How I Came to Blogging

This blog post is for Kate Nowak (@k8nowak) who has requested the online math community to tell me why you blog. "True story" - this is what I always say when I tell a story. Another favourite line of mine is "it is better to make stories than to tell them."

1. What hooked you on reading the blogs? Was it a particular post or person? Was it an initiative by the nice MTBoS folks? A colleague in your building got you into it? Desperation?

I can remember the moment about 5 years ago that I was teaching a lesson on Vectors via chalk and talk on a Friday afternoon (17th year of teaching) and the words/explanations and numbers/formulas were coming out of my mouth and were being written on the board and I was already at my cottage. WOW -  I was disengaged, imagine the engagement of my students - YIKES! SOMETHING NEEDED TO CHANGE!

 

I was fine in my academic classes. (They would of learned without me.) But my at risk classes were doing poorly. I needed to change it up. Thanks to Bruce McLaurin we went down the pathway of activity based teaching. I wrote about it here.

 

I eventually saw Dan Meyer's TedTalk. Followed his blog-it was a game changer.

 

2. What keeps you coming back? What's the biggest thing you get out of reading and/or commenting?

I get great ideas about a bunch of different aspects in teaching. Plain and simple. I get more PD then everyone else. That should make me better.

3. If you write, why do you write? What's the biggest thing you get out of it?

It took a while to get me writing but I am now getting into it. I am a poor writer. I was apprehensive because of it - but I have finally decided not to care about this. Hopefully I will get better at it.

The biggest thing I get out of it - competition. I am ultra competitive - I want to be the best.

Anyone who really knows me would not be surprised by this.

4. If you chose to enter a room where I was going to talk about blogging for an hour (or however long you could stand it), what would you hope to be hearing from me? MTBoS cheerleading and/or tourism? How-to's? Stories?

I could only hope to be in that room. After Dan's blog you were next. Of course I only lurked! and then implemented. I would want to hear your story. Trials and tribulations, successes and failures. A little advice.

GOOD LUCK with your presentation.

OCDSB Board Wide Subject Specific Professional Development Day November 15, 2013

The board math PD yesterday was fantastic. Congratulations to 2013 Math Subject Council for organizing. Margie Kerr, Kim Evans, Merella Bareggi, Gabriela Papaz, Bruce McLaurin, Jimmy Pai, Trisha Clark, Gary Palmer, Karyn Hepburn, Esmeralda Fernandes, Jon Henley, Mylene Abi-Zeid and I am sure there were many others behind the scene. A huge thank you. It was a great day. A huge thank you to all presenters as well - the sessions I attended were top notch. Yeeha Desmos!!

	Alex Overwijk (@AlexOverwijk)
11/15/2013, 8:57 PM @absvalteaching: @MaryBourassa @eluberoff @Desmos I was at Mary's workshop today. Kudos to those who created this. 2cool. #fillingthetoolbox

I would of loved to have seen more but.....that is what you get when you present and share. 

My attitude towards PD days has changed. I used to think of it as a break, a chance to relax, catch up with friends. I would celebrate the night before.

Something has changed. The rate of change was slow at first but now it is changing at a rapid rate. I can't imagine it changing faster-but it probably will change faster.

I used to teach. Prepared lessons that I knew. Stand and deliver. Tell some stories. Be entertaining. Chalk board after chalk board. Worked out example after worked out example. Year after year. I showed them so they learned. They liked me. They never questioned me.

It changed. I orchestrate lessons now that I am really not sure about. They collaborate and I orchestrate. They tell me stories. It is entertaining. Discussion after discussion. Activity after activity with some projects thrown in. Year after year. They talked so they learned. They like me. They question me.

Now leading up to PD days there is preparation. Working hard to have something to share with colleagues. Excitement - butterflies - wanting to be meaningful. So ......... We share best practises, best ideas, pedagogy. It changed me.

I thought I might graph it. 

Of course I worry that it is correct. There are many people in my board that I think very highly of.

I tell my story. I risk it.

Those that I respect offer me feedback via twitter. 

	Jim Pai (@PaiMath)
11/15/2013, 1:23 PM @AlexOverwijk asks good questions about students posing good questions! An important lesson study with lots to take away from!

	Mary Bourassa (@MaryBourassa)
11/15/2013, 1:23 PM Summary of Math PD Day...@AlexOverwijk and @BDMcLaurin get it and I need to do more of what they do. #alwayslearning

	Ann Arden (@annarden)
11/15/2013, 1:59 PM +1 “@MaryBourassa: Summary of Math PD Day...@AlexOverwijk and@BDMcLaurin get it and I need to do more of what they do.#alwayslearning”

	Gregory Taylor (@mathtans)
11/15/2013, 4:57 PM @AlexOverwijk Cheers for the tweeting out this morning and your session and the talking with me and reading of my stuff! #rambling

It is instant feedback. I feel relieved. I celebrate after.

I try to figure out it.