Geometry in Construction Newsletter

Key Practices of the Geometry in Construction Model

2012-04-27T18:33:00.002-07:00

Often we are asked what are the key components of our program. Many times, the inquirer is trying to figure out what parts of the program can they leave out and still get the desired results. We have given much thought but have never been able to give the answer they are seeking. Instead, we decided to just list our most important practices. These practices are our compass...if a new situation/problem presents itself, we always return to this list to help make instructional and program decisions.

Although these practices are found in many the the education reports and findings that are being published today, we believed in them before they were published in Pathways to Prosperity, High Schools That Work, etc. We believe these practices are nothing more than what good teachers have been doing for years....we just decided to combine them into one class. So here is our key practices.

· All Kids

o Cooperative Groups

o Team Building

o Peer Mentoring & Tutoring

o Scaffold Learning

o Under Represented Populations

· Instructional Methods

o CTE Driven

o Math Contextualized

o Math is Not Watered Down

o Team Teaching

o Kid Done- Kid Friendly Apprenticeship Learning

o Active Learning

o Accountability

· Cultural Practice

o 21^st Century Workplace skills

o Small Learning Community

o Parent Communication

o Culture of Kid Success

o Networking with the Community

o Collaboration Between Teachers

· Service Learning

o Authentic Project

o Self Funded

o Engaging

ALL KIDS: All Abilities and All Career Paths in the Math Classroom

2012-03-17T19:03:00.003-07:00

What do we mean when we say we are a class for ALL KIDS? This is a very popular question when we are making presentations. It is easy to say but hard to do. In the past, the discussion always centered on kids making a choice (or someone else making it for them) about whether they are non-college or college bound. Research is telling us to think about students being post-secondary ready….a much better term and concept. I believe there are fallacies in our past assumptions and I was one of those teachers that believed that the two groups of students could not coexist in the classroom. Career and college preparation are not mutually exclusive. It is not an “either or” choice. It is a “both and” choice. The solution is not to water down the math but to change how we teach. The reminder of this article is based on my experiences as I changed from a traditional math teacher to a contextualized math teacher.

For me to make a successful change, I had to examine each part of my instruction. I had to risk and do what research was telling me about instruction. I had to stop blaming previous teachers, counselors, parents, students, and the educational system for the failures in my classroom. I had to remember that I only control 2 things: what I teach and how I teach it. Simply, I had to reinvent myself and then to keep myself from returning back to what I was comfortable with (the status quo). Yes, it was a risk to change what I had done in the classroom, especially in this day and age of high stakes testing. So what did I learn from reinventing myself? Below are a few thoughts about what I experienced.

1. Teachers can no longer be the only dispenser of knowledge in the increasingly large classroom of today. We are one resource but not the only resource. Early on I knew I needed to make better use of cooperative groups. Other students can provide another level of support for students that struggle. Some of my students needed more one-on-one time to learn the material. Why not make better use of other students who could provide tutoring. Lots of good learning occurs as students verbalize their mathematics while explaining to their peers. As the teacher, I had to trust that students are very capable of teaching if an appropriate classroom structure is in place.

Often I hear math teachers tell me that their students work in groups. However, upon further probing, they put students together without training, and hope and pray they work. Many times this can lead to teacher frustration because the students are not doing what they are suppose to do. Then it is easy to revert back to rows and silence in the classroom. Before that happens, these questions need to be posed. Am I as the teacher providing too much support during homework time? Am I as the teacher rewarding good group behavior? Have I as a teacher demonstrated what good “help” looks like in the classroom? Do I answer too many of their questions? Do I stop groups for the entire class because of the actions of a few students?

2. Teachers need to look at their delivery system of instruction. Lecture is a very time efficient way to get the facts across….but is it the best? Learning style research is everywhere but it was not in my classroom. I had to change. This is why I now use activities at least 50% of the time to help students “do their mathematics” in Geometry in Construction. Students need to be active in their own learning. Do labs and activities take more time? Yes. Research shows that as few as 10% of high school students learn best by auditory learning yet 80% of the instruction in high school is lecture (University of Illinois). If students learn best by seeing and doing, then I had to change how I was teaching whether it was time efficient or not. Yes, such instruction takes more classroom time.

