All posts by Sandy Carl

About Sandy Carl

I am a life-long learner! I love to teach! I was honored with 28 years in the classroom as well as independent study experience. I worked Kindergarten through College courses. Mentoring and working with teachers was a wonderful part of my educational experience. Today, I manage a consulting business - Passion In Education. I'm excited to still have access to educators. We welcome you to our virtual world! View all posts by Sandy Carl →

Give the Gift of Massage!

October 23, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #justbecauseyoushouldknow, #pieedu, #whyamIhere, MassageSandy Carl

According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) Consumer Survey, 72 percent of individuals surveyed claim their primary reason for receiving a massage in the previous 12 months was medical (43 percent) or stress (29 percent).

A growing body of research supports the health benefits of massage therapy for conditions such as stress, fibromyalgia, low-back pain and more. Find out how you can benefit from adding massage therapy to your health and wellness routine.

References

https://www.amtamassage.org/articles/1/News/detail/3124/25-reasons-to-get-a-massage

MATHCOUNTS

October 18, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #justbecauseyoushouldknow, #mathiswhereitsat, #pieedu, 21st Century Learning, Mathematics, MathisfunSandy Carl

We provide engaging math programs to U.S. middle school students of all ability levels to build confidence and improve attitudes towards math and problem solving.

A national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person “bee” style contests.

A national middle school mathematics enrichment program that gives educators the resources and guidance needed to run math clubs in schools and other groups.

A national middle school contest that blends math, creativity, art and technology and challenges students to produce a video solving a math problem in a real-world setting.

It’s Autumn, and that means leaves are falling! Amber’s house occupies 2650 ft²
in the middle of a 50-foot by 80-foot parcel of land, and the leaves that fall cover the ground
all around her house. If it takes Amber’s family 4.5 hours to rake all the leaves…

ONLINE PROBLEM LIBRARY (OPLET)

VIDEO LIBRARY

INTERACTIVE MATERIALS

ONLINE STORE

ALUMNI RESOURCES

BUILDING MODERN CLASSROOMS THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL LEARNERS

October 17, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #justbecauseyoushouldknow, #mathiswhereitsat, #pieedu, 21st Century Learning, MathematicsSandy Carl

by Kareem Farah | 09.11.18

A couple of years ago, I started my fourth year of teaching high school math at a new school in Washington, D.C. What struck me right away was the diversity of learning levels in my classroom. More specifically, how many of my new students believed they just didn’t belong in a math classroom at all.

I knew I had to shift that mindset – and that meant changing my instructional model in a significant way. I had to meet the needs of my quickest learners while simultaneously providing the appropriate support for my students with critical learning gaps. I worked to develop a three-pronged approach built on blended instruction, self-paced structure and mastery-based assessment.

“Blended learning” involves leveraging technology in the classroom to replace my math lectures with instructional videos. My instructional videos are created simply by screencasting my PowerPoint presentations with my voice recorded over. By removing the traditional lecture from my class, I am free to spend my entire class time working individually and in small groups with students.

By blending my instruction, it allows my students to learn at their own pace. Students are no longer reliant on a short presentation at the beginning of class to access the content. When students walk into my classroom now, they look at the publicly displayed pacing tracker to remind themselves which lesson they’re working on. Each day, they pick up where they left off the day before, ensuring they are only progressing when they are ready. My students control where they go and what they do. I spend the class period going over lesson revisions with individual students and reteaching concepts to small groups.

My class is “mastery-based,” meaning my students can’t move to the next lesson without showing mastery on the previous lesson. At first, my students have intense emotional reactions to this: They’ve turned something in, and now, I am telling them it does not exhibit mastery and pushing them to revisit their thinking and try again. It requires a shift in mindset from completion to mastery. To get there, my class revolves around the core components of revision, reassessment and reflection to facilitate a daily journey to mastery.

Although there is initial resistance, within a few weeks, every student experiences authentic mastery. Every student learns what it feels like to travel through a lesson and work through setbacks. Every student experiences excellence.

