How to ditch that math homework once and for all

I don't believe in homework.

There.

I said it. It's out in the open. (Well, it's not really new.....anyone who has been in my class knows about it....)

As a grade 8 teacher, I get questioned about this a great deal. By parents, mostly. The kids think it's the best thing since recess. I love the looks on their faces when I declare that I don't assign homework. This doesn't mean that I don't expect my students to do work outside of the classroom, on the contrary, must students are often working on learning activities on their own time. What I mean is that I don't teach a lesson, and then, at the end of it, assign homework based on that lesson that is done entirely on their own time.

While this applies to all the subjects I teach, it is most prominent in my mathematics class. I have many memories of the teacher talking most of the class, with a few practice problems thrown in, and then being assigned 10 to 15 (or more!) problems to do at home. These problems were a repetition of the problems we did in class. Over and over. The same thing.  What did I learn from these problems? I learned that I wasn't good at math. See, I went home, and did the required problems, and usually did them wrong. I did them wrong 10 times, or 15 times, or 40 times. And then went back to school and discovered while we 'took up the homework' (sometimes for a mark! sometimes 'marked' by a peer! Who can forget the "Pass your paper to the person behind you!" days?) that I had done it all incorrectly. And now my peers knew about it too. They knew I was bad at math, or that I hadn't understood the concept or that I made the same mistake over and over and over again. I don't believe that this was my teacher's intention when they assigned the homework. I think they assigned the homework to gather information about our understanding of the concept.  But that discomfort, that discouragement that I felt as a student is the reason that I don't assign homework.

What does happen is that I provide a mini-lesson or a problem-solving task, and my students 'workshop' the concepts by working collaboratively, through completing activities in their interactive notebook, by working independently on a series of intentionally designed problems that scaffold learning or through guided math activities with myself. They work with their peers, they work on their own, and they work with me. And if, at the end of the time they have been given, they do not have their assigned materials completed, they take it home and complete it there. But they do not leave without all the tools that they need to complete the homework on their own.  No one is seeing the work for the first time when they open their textbook at 4pm or 630pm or 930pm.

Okay, you're thinking, but doesn't that mean it takes you a really long time to get through the curriculum if you do everything in class? There are a lot of math expectations to get through! Yes. The short answer is Yes. It does take longer. But, I believe that less is more. We take longer on fewer things. And many of those fewer things don't get evaluated. I don't mark classwork, just the same way that I would never mark a 'homework' assignment. This doesn't mean that I don't assess it--I just get my assessment from other things.  The work from yesterday's class is important for today's class, but not because I am going to collect it and mark it. I am certainly going to expect it to be done, but only because the learning we doing now, depends on that learning from yesterday. And if I student has been struggling with that learning, I know about it already from having worked with that student the day before or from gathering assessment data as I observed students working. That knowledge is built into my lesson. I don't start the class by taking up the homework and then discover that my students didn't 'get it' and then have to re-design my lesson.  Or worse, just forge ahead anyway, because we have a lot to cover.

So, if you're considering ditching the homework or the worksheets, here are some alternate activities to consider:

1. Have students work on a set of problems that you have designed or that you have carefully screened from your textbook. Assign them to a 'professional learning community' where they work on the problems together, and discuss the solutions together. Visit groups to make notes, ask questions and interact with them as they learn.   Have them then collaboratively create a solution to one of the problems to present to the rest of class in a gallery walk and/or congress.

2. Meet with students in small groups and ask them to complete a one or two problems while you are with them. Here you can gather data about their strengths, areas of growth and their understanding of the concepts.

3. Consider using an Interactive Notebook or other journal format where students complete one or two problems in an 'annotated' fashion. Collect the notebooks on a rotating basis to gather information.
4. Use entry or exit tickets to gain information about student's understandings of previous lesson or the day's lesson.

5. Investigate a "Math Daily 3" model that involves students working on a variety of different tasks at different times, allowing you to meet with students, while also allowing students to work independently or in groups. (See The Daily 5, Second Edition by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.)