Many times teachers and administrators tell me that I do not understand their situation. The conversation goes something like “I must cover all of the objectives in order for the students to score well on the state test and I don’t have time for activities.” I too, had that question personally. I had to ask “is what I am doing currently with lectures working for all kids?”. My answer was a solid NO. It was not working for my students. I personally had to gamble with what research said, teach fewer topics but be more in depth. So, that is what I did. I did throw out some minor topics so I could spend more time on the major topics. I then implemented more activities, not more lecture.

3. Closely tied to learning styles is scaffold learning. Whenever possible, teachers need to introduce lessons from a very concrete approach and then move on to the abstract. This provides students various entry points into their new learning. For me, I had to back off of the theoretical introductions to new material. My students do not need the theory. I had to find ways to introduce material from an experiential approach. Not an easy thing to do but contextualization provides avenues for this to happen.

4. The terms “high achieving and low achieving” that I was using were wrong. Many of these labeled “low achieving” students have learning styles that I was not addressing. See #2 above. Many times these students need to know how the math is going to be used (contextualized mathematics). Students need to have direct experiences with their mathematics, giving them a “hook” to attach their new learning on. I found students (and adults) do not make the connections between book mathematics and application mathematics readily. My job as a teacher is to help students make those connections. In giving students a reason to know where the math is used, I can help struggling students. I have found that “struggling students in the classroom” can be the superstars in applying the math topics out on the job site.

5. Providing additional academic support for students who are behind is crucial to success. One of the ten tenets of the “High Schools that Work” model is for teachers/schools to provide structured extra help for struggling students. We are fortunate that we are able to provide additional help in the math classroom using former Geometry in Construction students. These peers can work alongside students that need extra help. In addition, we provide before/after school help as well as a study night (using the Advance Placement idea) before each unit test. Remember, this is in addition to having students work in groups.

6. I provide second chances. All of us make poor choices, have bad days, or just don’t get it at some point in our lives. Students are not exempt. I offer retest for students that did not get it the first time. I offer learning contracts to students that fail semester 1. Does this require extra work as a teacher? Yes. However, I want my students to believe I am on their side and that I want them to succeed as much as they do.

7. Parent communication is critical. Early in the year, I establish weekly emails to each parent, letting them know what is coming up next week. This is in addition to the access they have to grades (what most school districts supply). These emails focus on the positive. By establishing good communication early, it opens the door for me to contact them with concerns regarding their student later. This is a 15 minute per week commitment. I believe the return is greater than the time cost.

8. Creating a classroom culture where we are purposeful in being accepting of ALL students whether they are college bound or not. I want my students to feel valued. As I review my previous math teaching experience, I peppered my class discussions with statements like “you will need this for college”, “when you get to college”, “what college are you going to”, etc. In making those statements, I realized I was not very welcoming of students who were not planning on going to college. I did not intend to be one sided, but I was. Also, if I brought in a guest speaker, it was always a college educated person. Again I was guilty of only showing one side. So, when I started Geometry in Construction, I was very purposeful in talking about the need for post secondary training….not college. I made a point of defining post-secondary as any training after high school (military, apprenticeship, community college, 4 year college, etc). In addition, I scheduled about half our guest speakers to represent college bound careers and the other half representing non-college bound careers.

9. Rigorous mathematics has different meanings for different people. For some, it is simply more math problems or doing 8-10 more sections (topics) in a year. For others, it means doing “Problem Set C. In fact, many of the honor classes pride themselves on one of the above definitions. One of the more accepted meanings for rigor comes from the work of Bill Daggett’s Model Schools. Rigorous math is math that is applied across disciplines. Being able to apply the mathematics in new situations is considered high level “Quadrant D” thinking. ”. I knew I wanted my students to apply their mathematics and our state test reinforces the need. Geometry in Construction asks students to apply their mathematics throughout the process of building of a home. Food for thought: Isn’t this what we ask engineers to do?

