Where We’ve Been
In Episode 1, I invited you to embark on a journey together to reclaim control over our professional development and to position ourselves as capable self-directed learners. As imperfect as we are, we have much to learn from each other about how we can help each other flourish and remain unfinished teachers.
Listen to Episode 1Where We’re Going
In this episode, I’m inviting us to rethink our professional purpose and the why’s behind our teaching and the work that we do. To do that, I invite us all to make the same shift in our professional identity—to see ourselves less as teachers of math content and more as cultural stewards, caretakers, of the math stories our students are authoring in our classrooms. In fewer words, I’m inviting us to be less content-focused so we can become more story-focused.
Why haven’t we, as a society, been able to do a better job of creating citizens who have a positive disposition toward mathematics? Why is math class still not working for so many math students?
Chase Orton
I invite you to make the shift and become more story-focused in your professional identity. Learn to see your math classroom less as a place where students learn math content and more as a place where students author their math story. Begin to measure yourself less by standardized test scores and other traditional forms of assessment data and more by the quality of the human data in your classroom that tells you students are engaged, thinking and thriving.
This shift is not a mandate. Simply an invitation for us to do less of what we’re currently doing so we can start doing more of what will help us become thriving math teachers.
See you down the road!
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Share your story with us. Here’s how!
I hope the stories and activities in these videos help us create communities of belonging and grace—the type of relationships we need as imperfect and unfinished teachers. And I’m inviting you to share your story with us and the people you work with.
- Reach out to a colleague. Send them a link to Episode 1. Tell them what your experience has been like and invite them on the journey with us.
- Share your experience with us in the comments section of this blog post. And perhaps take a moment to reply to a comment that’s been written.
- Join us in our Facebook Group: The Imperfect and Unfinished Math Teacher. It’s not just for math teachers. If you’re enjoying these videos, come on over and find us there.
- Follow me on Twitter (@mathgeek76) and let’s start a conversation. We’re using #ImperfectUnfinished.
- Send me an email at chase@undercovercalculus.com. You’re not alone. I’ll geek out with you.