There are lots of ways to gather assessment data in mathematics without having your students do 'homework'.  Believe me, your students (and their parents, and your markbook) will thank you for it.

Math Wars: What if you're both right?

There is a lot of arguing these days about math and what it should look like in our classroom. I love that people have dubbed it the "math wars". It makes it sound so dramatic.  It is, I suppose, in a way. We are talking about the math education of the next generation. And how they feel about math will have a direct influence on the math education of the generation that follows after  them. Because let's be honest. How we as math educators feel about math has been directly influenced by our experiences as math students.

There are two sides to this debate, as I see them. Side one : Math should focus on the tried and true basic skills needed for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Students should practice these skills until they are second nature.  Multiplication tables should be memorized.  A solid foundation will provide the basis for any more complicated problem that wil arise. Side two: Math should be discovery based.  Students should be engaged in problem solving activities that allow them to discover math concepts on their own. They should be encouraged to try new methods, and to them share them with the class. It's the process that is important. 

Here is what I think: they are both right.  Or, really, they are both wrong. I don't think it should be one or the other. It should be both.  It should be MORE than both. It should be computation, problem solving, discovery, math journals, quizzes, tests, projects, investigations, gallery walks, bansho lessons, class notes, practice problems, three part lessons, guided math, independent practice, congress, workshops and mini-lessons. Too often we get caught up in one side or the other. What is important though, is that what we are doing engages our students and guides them to a deep, and authentic understanding of the concepts we are teaching them. They should be able to add and subtract, but also be able to tackle an unknown problem with confidence. They need to be able to explain what they did and why they did it. No textbook can teach that.  That is why we need so much more than just one approach in our classrooms. That is why we need to know our kids and teach them as they are.  

Math war generals, I say to you: We should all agree with one thing. Our students and their attitude and conceptual understanding of mathematics is what is important. How we get there looks different depending on the day, hour and minute.  Our discovery based activities need a solid foundation. Let's put down our weapons of math instruction and teach. And when I say teach, I mean learn together in community.

"No, we don't have fun here. This is school. It's not supposed to be fun."

If I had 25 cents for every time a kid asked me if we were "doing anything fun today", I'd be able to buy a lot of pumpkin scones for myself. Kids ask this all the time, and especially on Fridays, when we are all thinking about the weekend. And when they ask that question, I give them the same answer: "No. We don't have any fun here. What are you talking about?" I do, however, usually have a smile on my face as I say this. The truth is, we do have fun in my classroom. I like to think (perhaps wrongly) that we have a lot of fun in my classroom. There is certainly a great deal of laughter and enjoyment of learning together. But I will tell you point blank, having fun is not the learning target of any lesson I have ever planned. You will not see "Students are having fun" as one of the success criteria listed for an activity we are doing. Why? Because I don't think being a teacher is about being fun.

I cringe a great deal when I hear people talk about planning activities or choosing games (especially in math class) so that the lesson will be fun. We are educators. We are not entertainers. Our goal is not to entertain our students; it is to educate them. This is why we must learn to differentiate between engaging our students and entertaining  our students. I am currently reading "I'd like to apologize to every teacher I ever had: My year as a rookie teacher at Northeast High" by Tony Danza. In his book,  Danza writes about his experiences teaching high school English in Philadelphia. It's an interesting read, and thought-provoking, even for someone who has been teaching for a long time. One of the most insightful components of his book is the record of the conversations he has with other colleagues in the teacher's lounge. As Danza struggles to prepare for writing an exam for his students, he has a conversation about engagement with a colleague. This colleague wisely advises: "The mistake that many new teachers make is to confuse engagement with passive entertainment." (pg 94) I would say that this is not a mistake that is restricted to new teachers. I think it is something we must battle against every day. We teach in a time where kids are saturated with entertainment. They want to be entertained or they tune out. And consequently there is pressure on teachers to try to meet this demand. We feel that if we aren't fun, if our students aren't having fun, they won't like us, and therefore, they won't learn anything. It's a hard road to go down, and it's even harder trying to drive the other direction.

