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Interview with Scott Milne, High School Math Teacher in New Hampshire

I’ve seen a clip of you playing guitar and singing at a High School graduation. Do you use any type of interactive creative techniques in the classroom?

First, this is DUCK green in anticipation of the championship game.  Second, the most interactive technique I use in the classroom is good old fashioned getting to know the kids by talking to them about their lives … sometimes that includes academic topics, sometimes the college application process, sometimes whatever sport or activity they are involved in, sometimes politics and sometimes even the likelihood of Oregon beating Auburn!  The creative part would be my willingness to bring in personal stories and anecdotes from my 40+ years of life and in this process of getting to know each other, each class develops its own personality and I can then bring out the student’s individual personalities into the lessons or activities in a fun (funny) way.  I do make fun of myself, the subject I am teaching (you would be surprised at how ridiculous examples in math textbooks can be) and the students daily – always in a good natured way – but it helps to engage them in the class and the subject matter and it brings them together as a group.

Do you students use “study groups” as a tool to help prepare for exams? Do see where online tools could help in the collaboration process of a study group in today’s education process?

I know some teachers who do and it does work for them.  I have an open door policy during my free periods and after school for anyone who wants to come get extra help to come see me.  This often evolves into a half dozen to a dozen kids – especially on days near test time!  Some kids I will specifically stress that they come in to get help … others simply don’t need it.  Once I get to know the kids I know who they are friends with and try to get them to do study groups within their peer group … again some do and some don’t.  I think online tools could be incredibly helpful.  I have a rather basic website (www.milnemath.com) … where kids can turn in homework & check on due dates and assignments – but if there was an interactive feature where I made myself available at certain times in the evening or weekend around exams or due dates for big projects I can see how quite a few students would partake.  As it is – on the nights before tests I check my school email account up until I go to bed to answer any questions they have while they review (they know of this option).  Unfortunately, I go to bed quite a bit earlier than many students typically start to study so this is not utilized by a lot of kids.  There are also web based programs like EDMOTO that can link “classes” together and distribute important information as emails or texts.  I have not used this yet but know a teacher who does and I think it can have powerful impacts on helping students keep tabs on big deadlines and exams/tests. I am an advisor for a club and they created a facebook page for the group and distribute information to all members … again there is great potential for something similar to facebook but dedicated to education to link entire classes with their teachers.  Kids could ask each other questions on problems or topics and/or the teacher.  Due to our somewhat litigious society there do have to be certain cautions taken when entering the cyber-world with students.

We are seeing more educators use technology in the classroom from Blogs where homework sheets are posted to shared resource site where they post suggested readings, etc… Can you see ideas here for the math world?

I do see ideas for the math world.  Many are already in place.  Several of our textbooks are “online” so kids actually don’t have to take their books home if they don’t want to … they can see examples (sometimes interactive) and see the homework problems.  The text I use for AP Stats has a link with interactive applets that I have the kids go to for reinforcement or I will use them in class. They also have online quizzes that the kids can take to assess their knowledge as they prepare for tests.  I also have applied for a grant for an interactive white board – which I think will allow me to better demonstrate many concepts and help get the students more active as well.  I would love to have a blog for each of my courses where kids could ask other kids homework questions or conceptual questions.  If kids don’t abuse that type of forum, it could be very helpful.  I have also, on several occasions, used a document camera in the class (a souped-up overhead projector) that really helps with graphical demonstrations and anything that requires 3-D perception (geometrical shapes).

Scott, thank you for your time and education insights.

Keep on Learning!

I don’t think there is anyone out there that thinks using video supported tools like FunnelBrain or traditional video sites like YouTube in the classroom is a bad idea, but it’s not something we are taught or really encouraged to do. What makes this problem even worse is that many school districts block all websites that have any user generated content. The goal initially, I am sure was to stop students from visiting sites like MySpace or Facebook, but it is also preventing students and teachers from getting to some high quality sites like Wikipedia that while not a scholarly peer reviewed source is still a great spot to start research because it typically links out to many fantastic resources that are. Even more troubling for teachers is that some sites are a mixed bag where the obvious time suck exists but also some very high quality user generated content that is ideal for classroom use.

I really like video… I think it is a great way to start conversations and grab peoples attention. When I teach, I love to start off each session with a short video. Sometimes it is providing background information, is could be used to spark a conversation by illustrating a point, or it can be a call to action. Personally I like to start my lesson plan with the video and build outward from there to ensure there is an obvious connection between the video and my planned lecture. But what to do if YouTube or Vimeo are banned at your school? The good news is you still have options!

You could use TeacherTube a niche YouTube like site for educators. If this is banned at your school you should be able to get your IT department to open up access to it with a simple request. While TeacherTube is a great option it is hard to walk away from the tens of millions of videos on YouTube, so I am going to point you to two great resources that will let you download a video from YouTube to your computer so you can upload it into a powerpoint or put it on a flashdrive and bring to school without the need for internet access. The first is KissYouTube and the other is Vixy. Both are great tools that are very easy to use and will allow you to skirt arround your IT departments ban without breaking any rules.