Combining all of the thoughts above into one class is not easy and is not for every teacher. Do we have 100% passing? No. However, my classroom went from 20%-30% failure rates to less than 10%. My personal job satisfaction also increased because of the improvement. When my attitude improved, so do that of my students. I believe I am doing what is best for ALL KIDS. But, for me, it took reinventing myself as a teacher.

Constructing a Self Funded Program Takes More Than Dollars & Cents

2012-02-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

By: Scott Burke; Originally published in Techniques Magazine, February 2012.

Whether you are an educator in Maine, California, or anywhere in between, it is more than likely safe to say that funding, or lack thereof, is a real dilemma in quality educational programming. The cost of teacher resources, engaging projects that inspire students, and spiraling technological upgrades exemplify competing needs in a constant battle for limited financial assets. Furthermore, in recent years, a lack of FTE monies has led to larger class sizes, fewer class offerings, and in some instances complete cuts to non-essential programs and electives. The battle for money is nothing new; however, how we choose to leverage this limited resource allows for an incredible opportunity for innovation, collaboration, and the awakening of a new era of entrepreneurial spirit.

As a follow-up to the October 2011 issue of Techniques, I contributed an article titled Alignment with the Common Core Standards: A 21st century how-to Model for Successful CTE programs. This article explained how I partnered with my mathematics teaching partner, Tom Moore, to create a program called Geometry in Construction at Loveland High School (LHS) in Loveland, Colorado. The article outlined three organizing principles central to the success of the program:

1) Community building
2) Contextualized math instruction and delivery
3) Appropriate, authentic, CTE driven capstone project

After seven years, we know our multi-faceted model works for not only our school but for many other schools around the country.

In October I mentioned strategic ways we have leveraged our limited funding to create a “self-funded” program. Creating such a program takes time, vision, dedication, and an ability to question and evaluate each portion of a program with the intent to continuously strive for ways to improve. We do this not because it is easy, but rather, because it is needed. In this article we offer proven techniques and show how creating a self-funded program is more than just dollars and cents.

Engaging the Community
Eight years ago, while attending a meeting, one of the long time committee members humorously voiced concerns about the practical implications of our construction programs. He went on to poke fun at each individual construction program at each high school for requiring students to make salad tongs, cutting boards, and mantle clocks. These requirements, he complained, had not changed since his own children attended high school a decade earlier. He asked us the following questions:
1) What employable skills will the kids gain by doing these same projects year after year?
2) Where can the students be employed after high school knowing how to make salad tongs, cutting boards, or mantle clocks?
As the teachers sat and listened, you could feel the tension building. I bet if you were a mind reader, you would have probably heard the teachers thinking:

• What does this guy know?
• I would like to see him do better with the equipment and funding I have.
• If he thinks he can do better, then maybe he should come and do my job.

I left the meeting feeling hurt and devalued. Later, I realized that this committee member had a really valuable point of view. Perhaps, the reason I felt hurt was because the committee member was really asking, “What service are you providing to our community?” He asked the very questions I myself needed to ask to move toward a brighter and more secure future for CTE. These same questions were some of the guiding reflections that eventually led to a new era of CTE at LHS with the start of Geometry in Construction. Fast forward to the present and now we have some tips about creative funding.

Tip #1: Community Engagement
Mutually beneficial partnerships: A central factor for generating funding involves engaging the community in meaningful ways. After the inaugural year of the program we began to collaborate with local non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Interfaith Hospitality Network. These mutually beneficial partnerships allow for each group to meet their respective goals. Additionally, through these partnerships, Geometry in Construction continues to network with new and different community members who are happy to support us. This support can come in a variety of forms including: positive public relations, where our partners talk about the benefits of Geometry in Construction with other community members; volunteer work with our students; and often times, through donations.

Conduit for Donations: In large part, community members want to give and support the children of their communities. However, they rarely get the opportunity to give back in creative ways. Furthermore, schools are really good about asking for money, but this is the one thing that most community members have in limited quantities. Instead of money, however, there have been many businesses willing and happy to donate to our cause. Geometry in Construction survives on a budget that relies on approximately 25% donations of which the vast majority comes in the form of materials, tools, and services.