Now, I am not saying that our goal to should be to just ignore our students and just teach the curriculum. No, I am not saying this at all. What I am saying is that our primary goal needs to be to get to know our students, who they are as people, what they like, what they are interested in, what they are passionate about and to use those things as we seek to provide learning experiences that draw them in--almost to the point where they have forgotten that they are learning, and are truly engaged and are 'in the moment' with us. This is not always easy. I mean, let's be honest here, it can be a challenge to engage students in learning how to divide fractions. But simply finding a game about dividing fractions is not any better than us standing at the front droning on and on about how to divide fractions. Students need to be involved in the learning. It must be active.

I don't have a magic answer for how we do this. But I do know that engagement, rather than entertainment must be our mindset. It can't be the goal we set out with each day. Want to know why? Because we, and our students, will only be disappointed. Everything isn't about 'fun'.  And what we think of as fun, isn't going to be fun for everyone. What pressure to put on ourselves! We have enough to worry about without worrying about making it all fun.

Teaching and learning is a two-way street. The responsibility doesn't lie solely with us, the educators. Students have a responsibility as well. That is what learning is about. I can't learn for someone else. What I can do is to provide learning opportunities and invite my students to join me. Sometimes we have fun. Sometimes we don't. And that is just fine with me. 

So many notebooks

Okay, so I have this thing about notebooks. I like them. A lot. For some reason I am in love with the idea of a bunch of paper bound together in such a way that I can transport it with me wherever I go without fear of losing the pages. This appeals to me as a person, but also as an intermediate teacher. At the beginning of the year, kids are pretty organized. And by pretty organized I mean that they have mostly empty binders. We begin the process of filling them up on the first day. Outlines, expectations, get to know you activities, rubrics, etc. We punch holes and dutifully insist on the 'snapping' sound of opening and closing binders. We walk around and make sure they are putting things in. We give them Table of Contents sheets. "Yes!", we think to ourselves. "This year, we will have organized students." We proudly write "Organized Notes = Organized Minds!" across the top of our white/black boards. This year, we vow, will be different.

And then October hits. And by this time, at least one kid in each class has a 'binder of doom.' You know what I mean. That binder that has every single piece of paper from every class every teacher has ever given him/her and it's just all shoved in there. Hole punched, you say? No matter. This binder has mostly empty rings.  This. makes. me. crazy.

I am in the process of re-thinking how I have my students organize their work. For me, the binders and duo tangs just aren't cutting it. So this year, I have decided that my students will have a series of notebooks. Yay notebooks!  My literacy program is already built upon a solid notebook foundation. A few years ago I read "Notebook Know How" and "Notebook Connections" by Aimee Buckner and it revolutionized my literacy program. (Go. Buy them. Read them. Now.) And I began to wonder, if it works in my literacy program, why can't it work in my mathematics program as well?

I have dabbled in the Interactive Notebook previously, but this year...we are going there, all in. In addition to a carefully constructed interactive notebook, I have decided that my students will also have a free-form scrapbook notebook in which to write their mathematical thoughts, ideas and questions. Sort of the mathematical equivalent to a writer's notebook. I think my kids need a place to write down their thoughts, to work out different possible solutions, to brainstorm problem-solving approaches. This will be new to them. It will be new to them. There will be growing pains. Oh yes... and there will be piles of notebooks to organize and transport and store. But all those pages will be bound in, let me tell you.

So, we will have notebooks. I have 2 other notebooks that I'd like them to have, but it might be overkill. Or it might not. "So many notebooks, part 2?"

Mathematical Word Crimes

By now, Weird Al's "Word Crimes" video has travelled, well, probably mostly around the Facebook and Twitter world. The first time I saw it, I thought it was catchy, but mostly ridiculous. I must confess, though, that it has grown on me and I find myself singing it to myself at random times. "Just now, you said, you literally couldn't get out of bed....".  Anyway, I am so with him on this topic. I am that person that points out spelling mistakes on signs, in newspapers, in books and so on and so forth. I am that person. It drives other people crazy.

