1/11/06 Progress Note:
Flatland, I believe, will be a very intriguing book to read. It incorporates lessons of math, physics and English history into a novel. I never even thought of teaching mathematics in this way. I believe it will be a wonderful book that will provide new ideas and possibilities that could possibly be used in a future classroom of my own. According to the introduction, a work with these ideas and themes was rather forward thinking for this time period. It has been compared to many great works such as Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, and George Orwell’s 1984. This was interesting to learn because these pieces are considered such great works of literature, making it was almost intimidating to be reading such a piece. However, it also makes me want to start the actual novel because of all the hype it was receiving. I cannot wait to see if I believe it stands up to the comparisons that are made in the introduction.

1/12/06 Progress Note:
The first article, Good Teachers, Plural, was an eye-opening one. It talked about the 10 variations of a good teacher. It really made me think about how I look at teachers, what kind of teacher I want to be, and the different forms of evaluations that we use on teachers currently. Depending on the students, the subject, and the personality of the teacher, a different variation might be best for different teachers. With each variation comes the need for different forms of evaluation. The idea of different evaluations is something I can take to a future school and hopefully have implemented. The ideas of different teaching styles where all are good, is an idea I had not yet thought of. It will defiantly be an idea to ponder as I enter the teaching field and determine exactly what kind of teacher I will be.

The second article, Teachers as Leaders, was thought provoking. This article discussed how important it is for all teachers to be leaders in their classrooms, schools, and community. One very intriguing point this article made, was in a study done in 2002 with people who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II and people who grew up with computers. This study found that being a true leader had nothing to do with age. People from both categories became true leaders, and the true leaders had characteristics in common not age or sex. This will be a wonderful idea to keep in mind as I take on my first teaching position, which could possibly be working with students only a few years younger than me.

1/13/06 Progress Note:
While reading Flatland, I read chapters one through three. During these chapters, Abbott started explaining the idea of a flatland. He gave an example of how to look at flatland, by describing a penny on a table. It was a wonderful way to describe how a shape such as a circle can look like a straight line, one in which might be helpful for high school students taking geometry. Then Abbott described the levels of society in flatland. It was interesting to see how women were placed on the bottom of the totem pole. However, there was a statement in the introduction that explained this is merely to describe a Victorian society. I found that note helpful, because as a future teacher I would not want students to read a book where women were placed at the bottom without a reason.

1/14/06 Progress Note:
I first read The Courier. I wanted to be up to date on what is happening in the world, as sometimes I feel I am in a bubble at Wartburg. I read every article in the first section, and found them interesting. I learned the Tyson plants are closing in Oelwein and Independence, which will be a hit to the economy in these areas. Another article talked about a teacher that collapsed and died at Parkersburg school. Also in the paper was an article talking about the catholic school system and a study that was going to be conducted to look into the possible consolidation of schools. I found this article interesting because one of the schools discussed, Columbus high school, is a school I have done a field experience in. Being from Minnesota, I sometimes find it hard to relate to the news about Iowan towns. This article I could actually start to relate to because of working at Columbus.

Then next paper I read was the USA Today. I found this discussed issues dealing more with the nation. I did discover that after 7 years, the Stardust mission is going to return to Earth on Sunday. I believe it is important to know facts about the world, such as a NASA mission ending. Incorporating the daily news into a classroom would also be important as some students might not read the paper or watch the news. There was also a great article relating to education. It discussed college counseling in high schools and how most students do not receive adequate counseling to prepare for college. College counseling is important for students, and looking back I wish I would have had more help preparing for college, selecting a college and filling out applications. As I look to enter the teaching world, I also want to be a leader, and college counseling could be an issue I work to have more fully implemented into the school.

1/16/06 Progress Note:
While reading Flatland today, I came across a passage was very influential. Throughout the book, A. Square the narrator, discussed the importance of school to be able to differentiate between different shapes. In one particular paragraph, A. Square talks about going on to college and receiving degrees, to receive a degree an exit exam of sorts must first be taken. If the student fails this test, they are banished from society. They become part of the lowest class only above the women, and all public services are closed from them, along with any profession other than tradesman. This student is allowed to marry but has a hard time finding a partner. I believe as a future teacher this would be a great idea for students to be exposed to. I could help the students draw parallels to our society with how it is hard to get a job without a degree. Even though our society does not take it to the degree of banishing someone, we do not look highly on the uneducated.

