In my previous post, Applying Digital Learning in Algebra 2, I began the process of brainstorming and drafting my expectations and goals for my Canvas course for the next school year. Naturally, the next step is getting into the work of actually creating a "prototype" of what I envisioned to get feedback from others reviewing my work. Initially, I just started making modules and throwing some pages in here and there with no sense of direction other than my 2024-2025 3rd Nine Weeks Course Outline.
When I go into tornado mode of throwing everything into the whirlwind and brain dumping my ideas, I tend to shut down due to the overwhelming crush of disconnected ideas. This is something I definitely do not want for my students, confuddling their understanding and perception of math and consequently limiting their opportunities to acquire 21st century skills, but what are some ways to address this? I learned from Darren McNelis's TEDTalk on cognitive overload that stepping away from the thinking to reflect can support our working memory, so being purposeful with dedicating time to do so is critical. Using the guidance of my graduate program, discussion boards, and this particular video, I found myself refocused when intentionally writing out my 2024-2025 3rd Nine Weeks Implementation Considerations as I reflected on my work. This created a structure within my modules that built over the progression of the 3rd nine weeks, as you can see from my screenshots of Week 1, Weeks 2 and 3, and ending with Weeks 8 and 9. It starts with some of the traditional math classroom elements, like objectives and learning resources (i.e. videos, written out examples, practice problems, etc.) but starts to extend towards a blending learning environment where students have choice, ownership, and voice over how they can apply their learning within the math context and beyond. Here are some screenshots of what a learning resource page and applying activities page look like: If you have followed along with my work through this program, you know I am implementing Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. Consider what you might see, hear, and feel in a traditional classroom. Now, consider the opposite. That is what a thinking classroom looks like. Transitioning components of this into a digital platform has a lot of promise and I hope that the "course" I have created will develop student's math and 21st century skills with fidelity. A part of this includes experiential learning, particularly with thinking tasks. Just imagine the "puzzles" that go viral on social media regarding math (Math.Number.Puzzles Instagram is an example of a social media account dedicated to these things). These tasks are non-curricular and curricular where students start building their classroom culture and really developing a sense of critical thinking, communicating, and collaborating through problem solving and open tasks. Here is an example of a curricular task from Robert Kaplinsky's Open Middle website I have embedded in my course, along with its asynchronous discussion board: Why don't you try a non-curricular task like I would ask of my students? Use the following link to try the Wolves and Sheep Thinking Task in a Desmos activity. Once you think you have a solution, make up your own wolves and sheep thinking task and solution: Wolves and Sheep - Change Parameters. In the corresponding discussion board, I ask students to share what task they came up with, so feel free to comment on this blog post what you created! There are so many other things that I would write about regarding my implementation, but recording a video, 2024-2025 3rd Nine Weeks Modules and Implementation discussing the details and adding other thoughts and reflections can give you a better sense of what I expect out of my course. Now that I have a plan and have drafted my initial course, the next steps are to edit and refine my work. I have already started using ChatGPT to prompt my thinking, but I also plan on getting some other stakeholders, like my instructional coach, fellow Algebra 2 teachers, administrators, and graduate classmates, to provide feedback on the usability and ease of my course so I can continue editing and refining this curriculum and structure to further enhance the opportunities for student success, not only in acquiring math skills but the 21st century skills everyone needs to thrive in life.
References
Cognitive overload -- rewire your brain in the digital age | Darren McNelis | TEDxTallaght. (2014). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0ztO86ImQg
Kaplinsky, R. (2021, May 19). Square Root Function Features 1 | Open Middle®. Open Middle. https://www.openmiddle.com/square-root-function-features-1/
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My husband lovingly teases me when I reflect on my day with him and say "I learned something new today!" because he would be surprised if I didn't learn something new.
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