2016: A Personal Reflection

It is basically a New Year's Eve tradition that I try to take a few minutes and reflect on what all has happened over the past year, both positive and negative. A lot happened this year in my personal life that was tough for sure. My grandfather passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's in July. There were also some tough personal issues in my family, which I will refrain from giving more details. I recently wrapped up my toughest semester of teaching since my first year. I felt myself becoming jaded and disillusioned, and that is not who I am as a teacher. The positive side is that I feel ready and more confident to take on the new semester.

However, 2016 provided some positives that I would like to reflect on.

• I got to visit two new states and a territory this year: California, Minnesota, and the United States Virgin Islands. So, I am officially over the halfway mark (26 down, 24 to go). 
• I went to California, and I got to experience some cool stuff while I was there, such as seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time, eating In-N-Out, Hollywood (gross!), the Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, Disneyland, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour! 
• I finally got to go to St. Thomas (not once, but twice) this year! For those of you that may not know, my girlfriend was born and raised there, and her mom still lives there. So, it was nice to finally see where she grew up! I also realized that going to the beach wasn't so bad after all. Now, I guess this means that I have some sort of an aversion to stateside beaches. 
• I had the opportunity to attend Twitter Math Camp in Minneapolis and make some new friends and finally meet some of my Twitter peoples in person. I also got to see Minnehaha Falls and the Mall of America while I was up there. I also had the opportunity to meet Dan Meyer, who is a rockstar in the world of mathematics education. 
• My girlfriend was inducted into the Phi Alpha, the National Social Work Honor Society in October at the University of Tennessee. 
• I was ranked a level 5 for the first time in my career. 
• Our school finally received some technology in the form of Chromebooks. 
• We decided on December 30 to adopt a dog from the animal shelter!

So, with that, as much as I hate to admit it, I am ready to see 2016 go and see what 2017 has to offer! I am hoping for more travels, professional growth, and happy times and experiences with the ones I love!! 

WODB Projects and Plickers: Fall 2016 Edition

EOCs are over, and the Christmas/Holiday break will greet us in just four short days. However, the semester isn't over yet, but it's time to have some real fun and create our own WODBs! I first did this project last semester after integrating WODBs in my classroom. Toward the end of the last semester, I did WODB Wednesdays, and I integrated Plickers into my WODBs. This semester, I have kept the WODB Wednesdays, and students have become accustomed to them. 

Now it was time for this project to repeat themselves. After having nearly two weeks of testing between English, math, science, and history, my students needed something light, yet creative at the same time. So, I gave them Friday to create their WODBs. I have them pick something mathematical or something of their interest. Students then find four items and must be able to describe why each item does not belong. Then they submit the project to me. I then take their project and set it up as a question in Plickers so that students would have a chance to respond.  

Here is the link to the Google Doc. The link to last semester's blog post is in the first paragraph. 

How was this project similar as last semester? 

• I basically used the same assignment sheet and rubric. I took out a couple of the categories in the rubric, though. 
• I allowed students to use their own interests to create the project. 
• Students were allowed to work individually or with a partner. 

How did the project differ this semester? 

• Each student received a Chromebook in September, so the assignment and criteria were posted to Google Classroom 
• Students submitted their assignments to me via Google Classroom instead of email. 
• I gave feedback through their assignments in Google Classroom 
• I was able to assess and give feedback faster. 

How will I alter the project for next semester?

• I think I might require a mathematical WODB and a non-mathematical WODB. 
• I think I will require each person to do a non-mathematical WODB and have students do mathematical WODBs in partners. 
• I will tweak the rubric more to make it slightly more stringent as I didn't assess tough this semester. 

My Reflections/Thoughts 

• Overall, I was impressed with the products that my students created. 
• My biggest complaint was that some students didn't go far enough in explaining their reasoning and/or only gave one reason per category. 
• This is a fun project that my students seem to enjoy as it allows me to learn more about them, and it allows them to make the content relevant to their lives. 
• I was especially impressed with one of my classes, as many of the students were explaining their reasoning with each other and adding to each other's thoughts.

So, I will be quiet, and I will let my students' work start doing the talking. Let my students and me know what you think!