When rereading chapter 1, I opened the link on definitions of literacy. I found many great inspirational quotes here on the power of reading and why reading is important. One in particular from The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, talked about a teacher not being able to fix the wrongs in students’ lives, could improve their lives through book. This student was able to explore the world and forget about being hungry or cold. Another quote by Lyndon Baines Johnson, which intolerance and ignorance can be fought with a book, was very powerful. I came from a very diverse high school, which had many problems of intolerance and ignorance. This would have been an important message for students at that school to know. I hope to return to this high school as a teacher, so it would be an important quote for me to bring to the school.

1/17/06 Progress Note:
Flatland today discussed the topic of irregular angles and shapes. In mathematics, this can be a large problem, especially for beginning mathematics students to grasp. Most students believe that all shapes have regular angles, in other words, all the angles are the same size. Yet, they do not see the reasoning behind having regular angles, because of it being a bit abstract. Flatland does a marvelous job of describing in the context of the society in the book why regular angles and shapes are so important. Even if I do not use the entire book as a reading assignment for a future geometry class, this section would be necessary to read to help the students understand this concept. Of course, if just a portion of the book were used, some background knowledge would need to be given, but that could be done in relatively little amount of time in class.

1/18/06 Progress Note:
In The Des Moines Register today, there was an article about Ahmadinejad of Iran wanting a study of the Holocaust. The article goes on to say that, “Ahmadinejad calls the Nazis’ World War II slaughters of European Jews a ‘myth’…” I had never heard the Holocaust called into question, and it was rather shocking to read this. I will have to keep reading the newspaper, in order to know what happens with the study. Another interesting article in The Des Moines Register was one on bus plans. There is a law in Iowa that states students can open enroll in other school districts, and the state aid follows students into the other districts. I found this very interesting because it said school districts are now restricting how far buses from other districts can come within their districts. This is meant to keep funding within the district and keep enrollment up. The whole idea of open enrollment was foreign to me because back home we cannot open enroll. Our schools are already too crowded, that open enrollment has been closed in my area since I was in junior high. We do not have to fight over students in ways that Iowa districts are forced to.

In the USA Today, there were a few articles on Katrina and lawsuits. It was interesting to read that a study is being done in the hospitals in New Orleans to look into patient deaths. The other article was on lawsuits that are being brought forth against insurance companies, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local government boards. I never thought Katrina would have such a lasting impact. Depending on how the lawsuits turn out, there might be huge implications for how these types of disasters are handled. It also will affect history, which will have an impact on teachers and schools.

1/11/06 – 1/18/06 Weekly Reflection
This week has been a true learning in experiencing reading. I have always loved to read novels in the summer as a mindless activity while sitting at the lake, however, I have never enjoyed reading assigned materials, especially text books which is all I find myself reading as a math major. However, this week I started the book Flatland. This book is really a wonderful change from the boring textbook yet it still manages to teach lessons of geometry. I have yet to complete the book, however, I am already seeing applications to the classroom. If I receive a teaching position as a geometry teacher, this book could be built into the curriculum. Some of the ideas in the book, mainly being based off a Victorian society, might be a bit much for high school students. So far, a good portion of the book has gone into describing how women in the society are treated and how few rights they posses. Yet, with proper introduction, reminders of the period, and purpose of the constant degrading of women, this book could be a powerful tool. I realize that not all students would relate well to a book like this teaching them math. In addition if I had been assigned such a book in high school, I would have hated it and thought my teacher was crazy. However there are many advantages to incorporating Flatland into a classroom curriculum, such as appealing to different learning styles. I know as a teacher, I need to leave my comfort zone and strive to have a little something for all types of learners. This would be a selection that might work well for some students, and really make math come alive.