This model is tough for my students at the beginning of the school year – but it’s also tough for me. I have to be very consistent and accept a level of chaos. I have to be patient and trust that the transformation will happen. If a student isn’t using their time productively, I do not micro-manage their behaviors. I have an open and honest conversation with them about their use of time. We discuss the real implications of their decisions, and I put the responsibility on them to use their time wisely. Eventually, after seeing the impact of their actions, they develop into self-directed learners who take control of their learning process. That early chaos pays off.

If you’re a teacher who wants to try my approach, my first piece of advice is: Do not be afraid to take a risk. When I started my model, my level of understanding of technology was nothing special, and my experience with self-pacing and mastery-based learning was limited. However, I felt comfortable taking major instructional risks because I knew the status quo was unacceptable. To support teachers in adapting my model, I have developed The Modern Classrooms Project, a nonprofit that helps teachers redesign their learning experience to infuse blended, self-paced and mastery-based instruction to meet the needs of all learners. To learn more about my nonprofit, you can visit www.modernclassrooms.org.

As you reconsider your own learning model, you have to take a step back and let go of your narratives about what teaching and learning look like and ask yourself, “What do my students need?” When teachers ask themselves that question, we so often land in the same place. We know that students should only progress when they have exhibited mastery. We know kids need to learn at their own pace. We know kids need individualized instruction. And as teachers, we can’t be afraid to take risks to meet those needs. We have to be brave enough to let go and try something new.

Back to School / My Corner of the World

About the Author

KAREEM FARAH

Kareem Farah is a high school math teacher and executive director of The Modern Classrooms Project. Follow him on Twitter @Kareemfarah23.

All posts by Kareem Farah

California Mathematics Council Awards and Scholarships

October 16, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #mathiswhereitsat, #pieedu, CMC, Grants, MathematicsSandy Carl

CMC Awards and Scholarships

CMC North Mini Grants: Need supplies or materials for your class? Are you a member of CMC in the Northern Region (See your member profile)? Apply for a CMC North Mini Grant. Contact Linda Flood for more information at minigrant.CMCN@gmail.com. Deadlines to apply is November 1 and March 1.

CA Math Festival Scholarships: In order to expand the opportunity for K-8 schools throughout California to benefit from the exciting learning of a Math Festival, CMC is offering up to a $1,000 scholarship to partially fund your school’s daytime or daytime/evening Festival. Deadline to apply is November 1.

For more details about the Math Festival program including the fees, visit the Math Festival website.

70,000 UNFILLED COMPUTER SCIENCE JOBS IN CALIFORNIA

October 8, 2018#justbecauseyoushouldknow, #pieedu, Prepare for Future JobsSandy Carl

Did you know that there are currently over 70,000 unfilled jobs in California in the field of Computer Science? This creates a tremendous opportunity for secondary schools to begin offering introductory courses in Computer Science to help position students to become college and career ready.

The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools is now a Regional Partner with Code.org to provide no-cost curriculum, teacher training and on-going support to help teachers to be able to teach these courses.

We will be hosting several information workshops for site and district administrators and counselors to learn more about this tremendous opportunity.

More information can be found in our Informational Flyer.

Our next workshops will be held on October 11 at the FCSS office. We have a morning workshop (8:30-11:30) and an afternoon workshop (12:15 – 3:15) available. We will also host additional workshops on October 25 and Nov. 6.

For more information contact Marlena Hebern (mhebern@fcoe.org).

“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Covey

September 28, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #justbecauseyoushouldknow, #pieedu, #whyamIhere, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective, The Leader in Me, Tutorials, videos for teachingSandy Carl

Nine Professional Dispositions of a Good Teacher

September 25, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #justbecauseyoushouldknow, #pieedu, 21st Century Learning, Educational Resources, Educational Support, Passion, Teacher SupportSandy Carl

Do you know how to exercise? Do you exercise? Your answer might be “yes” to the first and “no” to the second. The first question asks about ability: Do you know the ways to exercise so as to do you some good? The second question goes beyond ability and asks about inclination: Are you disposed to exercise? Do you exercise regularly?

