Tag: Three for the Week

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – My daughter and I have spent a good deal of the quarantine learning about individuals who have fought injustices in the world. This included watching the movie Just Mercy, which is based on the memoir of the same name by attorney Bryan Stevenson. If you have not read the book, please read it as soon as you can. It is a phenomenal book about how the justice system is stacked against the poor and individuals of color, especially in the south. One of Mr. Stevenson’s quotes has been on my mind a lot lately: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. That’s a pretty powerful idea. His speech is one of the best Ted Talks I’ve even seen.

2 – I recently heard the term negativity bias. This is the psychological notion that even if a person is exposed to an equal amount of negative and positive information, the negative information will have a greater impact. This obviously has implications far greater than education right now. This will be a more detailed blog post in the future.

3 – This is a spot usually reserved for an uplifting or funny video. This dad dresses up in costumes every day to keep his daughter entertained during the quarantine. That’s top notch dad work right there!

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – The Coronavirus has forced many school districts across the country to make an abrupt move towards online learning. That sudden shift has left some students and families trying to navigate a new normal which is dependent on having devices and access to internet. This article, and video, profiles a 10-year-old girl in New York City who lives in homeless shelters with her mother and grandmother. They have a loaned device from the girl’s school but have trouble finding Internet connections. Hopefully one positive that comes out of all the challenges with Coronavirus is more equity with technology, and connectivity, for students in all areas of the country.

2 – In light of the need to get technology in the hands of students, many districts have loaned devices to students. My own district did that earlier this week.

3 – This spot is usually reserved for something fun or uplifting. This video shows a 15-year-old girl named Courtney returning from her last chemo treatment. Coronavirus and social distancing prevented her friends from having a traditional gathering to celebrate the occasion, so they lined the streets and cheered her return from her final treatment. Sometimes difficult times like we are facing right now bring out the best in people!

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. With everything that’s happened around the country this week related to Coronavirus, I’ve decided to keep all three lighthearted and inspirational this week. We all probably need to take a deep breath, relax, and smile this week. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – Amen, Shonda Rhimes!

2 – This dad is the master of homeschooling.

3 – I first saw this video with the caption: Day 6 of Quarantine. I watched it many times more than I’d like to admit. In all honestly, long after Coronavirus, this will probably still be one of my go-to pick me up videos.

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – Not only is today Pi Day, but it also my daughter’s 11th birthday. This really made me think about how quickly time passes. Make every moment of every day count!

2 – Creating situations where students can “see” math in action helps build conceptual understanding. This should be one of the goals of math education. I saw this tweet, and it is a great example of how bar models can show variables and unknowns in algebra.

3 – Get the tissues ready. A 16-year-old boy died in a car accident. His organs were donated. The recipient of his heart sent a teddy bear to the boy’s father. The teddy bear had a recording of the deceased boy’s heartbeat.

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – This is an older article from ASCD, but I still found it very interesting. It is titled Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do. It discusses, as the title suggests, eight tools good teachers have in their toolbox of strategies. They’re all interesting, but one in particular caught my attention: apologize. Teachers are human, and they make mistakes. Why not apologize when this happens? It will show students that you care for and respect them. This will go a long way towards building a positive learning culture in the classroom.

2 – It is very common for students to be reluctant to take academic risks. They’re often afraid of being wrong. One CEO encourages her employees to make mistakes in emails to prove mistakes are not the end of the world. I wonder what that would look like in a classroom. How might this change the way our students think and approach challenges?

3 – The third spot each week has become a place for something lighthearted or uplifting. This week I present to you a dog who is living his best life.

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – Edutopia published an interesting article on literacy conferences. One of the hesitations teachers have with one-on-one conferences is the time it will take to conduct them. The author addressed that concern. “Before I began using conferencing, I rarely left school without a bag full of papers or tests to grade. Conferencing shifts some of the time teachers spend on grading to conversations that take place in class.” They are also shared ideas about getting conferences up and running.

2 – This article explores the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There is growing research questioning the long held belief that breakfast is king. If you know anybody who has tried intermittent fasting, you are probably familiar with eating windows which usually eliminate breakfast. It’s an interesting read.

3- This is such a wonderful story. A boy asked his girlfriend to the prom. His girlfriend, however, is blind, so the young man created an invitation for her in braille using Hershey Kisses. We need more of this in the world!

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – An article from Edutopia discusses strategies to incorporate choice in the classroom. I really liked one specific idea from the article, “By giving the students choice, I give them the choice to become independent learners with the autonomy to fail but also the autonomy for authentic engagement.”

