So Long ...

We had our graduation exercises today. A gentle push into the world for all of you. I hope you're leaving with the keys to your future in your hand.

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! Watch this space in the fall 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; 7 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. 4.86

2. The teacher made students feel welcome in seeking help in/outside of class. 4.71

3. My interest in math has increased because of this course. 4.14

4. Students were encouraged to ask questions and were given meaningful answers. 4.57

5. The teacher enhanced the class through the use of humour. 4.43

6. Course materials were well understood and explained clearly by the teacher. 4.29

7. Graded materials fairly represented student understanding and effort. 4.29

8. The teacher showed a genuine interest in individual students. 3.71

9. I have learned something that I consider valuable. 4.86

10. The teacher normally came to class well prepared. 4.43

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: 4.57

2. Compared with other high school teachers I have had, I would say this teacher is: 5.00

3. As an overall rating, I would say this teacher is: 4.86

Course Characteristics

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

Very Easy 0%

Easy 0%

Average 28.6%

Difficult 28.6%

Very Difficult 42.9%

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

Very Easy 0%

Easy 14.3%

Average 28.6%

Difficult 28.6%

Very Difficult 28.6%

3. Hours per week required outside of class:

0 to 2 28.6%

2 to 3 0%

3 to 5 14.3%

5 to 7 42.9%

over 7 14.3%

4. Expected grade in the course:

F 0%

D 14.3%

C 0%

B 57.1%

A 28.6%

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

How prepared were you to write this exam? 75.6%

How much effort did you put into preparing for this exam? 73.1%

How good a job did your teacher do preparing you for this exam? 90.1%

Did you have enough preparation using your calculator?

Yes 100%

No 0%

Did you have enough preparation without using your calculator?

Yes 100%

No 0%

Was your teacher too hard or too easy on you?

Too Hard 0%

Too Easy 42.9%

Just Right 57.1%

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?

Enthusiasm, effort, and humour by the teacher (2) Workshop classes Pre-Tests (3) Developing Expert Voices project This blog Everything except the Developing Expert Voices project Teaching others and explaining concepts Lectures Exam Prep Scribe posts were awesome Technology SMARTboard Group learning

What was your worst learning experience in this course?

Developing Expert Voices project (2) Falling behind due to the fast progress of other classmates Not being able to do homework in class The wiki solutions manual Lectures were not visual enough When substitute teachers wouldn't let us talk to each other

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

Return tests more quickly Go over solutions to every test question always Give regular "marks updates" so I know when I need to invest a lot or a little effort Cancel the Developing Expert Voices project More practice work for home posted to the blog Cancel the wiki assignment Slower explanations that hit all key points Tell students how fast their Developing Expert Voices dues dates creep up on them More group learning, I learned a lot in groups Have a review class every couple of units

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

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.

(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

Today's Slides: May 5

Here they are ...

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Student Voices Episode 2: Tim_MATH_y

In this episode Timothy came back to school on Friday afternoon to talk about his week attending the miniUniversity program at the University of Winnipeg. He talks about the differences he finds between teaching and learning at high school and university and describes learning in the university classroom using a thought provoking metaphor, listen for it. Also, we have a cameo appearance by two very special people at the very end.

Please feel free to leave Tim_MATH_y your comments here on this post.

(Download File 7.2Mb, 15 min. 3 sec.)

Photo Credit: Shadow singer by flickr user EugeniusD80

Today's Slides: April 25

Here they are ...

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