Mr. Ayers

8th grade math teacher, football and basketball coach, husband, father, lifelong learner.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@wizardosmosis @VinceBoley To your point…none of those get to redo the same exact thing. But most would get an opportunity to try again. Does the lawyer not get another case? Or is it too bad, so sad…no more tries for you?

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@kylegeorg @VinceBoley The purpose of allowing retakes is to encourage students to continue to build their competency.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@mrjosephchay @VinceBoley Why not let any kid that wants to do better have a chance? 2nd grade is what goes in the grade book, so there is a chance they could do worse. Encourages kids to make sure they are better prepared and deters kids who aren’t serious about it.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@jbfox23 @VinceBoley Which doesn’t make sense if they now know 100% of the material.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@SpesMagnaMark @VinceBoley Doing test corrections is a valid reteaching tool. If they have done test corrections in front of you so that you are sure they did them, offer them a reassessment that covers the same content as the original but different questions and give them the new grade.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@VinceBoley It’s not the practice of retaking that’s the e problem. It’s the retake policy that is the issue.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@rmm4pi8 @mrs_larocque @VinceBoley So then it’s the retake policy that needs changing, not the idea of the retake itself.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@TeacherManv14 @VinceBoley Except for the ACT. And the Bar exam. And your the test to get your driver’s license. And a class you failed the first time. And getting remarried.

[Justin Dehm @JustinDehm]

Kids in 3rd-8th grade play more games in a year than HS teams…We have it all backwards…9-12 year olds running around shooting on a rim too high with a ball too big, playing zone, and scoring in the 20s.

[Hunter Ash @ArtemisConsort]

Merit-based pay for teachers is a terrible idea, because student performance is largely a function of student quality, not teacher quality. This will just punish the brave teachers willing to work with the worst students.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@sage_stage You have to be able to hit ground balls and pop flies for them to practice fielding…and doing so relatively accurately helps.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@MrsSheehanMath Scatter Plot Capture Desmos activity is an AWESOME intro.

[Melissa D @Dean_of_math]

Kids don't start out needing a grade for motivation. We teach them that. Somewhere along the line, this is what the system tells them: don't do it if you don't get something for it.

[Bob Lochel @bobloch]

Hi @JasonKelce
I'm torn.
I'm a lifelong @eagles fan.
I've also taught statistics for over 20 years, and try my best to energize students to think deeply about math.
Then you toss out this garbage.
Do better.
Thanks.
#statschat

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@MrZachG I use a similar strategy, shrug and walk away, ONLY when students are close to figuring it out. And…wait for it because you wont believe this…they typically figure it out themselves! Seems as though this means I’m a bad teacher.

[Jim Shapiro @jimshapiro]

I just heard a local club 6th grade football team is traveling from Seattle to Tennessee this weekend to play a football game.

What on earth are we doing?

Somebody is making big bucks.

Some family out there is stressed.

Some kid just wants to play the game he loves.

We have lost our way.

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@ddmeyer 15. Work on critical thinking skills and teamwork.

[Alfie Kohn @alfiekohn]

1/4
New: Another math expert explains why conceptual understanding is far more important than learning the "correct" steps & procedures. And why inquiry-based teaching works better than direct instruction to help kids develop that conceptual understanding: https://t.co/OjPr45SPED

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@MosquitoCoasty @MrDanielBuck Math has been “messed up” for the majority of the population for a long time. If you were to take a random survey, more people would have negative feelings than would have positive feelings…most likely in a landslide. So why continue to teach the way it’s always been taught?

[Mr. Ayers @MrAyersMath]

@theatomicmom @MrDanielBuck Many kids come home to parents that are the first to proclaim that they “hate math” or are “not a math person”…and yet it’s a good idea to continue to teach math the “old fashioned way”?