How do you react to adversity?

Thought this has a great parallel message to the one I have spoken to you about in class this year.  How do you react to adversity?  Your character is displayed, not when times are good, but when your chips are down.  Who are you in the moment of greatest frustration?  How do you treat people?  Who do you put the blame on?  Below is a question about the Packer's loss to the Giants last night, from this article :

So what now?

Here is the answer:

Dignity, that’s what. I watch teams very closely in defeat. How do they react to losing? It’ll tell you everything you need to know about the leadership of a franchise. How did the Packers react in yesterday’s postgame? With accountability. Mike McCarthy stood in front of the media and pointed the finger at himself. Aaron Rodgers followed his coach to the podium and did the same. When Rodgers was asked if he felt betrayed by his receivers, he fought back an angry response and then pointed the finger at two open receivers he missed. All of the strong franchises react this way. Last year, when the Packers beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl, I didn’t hear one Steelers player or coach say, “If we hadn’t fumbled we would’ve won the game.” Teams can achieve victory in defeat. They can become stronger according to the strength they show in defeat. I saw evidence of that yesterday and I have no doubt we’ll see more evidence of it in the next few days.

These words are just as true for everyday life as they are for athletes on the biggest stages.  How do you react when things don't go your way?

Happy Holidays and January Due Dates are up!

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday break.  Just wanted to let you know that I have updated the due date spreadsheet so that you are able to work ahead in either Algebra or Geometry.  Remember, our finals are coming up soon in January so it will be important for you to manage your time.

Algebra students, your Chapter 5 Test can be taken between Wednesday and Friday the first week in janaruy and your Quiz 6 can be taken anytime in the 2nd week in January.  Please take advantage of the flexibility to make your last month a huge success.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours


MRH

New "Due Date" Spreadsheet

I have changed the format of my weekly assignment sheet to better reflect what lessons and Required Practice Problems are due on which days.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AkPFAjrVwQkWdDJST2ZZTk53YlpWMFlmekxyUVozaHc&output=html

My old format made things more confusing to find what things were due on each day.  I hope that the new format can get rid of that confusion.  If you want to see what a student should be working on in my class for Tuesday, just look at what is due on Tuesday:

Let's become "Proficient" and Khan Academy can help

As we talked in class on Monday, we will be leveraging the Khan Academy (practice)  into our daily classroom activities.  The purpose of this is to give us a way to get more feedback, and in this case, visual instant feedback on many topics that we do on a daily basis.  It will allow you to have a record of your progress so that you know what skills you need to work on, as well as what skills you have mastered.  We need to achieve "proficiency" in our math skills, and this is just another way to help us get there.  Because our classroom has been flipped, we have the time to add these activities to our daily routine.  You can also challenge yourself to achieve the badges and awards that the Khan Academy offers.

Here is the video that I showed on Monday.

Encouragement and Help

Now that we have finished a few weeks of the new school year, I wanted to answer a few questions that I have received about how to encourage and help a student that is in my "flipped" math class.  I know that the flipping concept is new to people, so it is important to give you as much feedback and encouragement as possible as we strive for excellence this year.

Monday is Grading Day

As we discussed in class, Monday is the day that I will start to put grades for Lessons and Required Practice Problems in the grade book.  You have been working very hard during the first week getting used to the new format of class and I wanted to give you the freedom to finish anything that was missed for full credit on Monday.  Once next week starts, you will receive credit (or partial credit) for your assignments on a daily basis.  I encourage you to keep working diligently and if you have questions on how to organize yourself or your time, to ask so that I may give you some pointers.

I am very excited to be able to work with each and everyone of you on a more personal basis this year and thank you to a great start of the school year.

MRH

2011-2012 Welcome!

To say that I am excited to get going would be a profound understatement.  We are going to continue to change the way things are done in education in order to create environments where all students can succeed as well as be prepared for a constantly changing world.  This short introduction was created to help you find and use the online resources.

This year, my classes have been “flipped’.  What that means is that the students will need to work on the lessons outside of the classroom, through an online video like this, while working on practice problems and asking question during class time.  This will allow more “teacher to student time” during the classroom as well as the students being able to pause or rewind the lesson, if they need more time for a concept.  This is an exciting time to be in education and I look forward to working with you. Welcome!

Mr H

mrhanson.pbworks.com

1 Month Left!

Time is Flying, and we are down to 1 month.  It is imperative that you all continue to put forth great effort to end the year strong.  Don't forget to stop in early for any questions you may have on your assignments or tests and also don't forget to talk with me about retake possibilities.

Everyone can be successful, you just have to find the time for it.  

New Quarter

Welcome to the 4th Quarter. As of last Thursday your grade starts over. It is that time of year again to set our goals for what we want to achieve for the 4th quarter. If you are unable to set a goal for yourself, I can set one for you (:  PS:  I always aim High!

PowerSchoool Gradebook updated daily!

Couple items of note, with 1 week left before winter break.

