September Reflections

Successes:

• I was able to set up the gradebook correctly. Categories for each unit have been set up. I like this method so that teachers and students can see exactly which standard an assignment or activity goes with. 
• Geometry - finished first unit on Points, Lines, and Planes. Students did very well on the vocab section. I need to re-evaluate the 3.0 objectives and how they are presented/taught so that the students are more successful at that level. 
• Algebra 2 - finished second unit on Linear & Absolute Value Inequalities. We were able to study for the summative using whiteboards. The boards I have are clear sleeves, so the front is a white sheet of paper and the back is a coordinate plane. I was able to give equations/inequalities to solve as well as graph two variables on the coordinate plane. The students really enjoyed this. 
• I survived Homecoming week (somehow). 

Concerns & Possible Solutions:

• Points, Lines, and Planes - Next time I teach the unit, I need to focus on the difference between segment/angle addition and segment/angle bisectors. The students had a hard time differentiating between the two on the summative. 
• The start of the Logical Reasoning unit needs to be redesigned. We started with patterns, which should be a good introduction, but the students later struggled with this. I struggle with teaching "old" information because I feel like the students should already know the material and often times they don't remember. 
• Algebra 2 - The second unit builds directly from the first, this would have been a great unit to flip the classroom with. I was in the middle of volleyball and Homecoming planning, so it didn't get done. I need to do these videos and design leveled practice either later this year or over the summer so that next year this unit can be done in a flipped classroom setting. 

Questions:

• Is sending emails home to parents effective? I've been sending update emails and usually don't get any responses. 
• How can I hold students accountable for homework? I need to still go over it to make sure the students that do the homework can check the answers they got.

August Reflections

Successes:

• I created a "fun" syllabus for both Algebra 2 and Geometry! The students and parents loved it! 
• On the first day of school, we didn't talk about the syllabus or the class. I had previously had about half of the students, I felt it was important for the ones I had last year to know about my summer (and my surgery), and the students that were new to me needed to know about me. I showed an iMovie that I created and narrated with pictures from my summer! 
• Set-up a missing work file for each class when students are absent. Each day has a file and what is completed during that class period is dropped in the file at the end of the day. 

Concerns:

• Students weren't immediately put into a seating chart. This is a concept I still struggle with. I want to be able to find out who their friends in the class are, but I want them to be successful as well. I put the Algebra 2 students in a seating chart after our first Summative when their grades weren't where I wanted them to be. 
• Students are still struggling with basic algebra operations and solving for a variable. 
• Some of the Algebra 2 students are bored because the first two units are Algebra 1 material. 
• I haven't been untilizing the online rubric. It was ready for the review days for the summative. (I haven't had time to make the videos ahead of time due to volleyball.)

Possible Solutions:

• Continue to do basic algebra problems for bellwork or exit tickets. 
• Offer the "4.0" students time to work on projects while other students are practicing the 3.0 level objectives. 
• Plan ahead for upcoming units, make one video a day on plan period. 

Questions:

• Will students use the online rubric? 
• How can I get parents more involved so that they can see their child's progress to the summative?