I'm beginning to understand a bit more about one of the reasons for blogging in educational environments. I am finding it may be a great way to focus and keep my thoughts and readings together as I plan ahead for Project 2. I keep emailing myself ideas and resources I might incorporate, however, then I have to keep those emails straight and separated out of the rest of my day-to-day goings on.
I may post some of my ideas here instead...
http://www.janetsinfo.com/big6info.htm
http://staging.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/vol32/32n4everhart.pdf
http://www.tessellations.org/
http://www.worldofescher.com/contest/
http://www.mathcats.com/explore/tessellations/tessgallery.html
http://www.ims.k12.nj.us/Webquests/tesselation/tesselation.htm
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=U104
paperquilts
culminating with a guest presentation from:
Ms. Ellison is internationally known as a speaker about integrating art and mathematics and teaching - and uses many of her own intricate mathematical quilts as exemplars. She will speak about more than just simple symmetry and pattern - for example, her works illustrate the Fibonacci sequence, golden rectangle, Pythagorean triples, tessellating tetrominoes, lute of Pythagoras, and much more. Ms. Ellison taught high school mathematics in West Lafayette, Indiana for many years.
Mini-lesson--interviewing guide:
More Info: http://www.mathematicalquilts.com/
Grade 5
Standard 4: Geometry
5.4.6 Identify shapes that have reflectional and rotational symmetry.
Information Literacy Standards
Standard 1, 2, 3
High School Level
Standard 2
Polygons
Students identify and describe polygons and measure interior and exterior angles. They use congruence, similarity, symmetry, tessellations, and transformations. They find measures of sides, perimeters, and areas.
G.2.4 Apply transformations (slides, flips, turns, expansions, and contractions) to polygons to determine congruence, similarity, symmetry, and tessellations. Know that images formed by slides, flips, and turns are congruent to the original shape.
Example: Use a drawing program to create regular hexagons, regular octagons, and regular pentagons. Under the drawings, describe which of the polygons would be best for tiling a rectangular floor. Explain your reasoning.
http://mathforum.org/briston/briston.tessel.html
http://www.delbusto.com/ET670/transtessellations.htm
Math curse by Jon Scieszka would be a great book to pull into the mix
http://fno.org/libskill.html
http://fno.org/aforenet.html
Thoughts about assessment...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wishing
As Callison points out, modeling effective use of the information inquiry process is an essential part of the a successful information literacy program (BB, p.9). As I think about my process and how I could turn it into an effective modeling activity for both students and teachers (thanks to Joe), I am pleased with the overall outcome of my inquiry project. I wish that I hadn't felt so rushed at the end, and that I had spent more time with my materials and with primary sources--specifically local farmers. I am thankful that I can use the information that I gathered--and that I have it in a neat format to take the next steps towards raising chickens.
I wish that I were more comfortable with the online organizational tools. I used Gliffy, however, as I mentioned earlier, I really don't like mind mapping--I find it to be a great deal of work and not particularly helpful to my thought processes, although I feel that I have to be open to it, because there are other students who will really gain a great deal from such tools and options. If you would like to see my first attempt at a Gliffy concept map you can see if here: http://www.gliffy.com/pubdoc/1497849/L.jpg
I keep coming back to the idea of modeling as I reflect on this Project, in Curriculum Connections Harada discusses the importance of teachers being able to model thinking (p. 62). As I discussed in another post, this modeling and helping students develop their questions, is something that I can certainly see using this inquiry project for. One of the most powerful learning experiences I had in the classroom with a group of 9th graders involved teaching and learning with them about Tangrams. They were all certain that they had no math skills and were going to fail in this class with me and my co-teacher, however, I developed lessons around this ancient game I had found materials on to connect with them in learning something new--something I knew nothing about. Through that learning we were able to develop such a strong learning community, because it was clear that we were all learning together--I was not the expert they had viewed me as--I was good at helping come up with the questions to explore, but as far as the puzzles went many of the students had far more expertise.
I wish that I were more comfortable with the online organizational tools. I used Gliffy, however, as I mentioned earlier, I really don't like mind mapping--I find it to be a great deal of work and not particularly helpful to my thought processes, although I feel that I have to be open to it, because there are other students who will really gain a great deal from such tools and options. If you would like to see my first attempt at a Gliffy concept map you can see if here: http://www.gliffy.com/pubdoc/1497849/L.jpg
I keep coming back to the idea of modeling as I reflect on this Project, in Curriculum Connections Harada discusses the importance of teachers being able to model thinking (p. 62). As I discussed in another post, this modeling and helping students develop their questions, is something that I can certainly see using this inquiry project for. One of the most powerful learning experiences I had in the classroom with a group of 9th graders involved teaching and learning with them about Tangrams. They were all certain that they had no math skills and were going to fail in this class with me and my co-teacher, however, I developed lessons around this ancient game I had found materials on to connect with them in learning something new--something I knew nothing about. Through that learning we were able to develop such a strong learning community, because it was clear that we were all learning together--I was not the expert they had viewed me as--I was good at helping come up with the questions to explore, but as far as the puzzles went many of the students had far more expertise.
