MIras!

1.  What did I learn?

Today I learned the value of making something old new again.  I learned that a new teacher should not expect herself to have the all the wisdom of a seasoned teacher, and that she should focus on improving her instruction by 10% each year - keeping herself sane, while fixing the world 10% at a time! 

I learned why we should have kids take a close look at graphs, etc. when we have them make their own. Funny how we thought our graph was "finished" and that the information was on the poster was "perfectly clear"... It was because we had researched all the data and we knew what our poster was representing, but didn't necessarily come across that way to those who had not seen the research.  We need to make sure our students understand that piece of the puzzle.

I learned how much I enjoy playing with miras - what closet where they in when I was in school?  Pencil and paper was all I had....

I learned how to put math symbols into a Word document on a PC.  How cool is that?  I have been Googling the symbols I needed and copying and pasting them into the document!

2.  What do I have questions about?

Where are the math symbols located on my mac? 

3.  What are the implications for classroom practice?

Regarding the graphs, etc. our students will have a more solid foundation processing data and problem solving when they are taught how to look at data from the perspective of someone who needs to understand the graph, without having seen the data.  

Connecting assignments/activities to things that matter to the students gets them interested in solving the problem and keeps them engaged in the activity as well.