April 20, 2020
The Monday Letter, Monday April 20,2020.
Greetings, Parents of A2T students!
This week, we've seen skill differentials come to the forefront. Some students have connected extremely well to the on-line learning and are progressing rapidly, and some are struggling with all the ball-juggling and trigonometry. As a result, I've changed our format to better fit students' learning needs.
Students can work at their own pace for the rest of the quarter. Each "unit" will have three parts: 1. a video or two to watch (of me making a lesson), 2. one or more homework assignment (either a worksheet or a book assignment or a desmos exercise... submitted on-line through canvas), possibly a project, and 3. an evaluation that's done on-line. Each student works through the units -- in order -- until the units are completed. During class time, I'll keep a baseline pace, nudging folks along who have more trouble or who are on the slower side, but yet I'll be available to others who move more swiftly through the material both during class time and at our daily 11 am "office hours." Everything is posted in canvas by a date; some students who work ahead may say things such as, "I'm on the April 28 (or May 3) assignment..." which is just fine. If one of your children is not progressing, then I will contact you by email, so you can nudge him/her to make progress by watching a video, completing an assignment or by seeing me during office hours.
For those who finish early (or those who are just interested), I've been making videos of advanced trig topics that are optional. I've posted 5 of these extra videos so far (within canvas but not linked to a due-date; students know where to find them.). Current students are ready for all 5 of these and can start watching if they'd like exposure to these advanced topics. As I post additional videos of advanced topics, I will also make it clear by the title what they need to have learned before they can meaningfully watch. (For example, in the advanced section, I will make and post a video on "Half Angle Formulas which follow Double Angle Formulas," which they can watch after they complete required unit on "Double Angle Formulas" which is one of the last topics of the quarter.)
You are free to watch the videos, if you'd like. I've found a way to make the videos a little more personal and interactive: (a) the viewer can now see me and my smiling face in the video and (b) the viewer must complete a multiple choice question or click on the mouse to progress through the video. These videos accompany a powerpoint that students can download from canvas as well. Most videos are about 10 minutes. The program I use to make the videos limits video length to 15 minutes; only one video so far -- and that's in the advanced section -- reaches that limit.
I've been so happy to get helpful feed back from your children -- they say, "You know, Ms M, that really didn't work for me because xxxx," or they say, "I liked that break out group because we all worked really well together." These comments have really helped me improve this on-line experience. I've appreciated how understanding, helpful, and flexible they have been as I've made this adjustment to on-line teaching. I was really touched when one student said, "We know that you didn't sign up for this either." While that's right, I did sign up for giving your children the best high school education that I could. I'm truly invested in helping to make their whole high-school experience be one full of growth and learning.
Whew. That's a lot.
There's been so much to say this week that here I am at paragraph 6, and I've still not written what's really on my mind these days. I hope you're still with me and will bear with me for the most important idea today: kindness. This is a stressful time for families and all people. There's enough uncertainty to go around and more insecurity than stability. We can develop stability by being consistently kind, consistently patient, and consistently understanding. As I look back 10 years from now, I hope I can feel good about how I responded during this crisis. No one ever regrets being too kind or too patient (is there such a thing as being "too patient"?)
Indeed at every turn in the road, kindness and patience is returned in kind, giving strength, courage, and stability. While this all sounds quite trite, it is, indeed quite right.
Kind and Warm Regards as we continue to progress,
Jean Mariner
Greetings, Parents of A2T students!
This week, we've seen skill differentials come to the forefront. Some students have connected extremely well to the on-line learning and are progressing rapidly, and some are struggling with all the ball-juggling and trigonometry. As a result, I've changed our format to better fit students' learning needs.
Students can work at their own pace for the rest of the quarter. Each "unit" will have three parts: 1. a video or two to watch (of me making a lesson), 2. one or more homework assignment (either a worksheet or a book assignment or a desmos exercise... submitted on-line through canvas), possibly a project, and 3. an evaluation that's done on-line. Each student works through the units -- in order -- until the units are completed. During class time, I'll keep a baseline pace, nudging folks along who have more trouble or who are on the slower side, but yet I'll be available to others who move more swiftly through the material both during class time and at our daily 11 am "office hours." Everything is posted in canvas by a date; some students who work ahead may say things such as, "I'm on the April 28 (or May 3) assignment..." which is just fine. If one of your children is not progressing, then I will contact you by email, so you can nudge him/her to make progress by watching a video, completing an assignment or by seeing me during office hours.
For those who finish early (or those who are just interested), I've been making videos of advanced trig topics that are optional. I've posted 5 of these extra videos so far (within canvas but not linked to a due-date; students know where to find them.). Current students are ready for all 5 of these and can start watching if they'd like exposure to these advanced topics. As I post additional videos of advanced topics, I will also make it clear by the title what they need to have learned before they can meaningfully watch. (For example, in the advanced section, I will make and post a video on "Half Angle Formulas which follow Double Angle Formulas," which they can watch after they complete required unit on "Double Angle Formulas" which is one of the last topics of the quarter.)
You are free to watch the videos, if you'd like. I've found a way to make the videos a little more personal and interactive: (a) the viewer can now see me and my smiling face in the video and (b) the viewer must complete a multiple choice question or click on the mouse to progress through the video. These videos accompany a powerpoint that students can download from canvas as well. Most videos are about 10 minutes. The program I use to make the videos limits video length to 15 minutes; only one video so far -- and that's in the advanced section -- reaches that limit.
I've been so happy to get helpful feed back from your children -- they say, "You know, Ms M, that really didn't work for me because xxxx," or they say, "I liked that break out group because we all worked really well together." These comments have really helped me improve this on-line experience. I've appreciated how understanding, helpful, and flexible they have been as I've made this adjustment to on-line teaching. I was really touched when one student said, "We know that you didn't sign up for this either." While that's right, I did sign up for giving your children the best high school education that I could. I'm truly invested in helping to make their whole high-school experience be one full of growth and learning.
Whew. That's a lot.
There's been so much to say this week that here I am at paragraph 6, and I've still not written what's really on my mind these days. I hope you're still with me and will bear with me for the most important idea today: kindness. This is a stressful time for families and all people. There's enough uncertainty to go around and more insecurity than stability. We can develop stability by being consistently kind, consistently patient, and consistently understanding. As I look back 10 years from now, I hope I can feel good about how I responded during this crisis. No one ever regrets being too kind or too patient (is there such a thing as being "too patient"?)
Indeed at every turn in the road, kindness and patience is returned in kind, giving strength, courage, and stability. While this all sounds quite trite, it is, indeed quite right.
Kind and Warm Regards as we continue to progress,
Jean Mariner
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