Now that you know how to get the videos I thought it was worth sharing a few resources with you to get you thinking about how to work more video into your class.

100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers

The Top Ten Videos Inspiring Us To Rethink The Way we Learn

104 inspiring YouTube videos to use in the classroom

These are just a few of the thousands of fantastic resources avaliable. If you are new to the EdTech arean I highly recomend you check out the blog Free Technology For Teachers where you will find a plethora of information on how to add quality technology resources to your classroom to help engage students and stimulate learnng.

For conversation:

Teachers: What are some creative ways you have used technology in the classroom? How has it benifited you?

Students: Have you had a teacher that used technology in the classroom? How did it benifit you? If you have not, how do you think it would help?

Parents: How would you like to see technology used in the classroom? How do you think it would benifit your kids?

We know that students learn best when they take an active role in the learning process.  This is not only common sense, it is a fundamental principle of teaching supported by ample research (see, for example, Tools for Teaching, by Barbara Gross Davis.  In this post I’m going to discuss one of the best techniques for getting students actively involved: study teams.

Study teams are a form of “collaborative learning.”  Teachers include collaborative learning or group learning in their teaching strategies because students working in small groups learn the material more deeply, retain more of what they learn, and generally have more fun learning.

A study team is a small group of students that work together to master the subject matter over a relatively long term, such as over an entire semester or even an entire school year.  Study teams are one of three basic types of group learning that Davis describes.  The other two types are:

informal learning groups, which are ad hoc groups formed in class to work on a brief task, such as solving a problem; and

formal learning groups, which are teams created to complete a specific group assignment such as group research paper or lab experiment.

All three types have their place, and you will probably use all three at different times.  However, a study team has some unique benefits that I want to highlight.

The unique benefits of study teams stem from their long-term stability.  These include:

Motivation – on a good team, members become dependent on each other, so the desire not to let teammates down becomes a big motivator;

Support System – the team becomes a support system for its members, as members turn to each other for help and encouragement;

Shared Learning Styles – members will bring different learning styles to the team, thus students benefit from exposure to new styles;

Peer teaching – on a good team, every member becomes a teacher to the other members, and students learn best by teaching other students;

Getting more done – by sharing the effort, study team members can cover more ground and have an easier time keeping pace with the class.

In upcoming posts, I’ll talk about how to form study teams and how to maximize their effectiveness by using FunnelBrain.

First. let’s start with the obvious question, what does the word “mnemonic” mean?  Well, mnemonic is both a noun and an adjective.  Used as a noun, it means a device or technique used to help you remember something.  Used as an adjective, as in the phrase “mnemonic device,” it means something like relating to assisting the memory.  So a mnemonic and a mnemonic device are the same thing.

Now, before I get any further into mnemonics, let me say that the best memory aid you will ever have is understanding.  Whenever you have any concept, theory, fact, vocabulary term, or what have you that you want to learn, your first, best and most important step to remembering it is to first make sure you understand it.  It is much harder to forget what you truly understand (harder, but not impossible, as my current effort to re-learn AP Physics and AP Calculus are demonstrating to me).  Learning by rote what you don’t understand is no fun and no use.

That said, there is a LOT of information that we somehow have to retain in our brains if we want to graduate from high school, or college, or simply consider ourselves well educated, and most of us can use some help with that.  That is where mnemonics come in.  Mnemonics can be very powerful memory boosters.

Some people consider mnemonics nothing but cheap memory “tricks” that are not worthy of a true scholar.  In my opinion, this is a misguided view.  The creation of any memory involves the formation of associations in our brains.  The use of mnemonics simply makes this process conscious and deliberate.

Most people are familiar with at least a few simple mnemonic devices.  I remember the planets of our solar system in order from nearest to the sun to furthest out, by the sentence “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.”  This type of mnemonic is called an “acrostic sentence.”  In an acrostic sentence, the first letter of each word is also the first letter of a thing you need to remember.  The first letters of the words in the acrostic sentence above are also the first letters of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.  Of course, now I have to remember that Pluto is no longer a planet, but whether you consider Pluto a plutoid or a planet, this sentence will help you remember that Pluto’s orbit lies beyond Neptune’s.

There are many more types of mnemonics, and they can be applied to much larger and more complex sets of information than the planets of the solar system.  There is an excellent book on mnemonics called Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge; The Book of Mnemonic Devices; How to Remember All the Stuff You Ever Wanted to Know, by Rod L. Evans, Ph.D., published by the Penguin Group.  It is an inexpensive paperback, and I highly recommend you obtain a copy. You can find it on Amazon.com here.  If you are not already a fan of mnemonics, Dr. Evans is sure to convince you.  You will be amazed how powerful and flexible mnemonics are, as well as how many ready made mnemonics are out there for topics from astronomy to zoology.