Recently, I have begun thinking about 'word crimes' in other areas. Well, okay, in mathematical areas. Because there certainly are word crimes in math. But for some reason, people seem to gloss over them. It doesn't seem to irk people the same way, as say, when people use the wrong version of to, or you're or who just throw apostrophes around.

For example, timesing. I mean, is that even really a word? And yet I hear kids use it all the time.

"Well, you have to times 4 and 5 to 20."

"Times?"

"Yah, you know...the X".

"Oh, you mean multiply."

"Yah, I guess. Multiply."

How about cross multiply? Okay, so this in itself is not a word crime. There is a mathematical operation that is often referred to as cross-multiplication. The issue for me is that kids just use it without even knowing what they are really doing, or without even knowing how to actually do it. "So, to get the x, I just cross multiplied". And even there: "To get the x..." How about, "to solve for x?"

This might seem nit-picky, or even bordering on insanity, but the truth of the matter is that we don't put the same emphasis on written communication in mathematics as we do in other curriculum areas. And the truth of the matter is, it is just as important. Our students need to be able to write about their mathematics coherently. Just as we learn to write, we write to learn. The writing in our mathematics classrooms is no different.

100%

Okay, so this post might get me in trouble, but it's something I've been thinking a lot about, particularly as I get ready to begin completing my Math Specialist in the next few weeks, and as I consider re-vamping my program before I head back to class after my maternity leave.

I think a great deal about assessment--particularly in mathematics. One of the things I struggled with the most when I moved from the high school panel to the elementary panel was a change in the way assessment and evaluation was done. I no longer had my "Mark Book" program to use, complete with weights and percentages. And worse...everyone I spoke to had a different approach. Some people calculated percentages. Some people recorded levels. Some people did both. Some people marked every single piece of homework. (Something, I admit freely, that I think is fundamentally wrong).  There was no consensus. Things have changed since then as new documentation and guidelines have come out. That being said, I know that the way I determine my grades is different than my colleagues. I spend a great deal of time contemplating this.

One day, my principal asked me a seemingly loaded question. He asked me if I thought I student could get 100% as an overall grade in a course. I thought for a moment, wondering what was behind his question and then I answered honestly. I said, "No."

"What about in Math? Can a student get 100% in math?"

"No. I don't think so." I went on to discuss how I thought that 100% indicated that a student had nowhere to grow, nowhere to improve.  And that there was a lot more to math than calculations.  He agreed with me, and then stated, "Then do you think it is fair that we hold our students to a standard that they can't achieve?" An interesting thought--one which I will come back to later.

One of the things I say to my students is this. "Just because you got all the answers correct, doesn't mean that you are a Level 4 student."  Getting all the answers correct on a quiz where each of the questions are about the basic curriculum standards means that you have met the standard--75%.  We seem to understand this concept more so in Language class than Math class. If my student writes a 'perfect' reader's response that meets all of the "Level 3" criteria, I don't give that student 100%. I give them 75%. If I give my students a quiz to determine how well they understand the basic concepts and they get each question correct, that doesn't mean that they should get 100% (and it doesn't even mean that I should record that 'grade' in my mark book).  This is one of the reasons why every 'test' or assessement/evaluation tool I use in my math class has a rubric attached. There is so much more to demonstrating what you know that just getting the correct answer. THIS is one of the main reasons why I insist on effective problem solving and written communication in my class. It's one of the reasons why I insist that my students can explain why they have done what they did, or why I did the question the way I did.


There are so many layers to consider when it comes to assessment. I wish we spent more time talking about assessment and evaluation in practical terms. Do we hold our students to an unfair standard that they can't achieve? Why do students seem to be able to get 100% in math, but not in Literacy? Should they?  Is there a fundamental difference to the curriculum in these subjects?  More for another day.

One equals sign per line, please!

I have been avoiding writing for the last little while, and for good reason. I have really been struggling with where I wanted my writing to go, what I wanted it to say or accomplish. I have come to realize that it doesn't NEED to do anything. It can just be what it is.