Professional dispositions are the principles or standards that underpin a teacher’s success in the classroom. They are the values, commitments, and professional ethics that govern how a teacher acts with students, families, colleagues, and communities.

https://education.wsu.edu/undergradprograms/teachered/professionaldisposition/

From Washington University

The Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) mandates, through the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), that all certified educators must be “fit to teach” and “have the proper dispositions to teach.” The transformation of a person from one who merely possesses knowledge and technique into a superior teacher must include the development of characteristics such as a capacity for active and creative communication, a tendency to probe, and a willingness to explore topics from a variety of perspectives. Further, an outstanding educator must possess the desire to engage and encourage students who have a wide range of abilities, interests, and temperaments.

In order to provide the highest quality teacher force possible, Washington State University ’s College of Education has the responsibility of evaluating teacher effectiveness along a variety of dimensions. It uses many instruments and methods to assess the effectiveness of prospective teachers, to make certain they have the knowledge, skills and professional habits necessary to serve in the highly dynamic and complex classrooms of the 21st century.

Good teachers come fom widely different backgrounds, and have varied opinions, interests, and personalities. But some qualities, such as the ability to communicate clearly, are common to nearly all good teachers. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine a teacher being a success without possessing these qualities.

Likewise, students in Washington’s K-12 classrooms come from varied backgrounds. They have a wide range of abilities, different levels of prior knowledge, and vary in how they feel about learning and school. These young people grow and develop, sometimes slowly, sometimes with astonishing quickness. Each classroom, therefore, is a mix of dozens of competing interests, stages of development, and strategies for learning.

Even within a single student’s attempt to learn, a teacher may have to try several approaches before finding one that succeeds. A student may believe that she is “no good at math (or science or history or reading),” for reasons having nothing to do with her abilities.

With as many as a hundred different students and several different subjects to teach every day, teachers have an almost impossible mission. Yet we expect nothing less of them than success with every student.

In order to be successful—to leave, truly, no child behind—teachers must purposefully act in caring, fair, professional, respectful, and responsible ways.

Professional dispositions of good teachers

Good teachers are active, respectful participants in discussions.
Good teachers express themselves clearly and effectively.
Good teachers listen thoughtfully and responsively.
Good teachers engage in lifelong learning, aided by reflection and assessment of new information and ideas.
Good teachers interact effectively, respectfully, and empathetically across a wide range of situations and people.
Good teachers work to ensure system-wide high quality learning opportunities and experiences for all students.
Good teachers seek understanding of complex issues in order to solve problems both independently and collaboratively.
Good teachers are committed to mastering best practices informed by sound theory.
Good teachers are responsible colleagues.

How is it possible to tell whether a person possesses these professional dispositions? By careful observation of their behaviors and actions. Is the teacher candidate a thoughtful, active listener? Does he or she participate in discussions, and is that participation respectful? Does the teacher candidate give help readily?

Excellence is a long, laborious process. It is not always easy to foretell which teachers will excel in their careers. But patterns of action that show up in the course of teacher preparation can be presumed also to show up later on the job. A person demonstrating promptness, courtesy, and scrupulous attention to detail in teacher preparation will likely act likewise when employed. A person habitually late, or rude, or careless in pre-service work will, in contrast, be likely to have trouble in a teaching position.

These are judgments about professional potential, not about persons or their opinions or beliefs. Institutions certifying teachers owe the state’s citizens their best judgment and keenest observations when making decisions that will have such profound future effects. The identification and evaluation of professional dispositions is a valuable tool for identifying and capturing important information about prospective teachers, to make sure that they are best prepared for their professional lives.

Read our Professional Disposition Assessment Form (PDA).

The issue of dispositions has been widely discussed. The President of NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) has responded to claims in the press. Read the letter by NCATE President Arthur E. Wise.

See how our Professional Disposition Assessment (PDA) formcompares with state, national, and accreditation standards.

Professional disposition forms

PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITION ASSESSMENT (PDA)
PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONS EVALUATION FOR FIELD EXPERIENCES (PDEFE)

The Professional Dispositions Assessment (PDA) is the form used by the Department of Teaching & Learning to document a student’s disposition to be a teacher based upon their performance in the University classroom.

The Professional Dispositions evaluation for Field Experiences (PDEFE) is the form used to document a student’s dispositions during practicum/field experiences. The PDA form and the process used by the Department of Teaching and Learning have received national accolades.