While reading this week, I also encountered some thought provoking articles on education. The first was on different teaching variations, which relates back to what I was saying about Flatland; there are many different kinds of teachers that use different techniques. I will strive to be a teacher that incorporates all learning styles into the classroom. I also need to reflect on how different variations work for my students and for me. Reflection will allow me to judge how well using a reading assignment such as Flatland works for a particular class, age or subject. One of the main points this article made was there needs to be different systems of evaluations for these different types of teachers. I believe these different systems of evaluations would benefit me if I were going to be a teacher that does not fit well with the common model for a good teacher. Another article I read talked about being a leader in the school, and community along with within my own classroom. I believe this is an important idea for teachers to be leaders, especially if we expect our students to be leaders in their lives.

1/19/06 Progress Note:
The article I read today, discussed the need to use developmentally appropriate practices that tie in with brain research. There were twelve principles of developmentally appropriate practices. Some of these principles were looked at in-depthly to show how a teacher could incorporate the principles into their classroom to help students’ brains’ develop. Even thought the article was geared mostly for elementary or early education teacher, the authors made a point to show the connections for high school teachers. There were concepts presented in the article that I had never thought about. One of the main ideas that caught my attention was the thought of using music and movement in the classroom, which is found especially effective in math classrooms. I can understand the movement part, because it is always nice to get the “juices flowing” as they say. However, I never thought about music. According to the article, music helps to build experiences in the classroom, reinforce memory, language skills and mathematical skills. After reading this article, I started thinking about how I can incorporate music into the classroom. I still have no ideas, however, it is something to keep thinking about.

1/20/06 Progress Note:
In Flatland today, A. Square was talking about the notion of equality. It was interesting how he presented color as the item that brought equality, when in our society color is what distracts from equality for the most part. I believe it would be interesting to have students compare and contrast the different ideas on equality, and how color played a role in each. It was also interesting in the book how women were made equal with priests after color was added to the society. That was an unexpected turn of events, however, I do not believe the students would need to address this aspect. In the book, having women equal or appear equal to priests caused their society to fall apart. This eventually leads to color being outlawed. I believe women are working towards equality in our society, and the struggle continues with wages and such. I believe having the students exposed to the idea that women cannot have any status in a society if it is going to prosper; might cause them to believe we need to undo what we have already worked so hard for in our society. This topic could be addressed with the correct scaffolding when the students are in the zone of proximal development. Yet, I believe the mathematical topics could be addressed earlier than the other issues could. Therefore, I believe using parts of the book would be of great benefit to the students rather then waiting until they are ready for the whole book with all of the complex topics.

Progress Note 1/21/06
In Flatland today, the story switched to Lineland, which is another part of the world outside of what is known in Flatland. The author does a great job of describing this new world from the perspective of those in Flatland and the reader. This allows the reader to further understand what it would look like to them, or what they would see if they were to visit Lineland. This would be interesting for high school students to read; it would help them understand the world from other perspectives. I believe a fun project after reading this section would be to have the students design their own land that is different from our world. They would then have to describe it using math terms, and in the perspective of those in the land and those in our land. It would also be interesting to see how they see this society as running. In the book, no one can move along the line. So to procreate, the men make a sound, which their wives can here and recognize. Then the children line up next to the women. The students could create their own story to go along with their land in which they created.

Progress Note 1/22/06
All of these peace articles focus on making peace an integral part of education. They discuss incorporating this type of education starting in kindergarten and continuing through college. There are many ideas presented in how to incorporate peace into the curriculum. These ideas range from homework that involves the parents, to having hands on activities, to special days. Special days that focus on peace are the most common in today’s classrooms; however, research has shown this to be ineffective. This type of program gives students the idea that peace is not very important. To be most effective in incorporating peace into education would be do to it on a daily basis. The students need to see the reason to incorporate peace into education. There needs to be action that the students can take. This might mean involving the class or the school in a project in the community or starting one within the school. Teachers need to make an effort to incorporate peace into every part of education. Schools also need to involve aspects of both positive and negative peace. Many programs that involve peace education only focus on negative peace.

