Big Al Overwijk

Starting a blog is a rather daunting task.  It feels a bit like stepping off a cliff.   A fool's endeavor? April 1st seems like a perfect start date.  

This week I received a nomination for Ottawa's Capital Educators Awards.  I am flattered by the nomination and wish to thank my principal, a woman who writes a mean reference letter.  But what delighted me the most was the fact that two of my colleagues were also nominated.  The first is a former student of mine who teaches in an alternative school.  There is nothing better as a teacher than knowing that your students are making a difference and that you might have had a small part in their success.  

Another nomination was for my partner-in-crime Al Overwijk.  'Big Al' is a gifted teacher and I am happy to say that I had a part in his latest path (as he did mine).  When the present math department head (me) asked the former department head (Al) to teach the grade 10 applied math course, Al agreed.  The course is considered by many teachers as one of the most challenging assignments.  Al is an experienced, dynamic teacher so I gave him the task.  After teaching the course three times Al was exasperated and was ready to hand the course off to someone else.  It was the end of first semester.  We opened a second section of the course.  I took the new section and convinced Al to stay on to revamp the course together.  With nothing to lose, we took a very different approach.  We often met at lunch time and figured out things as we moved forward.  We stopped thinking about teaching and emphasized learning - learning by activities - activities that spiraled deeper and deeper into the curriculum.  No more units.  The activities were not limited to any particular curriculum strand.  We had some activities that touched half the curriculum expectations.

The results have been remarkable as suggested by our board-wide exam results and with reduced discipline problems.  Over a number of semesters Al has honed his grade 10 applied course and has begun to transform academic math courses in this style.  He has done workshops to share his materials and success with other teachers.  Unable to respond to all the email requests, he is blogging - encouraging me to do likewise.

Last May I was sitting in a workshop at the OAME annual conference.  Queen's University Math Professor Peter Taylor was explaining the virtues of teaching Calculus though problem solving.  A colleague, who was sitting at the same table with me, asked "Doesn't Al teach like this?"  "Yes", I answered.  A moment or two passed and a second colleague said, "Don't you teach like this too, Bruce?".  Feeling cheeky, I responded with, "I am Dr. Frankenstein, Al is the Monster." 

You can read more at Al's blog http://slamdunkmath.blogspot.ca/

P.S. I hope to use this space for professional reflection as a high school math teacher.  I will post ideas and materials that I have used that worked or didn't work.  I hope to learn by sharing my thoughts and experiences and share my learning.