Those of you who have read my blog before may notice that I have, once again, changed the name of this space. I know that this is not a good idea when you are trying to get your blog off the ground.  However, I have recently arrived at a space where I realized I was trying to get my blog to fit a particular genre of writing, rather than it being a place where I can write about what I am passionate about, regardless of the specific topic. So, I have renamed my blog after something that I am passionate about as a math teacher--that you can only have one equals sign per line--as a testament to letting this blog be about what I am most passionate about at any given time.

One equals sign!

Each year I start off my year talking to my students about mathematical communication and convention. As a general topic, this is something that is SUPER important to me, just as using punctuation properly is important. My students don't often share this view, and therefore I am presented with math that is simply strewn all over the page. I have been known to bang my head against a desk or two when presented with this business, accompanied by a mock "ACCKKK!" The kids find this all very amusing until they realize that I am entirely serious about this--you can't just spew your math all over the page. It needs to be organized and communicated thoughtfully. You can't just throw equals signs around.  They mean something. And if you're throwing them in whenever and where you feel like it, chances are you have no idea what an equals sign really means.

So, what does it mean? 

This is an activity that I like to use in the very beginning of the school year. I ask the kids to write a definition for the term 'equals sign'. It is interesting to see what they write down. And then, just for fun, I group them up and ask them to act it out. I am always fascinated by how many students don't seem to really understand what an equals sign means; they think it is simply a part of the math equation. They have memorized it as part of a pattern or formula for doing math. It is part of their procedural understanding. This little activity is my starting point for helping my students see the importance of developing their conceptual understanding of mathematics. It sure is a great conversation starter.

One equals sign per line.  My passion about this is the first thing that lets my students know that 'Math is Mrs Dean's thing'.  And, whether this is good to admit or not, sometimes it is one of the main things that my students remember about my teaching. "You can only have one equals sign per line."  Oh, that and "If you look at your answer and you've written down 1= 0, you're probably wrong".

Problem Solving: The UPSET Model

Every year,  I start my math program with a unit on basic problem solving skills. Despite what I have been reading in the paper recently, I am unwavering in this focus within my program.  I feel that my students must be able to approach a problem, regardless of it's curriculum content in a focused and methodical manner. And so, we spend a month or so just working through problems.

One of the things though, is that kids often don't know where to start when the are faced with a problem. They just....stare. They look around. They doodle. They randomly punch numbers into their calculators. And then...the hands go up.

"Mrs. Dean. I need help."
"Yes. Well, what have you tried so far?"
Blank Stare.
"Well....I used my calculator to..."

And so on, and so forth.

So, the first thing I teach them is to use a model to help them plan their ideas. I got this particular model from a great teaching friend of mine, and we have adopted it in our Grade 8 division at our school. It's called the UPSET model. I tell kids it's to help them to not get UPSET when they are facing a problem. Groan.

The UPSET model

U- Understand the problem. 

P- Create a plan of attack. 

S- Choose a strategy

E- Evaluate. Use your strategy to work through the problem. 

T- Think about it. Does your solution make sense? 

You know what the hardest part seems to be? The "Thinking about It" at the end. I mean, I can't tell you the number of times I have seen answers to the effect of 1 = 0. Um...what? 

We spend the first month using this model on a variety of problems, and then we work on creating actual solutions. And then, the scariest thing of all:  The kids have to present what they did to the class. They have to talk about the math. And they can't just say, "I used my calculator".  Really, does your calculator talk?  What did you say to it?   This talking about your math is simultaneously the most informative and challenging part of the whole process. 

The UPSET model. It's straight-forward and it works. It helps give kids a frame work. And it's going to be one of the first foldables I design for my interactive notebook. Stay tuned. 

Blogging Burn out?