When it comes to involving peace into undergraduate education, there needs to be research. This will provide the students with a greater understanding of why peace is important. Peace education is just starting to be more important however; many schools have not started to fully involve peace education. For this reason, it is even more important to expose students to peace education in college. Incorporating peace education at the college level will allow students who have been exposed to peace education to continue their involvement in such a program, and will allow students who have not been exposed to such a type of education to get a taste for it.

Progress Note 1/23/06
There was an interesting article on the front page of the paper today, talking about the changing classroom. Some of the teachers at ISU are placing their lectures on the computer for students to download onto their ipods. This is mainly being used for Internet classes, however, it is spreading to the mainstream classrooms. The article went on to state how this technique could rob students of their classroom discussion. Some teachers are getting around this by having the students attend class once a week to talk about the lectures and ask questions. This provides them with some class discussion, however still not the same as discussion during the lecture. The students that were interviewed said it was nice because they could be doing laundry, or sitting on a couch in their room and listen to the lecture. I believe this type of classroom structure would not work well for me. I like to be in the classroom because it forces me to pay attention to the teacher, and maybe get something out of the comments made by others. I would have a hard time concentrating on the lecture while doing laundry or sitting in my room. I tend to get distracted easily when I am not forced into a classroom setting. Another article that caught my attention was on the amount of aid schools should receive. The Democrats and Republicans have differing views on the increase schools should get for next year. Democrats want 6% raise and Republicans want 4%. The article went on to discus how different programs such as art and music are feeling the crunch of the budget. I guess I will have to watch for further developments on how the final budget is determined.

Weekly Progress Note 1/19/06-1/23/06
This week, I have read many interesting pieces. I found that reading journal articles could be interesting not just a chore. Previously when reading journal articles, it was more for the sake of doing research or for an assignment. This week I found the true value in reading journal articles, even those that are assigned for class. The peace articles were read for my ID class; however, I found a way to connect an assignment to education. We just needed to find articles related to peace or war, and I turned the assignment into something that would be beneficial to me. I feel I gained much more from this assignment because of it being so open-ended as far as a topic. I found the reading to be enjoyable and something I want to continue looking into. The idea of having open-ended topics for projects is one I will keep in mind when structuring my future classroom. In teaching math, it will undoubtedly be difficult to include reading, however it can be done. If I were to assign a reading assignment, I could select a number of titles that connect with math but in different ways for the students to choose from. This way the students have a better chance of connecting with one of the books, finding the value of reading and gaining a deeper understanding of math at the same time.

Reading Flatland this week has been interesting. As I initial thought, some there are great aspects that would be wonderful for the students to be exposed to. However, some of the topics that are addressed along with the math side of things do not need to be addressed in a math classroom. The topics would require spending more time to explore the true meaning or the period of the book. I believe parts of the book could be used to explain certain topics, or to start and introduce a project. The only way I could see using the whole book in a classroom, would be to team up with another teacher such as a social studies teacher. This way we could look at the math topics in the math classroom, and then the social studies teacher could explore the topics that would be more difficult for the students to understand.

Progress Note 1/25/06
The idea of teaching reading in mathematics is new to me. I always thought of math as something completely separate from reading, partly because I never liked reading. I struggled with reading in school, and had to go to a special classroom to learn to read in first grade. Because of this, I never wanted to read, although for some reason reading was enjoyable to me if it was not assigned. Part of my struggle with reading came from being a slow reader, and I struggled with comprehension. These two key parts of reading kept me from wanting to read for school. It would take me forever to read a textbook or novel assigned because I would be so focused on comprehension, not to mention I was a slow reader to start with. When reading for myself, I found I could read at my own pace without having to worry about the class being ahead, or not understanding every little detail of reading. I believe incorporating reading with mathematics is a wonderful thing. Students like me who turn to other subjects such as math for an escape might find a new way to read or strategies they can transfer to other areas of their life concerning reading. The text also makes a good point, in that there is reading required of students in every subject, so teaching reading strategies only benefits and helps students succeed in the subject.
When rereading chapter two I found an interesting link talking about comprehension and the differences between narrative and expository text. This related completely to me, as I can easily comprehend narrative text, however struggled in high school and to some extent still today with expository text. It makes sense that there are different strategies that need to be taught when looking at different types of text. Teachers need to be equipped to provide students especially those with learning disabilities with the proper strategies to be successful when reading expository text.

