tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post368242167240902116..comments2023-05-22T10:24:47.725-04:00Comments on Re-Learning To Teach: Day 105: Math and MusicJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13309915942161862912noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-85181629097654992312014-02-24T09:47:16.714-05:002014-02-24T09:47:16.714-05:00Sometimes you do have to hold your rank, and make ...Sometimes you do have to hold your rank, and make it clear that expectations are expectations. The fact that the group went with you, and you were able to use the group and their recognition of their needs & shared goals, to show the student that answering your question with an explanation was required for being part of the group, is HUGE. I've seen teachers get into power struggles where they don't have the clear expectations and the class aligned with them, and that's a disaster. The students are like, "C'mon, leave him alone, can we move on, this is awkward..." and that's no good. I don't know whether or not I agree with you that this was a bad situation to get into... sometimes I think it's okay to put the student in a situation where you are telling him, "this is how I will respond until you meet expectations," and if you really can control your response until he meets expectations, then it's not a power struggle, it's a show that you believe in and will hold everyone to your expectations. Saying, "if you don't do x then you have to leave," gives the student 2 behaviors he can choose not to do. Bad news and a clear power struggle with nothing but winners and losers. But saying, "if you do not answer my question in some way, I will not move on," gives him the power to make a decision that has clear consequences. On the other hand, he doesn't necessarily get to save face which is so important for adolescents, and you don't get to interact with other students, which is so important for teaching. So it's a tough call but it may have been a way to signal that your instructions mean something, that you have them because you believe everyone can answer your questions*, and that you are willing to let them suffer the consequences of not adhering to the activity. The * is for making sure that the questions you ask are ones students can answer at low personal/emotional cost if they haven't yet bought into risk-taking in math class. Leading questions can be tough because getting them wrong publicly is scary... whereas truly open-ended, guess-or-estimation questions, opinion-based questions, or "how did you personally think about this?" questions have much lower barriers to entry. So for the un-bought-in student, trying to frontload those at the beginning of class/the year/each new phase in your relationship, can be powerful.Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935784635103701185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-51160590633575036012014-02-21T22:53:52.562-05:002014-02-21T22:53:52.562-05:00I had a similar experience the other week. I was t...I had a similar experience the other week. I was trying to implement what Lemov labels "No Opt Out" in Teach Like a Champion -- "At its core is the belief that a sequence beginning with a student unable (or unwilling) to answer a question should end with that student giving the right answer as often as possible, even if it is only to repeat the correct answer."<br /><br />From the first time I asked the question to my student (who has a habit of checking out and not listening to me or his classmates) to him admitting he didn't know was probably three minutes -- and it didn't end there. I told him to phone a friend, and after he did I asked the friend not to give an answer, but a hint for what to look at in order to arrive at the answer. With that hint given, I returned to my student with the original question. 60 seconds, then "I don't know". I tell him to phone a different friend. He does, a new hint is given, and I return to him with the original question. "I wasn't listening". We phone a new friend (at this point "friend" isn't the best descriptor, as the rest of the class was soon responding just like yours did). Ultimately we reach the point where his "phone a friend" is no longer giving a hint, but the actual answer -- and still he is refusing to reply. I don't think we reached 17 minutes, but it was definitely a lot longer than I should really have spared.<br /><br />But, the "phone a friend" phrase was spontaneous and worked really well. We've pulled it out a couple times since then, to great success.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04677916682246619842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-81860026859846021062014-02-21T19:46:42.203-05:002014-02-21T19:46:42.203-05:00You had me at "Math and Music"! I actual...You had me at "Math and Music"! I actually don't know the band but may play that one for my class - noticed that on the YouTube page the guy gives a link to download an flv. *yoink* Did a quick search, noticed Tool also have a song "Parabola", but it all seems a bit too metaphorical for my taste. But then, I'm a guy who goes literal on the question "Which Numbers Love Each Other" too:<br />http://mathtans.blogspot.ca/2013/11/s6189-add-love-trace.html<br /><br />As far as the waiting game goes, you seem to have good self awareness, and we all corner ourselves from time to time. I'm reminded of a time students were getting grabby at report cards, and I snapped at a girl to get her hands off my desk and then generally at all of them to back the hell off, but she took it personally and was nearly in tears. Still feel kind of bad about that months later.<br /><br />I think that after the first minute, you were pretty much committed to going the whole way, to avoid repercussions later. Keep setting the bar high. Trust yourself to fix any little errors that creep in.Gregory Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06547180132612659893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-25352191397251603872014-02-21T18:10:49.336-05:002014-02-21T18:10:49.336-05:00Mine ate it up! Not like anything they've ever...Mine ate it up! Not like anything they've ever heard before and they were entranced!<br />"Can we listen to more? I think I'm going to have nightmares!"<br /><br />It was incredible!Justinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13309915942161862912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-46618476247035775992014-02-21T17:54:00.406-05:002014-02-21T17:54:00.406-05:00Tool!!! My favorite band! :) I've played that...Tool!!! My favorite band! :) I've played that for my kids too and they loved it! Mrs.Nehilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13446790876342568219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-14218999245827347432014-02-21T17:21:02.751-05:002014-02-21T17:21:02.751-05:00You don't have to answer that.You don't have to answer that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12738337403351667073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-42026413142641402242014-02-21T17:03:03.076-05:002014-02-21T17:03:03.076-05:00You think you're funny, don't you? :-PYou think you're funny, don't you? :-PJustinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13309915942161862912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7363356760450940988.post-59146604020012047742014-02-21T16:58:18.612-05:002014-02-21T16:58:18.612-05:00Would you say that your response to him was non-pr...Would you say that your response to him was non-proportional to his response to you?Zach Rosenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13236575350801960534noreply@blogger.com