This month’s 12th began with an extension of the 11th as I had to finish preparing some materials for a professional learning session. The slightly frustrating thing about spending three hours (earlier in the day and then after midnight) photocopying, laminating and then cutting out over 600 little cards was that it was for an activity that would run for about 15 minutes! I will, however, be able to use them again on other occasions.
Shortly after starting the 12th again, I was on my way to the newly built Professional Learning Institute.
I wasn’t heavily involved in the morning, and so I got sidetracked on a nice mathematical result that says one side from each of a decagon, a pentagon, and a hexagon can be brought together to form a right-angled triangle. I haven’t quite finished proving it yet, however, because I’ve hit a little hurdle which I must revisit.
As I am supposed to be reducing my cholesterol intake and I have issues with self-control sometimes, morning tea was a problem.
Lunch was slightly healthier.
In the afternoon the teachers got to “do” the activity, and we were able to have some good discussion about various aspects of it: what it means for children’s learning, and how it might be used to help teacher development as well.
The teachers also had a little questionnaire to do, in order to find out their beliefs and biases in mathematics teaching and what areas they want to work on developing with the other teachers in their schools. (This professional learning is very “meta”: I am working with some teachers — who have been designated as “coaches” — in order to help them work with teachers in the schools to help the latter teachers produce better outcomes for students.)
By the time I’d packed up and had a debriefing and planning discussion with the PL coordinator the carpark was nearly empty but at least I had a good view of the mountain.
And then I went back to my office, which is a bit of a mess (although I have managed to improve some aspects of my own desk).
The other thing that was a mess was the email Inbox. The blue highlighted messages on the screen below highlight one set of complexities. It has taken me since November to do the supposedly simple task of finding the information needed to get this conversation started, and now we can start doing the complicated bit which is going to turn out to be excruciatingly tedious and time-consuming. Aaaagh.
Late in the evening I headed down to the docks to meet an old friend of mine (a member of the team that hid the Duckhole Lake surprise cache).
In another hit to the cholesterol good intentions, we sat on the edge of the dock eating fish and chips and caught up on all our news.
(The “12 of 12” project involves taking 12 photos on the 12th of the month. This provides the opportunity to get snapshots of different aspects of your life. I have been doing this since 2009.)
Latest comments