Progress Note 1/26/06
This article presented many strategies to make math, reading and science come alive and work together. They used a poem called “Mean, Median, Mode” to help students think about data analysis. This is an interesting way to approach the topic, because some students might learn better if literature were incorporated than if just lecture or the textbook is used. In mathematics, much of what the students are reading is expository text, however, for a change of pace, it would be nice to use some narrative text as well. The article states the poem is written for three voices, one for mode, one for median, and one for mean. Three students read the poem to the class, and the teacher than puts the numbers that appear in the poem on the board. The teacher, using these numbers, then leads the class in a discussion to clarify the concepts presented in the poem. Students can then apply the concepts learned from the poem and through discussion to an experiment or problem that the students are working on. Another text the students looked at was “Tiger Math” which combines expository and narrative text, by splitting the page in half. The teacher can read either expository, narrative or both to the students to learn about graphing. This allows the students to follow a story along with learn about the concept graphing in a new and different way. After the lesson was done, the teacher had the students reflect on their learning using a strategy called “3 Pluses and a Wish.” Here students could comment on what they learned and what they wish they could continue to do or learn more about.

This articles main point, was that high-quality literature can offer students an engaging story, and context that makes it easier to understand concepts in other disciplines outside of English. This is a very good point, especially concerning mathematics. Many students find math to be their weak point, however if I can incorporate literature that the students will find exciting and engaging they may learn the concepts better. Incorporating literature is not an easy task in math because some texts are either above or too far below the students reading level to be effective. There also might not be a good text on all topics to be covered in a mathematics reading class. Another point to consider is the time it takes to incorporate reading into mathematics. The benefits of reading in math are numerous, so even if reading is not a focus everyday in the math classroom, it is important involve reading whenever possible and appropriate.

Progress Note 1/27/06
Chapter 7 was all on Direct Instruction. Direct Instruction is an approach to teaching that focuses on teacher controlling the learning, with clear lesson plans and structured lessons. Included in this chapter were ideas and strategies to write a clear lesson plan. This related to the readings in chapter 3 of our text, which included many links to different lesson plans. Chapter 7 went very in-depth into what was needed in a clear lesson, and why it was important to have each aspect. There were seven parts to the lesson plan lay out presented in this chapter. Research on this type of instruction shows positive but inconsistent effects on student achievement. However, research did show direct instruction to be particularly successful for students taking reading and math who are low achievers or at-risk. In this regard, it is important for me to use direct instruction at least some of the time, because I am sure I will have low achievers or at-risk students in classes.

Progress Note 1/28/06
Constructivist teaching style was the focus of chapter 8. Constructivists believe that learning is a process that students must actively and individually discover to make the information their own. They emphasis the top-down processing where students begin with the complex problem then discover the basic knowledge that is needed to solve the problem. Constructivist teachers use discovery learning and scaffolding based off cognitive learning theories. Many of the approaches covered in this chapter involve using small groups of 6 to 8 students. These learning groups are used in discovery learning, discussion and study for assessment. There are two basic principles that must be addressed in-group learning, and these are hold the individual accountable and reward or grade the work.

This approach will be great for some topics in mathematics, especially when group work could help a student. Sometimes students need a concept explained by someone besides the teacher. This is where group work can come in handy. It allows students to bounce ideas off one another, and learn from one another. It also allows the teacher to group students of different achievement levels together, which might mean students meeting someone new.