Dr. Evans describes nine different types of mnemonics.  The four most common types are acrostic sentences, acronyms, rhymes and wordplay.  More advanced techniques include chaining, chunking, key words, the loci method, and pegwords.  The first of these, chaining, is put to brilliant use in a wonderful little book called Yo Millard Filmore! (And All Those Other Presidents You Don’t Know), by Will Cleveland and Mark Alvarez.  Chaining involves learning a series of facts in order by forming connections or associations between them.  Yo Millard Fillmore is one long chaining mnemonic that will allow you to memorize the presidents of the United States in order in about 30 minutes.  Really. You can also find Yo Millard Fillmore on Amazon.com here.

There are also a number of great websites for mnemonics.  A couple of my favorites include:

Amanda’s Mnemonics Page, which has mnemonics for many academic areas-  www.netnaut.com/mnemonics.html

and

Mnemonics Guide by EUdesign, a very extensive collection of mnemonics covering many subject areas- www.eudesign.com/mnems

A google search on mnemonics will yield many more.

I encourage you to add mnemonics to your FunnelBrain flashcard decks.  However, if you copy mnemonics from other sources, please be sure that you have permission (if they are not in the public domain) and that you credit your source.

The purpose of the “Explanation” part is probably pretty obvious to you, but let’s examine it a little more closely.  Of course, it’s there to give you a place to explain the question and answer on the flashcard, but why should you take the time to create explanations?  There are at least three really good reasons why you should.  First, it’s the best way to learn the material.  Second, it will help your fellow FunnelBrainers who may not have as keen an understanding of, say, AP Physics, as you do.  And last, but certainly not least, it’s your shot at immortality.  Not convinced?  Give me a minute to make my case.

A good flashcard typically presents a very granular, discrete piece of information in brief question and answer form.  This brevity is important.  First, it’s brevity that allows you to review your material quickly, and when you’re preparing for your mid-terms or finals or the AP Exams, speed matters.  Second, the very process of condensing a complex body of knowledge into pithy statements helps insure that you have learned the material well.  In fact, if you don’t understand the material well in the first place, it’s impossible to do a good job of condensing it into  short statements, let alone pithy ones.   However, those pithy statements will often cry out for a more fulsome explanation, and you should answer that cry.

First, as I said, providing an explanation, and I mean an explanation in your own words, not something copied from a textbook, may be the single best way to learn the material.  Someone smart once said the best way to learn something is to teach it.  There is a lot of truth in that statement.  Why?  Because to teach something, you have to be able to explain it in clear, simple terms to someone else.  I know you’re ahead of me here:  you can’t explain something clearly unless you really understand it.  By the way, the converse is also true: if you can’t explain something clearly, you don’t really understand it.  For this reason alone, you should add explanations to your flashcards.  Then you will know that you really know the answer to the question.  Don’t stop with the questions and answers you write yourself.  Add explanations to flashcards that others have written too.

Second, adding explanations will help your fellow FunnelBrain members.  Believe it or not, not everyone is as smart as you.  Perhaps you are studying AP Biology.  There are lots of complex topics in AP Biology.  Child’s play to you, I know.  But another student, perhaps even one in your own class, while reviewing the excellent AP Biology Exam Review deck created by Robert Dennison, will be stumped when he comes to the question “What is the second law of thermodynamics?”  Being stumped, he will click “Show Me the Answer” and he will read “the entropy of an isolated system will tend to increase until the system reaches equilibrium.”  And this will not help him, because he doesn’t know what entropy is, or what equilibrium is, and he’s not to sure what an isolated system is either.  However, if you have been kind enough to explain these things, he will be saved.

Okay, why should you care about helping the other guy on FunnelBrain?  Because that’s what FunnelBrain is all about.  It’s all about collaboration.  FunnelBrain is a community of learners helping each other.  When everyone contributes, everyone gets more out.  That’s what makes FunnelBrain a special place.  And when you do come across that rare answer that even you don’t understand, you’ll be glad the FunnelBrain community is there to help you out with an explanation.

Lastly, there’s the whole immortality thing.  A well crafted explanation that simplifies and elucidates a complex topic, is a thing of beauty that will be valued for a long time, maybe even forever.  And there are a lot of complex, confusing, confounding topics out there just begging for well crafted explanations.  If you record a few nice video explanations, bestowing your wisdom on your struggling classmates, they will be grateful.  And guess what?  That FunnelBrain group for Mr. Ariail’s AP Biology class that you and your classmates are enjoying this year will still be there next year, and the year after that, and so on.  So Mr. Ariail’s 2019 AP Biology class may one day be watching your video explanation and thinking, “Wow, kids were smart back in 2009.”

In my next post, I’ll talk about mnemonics.