Wrapping & Waving
I'm trying Googledocs for presenting a powerpoint as my final project:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dfhnzz52_75dfvxkbcs
Again, I'm still working through the details and determining if I want to rework the final product, but want to get some feedback from some of my family & colleagues who have been sharing thoughts and suggestions.
I chose to use googledocs to experiment with a new tool. It would have been easier to use powerpoint and simply load it up to oncourse, but then I would have missed out on learning the frustrations of trying to edit a powerpoint file on googledocs and the translation issues from a microsoft product to the google environment. Overall, I was pleased with the functionality. I would recommend to anyone who chooses to do a presentation on googledocs to keep it simple. If you are going to upload a powerpoint it works better with the simplest slide layouts. Other more complicated layouts translate poorly.
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dfhnzz52_75dfvxkbcs
Again, I'm still working through the details and determining if I want to rework the final product, but want to get some feedback from some of my family & colleagues who have been sharing thoughts and suggestions.
I chose to use googledocs to experiment with a new tool. It would have been easier to use powerpoint and simply load it up to oncourse, but then I would have missed out on learning the frustrations of trying to edit a powerpoint file on googledocs and the translation issues from a microsoft product to the google environment. Overall, I was pleased with the functionality. I would recommend to anyone who chooses to do a presentation on googledocs to keep it simple. If you are going to upload a powerpoint it works better with the simplest slide layouts. Other more complicated layouts translate poorly.
Webbing, wiggling, weaving, wrapping, wishing...
In the final stages, I am continuing to cycle back through all the way to webbing (maybe even some wondering although for the most part the questioning is in putting them together more succinctly rather than brainstorming and topic formulation). Pulling more questions--are the written sources accurate? what do the individuals I've talked with say? which breed will really meet my needs? which shelter is going to work best for my house and yard and set up? where will we buy chickens? I know I don't have all of the answers to complete the adventure of getting chickens so which resources do I want to continue to consult and seek out? who might I work with to split a run of chickens or to purchase from locally?
My final product is not my favorite piece to date, but I'm still working on it.
My final product is not my favorite piece to date, but I'm still working on it.
Weaving & Wrapping
In this particular project, with the looming deadlines and the true purpose I am finding that my weaving and wrapping are intertwining with reflection and re-purposing my inquiry. The final project, according to Dr. Lamb, is a small portion of the entire project, and as such I am focusing far more on the overview of the project from beginning to end and how the inquiry project for me is reiterating the fact that inquiry process is recursive. How do I teach and guide students so that they learn how to determine the most appropriate final product while maintaining their interest in learning?--when that is the most difficult piece of the puzzle for me.
How is my inquiry similar to childrens and how is it different? I recognize that my inquiry begins with similar emotions and questioning, however, I have a different understanding of the process and searching, therefore, my research has more structure and free flow throughout because I already have the scaffold necessary to begin activating prior knowledge right away. I appreciated all of the tools and resources we had to review that might assist students in their own development of topic, questions, search strategies, because it gave me a deeper look at my own search strategies and questioning.
These are my thoughts now as I work on a final product and reflect on my process.
How is my inquiry similar to childrens and how is it different? I recognize that my inquiry begins with similar emotions and questioning, however, I have a different understanding of the process and searching, therefore, my research has more structure and free flow throughout because I already have the scaffold necessary to begin activating prior knowledge right away. I appreciated all of the tools and resources we had to review that might assist students in their own development of topic, questions, search strategies, because it gave me a deeper look at my own search strategies and questioning.
These are my thoughts now as I work on a final product and reflect on my process.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Weaving
As I was 
working on pulling together information I used pencil and paper to do some mind mapping. I plan on seeing how it translates using the online tools, but I, like Joe mentioned, am much more comfortable with pencil/paper for this part of my synthesis. There is something about the tactile sensation and the quickness that puts me in the right frame of mind to pull my swirling thoughts together.
working on pulling together information I used pencil and paper to do some mind mapping. I plan on seeing how it translates using the online tools, but I, like Joe mentioned, am much more comfortable with pencil/paper for this part of my synthesis. There is something about the tactile sensation and the quickness that puts me in the right frame of mind to pull my swirling thoughts together.Connecting with Standards
Many of the elementary science standards can be connected with an inquiry on chickens, however, I've always had a focus on secondary students since my first job took me this direction. At the secondary level there are ecological standards that could be connected with along with the biological connections of evolution/breeding, etc...