Farming for new contributors? Host an Event: On an annual basis, approximately 200 students go through Geometry in Construction. These students and their families provide a new opportunity to gain support and future donations. One of the ways we do this is to host community/parent build days. The annual Barn Raising is one example where we erect all of the walls on the subfloor of the house. This event always takes place on a Saturday in the fall and is attended by 80-100 participants and their families. We coordinate the event to include music, food, and fun. On multiple occasions, local reporters have attended these events and given us free advertisement because Geometry in Construction becomes a feature on the local television broadcast and in newspapers. Often times, following these news blitzes, we receive an outpouring of support from the community asking for how they can help support Geometry in Construction. In sum, the first idea for creative funding stems from building relationships within the community, finding avenues to get the word out about your program, and creating opportunities for community members to donate.

Idea #2: Do More with Less
Doing more with less seems to be the mantra as of late. In order to create change, educators must begin to critically analyze each and every component of what we have traditionally done. To do this, we suggest using traditional funding streams, like Carl Perkins, and making time to do additional grant writing.

Through the development of Geometry in Construction, for example, we were compelled to find creative ways to incorporate and blend both the curriculums of math and construction. We walked in the other person’s shoes to learn the nuances of each discipline. This exploration allowed us to discover that Tom with his math degree and experience was able to apply for an applied vocational math credential through Perkins Funding. Once the state approved his credential, the school district regained a portion of Tom’s salary for every section of Geometry in Construction he taught. This is similar to how my construction credential brings a portion of my salary back to the district, and very similar to how a portion of other CTE teachers’ credentials bring salaries back to the school district. Although this structure may vary from state to state, it has proven to be a valuable source of funding resources for the Geometry in Construction program. In short, it would be financially smart for the math teacher of contextualized curriculum to get an applied vocational math credential.

Additionally, we write and collaborate on a number of grants. We initially applied for a Tech Prep grant to get the program started. Upon receiving the grant we placed a request to the district for a one-time gift of $30,000.00 to be used for the purchase of building materials. The district approved this request with the understanding that we were never allowed to ask for additional funding to keep the program alive. Since then, we have turned this initial investment into 6 houses and over 1,000 student participants. Furthermore, the public relations blitz that transpired allowed for the district to be painted in a very positive light in the community and build allies and more resources from which to pull.

Idea #3: Saving FTE
Full-Time Teacher Equivalency (FTE) is a valuable component in education that many teachers may feel they have no control or influence over. Through our model of contextualization, we have discovered that we actually do have some control over FTE. When you break it down, it is a relatively simple process.

In most high schools, including LHS, high failure rates in math classes are common and major problems. We have collaborated with some schools that have reported math failure rates as high as 50%. These high failure rates translate to high repeater rates. This has resulted in some school districts doing some of the following:

• Water down the math content so students pass enough classes to graduate
• Double kids up on math classes where electives are removed so students enroll in multiple periods of math
• Offer math credit for a number of different classes including physical education, art, and CTE

The issue with all three of these alleged solutions is that none enable students to continue on into higher levels of math. Unfortunately, this may handicap students for life and possible career options.

As we developed our model, one unique component is the team taught approach we utilize. This team approach, coupled with all of the previously mentioned characteristics of the program, creates a new level of student engagement where students are excited about what they are doing. When students are highly engaged and excited about class, we have found that they are more likely to work and study harder. The unexpected byproduct of this is a drastic decrease in the failure and repeater situation some schools are facing. When students do not repeat the same classes over and over again, this ultimately translates to a larger pool of FTE to be spread out through all academic disciplines as opposed to only core academic classes.

Conclusion
Creating a self-funded program takes so much more than just focusing on the financial aspects of dollars and cents. Engaging the community, doing more with less, and saving FTE are all components we utilize to create a free standing program that withstands the ups and downs of school funding. Although three tips have been outlined here, we hope this article encourages you to consider new and innovative ideas to fund your programs! For more information about other opportunities for funding, or if you would like to know more about the Geometry in Construction program, please visit our website at www.geometryinconstruction.org and feel free to contact us by email or phone.

