I find that I get some cool lesson ideas as well as teaching strategies, class structures, and other independent pieces that are all awesome from the MTBoS, but I feel like what I have as a product for my students right now is rather disjointed and doesn't really flow in the way I wish it would. I am going to go on an analogy tangent here - bear with me... It's like we all have this huge 5000 piece puzzle to build (curriculum). No one actually has the picture on the box (example of pre-made perfected curriculum... because let's be honest, it doesn't exist - but besides the point for the analogy), but there is this basic instruction that says the goal is that our puzzle will be a representation of the Golden Gate Bridge (standards). We have to go find the puzzle pieces and, while it is possible to force all the pieces we find together, in reality, they are all to different puzzles. So the trick is to figure out which pieces match your idea of the "representation of the Golden Gate Bridge" and try to put them together so that it makes sense in the end. I feel like we are all frantically trying to put the pieces together into our own puzzles separately, although we do shout out to our neighbors when certain pieces seem to go, or seem to go together in a theme (MTBoS sharing). At the same time, it is such a huge amount of man-hours going into all of us separately trying to do essentially the same thing.
So... Here's the idea: What if I could find a handful of teachers who match my content and would be willing to REALLY collaborate. Like not just make a lesson myself, teach it myself, then share afterward. I mean the long hours of hashing out what is the point of the curriculum, what are the pieces that need to be included, how to include them in a way that actually fits and then work together on making that happen. Like open source curriculum design - true "global math department." What I wish I had was a team of people that could work together to actually make units that incorporate all of the awesome stuff we are all trying to do but in a way that is more seamless, more thought out, and with a support system of other educators where we could try, discuss, tweak, etc. Does this just sound way too Pollyanna and ridiculous to you?
Like... I'm not totally naieve. I know the input of work would be CRAZY. But seriously? It already is! If I had three people and we all put in the kind of hours I already know we all do, but were working towards a common goal, we could have something really worth all that time. I also know that we would probably disagree. And since most passionate educators are also driven and stubborn it would probably be a lot. But at the same time, wouldn't the resulting conversations be extremely fruitful in terms of pushing us all towards better pedagogy?
I mean... it sounds cool to me. Am I crazy? If so... tell me and I'll keep playing the rat race game. But if not, go sign up on my interest form: http://bit.ly/8mathUnitDesign and be a part of the insanity! I promise I won't really bug you too much until the end of the school year (since I don't even have time to sleep right now...).
Anyway... That's where I am right now. Let me know what you think. And... I'm not kidding - if this is just a total ridiculous waste of time, please tell me. I don't have spare time to waste on something that is pointless. But, if you think I have a chance at making this work somehow, I'd love to try. Even if it isn't perfect, the possibility for awesomeness would be too good to pass up :)
Thanks!
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