The broadest Indiana standards:
The Living Environment
People have long been curious about living things - how many different species there are, what they are like, how they relate to each other, and how they behave. Living organisms are made of the same components as all other matter, involve the same kinds of transformations of energy, and move using the same basic kinds of forces. Thus, all of the physical principles discussed in Standard 3 - The Physical Setting, apply to life as well as to stars, raindrops, and television sets. This standard offers recommendations on basic knowledge about how living things function and how they interact with one another and their environment.
Principles of Biology
Students work with the concepts, principles, and theories that enable them to understand the living environment. They recognize that living organisms are made of cells or cell products that consist of the same components as all other matter, involve the same kinds of transformations of energy, and move using the same kinds of basic forces. Students investigate, through laboratories and fieldwork, how living things function and how they interact with one another and their environment.
Principles of Environmental Science
Students investigate, through laboratory and fieldwork, the concepts of environmental systems, populations, natural resources, and environmental hazards.
The broadest Indiana standards:
The Living Environment
People have long been curious about living things - how many different species there are, what they are like, how they relate to each other, and how they behave. Living organisms are made of the same components as all other matter, involve the same kinds of transformations of energy, and move using the same basic kinds of forces. Thus, all of the physical principles discussed in Standard 3 - The Physical Setting, apply to life as well as to stars, raindrops, and television sets. This standard offers recommendations on basic knowledge about how living things function and how they interact with one another and their environment.
Principles of Biology
Students work with the concepts, principles, and theories that enable them to understand the living environment. They recognize that living organisms are made of cells or cell products that consist of the same components as all other matter, involve the same kinds of transformations of energy, and move using the same kinds of basic forces. Students investigate, through laboratories and fieldwork, how living things function and how they interact with one another and their environment.
Principles of Environmental Science
Students investigate, through laboratory and fieldwork, the concepts of environmental systems, populations, natural resources, and environmental hazards.
Weaving--free flow thoughts...really rough, but wanting to get them down
Another part of weaving for me in this project has been making the connection between my inquiry and the inquiry of children and young adults. Not only do I feel that my inquiry process has many of the similarities, especially the nervousness, but I also feel that being more in touch with my process and being able to describe its recursive nature would serve well the students I have taught in the past in making connection with inquiry on their own.
As I was discussing this with a colleague, he pointed out that I could lay out my inquiry process step by step and show how I back tracked, developed search terms, etc... in discussion format with a class of students I was assisting in developing their own inquiry skills. This project could be used to help students with a rural knowledge base really connect with and share their expertise in how they would go about making decisions about preparing for, purchasing and caring for livestock. We could use the fact that the topic was very broad and needed to be defined, the question development, etc... would really be something many of my farm kids could have done much more easily than starting them on a topic such as the revolutionary war or World War II which they had less background knowledge in many cases to connect to. That was always very important for the students I worked with who were not certain of their academic abilities to recognize their areas of understanding and helping them to transfer those skills to further develop their information literacy and their academic skills.
As I was discussing this with a colleague, he pointed out that I could lay out my inquiry process step by step and show how I back tracked, developed search terms, etc... in discussion format with a class of students I was assisting in developing their own inquiry skills. This project could be used to help students with a rural knowledge base really connect with and share their expertise in how they would go about making decisions about preparing for, purchasing and caring for livestock. We could use the fact that the topic was very broad and needed to be defined, the question development, etc... would really be something many of my farm kids could have done much more easily than starting them on a topic such as the revolutionary war or World War II which they had less background knowledge in many cases to connect to. That was always very important for the students I worked with who were not certain of their academic abilities to recognize their areas of understanding and helping them to transfer those skills to further develop their information literacy and their academic skills.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Carding the wool...wiggling towards weaving?
When I was at the library today, I remembered that I wanted to check out the new Barbara Kingsolver non-fiction book about eating locally for a year and so I picked it up. Part of my wiggling and as I get closer to weaving included reading Kingsolver's chapter 6 on the birds and the bees first, because although I would truly enjoy just sitting down to read her book cover to cover the reality is that I need to focus on this project. I love the description of her young daughters laying flock and her adoration of her chickens along with her business sense.
I find myself getting deeper into the books, websites, pictures and ideas that I have been reviewing and an image of what I would need to do coming into my mind. I have begun to try to develop a web...however, I don't really like visual concepts maps, so I'm struggling with the development. I prefer to use pen and paper for that phase and to take notes. My note taking is my way of beginning to organize the ideas and help my brain process the information.