The procedures for the forms vary depending upon a student’s tenure in the program and the circumstances that precipitated the documentation. For example, all students taking T&L 301 will receive a PDA indicating strengths and weaknesses (if any). In T&L 301, students will discuss the concepts of teacher dispositions. Later in the program, a professor may issue a PDA/PDEFE when specific behaviors are noted and must be documented.

If you have any questions about disposition or the PDA/PDEFE, do not hesitate to contact Chris Sodorff, Director of Field Services at csodorff@wsu.edu or 509-335-0925.

Professional disposition

How to Become a More Effective Lifelong Learner: 15 Tips

September 25, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #justbecauseyoushouldknow, #pieedu, #whyamIhere, Life Long LearningSandy Carl

PagePhoto keepOnLearning

Dr. Laura Hills, Blue Pencil Institute’s president, ends most of her live presentations and video programs by putting her index fingers to her temples and encouraging her audience to, “Keep on learning.” As an educator who has worked with career professionals and other adult learners for more than 30 years, Dr. Hills has made keep on learning her signature closing because she believes that lifelong learning is the single most important investment a career professional can make in his or her success.

As long as career professionals keep on learning, Dr. Hills says, they will become more productive, more effective, and more successful. And, through learning and improving, they will ultimately feel more rewarded, more fulfilled, and more enthusiastic their work and their lives. However, without learning, she warns, career professionals are in danger of faltering and stagnating. Eventually, she has observed, they are prone to becoming ineffective, bored, disheartened, and in some cases, sick.

Most career professionals get on board with Dr. Hills’ idea of lifelong learning pretty easily. However, actually being a lifelong learner is more challenging. There are many distractions and obstacles to learning and there is only so much time in the day. Many busy career professionals wonder how they can they make their learning a regular and focused part of their already jam-packed lives. Below are Blue Pencil Institute’s 15 tips for successful lifelong learning. Read on to learn what you can do to make lifelong learning your priority and a regular and consistent part of your life.

1. Make a conscious decision to be a lifelong learner. Don’t be content with what you know. Make a commitment to learn new ways to expand and to sharpen your personal and professional skills. Reading first rate tests, consuming excellent electronic media, and participating in engaging continuing education programs, from varied sources, will keep you informed, in touch with, and energized by new ideas – but only if you commit to your own learning.

2. Dare to dream big. If you have big dreams of going back to school or switching career paths altogether, don’t ignore them. Put these ideas on paper, share them with a few trusted individuals, and promise to explore what it would take to make these dreams a reality. At the very least, you’ll learn something new along the way. Even if this process doesn’t lead you to the actualizing the dream you first had in mind, it could lead you in a new and better direction for your life path than you initially envisioned.

3. Engage in work that encourages, requires, and/or supports your lifelong learning.Choose a career and an employer that encourages, fosters, and values your continual learning. If you are in a job that doesn’t have much intellectual freedom or if you work for an employer that doesn’t value learning, consider making a change.

4. Schedule a time for learning. We’re learning all the time, often without our knowing it. But when it comes to achieving our focused learning goals, our minds appreciate regularity and rhythm. Carve out a specific time each day, ideally, in the same place, to devote formally to your learning activities. Even 15 minutes a day for your learning can make a difference. Get rid of distractions like email and your cell phone during this time. Focus your attention on your learning goals and activities.

5. Use scraps of time or trapped time for learning. Always carry a text or another resource with you that you can turn to when you have small bits of time. Commuting time, time waiting for appointments, breaks from work, and other scraps of time can add up to powerful learning if you use them well.

6. Determine your learning style and preferences. Every career professional has his or her own way of learning new things. Some people are visual, auditory, musical, verbal, tactile, experiential, or logical learners. Some learn better in a classroom or in an online class with an instructor and interaction with peers; others learn better on their own. Choose lifelong learning resources that cater to your best learning style and your preferences.