Geometry in Construction in Syracuse, Indiana

2012-01-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

In northwest Indiana you will find the town of Syracuse, home to Geometry in Construction Hoosier style. Wawasee High School is a 9 - 12 comprehensive school with approximately 960 students. Teachers, Jamie McAdams (construction) and Kem Zolman (math) launched 2 sections of Geometry in Construction this past fall. What follows is a question/answer session.

What is your authentic project? We are building a 12 X 36 one bedroom camping cabin on a trailer frame. We are going for the cabin look with an all wood interior, metal roof, laminate floor, lighting fixtures that use antlers, etc. We drew up the plans ourselves. What is unique is that we are having spray-in foam insulation, making the cabin more energy efficient. The cabinets are being built by Tyler, an independent study senior at our high school. He will be attending school next year in Vermont for cabinet and furniture making.

What do you plan to do with the cabin? The cabin has been pre-sold to a local campground. They are using the cabins as summer rentals and for living quarters for campground management. We charge 15% over the cost of the materials. The cost is estimated between $19,000 - $20,000. The campground owner wants one a year for the next 5 years.

Tell a little bit about your classes? We have a morning section and an afternoon section. Each class has about 18 students. Most of them are sophmores, however we do have a few freshman. About 20% are girls.

Tell about the benefits to you? It is nice to work with another adult and not be alone. Seeing the connections between Geometry and Construction is enjoyable. There is less grading for me as a construction teacher but I spend my time doing other things like ordering materials, etc.

What schedule are you on? We are on a trimester schedule which was the first adaptation that needed to be made. Most schools have the kids all year, we only have them the first and third 12 weeks. Last year we did not have a full Geometry in Construction class, but we built our first cabin. This year, it is so much easier now that we have a regular Geometry in Construction class.

What has been the toughest? Keeping everyone and everything organized. In addition, learning the other teacher’s subject matter.

What is the goal of the course? We wanted to give students a taste of construction. Hopefully some will continue into our Building Trades Program with Ed Waltz. Ed has been extremely helpful in getting us to the place we are at.

What do the students think? The kids enjoy getting out to build and seeing the geometry and construction ties. The estimate is that the students’ geometry grades are about 5% higher than the traditional classes on the final test at the end of the first trimester which is encouraging.

What else would you like to tell people? “It is a great program and the week long training is the best workshop that I have ever attended”.

Jamie welcomes you to visit Wawasee High School. You can call 574.457.9153 or email at jmcadams@wawasee.k12.in.us

Kidify Part 3: Holding Kids Accountable

2011-11-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

In the final installment of Kidifying Your Class, we want to encourage Geometry in Construction teachers to continue to research ways to hold students accountable for tasks that you have assigned. There is no “magic bullet” for this and it is not for the faint of heart. Teachers openly confess that it is easier to let the student fail than to encourage him/her to work. Before you give up, here are 2 reminders.

From the geometry side of class, homework is still an important task. For some students, grades do not motivate and they will not do the homework just because of grades. These students do not feel the need to complete the homework, then they fall behind and score low on assessments. We made a decision during our first year of Geometry in Construction not to allow this attitude to continue without a fight. The decision was to build a “Penalty Box” for students not doing their geometry homework. During the geometry class, the construction teacher is responsible to check each student’s completion rate of the previous night’s homework. If that rate is below 70%, the construction teacher assigns the student to the penalty box during the construction portion of the class. In the penalty box, students must complete the past geometry assignment as well as the next one in order to get out of the box. Why the construction teacher? The math teacher is already the “bad teacher” just because of what they teach. This is the time when the construction teacher becomes the “bad guy”. Plus this also allows the students to see the math and construction teacher as a unified front. Note the penalty box is nothing but an area on the job site that is reserved for doing math homework. It is amazing how much the homework completion rate improves when students don’t get to go build but instead is held accountable for homework. Our typical homework completion rate is 90%+.