As Kuhlthau notes the exploration stage often brings more uncertainty and doubt. I visualize that doubt as kind of a swirling cloud in my mind...so many ideas that I am waiting for the key that will bring them together. I have continued to have informal conversations with many individuals about chickens--including a recent late night call to my dad to talk about the neighbor's chickens with the beautiful blue eggs when I was a child at his parents' house.
Another concern I am struggling with is linking to standards. I know everything links, but I am not sure how. I have reviewed the standards and there are some specific agricultural standards in Indiana State Standards that are a definite link, but I know there are others that I need to flush out--likely dealing with ecological issues, food sources, nutrition.
This morning when I talked with my teenage nephew about my class project, I was so pleased that he mentioned that I should consider coming to his school to interview some of the farmers there. He goes to a private school with a very democratic student centered style in which the students are encouraged to learn in their own ways and free inquiry is required a great deal. It was satisfying to know that he is familiar with the process of finding information that includes asking, interviewing experts in person first hand.
I find myself getting deeper into the books, websites, pictures and ideas that I have been reviewing and an image of what I would need to do coming into my mind. I have begun to try to develop a web...however, I don't really like visual concepts maps, so I'm struggling with the development. I prefer to use pen and paper for that phase and to take notes. My note taking is my way of beginning to organize the ideas and help my brain process the information.
As Kuhlthau notes the exploration stage often brings more uncertainty and doubt. I visualize that doubt as kind of a swirling cloud in my mind...so many ideas that I am waiting for the key that will bring them together. I have continued to have informal conversations with many individuals about chickens--including a recent late night call to my dad to talk about the neighbor's chickens with the beautiful blue eggs when I was a child at his parents' house.
Another concern I am struggling with is linking to standards. I know everything links, but I am not sure how. I have reviewed the standards and there are some specific agricultural standards in Indiana State Standards that are a definite link, but I know there are others that I need to flush out--likely dealing with ecological issues, food sources, nutrition.
This morning when I talked with my teenage nephew about my class project, I was so pleased that he mentioned that I should consider coming to his school to interview some of the farmers there. He goes to a private school with a very democratic student centered style in which the students are encouraged to learn in their own ways and free inquiry is required a great deal. It was satisfying to know that he is familiar with the process of finding information that includes asking, interviewing experts in person first hand.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Webbing & Wiggling...along with some watching and wondering...
As I review materials, read, talk and connect with ideas I had about chickens. I decided today that I needed to see more first hand chicken activity. I have fed my sister's chickens and watered on occasion, but I do not generally gather eggs and I was not a part of the process of them building the chicken coop...actually their house came with the chicken coop.
Youtube is definitely a new way of finding relevant information that I have used only recently, and understand can be very useful...I had thought of it (before viewing much on it) to be more about goofing around and fun. Since exploring it a bit, I have found it to be a very powerful tool for learning new skills that I need the visual demonstration of to master. When I wanted to repurpose some old reader's digest condensed version books into journals I used YouTube to understand how to do the coptic stitch. I could not understand it without the example--the diagrams in books and on other websites did not work for my brain to process the stitch--I needed to see it done.
YouTube fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiA8I_SlRhY&feature=related
I realized today that I really need to work hard on getting to the Weaving stage. Not that I didn't already realize this but I am definitely feeling the pressure now!
Youtube is definitely a new way of finding relevant information that I have used only recently, and understand can be very useful...I had thought of it (before viewing much on it) to be more about goofing around and fun. Since exploring it a bit, I have found it to be a very powerful tool for learning new skills that I need the visual demonstration of to master. When I wanted to repurpose some old reader's digest condensed version books into journals I used YouTube to understand how to do the coptic stitch. I could not understand it without the example--the diagrams in books and on other websites did not work for my brain to process the stitch--I needed to see it done.
YouTube fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiA8I_SlRhY&feature=related
I realized today that I really need to work hard on getting to the Weaving stage. Not that I didn't already realize this but I am definitely feeling the pressure now!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Webbing...Gathering more ideas (and watching and wondering)
As Callison's Inquiry model shows (Callison), the inquiry process is recursive--that is what this post is all about the fact that I am really going back and forth through different stages of the process all the time. Although I have yet to get to my library to check out the materials that I identified as potentially useful in my information gathering, I have continue to watch and wonder and have meaningful and fun discussions with friends, neighbors and colleagues about my topic. My newest question is about whether I was really worried about the "friendliness" of my chickens in reality or what factors were really going to be most important in the choice of chickens. I am fascinated by the idea of chickens who lay colored eggs, but is it more important to me to have the best egg produces. What is the balance I am hoping for? How much is this really going to cost? and round and round we go :)
Callison, Daniel. Key Words, Concepts and Methods for Information Age Instruction: A Guide to Teaching Information Literacy. LMS Associates. 2003. Accessed 9/5/08 http://www.virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/inquiry3.htm
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