Progress Note 1/30/06
Today’s paper caught my eye because on the front page there was a big article about dropout rates of students in Iowa. After the No Child Left Behind act, there has been a large push to increase the graduation rates in all states. Iowa is proposing to rise the dropout age to 18 from 16. The down side to this bill is the cost to the taxpayers, $19 million. However, teachers and lawmakers have shown the $19 million is less than it costs us now because of the long-term consequences of dropping out. Students who dropout of high school are more likely to end up in prison or on welfare than students who graduate from high school. Graduating has become essential and no longer an option for students. Another article that caught my eye was talking about the impeachment of Bush. This was the first time that I had heard about any talk about Bush being impeached. The talk has been on the rise apparently after the recent news of domestic spying without warrants. Al Gore stated this could be a possible impeachable offense. With talk of impeachment on the rise, the fall congressional elections will be a larger issue. Some in Congress are not as willing to enter into discussions of impeachment though. The Clinton impeachment was a major distraction for the nation, and some believe it hurt our effort against al-Qaida before 9/11. It will be interesting to see what will come from these talks of impeachment. I will have to continue to follow the story and see where it goes.

Chapter 3 is full of many interesting links. Some of these links were on lesson plans, they also included other useful information for teachers. These sites included many different worksheets to use, bill of rights for students and teachers that could be downloaded or other links for teachers. All of the links contained numerous ideas on lessons or strategies to incorporate reading. I will have to return to many of these links, as time does not allow following all of them in one sitting.

Progress Note 2/1/06
Today I finally finished Flatland, which was a nice feeling. One part of the book that caught me slightly off guard came when the narrator, A. Square was telling how they determine who is divine in their society. The sphere from the land of three dimensions, tells A. Square that according the rules of his society, many of the pickpockets or cutthroats would be divine. I found it interesting that the author chose to address religion in a book based on math. After further thinking about this however, I determined it fits with the story because the author is describing the whole society including religion. In the rest of the story, through talking to the sphere and traveling to the land of three dimensions, the realities of his own society are shown to him. In some ways, it also shows A. Square some of the down sides to his Flatland. The idea of exposing the realties of society to someone is a great idea, however I am not sure that it has a place in the mathematics classroom.

After finishing the book, it makes me leery of assigning it to a future class of mine. There are topics discussed in the book that students would not be ready for, or would need further explanation. This explanation could take place in another classroom such as a social studies room, however this would require teachers working together on a common project. Many teachers at the high school level do not work together on a common curriculum, which would hinder the use of the complete book. However, some of the explanations, paragraphs, chapters and diagrams are wonderful and would be invaluable for students. If I were to use the book in a future classroom, it would need to be as a special project where the students could choose from numerous books or as sections that are printed off for students as the topics presented in the book are covered.

Weekly Progress Note 1/24/06-2/1/06
The end of the 21 days has come and looking back there are many things I have learned. First, I have learned that there are interesting stories out there on mathematics. I believe knowing this information is important, because if I want to convince students that math and reading together can work, I need first hand examples or experiences. Even if I choose not to use this whole book in a future classroom of mine, which is more than likely the chance, it is still important that I have read it. Flatland does a nice job of presenting different dimensions and making the reader feel like they are there with A. Square learning. It creates wiliness in students to want to learn about math, which is important for many students.

Second, I learned how important reading is to my everyday life. Before this assignment reading was something, I did merely for class, which meant I only read my textbooks or assigned narrative texts. Only in the summer did I allow myself to choose a book that was of interest to me. Even with the assignment I chose something that I would not have normally picked, however it still felt different because I was able to chose it. I was able to look forward to the hour of reading or so a day. I allowed me to escape from the normal day-to-day work and studying that is required of a college student. It was something to look forward to everyday, almost as a release from the daily stress. On the days where I was unable to read, it was as if I missed it. I know that the reading will continue. I will continue to look for books to read as a release. I believe it is important to make time for myself in the busy life that I lead. Schoolwork should not take over all of my time or I will go insane. I need to remember to make time for myself and find a release, which I believe I have found in books. Reading will also help me build a vocabulary and work with students on reading.
I also started to realize the true value of keeping up on current events. I found myself able to discuss the current issues in classes or with my roommates. I even found myself taking a different way to into my building so I could stop by the newspapers and see if there was anything worthy in them. I found myself reading articles online when I should have been doing my homework. Reading up on current events, became less of a chore or part of this assignment and more of a necessity.

Overall, this experiment has been a very positive one. One that has the possibly to truly influence my life and the lives of my future students.