2 – I’m reading the book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together? in the Cafeteria by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum. It is a wonderful book about the role race place in our society. Dr. Tatum discusses the definition of racism on page 87. She shares David Wellam’s definition of racism as a, “system of advantages based on race.” That definition has really made me reflect on what we do as a society and as educations systems to provide advantages and disadvantages based on race.

3 – Get ready for a good cry. This is a story about a boy who adopts dogs. It’s the reason why he adopts dogs, however, that shows everything that is good about people, and children.

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – Did you know there are three meanings of multiplication? I didn’t know them until a couple years ago. A blog post by Jeff Lisciandrello reminded me that the meanings are not widely known. They are: equal groups, rates, multiplicative comparison, rectangular array, and Cartesian products. Jeff has a great description of each meaning in his blog post.

2 – Michael Pollan is a food writer and the author of books like  “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “The Botany of Desire,” “In Defense of Food” and “How to Change Your Mind.” His new book, which is only available as an audiobook on Audible, tackles our complex relationship with caffeine. Pollan explores the effects of caffeine in our society and how it impacts our bodies. I have not listened to the book, but read an interesting preview in the Washington Post. In his book, Pollan says, “Something like 90 percent of humans ingest caffeine regularly, making it the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world and the only one we routinely give to children, commonly in the form of soda. It’s so pervasive that it’s easy to overlook the fact that to be caffeinated is not baseline consciousness but, in fact, is an altered state.” That’s a pretty sobering thought.

3 – The third slot is again reserved for something which will put a smile on your face. I’ve never really believed in the whole idea of a spirit animal. Then I saw this video of a dog sledding down a hill. I now complete embrace the idea of a spirit animal and believe I’ve found mine.

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

I had this week’s Three for the Week written in my head when I woke up this morning. I knew exactly what I wanted to write and how I wanted to write it. Then I had the privilege of going out to dinner with a wonderful nineteen-year-old college student. This student grew up in rural poverty. Things haven’t been easy for her, but thanks to some breaks in life, she’s now attending a very good college with dreams of becoming a lawyer and having a greater impact on the world. Our conversation completely changed my three takeaways from this week. Here they are:

1 – There is an enormous opportunity gap in the United States, and it is happening in areas all across the country. Some of our students living in poverty are just as smart, if not smarter, than their more affluent peers. The barriers they face, and often their underfunded schools, make it harder for their brilliance to be seen.

2- Even if students are able to overcome their disadvantages, there are still so many factors they have to navigate and overcome. For a young student who grew up in poverty and has dreams of going to law school, there’s the expensive LSAT (Law School Admissions Test). You can forget the pricey prep courses to get ready for the LSAT that wealthier students can often afford to give them a leg up on law school admissions. It is a constant challenge to get ahead.

3 – The idealism and optimism of our younger generations is so refreshing and gives me so much hope for the world my daughter will inherit.  Despite the disadvantages this brilliant young woman has had to overcome, she still wants to help people. She wants to use the breaks she’s been given to go to law school and change the world. The odds were against her getting out of rural poverty and studying at a world-class institution of higher education, but I’d put money on her going out and changing the world.

Three for the Week

Saturdays are my time to reflect on what I read, heard, and discussed throughout the week. It is my “exit ticket” for the last seven days. So here are three ideas that made me think this week. (They are not in any particular order.)

1 – The overall health of teachers is so important. We work in a very emotionally, physically, and mentally demanding field. It is critical that we take care of our bodies and minds in order to better take care of our students. So I was doing some digging for the best exercises and workouts. I love running but know that the impact is not great for your body. I found an interesting article which outlines exercises to do at every age group. For example, they recommend boot camp in your 20’s, high-intensity interval training in your 30’s, and running in your 40’s. Guess I don’t have to stop running quite yet!

2 – An article from The University of Virginia really caught my attention. It is a Q&A with NCTM President and UVA professor Dr. Samuel Braley Gray. He outlines what effective math teaching looks like in our schools, touches on some inequities in math education, and even talks about why children should use their fingers in math. (That last point alone got me wondering why we would encourage students to use printed ten frames, but discourage them from using their fingers – which are ten frames.) What really struck me was what Dr. Gray said about the effective ways to teach math. “These ideas are a shift from focusing on memorization. Mathematics is more than getting an answer quickly. Effective mathematics teaching engages students in explaining why their answers make sense and why the strategy they used is appropriate.” Well said, Dr. Gray!

3 – Last week I chose something lighthearted as my third point for the week. I’ll keep that trend going this week. Two ridiculously cute boys show up to a Canadian airport to pick up their grandmother. The boys decide to play a trick on grandma and dress up in full T-Rex costumes. Grandma, as grandmas always seem to do, was one step ahead of the boys. She appeared wearing… a full T-Rex costume of her own. The video is well worth the 2:29 of your time and will definitely put a smile on your face.