So Long ...

And so we begin where we left off ... don't let the sky be your limit. ;-)

I'm so glad we've had this time together,

Just to have a laugh or learn some math,

Seems we've just got started and before you know it,

Comes the time we have to say, "So Long!"

So long everybody, I'll see you in September! Watch this space for pointers to new blogs for each of my classes.

Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu, and all those good bye things. ;-)

Class Survey

The exam is over and we did a little survey in class. The results are below; 13 students participated. If you'd like to add another comment on what you see here email me or leave a comment below this post.

Without any further ado, here are the results of our class's survey. Please share your thoughts by commenting (anonymously if you wish) below .....

Classroom Environment
The questions in this section were ranked using this 5 point scale:

Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
1	2	3	4	5

The bold numbers after each item are the average ratings given by the entire class.

1. The teacher was enthusiastic about teaching the course. 4.92

2. The teacher made students feel welcome in seeking help in/outside of class. 4.69

3. My interest in math has increased because of this course. 4.23

4. Students were encouraged to ask questions and were given meaningful answers. 4.38

5. The teacher enhanced the class through the use of humour. 4.46

6. Course materials were well understood and explained clearly by the teacher. 4.31

7. Graded materials fairly represented student understanding and effort. 3.85

8. The teacher showed a genuine interest in individual students. 4.38

9. I have learned something that I consider valuable. 3.50

10. The teacher normally came to class well prepared. 4.54

Overall Impression of the Course
The questions in this section were ranked using this 5 point scale:

Very Poor	Poor	Average	Good	Very Good
1	2	3	4	5

1. Compared with other high school courses I have taken, I would say this course was: 4.77

2. Compared with other high school teachers I have had, I would say this teacher is: 4.77

3. As an overall rating, I would say this teacher is: 4.77

Course Characteristics

1. Course difficulty, compared to other high school courses:

Very Easy 0%

Easy 0%

Average 23.1%

Difficult 61.5%

Very Difficult 15.4%

2. Course workload, compared to other high school courses:

Very Easy 0%

Easy 7.7%

Average 61.5%

Difficult 30.8%

Very Difficult 0%

3. Hours per week required outside of class:

0 to 2 23.1%

2 to 3 23.1%

3 to 5 38.5%

5 to 7 15.4%

over 7 0%

4. Expected grade in the course:

F 7.7%

D 7.7%

C 38.5%

B 30.8%

A 15.4%

Specific Feedback
[Ed. Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of students, over 1, that gave the same answer.]

What was your best learning experience in this course?

Workshop classes (4) Explaining our work on the SMARTboard (2) Confidence Great teaching with humour Understanding math concepts instead of just using formulae (2) Being comfortable with everyone Learning the language of mathematics SMARTboard (2) Interaction (2) Humour Learning not to be afraid of making mistakes Developing Expert Voices project (2) Getting feedback This blog Learning in other ways than with a textbook Learning to solve problems (2) Learning innovatively in many ways Mathematics

What was your worst learning experience in this course?

None (5) More 1 on 1 help in class Class kept getting unfocused (3) Graphing Circular Functions Unit Sometimes had to rush Not asking questions Logarithms

What changes would you suggest to improve the way this course is taught?

Fewer SMARTboard technical difficulties Notes Better scribe posts Show formulae (how to "plug in values") first then explain or derive them Mr. K. did an incredible job I was motivated by Mr. K's enthusiasm Laptops Wanted to hear the "Mr. K. Quote" just before the exam Study periods for tests More workshop classes More group work More guidance for Developing Expert Voices project None Wanted to hear about The Golden Ratio Give homework for marks Too much humour Make Developing Expert Voices projects simpler and more straight forward We were occasionally distracted — could have got more done Course was better than I expected For once I actually enjoyed math Stay on task Don't get off topic (2) Have an alternative to blogging

It's interesting to compare the items that were considered both the worst and best learning experiences. Also, take a look at the list of worst learning experiences compared to suggestions for next year. Help me do a better job next year by commenting on what you see here ....

Student Voices Episode 4: Justice, Lawrence, and Richard

First an update on this podcast: While we have received few comments on this or any of our class blogs the number of times the audio files have been downloaded is remarkable ...

Episode 1: Jessie 2440 downloads

Episode 2: Tim_MATH_y 1766 downloads

Episode 3: Chris, Craig, Graeme 1367 downloads

Thanks to all our listeners. We might get one more published during this school year but this may be the last until September. In any case feel free to let us know your thoughts about what you heard; every comment is appreciated.

In this episode of Student Voices Justice, Lawrence, and Richard talk about how they put together their Developing Expert Voices project and what they learned in the process: how they they best learn math, how it can best be taught, and many other incidental things like team work and organizational skills.

They have titled their project with one of my favourite reminders to all my students: Mathematics is the Science of Patterns. If you watch any of the video content they created you'll hear several "in jokes", listen for them. Without any further ado, here is the podcast. A copy of the poster they made for their work is below.


(Download File 12.2Mb, 25 min. 30 sec.)

Photo Credit: Shadow singer by flickr user EugeniusD80

Today's Slides: June 6

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: June 5

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: June 4

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: June 3

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: June 2

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 30

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 27

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 26

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 23

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 22

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 21

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 20

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 16

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 15

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 14

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Today's Slides: May 13

Here they are ...

| View | Upload your own

Student Voices Episode 3: Chris, Craig, and Graeme

In this episode of Student Voices three Advanced Placement Calculus students, Chris, Craig, and Graeme, talk about a wiki assignment they did to prepare for the exam. Then the conversation transitions to a discussion of the many things they learned while doing their Developing Expert Voices project. It ends with a challenge, the result of which will be featured in a future podcast.

Let Chris, Craig, and Graeme know what you thought about the podcast by leaving a comment here on this post or on the mirror of this post on their class blog.

(Download File 31.8Mb, 26 min. 30 sec.)

The video mentioned near the end of the podcast is called Daft Hands. Here it is:

Photo Credit: Shadow singer by flickr user EugeniusD80