A week of absence

So far this week I have given my students what may be considered to be one of the hardest math tests they have ever taken. The test consisted of 16 true/false Each student was given two attempts to take the test, after which they would have to justify/defend their answers using explanations and examples. Throughout the course, the goal has been for mathematics to make sense. However, this has been a difficult process. For example, many students who have taken the quiz and received a 16/16 have yet to be able to demonstrate that there answers are in fact correct based off what they’ve learned in class. They are under the assumption that I, Mr. Rochester have posted all of the correct answers. The students who have received low scores such as a 7/16 believe that they are incorrect in their responses. What is evident is that many of the unit objectives have been missed.

I do not believe that students are even aware of these objectives that are posted on moodle. Those objectives are listed below:

1. Learn how to break large problems into smaller parts that you know how to solve.
2. Review and consolidate the Order of Operations with integers, decimals, and fractions.
3. Develop area formulas for basic geometric figures and understand their origins.
4. Continue working with Algebra Tiles to learn the Distributive Property
5. Explore your scientific calculator to manage large numbers.

It looks like we will be continuing with the second unit when I return to class next week. I want to thank those students who actually took the test, collaborated with students and other math teachers and those who tried to refer to textbook problems, google docs, class notes located on the class blog, or the internet to help verify their responses. I want to thank those students who will be handing in work that was done on paper on Monday that will later be translated to our class notebook so that it may help someone else understand. I want to thank those students who followed the guidelines for the wikispace entries and who did not just copy and past from the internet. I want to thank those students who took the time to send me daily messages about their lack of understanding. I want to thank those students who actually know how to edit a wikispace page because they’ve been on task everyday. I want to thank those students who take responsibility for their actions and do not make excuses.