Yesterday I wrote a post about some of the changes going on at our school. One of the things that needs to be done quickly is to reduce our Upper School Math Learning Outcomes. I’ve gotten some feedback on Twitter in regards to Algebra 2 and will be meeting with the rest of the Math Team this week to collaborate.
In brainstorming these last few days, I have a thought in regards to our Data & Statistics Units. We currently teach them in Geometry & Algebra 2. What if we had Stats Bootcamp 1 & Stats Bootcamp 2 offered as sessions during (i)Project time in October? Bootcamp 1 would be for students in Alg 1 & Geometry. Bootcamp 2 would be for students in Alg 2, PreCalc, and Calc. I’m assuming the students in Statistics wouldn’t need this bootcamp! (BTW, I stole the name Bootcamp from the Hedge.) I spoke to Hedge about using some of the awesome resources she freely shares, and she kindly said that I could. I was originally thinking in class, but since I don’t see how I’ll have time to teach Stats in class, maybe in this Bootcamp time.
Ok, back to my brainstorming. Bootcamp 1 has the Stats & Data Learning Outcomes from Geometry, Bootcamp 2 has the Stats & Data Learning Outcomes for Algebra 2. Students will have 1.5 hours of (i)Project time twice a week. What if we offered these bootcamps for 45 minute sessions for 2 or 3 weeks? Students would learn the Stats they need to learn for their projects, life in general, and the SAT. They wouldn’t be assessed on the Stats in the bootcamps, but that’s ok. They would be in those bootcamps because they signed up for it and chose to be there. I think that’s more powerful than a grade. This helps in reducing Learning Outcomes for content class time, but students still have the ability to learn the needed material.
Thoughts? Other suggestions? Push back?
romathio 
Thanks for the feedback. You are asking the very questions we are working through as we tackle this for the first time and I don’t have the answers – YET! And even when I have the answers to how we will handle it this year, that doesn’t even mean it’s the “right” way or what we would do in the future. Honestly, that’s main thing that scares me. If we screw this up, are we messing up our students’ math futures and SAT abilities for college? It would be nice if there were a “right” way, that is much more comfortable for me! But I also understand the need for productive struggle and being uncomfortable.
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I like that you are thinking about using (i)Project time to teach learning outcomes as this begins to reframe content time. Be careful, however, that the concept of content time is not supposed to replace or take over project time. I encourage you to think through how your time could be used for both content and project simultaneously. Does Bootcamp for Stats only happen for those who want it (so if you don’t sign up you don’t have access to that content)? If these are important learning outcomes for all, is there a way for the learning outcomes to be totally integrated and immersed within the project? Are any learning outcomes redundant between and within Algebra II and Geometry? Just some thoughts off the top of my head.
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