Dave Walsh

Chem Teacher | Cringy, but like, so worth it | @flippedlearning Board Member | LOTR | #flipclass | #RVPride| he/him

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Powerful quote by John Hattie's Visible Learning for Teachers. I feel like @ERobbPrincipal posting these edquotes to my followers! #collsedu

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Look who won Employee of the Month!!!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@bakerAandP What kind of wave? Was it a one finger salute?

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Very rarely do I see a baseball analogy tied into education like this. @bkulak11 did it early in his blog days. But this, this right here, is spot on.

#rvpride #colledu

@whalen @MatozzoTracy

[Dr. John Spencer @spencerideas]

In baseball, there's an entirely useless statistic called Runs Batted In (RBI). When I was a kid, we would often hear about the RBI leaders and I immediately noticed two trends in RBI leaders.

1. They nearly all played for teams with a really good offense.
2. They nearly all hit at the 4th or 5th spot in the line-up.

I was a nerdy little kid who didn't know anything but I knew this was a bogus statistic.

See, RBI measures how many runners a batter knocks in. Sounds important, right? Definitely something worth measuring. But it turns out that it's highly skewed. Not every batter is in the position to knock in a run. If you are the lead-off hitter (batting #1 in the line-up) you often bat with no runners on. Also, if you're on a crappy team, you run into the same challenge.

So it turns out that RBI count doesn't really tell you how well someone hits for power. For that, you need a stat called slugging percentage. If you want to see how consistent a batter is, go with on-base percentage. If you're looking for balance, go with OPS (on-based plus slugging percentage).

In pitching the equivalent is a win-loss record or an ERA compared to WHIP. Total wins is a metric based on a team's overall performance.

But the things is, our world is full of seriously flawed statistics. BMI is useless compared to measuring one's actual vitals. Plus, BMI has a really negative history connected to eugenics. Go look it up. It's disgusting. And even today, it's often weaponized against perfectly healthy people when they don't fit the stereotype of "average" that doesn't actually exist. I run 5 days a week. I eat healthy food. My body fat percentage is low to moderate but based on BMI I'm obese.

I share all of this because the same thing exists in education. When we use standardized test scores to measure a student's learning (or worse, still, a teacher's effectiveness) we're often running into the same trap as the RBI. We're measuring privilege and positionality while ignoring the data that actually matters. We're running into the BMI trap and failing to embrace neurodiversity. And, like BMI, there's a dark side of psychometric history rooted in eugenics.

I'm not opposed to data. I love data. But my love for data is precisely why I hate bad data. My love for data is precisely why I am so opposed to nearly every policy that uses standardized tests to measure learning.

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@bakerAandP @OBrienSci I think @bakerAandP just wanted to say “spatchcocking” in actual, and not ironic, context. 😂😂😂

[The Cultural Tutor @culturaltutor]

Have you ever noticed that the save icon is a floppy disk, even though they became obsolete twenty years ago?

That's called a "skeuomorph" - when something new takes on the appearance of what it replaced.

And once you start to look, they're everywhere...

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Hey Tweeps! Anyone interested in joining the team @RVRHS1? We need 2, yes TWO, chemistry teachers for the fall. If you’re interested in joining the team that I joined about a year ago, you can apply at https://t.co/obSHihPUIj

Questions? Feel free to reach out!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@MatozzoTracy @Eagles @Giants @PrincipalRVRHS What about @BuffaloBills #billsmafia

#betterthanthegiants

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@shahlock Only moments! My first Wordle word is always “audio”

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Can’t wait to host *ALL* the educators!!

[𝒜𝓃𝓃𝒶 𝑀𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑔 @MrsMues]

Getting ready… NJ educator friends, will I see you at Convention on Thursday? Come check out our EdCamp Experience on Digital Boulevard facilitated by @jayer18 @mrfieldmanchs @TriciaMartel @collsphysistry @spEDTECHer! 11-2:30 Thursday and Friday!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@MatozzoTracy In the foreground are happy little educators. 😀

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

I am proud to be a part of this event. It’s happening both Thursday and Friday! @PrincipalRVRHS #RVPride

[𝒜𝓃𝓃𝒶 𝑀𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑔 @MrsMues]

I'm excited to announce that NJEA Convention this year will feature an EdCamp Experience as a part of Digital Boulevard! Special thanks to @jayer18 @mrfieldmanchs @TriciaMartel @collsphysistry and @spEDTECHer for organizing this experience!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@MatozzoTracy Wait till you get to “The Ring Goes South.” That’s my JAM!!!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@CollsChoirs I miss everyone there, too. We all grew up together!!

FWIW, I now can talk to my colleagues about people in town because I live in the town where I work. I think about our first year often and how badly that would annoy me, but I get it now.

It only took 20 years to get it.

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

I’m an old new teacher. Transitioning from a school & job I loved to a new school has been challenging. But, in the end, when I look back at my career, I will see this move as an inflection point. For what? I don’t quite know yet. I think it is for the good. #rvpride #collsedu

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@bakerAandP I am. I’m at my home HS now. Still teaching chem, but learning the new system. I’m exhausted, but I think it’s in a good way.

The move has forced me to break some of my old bad habits and be a better teacher.

But it’s exhausting.

And, if you didn’t know, it’s exhausting!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Workin’ out the wrinkles in my new job! Thanks for visiting, Mr. Martin!

[Joe Martin @PrincipalRVRHS]

Doing some hands on Chem work today with @collsphysistry & students. Learning about relationships between temp, pressure, and volume of gasses

#RVPride ⚛️🧪🌬🧊

[Pear Deck Learning @PearDeck]

It's time for a Pear Fair giveaway! ✨

RT before 12am EST for a chance to win some awesome #PearFairPD swag. 🙌

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

@PearDeck This is my 20th year teaching. First year in a new district and working my butt off to be a better teacher for both my new students and my new school.

It’s hard work being a 20 year vet and being a first year all over again!

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

Dear @PearDeck,

Why did it take so long for me to use you in class EVERY. SINGLE. DAY? I’ve gone from frustrated to fun this year. Of course, there’s more to the story, but that’s the tweetable part!

Your friend,
Dave

[Dave Walsh @collsphysistry]

What’s with all these verified accounts posting one word tweets describing their products or vocation?

See google maps, science news, and others.