Prove It: Math and Education Policy
From September 2015 to September 2017, John Troutman McCrann, a high school math teacher, NBCT, and MfA Master Teacher Fellow in New York City, wrote about his quest to integrate inquiry- and performance-based learning into his instruction, and how these concepts might inform education policy. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnTroutMcCran This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: performance assessment.
Assessment
Opinion
The Opt-Out Debate: Parental Perspective
Two teachers respond to a parent's question about opting his child in or out of state standardized tests.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
What Candidates Should be Saying about Education
It is time for a candidate to recognize that the most important factors in improving educational outcomes are to strengthen teaching and to improve the conditions in which learning takes place. Working toward the latter goal means returning to an era when we talked about smaller class sizes, improved access to materials and technology, as well as the creation or renovation of school buildings that provide safe, clean, and nurturing environments.
Teaching
Opinion
From "Very Cool" to "Well Designed:" Tips for Engineering Tasks
Students who build something "cool" are not necessarily engaging in engineering design. As teachers, we should find ways to guide our students towards thoughtful design instead of making cool stuff.
Families & the Community
Opinion
End of Year Action Plans: A Restorative Practice
By thinking strategically and proactively, we can implement systems which are sustainable and support healthy interactions in our communities. Restorative justice should focus on those things we are DOING -- not on what we choose not to do. How do you actively "wage justice" in this busy and stressful time of year?
Teaching
Opinion
3 Tips for Guided Inquiry Math Lessons: The Ikea Effect
Ikea does a few things so that non-carpenters like myself can construct their furniture. They pre-drill holes in the wood, they provide would-be constructors with correctly sized tools which they'll need, and they write instructions for assembly which highlight the moves we should make as well as trouble spots where we are likely to go astray. Math teachers can create analogous scaffolds to empower our students.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
A Football Coach's Philosophy: Work hard. Have fun. Take care of each other.
When I ask the boys to work hard, have fun, and take care of each other, I'm really asking them to engage in the process of becoming good citizens and people. I assist in this process by teaching them a work ethic that will help them to be successful individuals, an attitude that will allow them to enjoy life, and relational skills that will enable them to make life better for all those with whom they interact.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
What Training My Pit Bull Taught Me About Teaching
My experience training my pit bull, Jax, taught me valuable insights into the way we shape our students' choices and behavior.
Teaching
Opinion
Making Computer Science "For All"
The state will have to decide if it wants to certify teachers or if instead wants to otherwise signal what it means to be qualified and prepared to teach computer science - because teaching computer science in school is not a new idea; but making computer science "for all" certainly is.
Teaching
Opinion
Math Ought to Make Sense: 3 Ways to Promote Meaningful Math Learning
As a young teacher, I dreaded that moment in class when a student's frustration boiled over into a shout: "This doesn't make any sense!" At this point I've started to embrace those as moments where real thinking is going on and as opportunities for real learning.
Assessment
Opinion
'Bridging Differences' About the Opt-Out Debate
Well, that time of year is fast approaching: the dreaded "testing season." In the coming weeks, Education Week and many other education-focused journalism outlets will be filled with stories about the horrors and opportunities of testing. I'll continue to share about the performance assessment process that we use at my school, but I wanted to take a chance to enter into this public conversation in a more explicit way. I hope to do this in a way that can move beyond the partisan bomb-throwing that often characterizes this conversation.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
On Unions and Gyms: A Teacher Works to Make Her Union Stronger
Readers of this blog know that I am a committed union leader and activist (see my perspective here, here, and here). Unionized teachers with a strong voice in shaping education policy represent our best chance to incorporate teachers' classroom-based knowledge into the decisions that directly impact classrooms and young people. But this won't just happen on its own. Kathleen Melville — a master educator, organizer, and leader who I met at a teacher leadership institute in the summer of 2012 — reminds us that we must commit attention and energy to our union if we want to keep it "fit." The Caucus of Working Educators provides a beautiful example of this kind of attention and enery. Their work should inform the perspective of anyone in the fight to support students and public schools. - JRTM
Families & the Community
Opinion
Social Media Opens Conversations
Social media is everywhere and it is a part of our culture. I am thinking about ways to use platforms like Twitter to model explicitly alongside my students and their families how it can be used to enhance, engage, and enrich not only learning, but our conversations and our relationships. As a nation we know in the future that we are going to need to collaborate globally, use digital tools, and think critically to solve world problems. Why not begin in kindergarten?
Teaching
Opinion
Habit of Perspective and the Little Prince
Harvest Collegiate High School school has organized our curriculum around four Habits of Heart and three Habits of Heart which we believe "promote critical thinking and active responsibility." Each month in our group gatherings, we focus on a different habit...March's focus is the Habit of Perspective, in which we try to answer this question: How does this look differently from someone else's shoes?
Teaching
Opinion
Teaching Big Ideas in Mathematics: Equivalence
Very big ideas lie behind even very simple mathematical relationships. One problem with math curriculum developed under pressure to cram in as many topics as possible, is that they often fail to adequately explore these big ideas. Instead, jumping right to the trick.