1)  Currently, I am using an iPad as a classroom tool for the teacher.  The reason why I want to use it is for the powerteacher application which will allow me to update the gradebook while walking around the room.  Currently, I walk around the room with a sheet of paper and tally grades on that.  After about a week, I will mass update the gradebook, usually when there is an assessment given.  This has always been a cumbersome process, especially when someone is gone, and turns in late work.

I see the iOS application benefiting many people.  With timely updates (as in the minute I see the student's HW), the gradebook will reflect their scores (effort and completeness).  I will also be able to show if an assignment is missing, or when turned in was late.  This will allow anyone, parents, kids, or even case managers to see instantaneous updates which I feel can benefit all involved.  Without the application and the light wieght tech gadget, this process takes much more time.  Is it worth the price of the iPad, only time will tell.

2) 1 week to go before break.  All assignments are updated on the gradebook.  If you see any assignment missing or skipped, that means I don't have it and it will turn into a 0 by the end of the week.  Please turn them in.


Have a great week! 

Wednesday & Thursday I will be attending SLATE

This week, we get to try something really cool.  I am attending a conference in the Wisconsin Dells about Technology in Education and we are going to get to try our lessons online, in class, while I am gone.

Algebra, you will have a quiz on Wednesday, and do an online lesson on Thursday.

Geometry, you will will be doing online learning both Wednesday and Thursday.  Make sure you check your answers from the previous HW, ask questions, and then get going on the next lesson.

When I get back on Friday, I would like to receive constructive feedback from all of you on what you have just done.  ENJOY!

Getting back into shape after break

Welcome back from our 5 day break.  Hopefully you feel a little rejuvenated, and are ready to give it your all for the next 3.5 weeks before our longer Winter Break.  I welcome the snow, because there is nothing worse (in my opinion) than a cold and rainy November/December.  Let's get skiing!!!

Algebra, your next assessment will be next week Wednesday.  Geometry, your next assessment will be Friday of this week.  It is longer than a quiz, and shorter than a test.

quiz < x < test


So let us call it a Quest.

Happy T-Day

I would like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving (hey no HW!). It is nice at this time of year to reflect on all of the things that you are thankful for.  I am thankful for a wonderful wife and mother of my 2 children- Sarah, for my 2 healthy kids Lyla and Aksel, and the community and school that I work for.

Happy T-Day!

Algebra 1 and Geometry notes due Thursday/Friday

We are finishing up chapter 4 in both Algebra 1 and Geometry this week and so your notes for chapter 4 are due the day of the test.  Please have them ready to grade.  Remember, if you were not here in class, you still need to get the notes from someone (or online).

As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, please check your powerschool grades for any incomplete lessons or assessments.

November is Career Month

As you are traveling the high school highway, it is always nice to keep your future in mind.  Recently, I saw a video on the nightly news about job outsourcing and I thought it would be great for all of you to see as you are preparing for a future in the workforce.

Notebooks due this week!

Your notes that you take in class are due.  Please turn them in to me asap.  Remember, you receive 2 points per day for taking notes and doing the examples with the class.  If you are gone, you may get the notes and examples online through online video lessons.  You are still responsible for everything that we do in class even though you may not be there.  Boy, isn't the internet great!

I'm Back (:

After a 2 weeks off, where I was sick most of the time ):, I am back.  You online lessons will continue and I will be getting your grade book up to date by Thursday of this week.  If you have an immediate concern with your grade, you may stop by and I can work with you on that.  Lets keep putting in the time to be successful!

Last Week Off

There is one more week where I will be off for paternity leave.  I have already posted all of the lessons and videos for this week online.

Algebra:  You are starting Chapter 3.  Your videos can be found here:
http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/Algebra-Ch-3

Geometry:  You will be starting Chapter 3 after your test on Wednesday on Chapter 2.  Your new videos can be found here:
http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/Geometry-Ch-3

Remember to find the help that you need.  If you don't understand a concept, it makes no sense to keep that to yourself (and it certainly won't help your grade).  Please use the resources that are there for you.

Paternity Leave

This is just a reminder that I am on Paternity leave from Oct 4th through Oct 15th.

You will have the same substitute for the 2 week time period.  During this time, if you need help with any of the concepts covered in class, it is your responsibility to ask someone, be it another math teacher, friend, or adult.  Please take the time before, after, or during school to get the help that you need.

I will continue to post online video lessons even though I am not there to teach you in person.  Please use these videos to supplement your learning during this 2 week period.

http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/Geometry-Ch-2
http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/Algebra-Ch-2

I will see you all in 2 weeks!

First Video Lessons

1st Video Lessons Available for the year

I have posted video lessons for Chapter 2 in Algebra 1 and Geometry. If you want to review what we did in class, or see some of the examples that we may have cut out because of time, please view your respective class sites and watch away!

Algebra1: http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/Algebra-Ch-2

Geometry: http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/Geometry-Ch-2

My Goal is to provide a video lesson online for each major lesson that we cover in class.

Mr H