7. Surround yourself with lifelong learners. The best way to stay motivated to learn is to surround yourself with people who are also learning. That doesn’t mean that your friends and colleagues must all be Einsteins or Edisons or that you must build networks of geniuses. However, it would serve you well to stay close to people who have a thirst for knowledge that refuses to be slaked. When you hang around such people, either face-to-face or through social media, their motivation to learn is bound to be contagious. They will encourage, push, support, and reinforce you as you explore your interests and continue to learn and grow.

8. Create a lifelong learning plan. A well-thought-out plan will help you make decisions about what to learn and when and how to learn it. It will enable you to identify resources, strategies, and goals for succeeding. Continually update, adjust, and modify your lifelong learning plan as your learning goals evolve.

9. Subscribe to and read professional journals and books. The information contained within is written by professionals and provides insights into the latest research, trends, and issues affecting your career and your life. Find time to keep current with what’s new in your profession, even if it’s only a few minutes each day.

10. Visit the library regularly, either the local public library or a college library. These visits offer the opportunity to read quality materials that may be unavailable any other way. College libraries are a great resource for professional or personal reference materials. Most college libraries have an open door policy and some offer opportunities for residents in the community to take out a limited number of resources.

11. Become a better browser. The Internet can be a treasure trove for lifelong learners, but it’s also easy to get stuck in a rut with your online reading. Make sure you read content from a wide range of sources and that you expose yourself to a variety of viewpoints. Ask your friends and colleagues what they regularly read on the Internet and integrate some of those sources into your regular reading as well.

12. Attend lectures. Attending lectures is a great alternative for career professionals who’d like to return to the classroom setting but don’t have the time to devote to an actual class. If you live near a college or university, you should have no trouble finding lectures the public can attend. Resources like TED and Coursera offer a wide range of online lectures and programs for free. Trade and professional associations also can be good sources for lectures. If possible, attend lectures with others. Being able to discuss what you learned with someone else will help you retain the content of the lecture and open you to new interpretations and ideas.

13. Teach with others and to others. Every teacher is a cleverly-disguised student. If you commit to teaching a subject or skill you don’t already know inside and out, you’ll learn a tremendous amount about it as you prepare your program. Volunteer to teach formally or informally and watch your own learning skyrocket.

14. Try new things — often. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Open new doors and gain new experiences. Broaden your horizons. What is something new you can try this month? Write it down and make it a point to do something about it this week.

15. Repeat, repeat, repeat. We build and maintain connections in our long -term memory over time. If you want to master a new subject area or skill, there is simply no substitute for repetition, review, and practice. Of course, this can’t just be mindless, mechanical repetition. You need to focus your attention — and ideally, your passion — on the material you are trying to learn.

Download How to Become a More Effective Lifelong Learner: 15 Tips

Teach yourself Mathematics via Flipped Classroom!

September 24, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #pieedu, Home school options, Math Resources, Mathematics, Mathisfunalgebra, Algebra 2, AP calculus, Geometry, Pre-calculausSandy Carl

Merging Is All About Flow

September 14, 2018#bethebestyoucanbe, #pieedu, #whyamIhere, Life LessonsSandy Carl

Merging is difficult for most people, apparently. Remember that you’re part of a whole traffic flow, not just a single car against many others. Reader Grrrowler has a few simple rules for merging.

Merging seems to flummox many people. There are a few very simple rules for merging:

1. It’s impossible to merge when going significantly faster or significantly slower than the traffic you’re merging with. Slowing down to 20 when traffic is doing 65 doesn’t make the merge safer.

2. Two vehicles cannot occupy the same space on the road at the same time. If there’s a car next to you, you can’t merge there. You need to slow down or speed up. It’s not incumbent on the traffic in the travel lanes to make room for you (although it can be the polite thing to do).

3. A turn signal is an indicator of your wish to move to another lane, a request if you will. It is not a divine right to simply move into the next lane regardless of how it will affect other drivers. If you’re not sure what turn signals are or how to use them, then we have a whole other problem.

4. Once you’re on the freeway, speed up to move with existing traffic! Just because you were doing 45 on the entrance ramp doesn’t mean you should do 45 on the freeway. If you want to travel at surface street speeds, then stay on the surface streets.

Passion In Education

At the Heart of Teaching

All posts by Sandy Carl

About Sandy Carl