Accountability is no less important on the construction side of the class. Students need to know very clearly what is expected of them at the end of the period. For us, we use something called an “Employability Card”. Each group of students receive a small card with the task that they need to accomplish by the end of class. This task must be specific and doable. For example, “installing windows” is not specific enough. However, modifying to say “install the kitchen window” becomes doable and more importantly, measurable. The group of students at the end of the hour must report in to the construction or math teacher, show their progress (or lack thereof), and summarize how and who worked. Students do an initial grading of themselves and the system is set so that typically, students can not earn more than a “C”. However, the teacher can over ride the grade so that the students can receive a higher grade. Students must verbally justify their accomplishments by showing what they worked on during the period. Also, teachers can help insure that there is no “bullying” of students to get an undeserved grade. We have seen schools use this model without the teacher time at the end....it was a failure. Students need that face time with a teacher to learn what accountability is and to understand how to improve. Teachers must be comfortable with “grading” the end product of what the students actually accomplished. Note that many times math teachers do not like this role. They would prefer black and white “answers”. However, when done right, you can increase production as the year progresses.

Obviously, there are many ways to keep kids accountable including structuring Cooperative Groups correctly (see article Quick and Dirty Checklist for Cooperative Groups, March 2010), parental communication, developing strong student relationships, and other ways. What is important is that we as teachers use as many tools as possible to keep students engaged in their learning.

Roseville, California's Version of Geometry in Construction

2011-11-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

You might notice something a little different if you visit the math department at Roseville High School this year. On any given day, you’re just as likely to find a student in a hardhat, swinging a hammer, as you are to find them with a textbook and a calculator. If so, you can be pretty certain you have stumbled into the RHS Geometry in Construction program.

This fully contextualized approach to Geometry, blends college preparatory Geometry with traditional Construction Technology in a collaborative learning environment. The course is designed to add relevance to mathematics, increase understanding of geometric standards while increasing the scope and rigor of Career Technical Education.

Students enrolled in the courses will apply the lessons learned in the classroom and on the job-site as they build a 656 square foot, Factory Built House on the campus at Roseville High School. Students will work on all phases of construction, including framing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, drywall, painting and carpentry. Professional partners in industry will help train students as they work throughout the year.

Geometry in Construction at RHS began to take shape when former Assistant Principal, Nancy Veilleux, found the website of the original “Geometry in Construction” in Loveland, CO and approached Industrial and Technology Department member and teacher, Jeff Bailey. Intrigued by the idea, Bailey formed an exploratory committee that included Geometry teacher, Tyson Maytanes, and made the trip to see the program first hand. The Colorado program, created by Tom Moore (Math) and Scott Burke (ITE) is in it’s fifth year of contextualization and was completing a house for Habitat for Humanity during the team’s visit. The RHS team returned from Colorado and began the work to bring the program to Roseville High School for the 2011 Fall Semester.

Preparing the class for the school year was no easy task; with a checklist that included Board approval, fundraising, registration, plan development and recruitment of industry partners, as well as a fun filled week of instructor training in sunny Clovis, CA.

Nearly two months into the school year and the class, and project, is in full swing. Students have completed the first Unit Test on surface area and are gearing up for the second on Volume, Slope and the properties of triangles. Students are finding the geometry
rigorous and challenging, but with the construction component driving instruction, the instructor’s have yet to hear that ever present student question, “Why do we have to learn this.”

On the construction side of class, students have completed scale models of the house they will be building, out of Balsa wood. Framing on the actual structure began at the beginning of the month and the classes have nearly completed the floor system and walls of the house.

In addition, Career Technical Education at Roseville High School received a huge shot in the arm this month when the Sierra College STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Initiative awarded a sub-grant to Roseville High School Geometry in Construction in the amount of $12,000.

The funding, which is awarded through a state program designed to develop strong partnerships in STEM from the Jr. High through the Community College level, will be essential in helping Roseville High School program meet their goals in the first year. The grant will also help RHS further strengthen the partnership between students, and the strong STEM programs that exist right in their own back-yard, at Sierra’s Rocklin campus.

In addition to better preparing RHS students for Post-Secondary education through excellence in Math, the GIC program seeks to introduce students to the highly skilled careers that exist in the commercial and residential building industry and other careers that utilize mathematics. The program also works to actively increase non-traditional (female) enrollment in Career and Technical Education programs and increase their ranks in the high skills/ high pay job market.

A special thank you to Jeff Bailey for allowing us to reprint this article from their newsletter "Nuts and Bolts".

