What is 3% and Why Grades Don't Matter

I hate this time of year. This is the time of the year when, all of a sudden, every kid is keenly aware of their GPA (though many of them couldn't care less about it only 3 weeks ago). It is exam time. I hate it because of the finality of it all. This is the time when a student, officially at least, will pass or will fail.

There are many problems with the system, and I don't have the energy to get into all of them right now, but fundamentally, I don't believe that grades are the way to go. I follow (but don't yet use) the SBG model as I think it is vastly superior to the current way Ontarians conduct evaluation. (Ed problem #1? Teacher unwilling to change even when they know it is to the benefit of the learner).

I am currently (and constantly) faced with the decision - pass or fail? And with that decision comes two questions:
1. What is 3%?
2. What will a failing grade for this student accomplish?

When I reflect on the first question, the answer is painfully obvious; I don't really know. Especially when that percentage mark is a combination of marks from a variety of strands that are themselves unrelated. Isn't it better to be able to say (to the student and the parent and the next teacher) "This student understands Topic A very well and can do these things within that topic, but has difficulty with these other aspects, and still requires a lot of work with these other concepts."? (SBG helps with that)

The second question relies a bit on my answer to the first. Is a student with a 50% really well prepared to move onto the next topic? 50% does not scream mastery. In fact, I'd go out on a limb and guess that the 50% indicates a profound lack of mastery in most areas. BUT 50% is a pass. Forty-seven percent on the other hand is a failing mark. Three lousy percent. In reality, this 3% probably means that one topic, rather one part of one topic, was done slightly less well than the person that got the passing mark. (In many classes it may even mean that a student didn't hand in that atomic model in chemistry or didn't colour the title pages) Is the student with the 50% going to be that much better prepared then the student that had 47% eight months from now (minimum) when they move on to the next science class (in a semestered school)? Neither of them will likely have the tools or background that they need to really and truly succeed at a competitive level. I am certainly not suggesting that high marks are indicators of future success; but low marks don't scream future success either.

As I reflect (in writing), it appears to me that perhaps the problem lies with me. Perhaps my grading system is unjust or inaccurate. Perhaps the 50% student (if I truly believe they aren't prepared) should not have been able to achieve the 50%. Fifty percent should indicate readiness to move forward; competency. If however the problem does indeed lie with me, I am not alone. I co-teach, and co-plan. I have taught with many different teachers at 6 different schools. I am not that different (if I am different at all) from many of the other teachers out there. This seems to me to be a very big problem, one which I clearly do not have the answers to. Your feedback and suggestions are most certainly welcomed.

As students are (hopefully) reflecting on the habits they have that may have led them to less then desirable results, so too am I.

Sound and Waves

It turns out that we had it right when we were 8; a cup and a string make for an excellent telephone, and for one hell of a physics lesson on sound, waves, and resonance.

If you get the chance, procure some really thin wire. You know, the kind that those movie tough guys are always strangling people with. If you have two Tim Hortons coffee cups, and one really long hallway, you can demonstrate so many of the wonderful aspects of sound, waves, and vibrations it is unbelievable.

Note, some old coffee cans work a bit better, but are a tad harder to come by. The perk (sigh) of the coffee cans, is that you can (after poking small holes in the bottoms and tying knots in the wire to prevent it from coming out) get some pretty good tension in the wire, making it work a bit better. The coffee cup bottoms (cardboard) tend to rip when you pull hard.

Materials and Set-up:
Two cans/cups with bottoms that you can poke a small hole in (without bending the bottom -- try using a drill or screw if using metal coffee cans. With a cardboard cup, the wire may do the trick -- if not, use a pin)
Thin wire (I used 30+ meters)
Long Hallway
Radio (not required, but cool)

Some crazy cool things you and your students (or children) might observe:
1. The sound is AMAZINGLY clear over such a long distance
2. You can talk fairly quietly. The cup you hold amplifies your signal, and the one at the other end boosts it again
3. You can hear the person through the cup WAY before you can hear them through the air (if you can hear them through the air at all!)
4. You can hear the radio clearly through the apparatus as well (yeah, I know, not groundbreaking, but who doesn't love a little Katy Perry)
5. You can have students stationed along the wire (which I recommend so people don't walk into it) and have them pluck the string producing guitar like sounds on both ends. Pluck at different places or at multiple places at once.

