This month, we focus on the 4 C's: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. Today's entry comes from Paul Brice, math teacher at San Dieguito Academy:
I teach math. I lesson plan. I grade papers.
I need more than this in my life so I seek out ways to simplify. I value when my students work together in groups of four on a rich, complex, thought-provoking task. I have most of my classes complete six Problems of the Week (POWs) during the course. I enjoyed the challenge they provided but I dreaded grading a class set of written reports which include four parts: Problem Restatement, Process, Solution, and Reflection. I decided to divide up the work and assign each group member only one part of the write-up. I allot time during class for group collaboration. I rotate the assigned parts as we move on to the next POW so students get a chance to complete each part of a complete report. I assign a group grade to each POW to instill a sense of reliance on each other. I think I cover the 4 C's (or at least three of them...you decide).
I wrote each sentence starting with "I". Challenge # 237 attained.