Kidify” (kid-if-i) Strategies for running a “kid friendly” construction site and program Part 2

2011-10-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Making your class friendly to your students sometimes requires you to rethink how you have done things in the past. Last month we addressed the selection of an appropriate capstone project. This month we continue to explain two more tips we use to make kid friendly lessons for the Geometry in Construction program.

Safety

When we discuss how we teach safety of tool usage, we always end up stepping on the toes of many die-hard industrial technology teachers. Safety training is a must. Good teaching practice and legal responsibilities require safety to be addressed. However, do we use the best possible methods for all, students and teachers?

Many CTE teachers do all of the safety training for the entire year in the first few weeks. In fact, many CTE teachers proudly wear the badge “all my kids must complete the training before they can do anything in the shop”. Typically, this safety training is not the most exciting topic for students and you can risk turning the students off early in the school year. Most importantly, these same students that learned safety in September must remember how to safely use a power tool in February for the first time. We made a decision to change when we teach the safety standards.

When we reinvented ourselves with the creation of Geometry in Construction, each and every piece of the class went through an examination of best practices. In this process we went to a “Just in Time Safety Training Model.” Yes, we still do safety training and yes, we still meet legal requirements. What changed? We teach the safety standards of each tool just before the students are to use them. This insures that the safety of the tool is fresh in the students mind. Additionally, we adhere to a “challenge by choice” philosophy. This allows students the ability to opt out of learning any specific tool. The only consequence is that they will need to use a hand tool instead. There are a few students each year that initially opt out of some of the power tools. However as time goes on, and they see other peers using the tools safely, most will request to be trained in the use of the particular tool they have been avoiding.

Over the years, we have found this method to be far superior to the established method of safety training where we would teach the safety of a router in August but the tool was not used until April. Thus far, we have been successful....no major injuries in the 5 years of doing Geometry in Construction. An added benefit is that we are able to engage students in fun learning of the construction discipline sooner which is a desired outcome.

Choosing the Right Tools

We begin with using hand tools as most CTE programs do. However once we progress to power tools, choosing the right tools that your students use is far more important than most teachers realize. We believe choosing kid friendly tools is one of the ways that we have been successful in increasing female enrollment to 51% in our construction class.

There are 2 tools that we strongly recommend teachers of Geometry in Construction consider. First, the use of a palm nailer is suggested. It is a tool that is used to drive nails. It does not shoot nails (no worry about nail guns). The palm nailer runs off of your air compressor, costs $80, and takes 60 seconds of instruction. What it allows is of great value. This tool creates a level playing field among all students, regardless of gender. It allows students with no hammer and nail experience, to be successful in the first stages of building, framing of the house. For those of you that believe students must use a hammer to do “real construction”, rest assured we have never had a student use a palm nailer all year. The compressor and hose becomes more of a chore as the year progresses. Initially we set up the compressor. As time goes by, we require students to do this. This encourages them to naturally wean themselves off of the tool and use a hammer at the pace they are comfortable with.

The second tool that we recommend is a battery circular saw instead of a corded circular saw. It is lighter, with less chances of kick back, and much easier to manage. This is extremely important to those students that have not physically matured, whether that be female students or your smaller freshman boys. The lighter saw is much less intimidating than the heavier, louder corded saw. Numerous students have told us that the battery saw was much more friendly and easier to use than the corded circular saw. Also, wehave been told by several construction teachers that they do not allow battery saws because “the battery power saw is not used in real construction”. “Students must learn how to use a worm drive saw if they are taking my class”. Is that truly a nonnegotiable item in your curriculum? Once again, I would have to ask, “If your program is not growing in female enrollment, should you consider different ways of reaching the under represented populations?”

Next month we will look at holding students accountable in the geometry classroom and on the construction site. In addition, we will look at the accountability of the teachers to each other in a team teaching partnership.

