Jenni Clarkin

Math teacher with a smile :) AP Stats is my jam (she/her)

[Trevor Packer @AP_Trevor]

The 2023 AP Statistics scores: 5: 15%; 4: 22%; 3: 23%; 2: 16%; 1: 24%. Great work: these are higher than the pre-pandemic scores of 2019, let alone last year, and educators invited 10% more students into the AP Stats classroom this year than last.

[Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareem_carr]

This is actually how "confidence intervals" work in statistics. I'm being 100% serious. Read on. This is a really fun concept.

https://t.co/apXLGQjvXO

[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.

[Howie Hua @howie_hua]

I turned one of my most boring math lessons into one of my most engaging ones. Here's how:

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

Yes! I've been fortunate to work with a few of these over my 26 years of teaching. Wish it was more than a few though.

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

Teachers love Admin who:
1) Roll up their sleeves to help
2) Really listen
3) Present: in classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, lunchroom
4) Value teachers time
5) Support/encourage them
6) Respect /value them
7) Have their back
8] Appreciate them

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

I need this for my own daughter! So cool.

[Howie Hua @howie_hua]

Would you play this? 👀

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

I thought I knew a lot about @quizizz but this certification was enlightening. I'm glad I refreshed what I knew and learned more. Can't wait to try some of their new features.

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

@czamiara @LNCharter I love the learning that happens when doing partner quizzes and tests. It sometimes take longer to complete, but the conversations that take place are so worth it .

[Howie Hua @howie_hua]

New TikTok video: Why is 0/0 considered indeterminate while 1/0 is undefined?

[Howie Hua @howie_hua]

This is the most ridiculous math video I've made but I hope it's still good 😅

Tired of "borrowing" when subtracting? Never "borrow" when subtracting with this one method.

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

@msbloedorn for your maker. Also love the idea of making one for each student on paper to hang in classroom....

[Julia's #STEAMing up Learning! @GiftedTawk]

Make a name snowflake in @CuttleXYZ This was my test flake. I can do better but I love the idea and the Cuttlexyz link. https://t.co/KrP4zFnoTm

[Robert Kaplinsky @robertkaplinsky]

If you love @pgliljedahl's #thinkingclassrooms, you will love these sketch note summaries from @aledaklassen.

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

We tell our students this all the time. True for teachers as well.

[TeacherGoals @teachergoals]

Important! 🙌

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

@edpuzzle Who do I contact for support? I made classes for this year with students then realized I hadn't updated my school and now my classes are gone. I assume they got listed to my old school but they should be for this year. Help!!

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

Hmmm....

[Help A Teacher @HelpATeacher]

For real though! 💯

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

2 days before I go back to work and I made something I saw posted to help me this year. Dollar tree frame and printed template for post its modified from @tonyvincent. Now I can't lose those important stickies and I have them where I can see them! #goalsinfront

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

@alittlestats I love teaching with unit 3 first as it really sets the stage for all we will do because we 1st collect the data 😀

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

I've been reading this during the summer and it's so good. It's like all the things you know are true but aren't sure how to fix them backed with research to fix them. The stats teacher in me loves the evidence collected and I can't wait to implement it this school year! #BestPD

[Robert Kaplinsky @robertkaplinsky]

I've been a math educator since 2003 and Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by @pgliljedahl has more potential to improve the way we teach mathematics than any other book I have ever read.

I wrote a blog post to share why we should all read it:
https://t.co/oWkYbmWvel

[Jenni Clarkin @mrsclarkin]

Crowdsourcing #mathteachers, what is the one thing you are most passionate about in your teaching? What is the one thing that brings you the most joy in your years of teaching?