April 6, 2020

Hello, Parents of Algebra 2/Trig Students!

Your sons/daughters/children have approached this change to on-line learning with a fantastic attitude!  It’s my privilege to see them every day, even if I see them on a computer screen in a small rectangle.  They want to see each other; they want to learn the math.  I’ve loved my life as a teacher because I see good-spirited young people as the face of the next generation; there’s such hope!  Now more than ever, I see how bright our future is because of this upcoming generation.

Last week, we met as a class for the first time after spring break.  We set standards of behavior and expectations (of all the general considerations, there is a very important rule: no taping or recording chats, people, audio, or lessons from within zoom).  I’m new to on-line teaching and set the expectation that students will give open and honest feedback.  We learned how to take advantage of Zoom: raising “hands,” muting/unmuting, forming “breakout groups,” working together and simply navigating the site. This new generation is very savvy with new technology – and your sons/daughters/children made some good discoveries about how to easily share information and filter out unwanted “noise.”  They also know I’m available at 11:00 every weekday in my ‘zoom room’ should they need anything.

Much of our daily effort is similar in structure to what we’ve been doing; we all feel comfort in the familiar.  I still plan to have some kind of daily quiz/worksheet/evaluation so people know that they have learned the material and are on track.  There will be a lesson, conversation, time to work on practice problems, and time for questions.  I’m making each lesson into a video they watch (and adjust the speed to fit their needs or re-watch multiple times if they’d like); I invite you to watch them, too.  If your child explains the math to you, then s/he will be learn it better!

The lesson last week was thus short and confined to the concept of what are the characteristics of a periodic function.  This week, we are working on a graphical analysis of trigonometric functions.  We will be transforming these functions and using them to model “real world” events.  The assessment for this unit will be a project in which students model an event or object with a sine or cosine curve.  You may see them on-line accessing daily temperatures, yearly sunrise times, tide tables, movement of buoys, gear movements, shapes in architecture – I can’t predict where they will see and model a sine or cosine curve.  As always, and especially more now, I’ll be progressing at students’ pace and listening to what they understand so we can move forward productively and with confidence and competence.   

The unit following this graphing unit will be trig identities and the algebra associated with trigonometry.  Many of the students in this class enjoy algebraic manipulation; while the words “trig proofs” scare them, I believe they will find that they have fun with these new kinds of proof that combine geometry/trig/algebra.  And I mean that.

Please let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns about this new learning adventure.  Everything I’m doing on line feels quite deliberate, and I welcome your feedback, ideas, and help. 

I hope you all – and your families – are healthy and able to eat right, exercise, and take time to enjoy each other.  While “loneliness” is the pain of being alone, “solitude” is taking nourishment from being alone.  We can help guide each other to see this time at home as a time of solitude. 

Best and Warm Regards,

Jean Mariner, Algebra II/Trigonometry Instructor.