A Sharing and Collaboration Network
for Middle and High School Math Teachers
who want to escape from the textbook
for a lesson, a unit, or an entire course As secondary school math
teachers, we find that almost every off-book activity we plan is well
received by our students, leads to greater interest and motivation, and
promotes deeper learning. Freeing ourselves from the constraints of
set-in-stone curricula allows us to better respond to the realities of
the individual classroom, to better tackle situations such as
heterogeneous classes, and to better implement cooperative and hands-on
learning models. However, the pressures of coverage, lack of time,
external mandates, and isolation from like-minded teachers can undermine
our efforts. Working together, we can help each other escape from the
textbook, whether for a lesson, a unit, or an entire course. While our schools are very different from each other (large and small,
middle and high school, public and private), the challenges facing us
are similar. The Escape from the Textbook! network can help us take up those challenges through:
On line: we have a community on www.edWeb.net,
for long-distance sharing and collaboration with over 500 fellow math teachers
all over the US and the world. Members ask for suggestions on anchor
problems for algebra, for feedback on new worksheets, for approaches to
developing students’ understanding of angles, and so on. Other members
respond with helpful ideas. Sign up by going to www.edWeb.net/escape. In person:
we have quarterly meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we do
math together and discuss pedagogical questions. (The meetings are
announced on the edWeb site.) If you organize meetings in your area, be sure to announce them and report on them on edWeb. Questions? Contact us: info(at)EscapeTheTextbook.org We hope to see you soon — on line or in person! — Henri Picciotto and the other members of Escape from the Textbook! February 12, 2011 conference |
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