The math department at 91影视 is using technology in exciting and educationally progressive ways. 听From real-time assessments to flipped classrooms, our students are being taught using various modes and the feedback and results have been wonderful.
In my and Mrs. Elissa Katz鈥檚 12th grade Precalc classes, students have started creating short videos on various self-selected topics listed on a google spreadsheet 听The videos created will eventually become part of a video library future 91影视 students who take Precalc can utilize. 听The students are graded based on a rubric provided by the teachers beforehand and the grade on the video correlates to a test grade.
is an excellent video by 91影视 student Debra Paul 鈥15 on solving for the roots of a quartic equation when given one root.
Students appreciate the opportunity for an alternative assessment and are honored to be part of the first of many future video libraries of 91影视 math classes.
In several of the 11th grade Algebra 2 courses, students were given a review sheet with a QR code for this past week鈥檚 test. 听After completing the problems on the sheet, students submitted their answers via the QR code and got immediate feedback of their grade on this mock assessment. The students鈥 scores on the review sheet were also emailed to the teachers who gave a participation grade which will then count towards the students鈥 average.
These juniors, many of whom have started studying for the SAT or ACT, have grown accustomed to practice tests and were happy to see that model reflected in their math course. 听The day of the exam, students commented that they felt relaxed walking into the test since they already had received quantitative proof confirming they knew the material. 听Other students liked the fact that they had prior knowledge of what to work on before the actual test. 听Often students don鈥檛 know the material as well as they think they do and the problem specific knowledge gained by the real-time assessment positively guided the rest of their review work
Additionally in a 10th grade honors algebra 2 course my students are starting to learn about piecewise functions from a 鈥淪how Me鈥 video I created. Students were also given a worksheet modeled after the examples in the video to work on at home. 听The next class was used for further developing the topic rather than introducing it.
The ninth grade Geometry classes of Mrs. Katz, Mrs. Shira Teichman, Mrs. Debbie Stein and Mrs. Chanie Schlesinger have their own unique blended learning opportunities. 听The textbook they use has a rich online component. 听The students regularly are assigned online self-check quizzes which correlate exactly to the section and topic they are currently learning. 听The immediate feedback gives these students and their teachers are better understanding of what exactly the students understand and what they need further review on. It directly affects the pace and depth of the instruction specific to each class of students.
Through a grant from the Digital Jewish Network, the first blended learning platform used school wide at 91影视 is now in its first year. About 200 students are enrolled in some way in a program created by Educaide. 听Two senior classes are in a college preparatory program which reviews skills from Geometry to Algebra 2 based on a student鈥檚 performance on an initial diagnostic test.
听This differentiated coursework helps prepare the students for future math placement tests at their respective colleges and university.
听Several 10th grade classes are enrolled in the program as an extra avenue for test review. 听The teachers create a custom problem set tailor to the topics on the upcoming test. 听The program gives immediate feedback to both the student and the teacher about their performance on the problem sets. Lastly, some of our students with greater challenges in the basics of math are enrolled in skill building courses which review and solidify basic algebra skills concurrently while they learn Geometry. 听It is truly differentiated education at its best.
While as shown above there are many large scale blended learning initiatives taking place in the department, individual teachers are also branching out from the traditional reliance on just the textbook. 听Teachers are using , Smart Notebook Math Tools, the Ti Emulator among many other apps and programs.
With a strong emphasis on professional development particularly in the area of blended learning, the math department of 91影视 bears little resemblance to class just a few years ago and is growing and advancing at a quick pace. 听There is still present of course the warmth, support, and humor that has always been a hallmark of the 91影视 math department.
听Looking forward to future posts about more of the exciting adventures in 91影视 math classes!
-By Mrs. Sabrina Bernath
Chair, Math Department