tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.comments2024-02-23T05:11:31.034-08:00Always FormativeJason Buellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03029995715142652159noreply@blogger.comBlogger494125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-14982842938898078292016-01-15T16:11:20.846-08:002016-01-15T16:11:20.846-08:00Its now 2015, a few years after this original post...Its now 2015, a few years after this original post, and I am a second year science teacher. debryc, your words could spill off my own fingertips verbatim and be true for me as well. We're in the middle of the school year, my students just planted beans as part of an experiment to design and analyze their data, and I've already given them their lab report template. The beans haven't sprouted yet. I'm about to write up a new format with C-E-R and have them ditch the old one. This has been frustrating me all year! I'm glad I'm not alone, and I'm SO glad for the internet and its endless wealth of many incredible resources. Thanks for this!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-43537211092102309102015-11-10T23:48:17.430-08:002015-11-10T23:48:17.430-08:00Hi, I was on the prowl for the Canadian Readers Di...Hi, I was on the prowl for the Canadian Readers Digest article for the same reasons, my amazement at the Pederson et al research paper. <br /><br />A librarian in Toronto did find a copy for me! It's at the end of a long sprawling article on my love of this paper<br /><br />http://cogdogblog.com/2015/11/11/all-a-mazings/<br /><br />or directly I put the PDF on my server (copyright be damned) <br />http://cogdogblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/missappledaisy.pdf<br /><br />Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02980801837743251948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-69587295651951222382015-10-29T06:54:14.143-07:002015-10-29T06:54:14.143-07:00The claims-evidence-reasoning is a pretty good bas...The claims-evidence-reasoning is a pretty good basis for making an argument, but I don't think it's a logical process for figuring out an answer to a question.<br /><br />It seems to me that scientific inquiry and problem solving begin with posing a question, evidence is gathered, scientific reasoning using models of the phenomena being studied are applied to the question, and an explanation and answer to the question is obtained. Question-Evidence-Reasoning-Explanation is a better way for inquiry and problem solving.<br /><br />By the way, scientific inquiry for students needs to be "guided inquiry". The teacher must guide the students, and ask probing questions along the way to ensure that students are thinking rather than just going through the motions.<br /><br />The Question-Evidence-Reasoning-Explanation approach is an expository approach that proceeds in a logical progression to reach (or explain) a conclusion. The difference (between this and CER) is that it doesn't start with the conclusion, which is a backwards argument in my opinion. The argument should start from evidence and proceed with a coherent, well reasoned exposition culminating in the conclusion.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190180787544683322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-80358519763130110822015-03-02T19:15:42.138-08:002015-03-02T19:15:42.138-08:00Jason, I was going to reply similarly to you.
It...Jason, I was going to reply similarly to you. <br /><br />It's definitely more of the issue that we just simply can't know based on the setup of the student's family. <br /><br />I have students with one parent who had a wonderfully supportive home environment, and students with very dysfunctional "nuclear" families. I have also had students that fit the deficit stereotype. My point is, you can't make a call on the level of support the student receives without getting to know your student's family more. Morgan Forresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07996457449577680699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-61817472931751965012014-09-26T05:43:41.311-07:002014-09-26T05:43:41.311-07:00Hi Jason- your posts have been super helpful! I a...Hi Jason- your posts have been super helpful! I am just starting out and have followed much of your advice for SBG implementation. I am left with a couple burning questions:<br /><br />- If a given topic takes 3 or 4 weeks to completely cover, do you really wait that long to give a formal assessment? I am stymied in that my topic scales rely on the ENTIRE topic, so if I give them a quiz 1 week into it the questions would only cover up to the 2.0 or so.<br /><br />- secondly, just wondering how you keep tests from getting SUPER long if you cover all (up to 4.0) or each topic on a 2 or 3 topic assessment?<br /><br />- lastly, I am still having difficulty with the student who blows the small stuff in 2.0 but gets the bog picture (aces the 4.0). I gather you would give them below a 2.0?<br /><br />Thank you for any help or advice-<br /><br />Ken<br />Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-67755904540311759012014-05-08T22:28:12.660-07:002014-05-08T22:28:12.660-07:00I don't think it's a question of stronger/...I don't think it's a question of stronger/better but rather of different. Ignoring isn't the answer but rather it's the opposite. Once you commit yourself to understanding the full picture of your student's lives, it is impossible to see any of your students as having a deficit. This TED talk on the danger of a single story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gets at this very well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zegJason Buellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03029995715142652159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-9292226123261477592014-05-02T12:37:43.047-07:002014-05-02T12:37:43.047-07:00Yes. I agree, and I always appreciate the reminde...Yes. I agree, and I always appreciate the reminder. However, you seem to focus on the positive impact that a community can have in raising children. <br /><br />"Shift your lens for a moment. Imagine we valued an expanded view of family. The old woman who brings over food. The household full of noise and life and love. The neighbor who picks up all of the kids from school. Everyone becomes family. Now who has the deficit? The girl in this household who lacks a father but has the entire community? Or the boy with one sister, two parents, and doesn't know his neighbors?"