A Letter to My Students:
As your teacher…
-I am committed to helping you find personal success in our course and in other aspects of school life...to becoming that best that you can be.
-I believe that everyone can learn (Mathematics) to the highest degree, and that this is made possible when teachers, students and parents work together to creating specific conditions where ‘things’ begin to ‘click into place’ for each person.
-I understand that learning is not just about the content of our subject: it’s the process (how we get there) that matters most. We need to focus on building strong relationships and drawing upon our curiosity (e.g., questioning, determining interests and following them) to helping us engage with the content of our course. Blending these elements—relationships, curiosity, and content—will help to setting each one of us up to being life-long learners.
-I will challenge you to work on and make clear your commitments to yourself and to others. When we set high expectations and hold ourselves accountable to meeting them, we will experience high achievement.
I am very much looking forward to our ‘journey’ into learning together this year.
Sincerely Yours,
Mr. C. Stewart
As your teacher…
-I am committed to helping you find personal success in our course and in other aspects of school life...to becoming that best that you can be.
-I believe that everyone can learn (Mathematics) to the highest degree, and that this is made possible when teachers, students and parents work together to creating specific conditions where ‘things’ begin to ‘click into place’ for each person.
-I understand that learning is not just about the content of our subject: it’s the process (how we get there) that matters most. We need to focus on building strong relationships and drawing upon our curiosity (e.g., questioning, determining interests and following them) to helping us engage with the content of our course. Blending these elements—relationships, curiosity, and content—will help to setting each one of us up to being life-long learners.
-I will challenge you to work on and make clear your commitments to yourself and to others. When we set high expectations and hold ourselves accountable to meeting them, we will experience high achievement.
I am very much looking forward to our ‘journey’ into learning together this year.
Sincerely Yours,
Mr. C. Stewart
A. Course Description
"This course enables students to broaden their understanding of mathematics as a problem solving tool in the real world. Students will extend their understanding of quadratic relations; investigate situations involving exponential growth; solve problems involving compound interest; solve financial problems connected with vehicle ownership; develop their ability to reason by collecting, analysing, and evaluating data involving one variable; connect probability and statistics; and solve problems in geometry and trigonometry. Students will consolidate their mathematical skills as they solve problems and communicate their thinking" (p67, The Ontario Curriculum: Grades 11 and 12-Mathematics, Revised 2007).
Use the table below to keep up to date on the goals of what you're learning, information on assignments to help demonstrate your learning over the course of the semester, and other important information--e.g., practice and resources.
An expanded view of the calendar spreadsheet is available. |
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C. Course Outline
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Developing Class Code (co-created by students, Sept 10-15 version)
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In this section you'll notice...
The outline provides details regarding the following items:
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How do you show respect for ...
i) yourself?
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map4c_course_outline_2015_cstewart.pdf | |
File Size: | 283 kb |
File Type: |
D. Surveys
1-All About Me!
All About Me! URL: http://goo.gl/forms/jn4onHGgvT
2-What do I do when...?
What do I do when...? URL: http://goo.gl/forms/fROhrKRQYw
Reference:
Juliani, A. (2015). Inquiry and innovation in the classroom: Using 20% time, genius hour, and PBL to drive student success. New York, New York: Taylor & Francis. |
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E. Learning Objects
Learning objects are activities (e.g., practice, assignments, blog posts, readings, interactive videos, etc.) that serve to help students meet the expectations of the curriculum they are studying.
These activities are tied to the goals of student learning and to criteria of how students have learned, are learning, and can learn moving forward. These descriptions can be found in the course webpage, Course Calendar (button, right). Where possible, expectations for student learning will be documented in the Course Calendar and in other parts of this website (e.g., Learning Objects webpage) on an ongoing basis. From time to time, the Course Calendar learning objects assigned may be linked to the "Learning Objects" webpage for this course (button, right). Primarily, students will be able to go to this page to view and/or download documents that can support their learning. Students are encouraged to check their Course Calendar on a daily basis (before visiting the Learning Objects webpage) to help them prioritize how they will go about working through the various, assigned activities. Notes on Learning Objects: Objects labelled REQ are required learning activities. Those labelled SUPP are supplemental: they can be used to review, replace, and/or extend your learning. In some cases, a SUPP activity might be able to be used as a substitute for the REQ activity. Students are encouraged to explore this possibility by consulting with their teacher. |
F. Blogging & Websites
The Ontario Curriculum: Grades 11 and 12 Mathematics (Revised, 2007) states "Communication is an essential process in learning mathematics. Through communication, students are able to reflect upon and to clarify ideas, relationships, and mathematical arguments" (p. 22).
To support students' communication in mathematics (and in other subject areas), there must be a meaningful purpose and an authentic audience to do so. Traditionally, both oral and written communication in mathematics has been directed to a student's teacher and class peers. In today's world, where communication, collaboration, and entrepreneurship are key skills to being successful in a global economy and as a life-long learner, it is important to create more, safe opportunities for students to share their mathematical ideas and arguments. In fact, a more global audience can be accessed by students--e.g., including peers from other NG math classes, UCDSB schools, and/or parents/guests who have been granted permission (i.e., teacher-moderated) to participate in communicating with a student about their learning. For example, this semester students will have the option to participate in communicating their mathematical ideas and arguments through the form of a web log or blog. The platform that has been chosen to help students communicate with a broadened audience is called Kidblog and could be used by students to demonstrate their mathematical problem solving, engage in mathematical conversation with their peers, and/or to create a digital portfolio of their learning over the course of the semester. A blog could be a great way for students to "...trigger and reinforce strong emotional responses in [their] readers" (Bennis & Goleman, 2008), creating opportunities for feedback to improving learning for both the author (student) and their readers. Students are encouraged to approach Mr. Stewart about participating in a class blog and/or creating their own Weebly website to help create a portfolio that brings their 'learning to life'. Getting started with Kidblog...You're almost there! Getting started with your blog is a relatively quick and easy process. 1. Navigate to Kidblog. 2. Enter the registration code provided by Mr. Stewart. 3. Register. 4. Start blogging! Reference: Bennis, W., & Goleman, D. (2008). Transparency how leaders create a culture of candor. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass |
G. Homework
When homework is used appropriately, it has the ability to improve student achievement (NCTM, article posted in sidebar).
During the first week of this course, students will be surveyed for their opinions regarding prior experiences with homework. Also, students will be asked to discuss and comment upon the following research-based homework guidelines:
Student Feedback on Research-based Homework Guidelines
Details Regarding Homework Assignments in this Course Although not assigned each evening, students should expect to receive some homework that focuses on helping them prepare for next-day, classroom activities--e.g., practising a skill, studying for a task, watching an instructional video, preparing project-based work, etc.--and long-term projects. Initially with their teacher's guidance, students should set and monitor their progress in achieving goals that relate to growing their independence in directing their own studies. For example, if a student determines that they are having some difficulty with a concept, they actively choose to schedule a Math Help session, watch some instructional videos, and/or complete some additional problems. Extra Help in Mathematics Students who are seeking additional assistance, can do so...
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