All of these things can lead to rich observations and discussions about:
transmission of energy through a medium
the nature of sound waves
the speed of sound (solid vs gas)
resonance (in an air column, on a string, or in general)
the human ear
interference of waves
intensity of sound and the decibel scale
whether Katy Perry is better than Michael Jackson, or if her parallel success to his is a sign of the times and speaks to a lack of true artistic talent

and maybe lots more that I am missing

This upcoming semester, I plan to start with sound so I don't have to rush through anything and we can explore these ideas to our ears content.

Modern Physics

I know that universities and the Perimeter Institute would love it if we (high school physics teachers) spent more time on modern physics. You know what? I would too, but is it really possible?
Today we spent some time at the zoo looking at the strange (if you can pardon the pun) things living there; bosons, leptons, and hadrons. We looked at the quarks, and even had some fun building protons and neutrons, along with a meson or two. It was great, and I think everybody really enjoyed it, but did they enjoy it for the pure academic exercise and the weird look into the bizarre quantum world, or for some other reason?
I have my students trust. I can lead them through time dilation and length contraction, and even though I get my fair share of 'but really's, they go along with me. Better still, they revel in the mysterious. They love the quantum weirdness of it all... but could they do it for half the semester? Could it keep their interest if I dealt with things so outside of their ordinary realm of experience? I doubt it. This could speak to my lack of ability or creativity. I've tried the cloud chamber and looked for particle tracks... but beyond that, and the many computer simulations, what am I to do? I spend one month (approximately) in modern physics and for now, we all like it that way.

Shake Off The Rust

Okay. Two fold purpose - one, to shake off the rust. I've been avoiding coming back here due to the content of my last entry. I'm moving forward.
Lastly, to make a confession. It turns out that I (unfortunately) link the performance of my students to my self-esteem. Like all educators, I change things up in order to improve. I thought I did a real bang-up job recently. In fact, I gave myself the proverbial pat on the back. Then I looked at the results of the assessment directly tied to that lesson. Ouch. I know that this time of the year is tough for students, and I should roll with the punches and all of those other tired cliches, but man, did I take it personally.
Each day is a fresh start and another opportunity to learn and to help others learn. I went over the material with them again today, had kids jumping onto and off of lab benches to various levels (simulating electron stimulation and emission of photons), and this time, hopefully, they got it.

Full Circle

It was eleven years ago, when I started my next life

We had bought our first home

I was more boy than man, but I didn’t know it

I thought I could do everything, and proceeded to try

We found a dog. Just a puppy. My dog.

Black fur, grey eyes, warm eyes.

He rode home on a blue blanket in her lap

I think she fell in love with him too

I played with him in the cold garage

We spent time together, the three of us, my next family

He helped around the yard, raking leaves and building snowmen

He was dirty and happy and I loved him.

When Brandon was born, after so much worry, he was sick.

Not seriously, but new parents, scared parents don’t know

Ambulances are not meant for a 1 day old baby.

Especially at 2 am.

I thought about a lot of things. My parents. Their strength.

My life; my wife; my baby. I tried to be strong.

I sat in the garage, and I told you of my fears.

I cried, and you licked the tears from my face.

You made me smile when I didn’t think I could.

When Brandon came home, the two met.

I flashed forward to the boy he would become

At how lucky you both were to have each other.

Built in best friends. A boy and his dog.

You both sat on the sidelines at my soccer games.

I saw the two of you grow together.

I saw you playing together. Becoming friends.