<br /><br />I agree and believe that there was great (and largely forgotten) wisdom in the adage that "it takes a village to raise a child." Of course, that is when my natural tenancy to play the devil's advocate kicks in. If the belief becomes that students with strong community are the ones with a strong upbringing, then the deficit shifts to the students with no community support. That is probably accurate, but it still would leave us to think of some students as disadvantaged while others are not. <br /><br />Would it be better to simply ignore the home life of our students and treat them the same, even though we know full well that they are not? Joshua LaForgehttp://www.mrlaforgescience.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-1728680888079497062014-04-03T12:48:31.847-07:002014-04-03T12:48:31.847-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-78919021516130884302014-03-26T09:43:51.985-07:002014-03-26T09:43:51.985-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Andrea Meridahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16815903412829924359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-59490269660460396872014-03-26T09:39:10.146-07:002014-03-26T09:39:10.146-07:00This is exactly right. It's high time we reco...This is exactly right. It's high time we recognize the patriarchy and privilege under which our notions of "normal" were formed.Andrea Meridahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16815903412829924359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-56685709561434086692014-03-14T11:25:27.636-07:002014-03-14T11:25:27.636-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Jason Buellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03029995715142652159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-15033415958036799422014-03-14T09:32:31.656-07:002014-03-14T09:32:31.656-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Kristina @ Appetite for Instructionhttp://www.appetite-for-instruction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-83679089838150728612014-03-14T09:22:13.345-07:002014-03-14T09:22:13.345-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Dan Meyerhttp://blog.mrmeyer.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-43635388735263911752014-03-11T10:32:37.735-07:002014-03-11T10:32:37.735-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Bryanhttp://www.doingmathematics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-74443571046666131892014-03-11T06:41:13.743-07:002014-03-11T06:41:13.743-07:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03786327076431346525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-54268883961353302052014-02-07T09:19:24.374-08:002014-02-07T09:19:24.374-08:00I read the linked article "Hope Required when...I read the linked article "Hope Required when Growing Roses in Concrete". Have you actually read it? Real hope is about improving students' lives so that the already existing real world has a few more successful people. It is not about claiming fiat to change the world remotely.<br /><br />As more and more people are awakening out of the spell of Postmodernism, the leaders of Postmodernism are using ever more hardball tactics to try to reclaim the loyalty of the public. And this myth of a "system" of racism, which you unfortunately seem to have SHL&S, is their latest campaign.<br /><br />If reality is a story, then its author is formless -- without race, gender, or any other category mere mortals hold against each other.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-58926139683455844292013-11-18T11:43:42.691-08:002013-11-18T11:43:42.691-08:00I really like the jigsaw-like activity that you de...I really like the jigsaw-like activity that you described here. It seems perfect for having students go over review material for standardized testing. If I understood you correctly it also sounded like you had students explain how to do one of the problems that their groupmate did, this seems like a great accountability tactic to make sure that the students understood all of the problems. This is awesome I hope I get a chance to include an activity like this in my classroom.<br /><br />Lauren Quigleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02792249564510082009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-21503270343271865972013-10-02T17:38:25.074-07:002013-10-02T17:38:25.074-07:00Thanks Jason -- thought-provoking. I'm in a s...Thanks Jason -- thought-provoking. I'm in a similar position in some ways (maybe we all are in some ways?). <br /><br />I wonder what you would think (or what you do think, if you've read them already) of the anthology Michelle Tea edited called _Without A Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class_, or the work of Dorothy Allison or Minnie Bruce Pratt, especially about class. Radical Teacher magazine is another resource I find helpful and too challenging to read quickly. <br /><br />Recently I've been thinking about this because my school puts a big push on promoting entrepreneurism; the province where I live has chronically high unemployment and self-employment seems to be promoted as a solution, as if it can abolish the class system. It's hard to disagree with encouraging people to stop assuming someone else has to be the boss and start thinking they can be the boss; at the same time, there is no corresponding promotion of the labour movement. The entrepreneurship programs are funded by business development corporations; I wonder what my school's response would be if unions or labour federations wanted to come into the school and put on ongoing, high-profile programs and competition promoting themselves? I can't help but think it wouldn't go over the same way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-84297104354161599672013-09-02T08:23:00.878-07:002013-09-02T08:23:00.878-07:00@jybuell I believe I will take you up on writing a...