Entrance Slip #5

Hello twins.

First of all, this line that Dr. Rickett wrote was so powerful:

We undoubtedly had intermingling souls and thus his expressions and invitations to movement were easily caught by me like a delicate net catching exotic butterflies.

Such a moving reading and hearing Jorge's story was quite a powerful experience. I felt like a movie-length film had played out in my mind.

I could see the lineup of plush monkeys on the bed and how they might have looked precariously balanced on top of the coffin. They added a whimsical touch to a tragic story and gave the reader hope as they accompanied him into the afterlife. They provided a vessel for juxtaposing deep sorrow and grief with a subtle playfulness. I strongly resonate with attempting to keep a light heart amid the struggles of life and the impact it can have. It's interesting to consider how these 'monkeys' might show up in our own lives. We will all face great challenges and have to find our own personal ways of coping & processing with what life throws at us.

Just wanted to end with another quote that really caught me on first read.

Voices that hide under beds and in closets and need to be coaxed out in ways I had never imagined.

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Exit Slip #8

Hello twins.

The title of my inquiry-one project is Game-Based Learning in Math Education. I chose this topic because I want to explore how we can make learning math more fun for students. I experimented with this approach during my short practicum and received positive feedback. I'm interested in creating a more engaging learning environment appealing to general game principles. My goal is to have students enjoy learning math by reducing levels of math anxiety/phobia.

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Inquiry Project Outline

Hello twins.

For my Inquiry Project, I want to explore gamification in math education. So many students dread learning & practicing math and I will be researching how we can lower math anxiety to make students enjoy learning math. Games provide a more appealing approach to student learning which can lower the point of entry for students and increase overall engagement. An analogy that comes to mind is how parents sneak vegetables into their kids' meals by disguising them in subtle ways. With how popular video & online games are with the upcoming generation, I believe that gamifying certain aspects of the math classroom could have positive benefits for student learning and engagement. An initial seed that led me to this topic was considering how we could make the task of completing a list of textbook exercises more enjoyable. Assigning a list of textbook exercises for students to complete is common in many math classes and I want to consider how we could make this act more interesting to students. An initial idea I had was an interactive online resource where students could view/answer questions to accumulate points and unlock new features by levelling up. They can also view various analytics and quantitative data about their performance in an interactive online profile. This would have certain similarities to some of the more addicting mobile apps such as Candy Crush, which capitalize on certain qualities we all share.

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Exit Slip #7

Hello twins.

The following is a short gratitude poem I wrote in class while at my sit spot.

thank you branches

as you sprout and you grow

bearing leaves & gifts

home to those who crawl

 home to those who soar

I enjoyed exploring all the fascinating ways our bodies can be used for units of measurement. I'm not someone who typically utilizes such ways of measuring things so it was eye-opening to see how commonplace it was. It's intriguing to consider how the human body provided the first metric system for ancient civilizations and the level of accuracy that was obtained. I didn't realize how important measurement was in planting a garden so I was surprised when reading the back of the seed packages. I was slightly perturbed that they didn't provide exact values for distances but instead a wide range for each. I suppose there is considerable variability when growing crops and so one must account for this. I wonder to what extent gardening is an exact science like baking or is more based on feel. There must be some lack of control over how your crops behave due to the unpredictability of nature. At first, this might seem frustrating but I suppose that is where the beauty of imperfection arises.

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Exit Slip #6

 Hello twins.

Today we had a debate where one team was pro-grades and one team was anti-grades. I was on of the panel of judges and was taking notes on which arguments stood out to me.

For anti-grades, the following points stood out to me:

* Graded system promotes rote memorization & instrumental learning over deep understanding

* Grading isn’t standard across different schools/teachers (national/international)

* Its an elitist mindset, people with higher grades stick together, lower grades stick together

* If grading leads the learning, it takes away from ability to teach genuinely

* Have this superficial toxic system, “what are we really grading?”

For pro-grades, the following points stood out to me:

* Grades are not the issue, but our relationship with grades as a society

* Proficiency scales provide a road map, where are you now and where are you going

* The ability to take feedback and apply it is a universal skill

* How do we communicate our opinions about feedback?

* Grades don’t necessarily create competition but can create community

Overall was super interesting to hear both sides of the coin even though our class readings have clearly taken a more anti-grading stance.

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Entrance Slip #4

 Hello twins.

The following is a response to an article on the effects of marking in grading practices in the classroom.

Being a student for almost 20 years, talking about grades evokes powerful feelings. They have a profound impact on people's lives that can shape both our present and our future. They can disrupt relationships, harm mental health, and have a lasting impact on the person you become. There needs to be a change in how we view grades in schools. 

As a teacher, I can use my experience as a student to guide how best to approach grades. The first point I will address is the quantitative element of grades. Reducing a multi-faceted learner to a two-digit number degrades the learning process. Students' entire lives will revolve around that number and any fluctuations can significantly impact their well-being. I support the BC curriculum's plan for moving towards a proficiency scale as a first step in fixing this issue. However, grades 11-12 still receive numbered grades for their report cards to be considered for opportunities in higher education. How can we decide which students are the best without a quantitative measure to compare them? Does the grade provide an accurate measure of their abilities in that subject? If 8 students in a class receive "extending", how can we determine who is the "best"? I wonder how feasible it is to eliminate quantitative measures and stick to more qualitative options. Since qualitative assessments lack this ease of comparison, it may prove difficult to determine which students are most qualified for post-secondary opportunities. 

Is there a problem with the current university admissions process? Suppose we completely eliminate numerical grades in high schools, how would universities respond? One of my classmates made an interesting point about how universities are potentially the root of the many problems facing high schools. Our class on math assessment has been one of my favourite classes for this very reason. It is clear that the status quo for assessments requires an update. I believe there is no magic bullet that would solve our problems. However, it is an ongoing process of making minor improvements to the system to help move toward a better future for all.

From the student perspective, how would they respond if we removed quantitative grades from all classes? Grades are treated like currency and they need to maximize their worth in the educational economy. It is a strong motivator for student success and its removal would rely on more intrinsic forms of motivation in our students.  There is a certain freedom or relief students feel when grades are removed from the equation. It encourages students to explore and be curious without the burden of worrying about their grades. This paradigm shift would disrupt the entire system and the potential consequences should be considered. 

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Thanks for reading,

Josh

Exit Slip #5

 Hello twins.

The following is a poem I wrote in class following a Fibonacci model based on the number of words per line. Fall is my favourite season; the goal was to encapsulate its sensory elements.

Chestnut

Lush cashmere

Leaves, crispy, crunching

The mug warms the soul

Aromas of pumpkin & spice

Winds, icy, harsh

Cozy blankets

Rye

Thanks for reading,

Josh