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Looking Back to 2018: Growth Mindset

Looking Back to 2018: Growth Mindset

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Last year I spoke at over a dozen conferences, and at most of them I got to talk about incorporating growth mindsets in math. The rough outline was Definition of the fixed mindset and the growth mindset Differences between the two mindsets in various scenarios Strategies for making students aware of the growth mindset and how it can help math students, including specific activities Messages that we send students Summary of the benefits of the growth mindset The topic was…

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Top 5 Education Books I Read Last Year

Top 5 Education Books I Read Last Year

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It’s the first day of the year, and I have been reflecting back on 2018. Last year I set a reading challenge of 52 books for myself on Goodreads, and I made it. Many of the books I read were about education or mathematics. Here is a list of my 5 favorites, in no particular order. I will be posting my own reviews over the next few weeks. Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate Into Any Course…

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Mindsets Webinar Recording

Mindsets Webinar Recording

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If you missed my AMATYC session on Incorporating Mathematical Mindsets, here is a recording of a Pearson Webinar that I did back in October. Mindsets Webinar (Recorded) I will include the link shortly on my Mindsets web page too (Mindsets Web Page) . You can also find links to relevant books, videos, a mindset assessment, and PowerPoint files there.

Mindsets and Student Skills in Corequisite Support Classes

Mindsets and Student Skills in Corequisite Support Classes

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Full implementation of AB705 begins in Fall 2019 in California. At my school (College of the Sequoias) developmental math courses like prealgebra and elementary/intermediate algebra will no longer be offered. Students will begin in a transfer-level class: intro statistics, college algebra, or math for teachers. Some, depending on their high school GPA, will also take a 1 or 2 unit corequisite support class. The support class is supposed to cover prerequisite topics on a “just in time” basis. What I…

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Three-Part Final

Three-Part Final

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My short-term elementary algebra class is drawing to a close. For the midterm I tried a new exam strategy that I really liked. I teach a 2-hour block that meets 4 days a week. On a Tuesday students spent the first hour working on problems from Chapters 1 and 2, and we went over the solutions during the second hour. On the next day we repeated the pattern for Chapters 3 & 4. On the Thursday students were given instant…

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New Exam Strategy

New Exam Strategy

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With the implementation of AB705 coming in Fall 2019, I am currently teaching elementary algebra for the last time. I am using a flipped classroom approach, and I am really proud of how hard my students are working. (I’ll blog more about that in the near future.) This is a short-term class, and the plan was to teach new material for three weeks, then devote the fourth week to the midterm exam. I was going to review on Tuesday and…

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Where Have I Been???

Where Have I Been???

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Hi! Remember me??? I traded in some of my overload units to take the spring semester off, and it ended up being a very busy time. I was wrapping up the videos and supplements for my newest textbook (a STEM focused intermediate algebra text) and the second edition of Interactive Statistics (which I work with Michael Sullivan on). Last week I started teaching a summer Intro Stats class, and I have begun to turn my attention to preparing for next…

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2018 StatCrunch Student Contest

2018 StatCrunch Student Contest

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On my StatBlog I put together a post about this spring’s StatCrunch contest – check it out here. This is a fun contest for students to use what they are learning in your Intro Stats class and use a set of data to tell a story. There are cash prizes for the top three finishers. Link to the Contest YouTube Conference Announcement Please share with your students. You do not need to be using StatCrunch in your classes – Pearson…

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AMATYC Starts Tomorrow 

AMATYC Starts Tomorrow 

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Looking forward to attending sessions! With AB 705, I am looking at all of the different acceleration models. As always, I will also focus on student motivation, innovative classroom strategies, technology in the classroom, and statistics.  I will be using Twitter to report out as I go.  Also looking forward to catching up with some old friends and making some new friends. My college will have 9 instructors in attendance (home-field advantage) so this should be a fun, educational experience.