Review of The Space Between the Numbers Blog
In hot pursuit to find some tech information directed toward math I began with "The Space Between the Numbers." While I was in search of number talk, the blog post that caught my attention was grading. The intent to reduce the "pressure of failure" fit my teaching philosophy. A 5-point scale was suggested as a way to give students the understanding of where they are and how far they have to go to master the mathematical skill. The fear that accompanies taking the pressure of the students always seems to be that lack of effort and laziness that can result. A time-constraint was introduced to take the immediate "now pressure" off, without reducing the responsibility of being accountable for following through with necessary assessments within a reasonable timeframe.
As and advocate for the students, the ability to identify their location on the learning curve with the plan to reach the peak at various rates seems to allow the classroom to be a much more positive learning environment. Enter the classroom on day 1 seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that represents mastering the concepts of the course. Throughout the class repeatedly make the student's mark on the growth curve visible with the ability to always see the possibility of accomplishing the goal. My goal is to educate students and present math in a fun, positive environment. If reducing one of the pressures of being a teenager helps my goal be accomplished together with the students reaching their mastery of concepts everyone wins!
