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Welcome Back to the Global Math Newsletter!

Back to School with #ObserveMe
 

It’s that time when some teachers are counting down the single-digit days when students darken the door of the school building once again, I have been thinking about my own back-to-school ideas and traditions.  As an instructional coach, my start of school looks much different now-a-days.  This is the time of year when I plan my pitch to convince both new and returning teachers to let me come into their classrooms to observe, model, or co-teach a lesson. I am fully aware how uncomfortable this makes some teachers. I also know that not every school is fortunate to have some version of a math instructional coach.  That is why I was so excited when I saw this tweet from Matt Vaudrey:

Matt was responding to Jennifer Gonzalez’s tweet of this article that she wrote in 2013 called “Open Your Door: Why We Need to See Each Other Teach.”  Great post if you have not read it yet or if it’s been a while. Well this reminded Matt of an idea Robert Kaplinsky had written about here in 2016.  This whole idea started as a call to action where he challenged teachers to post a sign inviting other teachers into his/her classroom to observe certain things that he/she would want actionable feedback regarding. Then he/she would take a picture of the sign and post it to twitter using the hashtag #ObserveMe.  Well, if you search that hashtag you will quickly see how it has exploded into a fantastic movement.  And it’s not perfect. Some teachers were finding that other teachers were too nice or weren’t giving specific feedback. Others found that no one would even come observe. So Robert wrote this follow-up post about troubleshooting #ObserveMe.
 
So how about you? Do you have someone who can come into your classroom and give you non-evaluative feedback on your practice? Have you tried #ObserveMe?  Find me on twitter (@cutefoundbutton) to voice ideas, concerns, comments, or questions about being observed informally.

Written by Amber Thienel (@cutefoundbutton)

First Day Problems
 

Here are some things you could do on the first day of class:

• Set up rules and regulations
• Review number facts
• Hand our rulers and calculators 

Or:

Begin to set up that amazing culture of math talk, of problem-solving, of collaboration, and most of all, of thinking.
 
I used to do “rules and regulations”, and then I realized I could do “first day problems”. There’s no going back. Begin “in media res” with mathematics, and reap the benefits.

Do you have a classic problem you use on the very first day of class to inspire thinking, reasoning, wondering, and play in mathematics?  Let’s get a collection going!
 
Respond on Twitter with your ideas for #FirstDayProblems and/or come see what others are sharing!
 

Written by Matthew Oldridge (@MatthewOldridge)

First Day, First Week / Old and New
 

I’ll be transitioning, after twelve years, from teaching middle to high school.  The words of advice I have received from the MTBoS are: keep my cool, remember they are still kids, keep the same high expectations (nothing magical happens during the summer between 8th and 9th grade {usually}).  Therefore I have been keen on reading posts to remind me of norms and values.  You may have seen Sara VanDerWerf’s post last year about first day / week activities.  I had the pleasure of meeting Sara at a #PCMIWeekend this past February and she assured me it was okay to present her ideas (even with her in the audience!).  The idea that resonated with me the most is NAME TENTS.  

My students were so engaged with this as their exit ticket, they continued to ask when they could do it again… I soon realized NOT to use this activity with all courses simultaneously, but to stagger them so I could keep my response rate up and then continued using them throughout the year.  Essentially, students can write about mathematics or otherwise, and you *the teacher* respond to each individual student.  This activity changed my classroom from an authoritarian environment to one of community. 
 
If the above is old news, this is even older!  Celebrating 30 years is the game 24! Invented in 1988, each double sided card has four single digit numbers, students are encouraged to use basic operations and all four of the numbers once to get the answer 24.  Not too old to have a twitter feed, the folks at 24 helped Chris Bolognese (aka @EulersNephew) clear up how cards are classified into their three tiers of difficulty with this possible 20 minute card:

Chris used this card as an opener to an @MathTeachCircle, I use 24 cards whenever a lesson goes unexpectedly short.  I ask students to think individually how to make 24 then they go to the white board to show their solutions.  Before showing the next card I always ask, “Does any one have a different way?”  This elicits many conversations/reviews of mathematical properties.
 

Enjoy your first weeks back!  Remember to enjoy the journey and have mathematical “fun.”
 

Written by Diana McClean (@teachMcClean)