Thanks!

Well today is our last day of regular classes, the final game of the NHL and will also mark the last blog for this school year.

I want to say thanks to everyone who helped me have the most professional developmental year ever!!!  This year, I feel I have engaged my students through authentic assessments, and also with true lessons of discovery.

I will start back up again August 30th.

Below is the final compilation of how my students demonstrated their learning in my calculus class. 

65 year plan when a student is 14?

Here is a post from Lisa, an ex student of mine about having students plan 65 years into the future.

 

Why I’m hatin on life right now..

 

For all those who are graduating or or all those who have already gradated from high school, you probably know what I’m talking about. Everyone tries to convince you that you need to have the next 65 years of your life planned out. No joke, I had to make a 65 year plan for a CALM assignment. In reality though, everyone’s wishing they could go back to the days when the world was before them and they had time to make mistakes and choose something different. So why is everyone trying to get us kids to rush into something if they’re not even sure what they wanna be when they grow up? I get that going to school, getting a job and making money are all important. But so are things like maintaining relationships and gaining life experience. Some people think I’m foolish because I haven’t got it all figured out yet. Personally, I think the most foolish people are those who pick something to do because they feel obligated to, instead of living life to the fullest while you’re still young.

Samples of work for Integration Project

Below are some samples of the work completed by various students for the Integration Project

Part 1:

Part 2:

Video for Part 3:

Work



Call of Duty and Vectors

I have shown how Call of Duty can be used in Calculus, and here is how it could be used in Vectors.

A student found this video and she demonstrated her knowledge of vectors:

 Playing capture the flag, Johnny was camping at a bearing of [043º] and noticed an enemy 52m away running towards Johnny’s flag approx, only 27m away from the flag. What degree does Johnny have to turn to shoot the enemy when he reaches the flag and what is the magnitude of the shot?

Vector one = 52m @ [043º] Vector two = 27m @ [134º]   

90-43 = [047º]

134-90 = [044º]

47+44 = 91 = 180 – 91 = [089º]

52^2+27^2-2(52)(27)Cos89 = 58.2

The magnitude of the bullet is going to be 58.2fm.

58.2/Sin 89 = 27/Sin(y)

Sin(89)*27/58.2 = [028º]

johnny is going to have to turn 28º.  

Appreciate don't crticize

Students do not like to be told what to do, but instead are motivated by getting what they want.  There are no tricks, no manipulations, or deals that work endlessly.  As teachers, we need to use the interests of students, their passions and desires, to show how our curricula can relate to their everyday life.  Students want to be important, great and have a true desire to succeed.  I believe it is the responsibility of the education system to show every student that this is a real and attainable possibility.

William James said “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated”.  As I reflect back into my classes, I believe I have failed my students on this.  Lately, I have been showing how I appreciate every single student.  From the ability to use calculus on Call of Duty to being able to draw a line graph, each student must feel as they are contributing to my class in a specific and identifiable way.   Too many classes, in the past, I stood at the front of the class, lectured only in a way a mathematical mind would understand, and then sat at my desk worked.  This had to change!

What happens when people don’t feel appreciated enough?

I have seen this too many times.  Some call it disobedience or insubordination, but it might just be the student saying “Look at what I can do!”.  In some cases, people have actually gone insane to allow them to live in a world of their own creation.  Carnegie said, “Imagine what miracle you and I can achieve by giving people honest appreciation this side of insanity”

Two years ago, I had a student in my class who was truly bored and wanted to be challenged beyond the scope of the course.  What I saw was a boy in the back of the class who would rather play on his calculator drawing weird diagrams than pay attention to me.  Days went on where I would walk to the back of the room and delete all his graphs to keep him on task.  I am sickened, now, by my actions!  I was criticizing his amazing ability to transform math into art.  There is even more disgust; this student saw me as his “math guru”.  I was condemning a student, who idolized me, on his math ability.

Charles Schwab stated:

“There is nothing else so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors.  I never criticize any-one.  I believe in giving a person incentive to work.  So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault.  If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and laving in my praise.  I have yet to find the person, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism”

Lately, I have taken this quote to heart and truly been communicating my appreciation of students daily.  Students crave appreciation as they would crave food, or air.  It would be outrageous for a teacher to deny a student appreciation for an entire semester, as it would be to deny them a plate of food.

The math behind the lotto 649

In my Math 30 Applied Class, we had to cover probability.  Instead of using context questions around dice, spinners, and marbles, I allowed students to research any topic they found interesting around probability.  I would like to show you: "The math behind the Lotto 649" by Christine, one of my students.

Many people in the world play the lottery each year. You might believe in faith, chance or luck but I believe in math.  As you already may know, the chances of winning Lotto 6 49 is not very likely. So why do people play? I can’t really answer that question but for those who are sceptical I can convince you on why you shouldn’t play.

The probability of winning the Lotto 6 49 is 1 out of 13,983,816. The probability of losing the Lotto is 13,983,815 out of 13,983,816.

I’m going to make a scenario about a man named Dave who started playing 6 49 at the age of 18 until he was 80 years old. He bought a ticket twice a week. Each ticket consists of two rows, so technically he is playing four times a week. What is the probability of Dave not winning in his life?

Dave played the lotto for 62 years in his life.

There is 52 weeks in a year.

4/week x 52/year x 62 years = 12896

The total amount of times Dave played is 12896.

13983815/13983816 = 0.9999999999999…..

0.99999999999……^12896 = 99.9%

The reason why you shouldn’t play the Lotto 6 49 is that the chance of you not winning is 99.9% in your life time.

How much money would you spend on buying the tickets?

Each line is 2 dollars and you played 12896 which is 25792$.