@jybuell I believe I will take you up on writing a blog post on my current thoughts on the intersection of Math and Racism. Maybe I'll share some of the key thoughts I have, at least at the moment, here.<br /><br />First, Avery's note that it acts as a gatekeeper is in many ways primary in importance. For me, it is very important to understand that dynamic much much further. And that math is not neutral, in fact it is highly political, is a second core issue here.<br /><br />The "Math" that we attend to in our culture and in our schools is overwhelmingly the mathematics of a bunch of white dudes. And hence, that makes it appear that the white dudes know/do math. This line f thought goes further, but where my interest lies in that , although all mathematics is the product of human minds, and that all human minds are mathematical and thus constantly doing math, there is an expectation that most people are NOT mathematical & incapable. To me, that systemic belief allows certain people to be labeled as better than others. Math tests are like our current IQ tests--designed to weed out the incapable.<br /><br />Grace mentions how our language values very certain ways of thinking as "better than." I also appreciate the line of thought that has taught many people that they cannot reason through the mathematical experiences of their lives, and risk the actual oppression of such relationships (previously my comments emphasized the intellectual oppression).<br /><br />So--there is some value in delineating the ways in which Math (I use the capital when I speak of School Math as opposed to children's math). However, the bigger value, for me, would be to list some small number of subversive steps a teacher could take, within her/his classroom, to empower her students against the intellectual and social oppression of Math. Further, to act against those oppressive forces and make change for our society more broadly. Although it is often trivialized, I suspect evidence that we are achieving that begins when more people say things like "I can do math" and "I enjoy doing math." Notice I did not use capital M. <br /><br />Thanks for allowing some stream of conscious.blaw0013https://www.blogger.com/profile/13023564844812039091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-57091679780112512352013-08-04T18:30:22.633-07:002013-08-04T18:30:22.633-07:00Agree. Thanks for your thoughtful reading :)Agree. Thanks for your thoughtful reading :)gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629147659164801681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-62108498420291902822013-08-04T18:29:37.288-07:002013-08-04T18:29:37.288-07:00I'd be eager to continue this conversation, al...I'd be eager to continue this conversation, although I don't know what I'd have to add that y'all haven't already been thinking about. When I consider the intersection of math and racism, the first things that come to mind are a) that assumption of neutrality and objectivity that Jason mentions - after all, we can't argue with numbers, right? b) the values implied in what we often believe or describe mathematics to be - what are we implicitly or explicitly saying matters when we say that we strive for "logical" "rational" "linear" and/or "abstract" thinking, particularly when presented devoid of context? c) the use of mathematics as an instrument of power - not just as a gatekeeper of access/opportunity in the form of standardized tests as Avery describes, but also in maintaining confusion and consequent compliance when it comes to things like subprime mortgages, payday lending, tax liabilities and/or government benefits, etc.<br /><br />I'm sure there are many more factors here, and Brian, I think we agree about the role of mathematics in the institutionalization of racism. I also think there are many ways in which teachers can provide students access to mathematics as this language of power - like what Jason describes. What I wonder is what our role is in refuting this relationship, rather than just helping students navigate existing structures. <br /><br />Sadly, I'm not in your time zone, but I hope we can find other ways to keep chatting!gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629147659164801681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-23213613783533680652013-08-02T08:03:51.697-07:002013-08-02T08:03:51.697-07:00I can't speak for Grace, but I know when I sta...I can't speak for Grace, but I know when I started writing this post "print it out as a conversation starter" and "let other teachers of color know they're not alone" were my two highest hopes. Thanks for saying that, it really helps. Jason Buellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03029995715142652159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-92226994775074127492013-07-31T14:13:32.845-07:002013-07-31T14:13:32.845-07:00I also think the role of math as a gatekeeper can&...I also think the role of math as a gatekeeper can't be ignored. This is very much related to the idea of neutrality as someone is deciding that math tests (ie the SAT) should play a crucial role in "advancement" and is also deciding what these tests look like.Avery Pickfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10433339146333801163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-62384879054874548202013-07-31T07:04:58.120-07:002013-07-31T07:04:58.120-07:00Thanks for this post. So much to think about and t...Thanks for this post. So much to think about and thanks especially for the further reading recommendations. As someone who's trying to move from "look at me, a white dude in a diverse school!" to being an active ally, this list is something I want to print out and keep at school.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-52815521170076491762013-07-29T17:14:52.975-07:002013-07-29T17:14:52.975-07:00Thanks. We appreciate hearing that. If you have an...Thanks. We appreciate hearing that. If you have anything you'd like to add or critique, post on your blog and let me know or I can give you space on my own blog if you'd like to be anonymous.Jason Buellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03029995715142652159noreply@blogger.com