So, Confession time. I spend a lot of time on Pinterest.  A lot of time. This is mostly because I am home on maternity leave and Pinterest is both mindless and inspiring at the same time. I can find some new recipes, plan my dream wardrobe and troll for new ideas for my classroom. Since teaching math is something that has become my new passion, I spend a lot of time looking for new ideas to incorporate into my program.  And as I am scrolling through Pinterest, I come across a lot of teaching  blogs. However, many of the sites I find myself on seem to have only one or two posts, or nothing for quite sometime---particularly math teaching blogs. (This may be because I spend a lot of time focusing on just math blogs).  I wonder what is about the combination of teaching and blogging that so many of us start with this desire to reach out and share our ideas on the interwebs and then....it just..falls away like so many other things.  This happened to me. When I first wanted to start a blog, I wrote all the time. I was constantly thinking about new things I wanted to share, different ideas that I had. And then...well....report cards took over. And I got pregnant. And now I have a baby. I still have the desire to share my ideas. But I find it hard to sit down and write, even when I really want to. I firmly believe though, that as an experienced teacher, part of my role in the education world is to share my experiences, my learning  with the rest of the education community. Blogging is one way to do it. There are lots of other ways. But it's part of the calling as a teacher.

We teach our students. We share our ideas. We are learners together. We are only leaders if we learn.

No calculators allowed.

These are words that strike fear into my students' hearts and I totally understand why. They make me feel hot and sweaty too. Maybe I shouldn't admit that as a math teacher. It's the truth, though. I often tell my students that I use my calculator to make sure two times two is still four. 

I went I to school in a time when we were much less dependant on technology. The fanciest thing we had was an overhead machine. I did math on ditto sheets. And we had to do math in our heads. It was terrifying. I was horrible at math. I'm still not naturally good at it, but I work hard at it. This is why I was so terrible in math: I didn't understand what we were doing or why. I just memorized the steps. This lead to a lot of math test anxiety and disaster. 

For these reasons, I am a big fan of using a great deal of problem solving in my math program. I want my students to work to understand why we are doing what we are doing. I want them to be able to explain what they know. I want it to be about more than just the numbers. But at the same time, they have to know how to add, how to multiply and what on earth division means without having to google it.  I am all for technology in my classroom. I encourage the use of smart phones and other technology so long as it is used appropriately. But I do think that students need to be able to do basic math computation. So where does this leave me?

It's time to revamp my math program again. Problem solving and an emphasis on communication? Yes. Project-based learning? Yes. Interactive notebooks? Yes. Mental math and basic math computation? Yes. Calculators any time you want? No.  It's time to revive some of our earliest technological advances: the pencil and paper. 

In the middle, 

Melissa

Do principals write blogs?

I have three main professional goals right now:

1. Finish my math specialist. 

2. Blog on a regular basis in a professional context. 

3. Take my principal qualifications so that I can investigate going into administration at the elementary level. 

And so, as I focus on my second goal these days I am wondering something. Do principals blog like teachers do? I have just recently begun reading several professional blogs written by teachers who share similar professional interests as myself. I enjoy looking for ideas for my program and my classroom on Pinterest. But I have not come across blogs written by principals. Perhaps I just haven't looked for them. Or maybe there is something about that part of the educational sector where blogging isn't useful. Maybe principals simply don't have the time to write blogs. 

So I wonder if two of my goals are in conflict with each other. I could be totally wrong here, though. I am tempted to spend the rest of my night looking up blogs written by principals. I mean, what is the point of all this blogging. Why am I writing this blog? Why do I read other people's blogs? To share ideas. To be inspired. To hope that someone else out there might have the same problem I have. I don't think these needs change once you become the head of a school. I know that once or if I become a principal I am going to need all the help I can get. 

In the middle, 

Melissa

In the Middle

I have a passion for three things when it comes to my career: math, music and middle school students. These are the things that I love. It has been a journey to get here. A long one. It took me a long time to get to the point where I am at. In this place, it is my intention to write about my passions, my experiences, my thoughts and my hopes for my classroom program as it changes and grows, and as I grow as an educator.

One of the things I have learned over the years is the need to meet people--students, colleagues, administrators, in the middle. When you're a teacher, you need to roll with the punches. You need to think on your feet. You have 'to walk out your door' and not necessarily know where your feet will take you, or your students that day. Your students might not even be walking on the same path that day. That's the risk you take. And you take it every day. THIS is one of the reasons I love being a teacher. The journey. The risk.

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might get swept off to."

In the middle,
Melissa

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