“Okay, Boomer”: Fair Play, Reasoning, and Exercising Power in Argument
By the time I post this 4X4, the “Okay, Boomer” meme is already passe. It came into my consciousness only a couple weeks ago because my husband has become fascinated with the different ways it can be used even on those who are not literally Boomers. Among his chess...
When it Clicks
I teach math. Everybody’s favorite subject … to hate. Nothing gives me more satisfaction in my job than when what I am teaching finally clicks with the student. I teach students that love math and I teach more students that hate math. I have to say that the...
My Cloud Data is Where?
Flash back to 10+ years ago. Apple's iPhone launched in 2007, followed by a wave of other devices over the next two years. The first use of an iPhone required a computer connection, including backups. Now return to present day 2019. We are used to so many wireless...
Starting Strong: The First Five Minutes of Class
This summer I read a book called Small Teaching by James M. Lang. Even though I have been teaching for 28 years (gasp!), have a Masters degree in Education and secondary school teaching certification, I learned a ton from this book. I thought maybe I would dedicate...
My Cadillac Floats
I pulled my Cadillac out of the lake last night. Without the proper context, that would seem like a drastic way to start a conversation. My Cadillac is a 1950’s boat, made by Cadillac, which includes the classic scrolling Cadillac logo. It is a massive boat, and on...
Testing, a Follow Up
The book "Make it Stick" by Brown et. al, (2014) is a wonderful research-based how-to guide for promoting learning-as in remembering. In particular, the book discusses testing. It is helpful for exploring exactly how to make long term learning (and remembering) occur...
Preparing For The Worst
In the years 2001-2006 Israel experienced devastating terrorist attacks on civilians. This was the worst period in its history and the threat of terrorism was felt throughout the country. Today, there are still terrorist attacks, but Israel is now a global leader in...
I’ll be honest, I’m resentful: Drills, Trauma, and Learning
A few years ago, I was teaching a summer class when we did a lock down safety drill. I was forewarned that the lock down would occur and instructed to turn off lights, lock the door, pull down shades, and have students put away all electronics when the signal was...
Low Floor High Ceiling Tasks
I first heard of low floor high ceiling math tasks on a K-12 math blog. It’s an interesting concept; find a task that everyone in the class can start and that adequately challenges all students. To say the least, I was skeptical, so I tried it out. My first attempt...
ML & U
If you haven't heard the acronyms ML (Machine Learning) or NLP (Natural Language Processing) being tossed about in relationship to artificial intelligence (AI), that's good because the technology shouldn't be the focus, but rather how it affects you and the way you...