I saw you talking to him when you were upset.

I remember you taking him for a walk on your own for the first time

He was so strong that he pulled you off of your feet.

You were never afraid of him, and you never mistreated him.

You sat together in his house, and he licked your face all over

He wouldn’t stop, and you laughed until you cried.

He is tied into my memories of your childhood.

You found him. Shovel to earth, I laid him to rest.

Tonight we talked.  Shared our memories and shed our tears.

Tonight, you wiped the tears from my eyes.

Moving Forward Together

About twenty years ago, my wife said "You have to meet them where they're at." I'm not sure if she was referring to teaching, though I suspect she was, but the thought has stayed with me ever since. It may have been my first introduction to D.I. Educators are keenly aware that students come to them with completely different capabilities and attitudes toward learning. I'm not sure that anybody in education today could successfully argue for a 'one size fits all' education system.

Once again, I find my thoughts (and words) drifting toward the topic of professional development. A few days ago, I was one of a group of 10 people involved in a full day P.D. session where we were examining research (Fisher and Frey - Reading Comprehension Strategies) in order to address a student need in our building. The group was trying to come up with a strategic plan to put in place so that the entire staff would be able to help our students make meaning from what they are reading. No small task! A couple things jumped out at me.

First, there is always the nagging "90%" statistic in the back of my mind. No real student gains are realized until 90% of the staff are well beyond the beginning stages of use for a specific task/practice or strategy.(1) With that in mind, we are always trying to come up with something for the entire staff to do, and furthermore, something easy to implement. The Panama Canal was a solution to a problem. Solutions to difficult problems are messy and require a lot of work and effort. I'm afraid that by trying to find a quick and easy solution (to ensure staff participation) that we are digging a moat rather than a canal. At these meetings, we will all agree to try something new, and report on the success of the initiative.  Ten staff members out of 80, working on something new for 1 week (or even one month) flies in the face of the research. How can we inform our practice based on statistically insignificant findings?

Secondly, there is D.I. (Didn't think I was going to tie it back in, did you?) Only this time, I'm NOT talking about students. Each staff member has different ideas, skills and attitudes when it comes to teaching (especially when talking about trying new things ESPECIALLY when those things are based upon research that doesn't agree with your own personal view of how things work!) We talk about each staff member being at a different place in their 'continuum of learning', yet we try to come up with a one size fits all policy toward educating students. P.D. funds are spent on the willing and eager - people that are less likely to need the P.D.

I believe in what we are trying to do. I don't believe that anybody is at fault. I am confident that what I am engaging in is making me a better teacher, and that my students benefit from it (at least in a limited capacity while in my class -- are they transferring their skills to other environments?). I do not regret the work, but I don't want it to be in vain either. I am afraid that we are in over our heads.

So, here is the crux of it all.
i) How do we, as a school, keep from spinning our wheels?
ii) What do we need to do to collectively move forward?

As always, your suggestions/comments appreciated.

(1) Adapted from Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, NIRN (FMHI Publication #231).

Interesting Update from TD

I was shocked today to find the following statement on my TD Visa bill --

COUNTRY SANCTIONS AND FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS ON YOUR CARD. YOUR CARD CAN BE USED ALL OVER THE WORLD EXCEPT IN CERTAIN COUNTRIES WHERE THERE ARE ECONOMIC AND TRADE SANCTIONS. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY TD CANADA TRUST CREDIT CARDS (TD US DOLLAR CARD INCLUDED) CANNOT BE USED TO PROCESS TRANSACTIONS FROM IRAN, MYANMAR (BURMA) AND NORTH KOREA. IN ADDITION, TRANSACTIONS ON TD U.S. DOLLAR CARDS CANNOT BE PROCESSED FROM CUBA, SYRIA AND SUDAN.

I find it a little odd that a company I choose to support through use of their product is telling me where I can use it.  There must be huge governmental pressure on these companies.