math Twitter Blogosphere (MTBoS) are already well underway. Meanwhile, we don't start until next Monday.
Anyway, I haven't had a lot of time to devote to AP Statistics since I last wrote. Last week, I renewed my Wilderness First Aid certification and this week we have had our opening of school meetings. I have now taught at four different independent schools and so I am well aware that such meetings are pretty much universal. But maybe there could be fewer and shorter ones? I would much more value focused work time so I could make my courses as rock awesome as possible.
I did have one recent significant AP Statistics moment.
A week or so ago, I contacted my textbook rep about some of the instructor resource materials. I also tweeted for help from the Math Twitter Blogosphere about which of the resources were useful. Naturally, my MTBoS colleagues won the quick reply challenge. In under 12 hours, I had multiple suggestions and recommendations. It took my textbook rep a bit longer to get back to me.
Then, earlier this week, a mysterious box arrived in our package room for me. Since I live at a boarding school, this package could have contained just about anything. Lo and behold it was a back-to-school package full of every resource I had asked the textbook rep about. Solutions, test banks, teacher resource CD. I had not planned on ordering it all and I had expected that I would be limited by my department's budget in what I purchased. Being a math teacher, I can say definitively that FREE fits within our department's budget.
Now, I understand a bit about business, especially the textbook business, so while I was pleasantly surprised, I was exactly flabbergasted at the free goodies. I am quite certain the publishing company will make a lot more money if we order a dozen new textbooks next summer than if we get one or two teacher resources. So, by sending me these materials, it's a good business move because I become more likely to stay with textbook especially if I am more reliant on their resources. It's a move done by salespeople the world over in all sorts of commerce, legal and otherwise.
Part of me is hugely embarrassed at admitting to being so smitten with textbook resources. I also teach an integrated high school math course, and last year we didn't use any textbook at all. I usually avoid having a textbook company design my course. But, this is my first time teaching AP Statistics and I have to start somewhere. And, I admit that the textbook we are using may be the best textbook I have ever used (in my opinion, of course).
Next week, I think I'll write about making my first AP Statistics multiple choice quiz. Yes, multiple choice. I haven't given a multiple choice assessment in 15 years...
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Just another AP Statistics Teacher
Hello there. I teach students. After successfully avoiding the letters A and P during the first 16 years of my career, I have been asked to teach my students the AP Statistics topics.
The good news for me is that I have taught a non-AP introductory high school statistics course for the past ten years or so. The bad news for me is that I feel like I am going to have to completely overhaul my syllabus and employ some of the teaching methodologies I have tried to leave behind in order to meet the demands of the AP course. I have many ideas how to make this process more palatable and to make it a better experience for my student.
The very good news for me is that I found a practical use for Twitter this summer, and that is making this transition a heckuva lot better. In July, I attended CSET's Stanford Summer Teaching Institute and one of my instructors sold me on Twitter. Who knew there were so many wonderful teachers out there very willing to help a fellow teacher out? I just drop a hashtag on a tweet (such as #MTBoS or #statschat), maybe mention another teacher using that @ symbol and teachers from all over place can see what I write and respond to it. And they do!
Besides the wonderful help these twittering teachers provide, it also gives me a new sort of community that makes me feel not so alone in what I am trying to do. And it does my soul good to know that there are so many kind teachers out there who are willing to help a stranger.
Today, however, I had a realization that I am trying to recreate the wheel and I wonder if there might be a much better way. Especially given this online community and the collective resources. My students will have a much better experience this year if they get instruction from experienced AP Statistics teacher. I know I can help my students, but my inexperience will limit me and make it harder for them.
Wouldn't it be better for my students if they could somehow connect directly to the best AP Statistics teachers? Wouldn't it be better for them if someone who has done this ten times designed the syllabus I use in my class?
I did an AP institute this summer and I have resources to help me and I am certainly not starting from scratch here. But does the world really need another AP Statistics teacher? Isn't it conceivable that there exist enough excellent AP Statistics teachers already and that instead of trying to do my own thing, my students could tap into the knowledge and direction of those that really know what they are doing?
The good news for me is that I have taught a non-AP introductory high school statistics course for the past ten years or so. The bad news for me is that I feel like I am going to have to completely overhaul my syllabus and employ some of the teaching methodologies I have tried to leave behind in order to meet the demands of the AP course. I have many ideas how to make this process more palatable and to make it a better experience for my student.
The very good news for me is that I found a practical use for Twitter this summer, and that is making this transition a heckuva lot better. In July, I attended CSET's Stanford Summer Teaching Institute and one of my instructors sold me on Twitter. Who knew there were so many wonderful teachers out there very willing to help a fellow teacher out? I just drop a hashtag on a tweet (such as #MTBoS or #statschat), maybe mention another teacher using that @ symbol and teachers from all over place can see what I write and respond to it. And they do!
Besides the wonderful help these twittering teachers provide, it also gives me a new sort of community that makes me feel not so alone in what I am trying to do. And it does my soul good to know that there are so many kind teachers out there who are willing to help a stranger.
Today, however, I had a realization that I am trying to recreate the wheel and I wonder if there might be a much better way. Especially given this online community and the collective resources. My students will have a much better experience this year if they get instruction from experienced AP Statistics teacher. I know I can help my students, but my inexperience will limit me and make it harder for them.
Wouldn't it be better for my students if they could somehow connect directly to the best AP Statistics teachers? Wouldn't it be better for them if someone who has done this ten times designed the syllabus I use in my class?
I did an AP institute this summer and I have resources to help me and I am certainly not starting from scratch here. But does the world really need another AP Statistics teacher? Isn't it conceivable that there exist enough excellent AP Statistics teachers already and that instead of trying to do my own thing, my students could tap into the knowledge and direction of those that really know what they are doing?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)