They love using dry erase markers and whiteboards. If they make an error, it's easy to fix. And they love being competitive with their peers when we're solving problems in class.
My students are bright, energetic, and inquisitive 9th through 12th grade Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 students.
We have a very diverse population from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and our parent education level is little to no college. The students in Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 are on the academic path to go to college, but don't necessarily have academic support at home. Our community has been hit hard by the foreclosure epidemic and the economic downturn. Unfortunately, many of my students families can not afford basic school supplies, so what limited budget we have in the math department is spent on supplying these kids with binder paper, pencils, and notebooks. In addition, our class sizes are growing because of the state budget crisis and the cuts to education spending. There is new technology and classroom materials that can help us reach all our students on an individual level, and support their college aspirations!
My Project
Do you remember "playing school" when you were young? It was so much fun to be able to write on a dry erase board! Well, students engagement is critical for success and individual dry erase boards and markers capture the attention of my teenage students!
Imagine you are sitting in a classroom packed with students and you are asked to solve a challenging math problem. You get through the problem, but your answer doesn't look right to you or maybe it does, but your answer is definitely different from what the teacher got. Wouldn't you want to know what you did wrong and how to fix it? Other students may have solved it correctly, but used a totally different method than you tried; wouldn't you want to know what they did?
The use of individual whiteboards in a classroom is a great way for students to be able to share their problem solving techniques. And at the same time, it allows teachers to be able to check for understanding and re-teach concepts on the spot.
My students are all capable of going to college.
Algebra 2 is one of the last hurdles required for admission. Some kids need that extra one on one support that is not possible in a large classroom setting. Allowing the teacher to check for understanding immediately, rather than at the end of a unit with a test, will help that teacher adjust, reteach, and support each student in a timely fashion. Allowing the students to analyze and share their work builds confidence and increases learning.
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