I've been reading with interest the discussions around Khan Academy. I don't assign the Khan videos. I do post links to Khan videos that highlight particular skills for students who were absent or want/need more practice. This past week I posted a set of videos (some from Khan, some from other sources) plus a practice set or two from Khan for students who failed the last test. The idea is that students will review the skills and practice before retaking the test. I'll let you know how it goes. One of our math coaches recommended a training in our district on flipping a classroom. She said I would learn why it is much better for me to create my own videos than to use Khan. Not sure when I'll get to pause for the training but the teaser info was interesting!
The online practice site that I am exploring the most right now is
Manga High. It's a free site, with tutorials and practice. Students earn points and medals for their practice. The teacher can assign specific "games" as challenges and set a proficiency level. I uploaded my students' names just last week. My A day students used Manga High in class for the first time on Friday. So it is too early to report any significant findings. We were starting our unit on polynomials. Since adding and subtracting polynomials is a review of combining like terms from the fall I wanted students to engage in something other than our routine practice. All of my ninth graders were just issued laptops 2 weeks ago ... so almost every student could practice online. It was amazingly quiet in the room ... the talking was about math ... and students were celebrating the high scorers. Naturally I was pleased with that for sure! But will students practice on their own time? Will they go to that program when they feel like they are missing a key piece of instruction? I don't know yet!
I just signed up for Manga High and I wondered which game you were having your students play for the add/subtract polynomials. We will be there on Wednesday, and I want to try this, too! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello - I used the Prodigi materials ... Add and subtract terms with multiple letters. I also went here: http://www.ilovemath.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=51&Itemid=31 to grab the Polynomial Excel Self Check Sheet. Between the Manga High and the Excel sheet students got quite a bit of online practice.
ReplyDeleteHi, I've been using Manga high since September and it was really motivating for some of my students. They come in begging to get the laptops out to "play" the games are challenging yet fun. It's worth a look. A great FREE resource!
ReplyDeleteHi Half islander - we began just a few weeks ago. And I have several students aiming for gold medals! I've been trying to set aside 15 minutes in each of our classes for online practice ... hope to use this tool as a way to review past skills!
ReplyDeleteA few years ago you had to buy a license for MangaHigh. This year a lot of the features are free. I use MangaHigh every year. It is nice follow up to a lesson or even to challenge the students before a lesson. I also found the questions or more challenging - sometimes equivalent to the new testing coming to that state of PA.
ReplyDeleteI do grade the students on each lesson - if they achieve a bronze 5/5, a silver is 6/5 and a gold is 7/5.
Thank you for sharing. I offered extra credit for earning medals in the last unit. I didn't have enough participation. So I am looking for other ways to prompt practice. Our district is a bit particular about what we grade. Some students do seem to enjoy the site!
Delete