“Kidify” [kid-ə-fī]

2011-03-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Strategies for running a “kid friendly” construction site and program. Part 1
One of the challenges in running a program like Geometry in Construction has always been, how do you “kidify” difficult construction tasks to make them kid-friendly? Those of you who have ventured on this journey to adopt all or portions of this model may be able to relate. Sometimes what seems rather basic and simple may take 14, 15, or 16-year olds an incredibly long time to figure out and complete. Situations like this can arise frequently in a program of this magnitude, which in turn can potentially lead to frustration for all parties involved. Over the next three issues of the Weather Report we will suggest proven strategies that we have developed, tested, and continue to use daily to keep our projects moving along. Although each of these strategies is shared during our trainings, we offer a refresher here. Whether you are completing your fifth house like us or are still in the preliminary planning stages, these strategies may help to alleviate many of the frustrations that arise in order to optimize the amount of success, efficiency, and enthusiasm in the program.

Appropriate Capstone Project Selection
“Kidifying” the program must begin at the very beginning of the program and should be a goal of everyone involved. Whether you are a seasoned teacher, general contractor, or engineer, remember these two facts above all else:

1. Unless student’s math scores increase, no one cares that you build a house. This vital link is the one thing that gets school districts excited about this program. Additionally, this is the only thing that helps combat against shrinking budgets that exist in almost all school districts nationwide.

2. No one likes to finish others’ unfinished business. Students continue in the program for a multitude of reasons. However, almost all students get excited about the building of the house. Speaking from experience, carrying one cohort’s project over to another leads to a general lack of enthusiasm and negatively impacts student performance. Furthermore, every school that has attempted to replicate the program by taking two years to complete one project has seen:

• Decline of student enrollment and interest
• Lack of school district support
• Disengagement of community involvement

If leveraged constructively, this is the element that keeps traditionally underachieving students engaged in the math and also creates a platform for the community to rally around the program.

Hence, selecting an appropriately sized capstone project is of the utmost importance. The following criteria is a good gauge based on approximate square footage and total program student enrollment:

Class size = 30-40 students…………..………………150-200 square foot structure
Class size = 40-80 students…………..………………200-700 square foot structure
Class size = 80-120 students…………..………..…..700-1100 square foot structure
Class size = 120 + students…………..………………1100 + square foot structure

In an effort to increase the success rate of schools wishing to replicate the program, our 2011 summer trainings will include plans for a smaller initial capstone project. The suggested project will be approximately 9’x18’ and will be intended for schools wishing to pilot the project with an initial enrollment of 30-40 students. Over the last year we have had many schools requesting a more accessible project. This is our answer to this call.

In the next issue of The Weather Report, we will include strategies for kidifying that address:

• Creation and maintenance of a unified teaching team
• Establishment of clear expectations and achievable student goals
• Instructor Preparedness and its impact upon kid-friendly planning
• Tool accessibility and Safety

Forming Partnerships with Habitat for Humanity at the Local Community Level

2011-02-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

Forming partnerships with non-profits provides many positive outcomes for your school district and your students. The benefits are worth the work and time. For our district the benefits include knowing that the house is “sold” before we build. The district also enjoys the positive PR that Geometry in Construction generates in the community by building for a non-profit. This is especially important during tight budget times. In addition, the partnership provides students with a greater sense of purpose. Our students realize they are not just doing another school project, but instead they are providing a home to a family that does not currently have one. Remember success on the job site translates to more success in the geometry classroom.

Now that we are building for Habitat for Humanity at our school, we will share some of the things we have learned through our experience. It is hoped that if you partner with your local Habitat, you can learn from our experience and shorten the implementation process.

It is extremely important to know that each of the over 1500 United States Habitat Affiliates are independently run with its own governing board. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area and must raise the money needed to build a home. So, when someone says “this is the way Habitat does it”, know that it is a generalization not a requirement. This may mean that your local Habitat may not be interested in a partnership due to their requirements, but the requirements at the Habitat in the community next door may be different and they may be eager to partner with you.

Developing partnerships require time: time for you to figure out how to meet the non-profit requirements, time to bring school district administration on board, and time for the non-profit to process the ideas through their board. For us, our first non-profit partnership, Interfaith Hospitality Network (AKA Family Promise in other parts of the U.S.), was relatively quick to partner with us. They partnered with us after the first year. They quickly “adopted” us because they are a smaller non-profit with less red tape. On the other hand, to get our local Habitat for Humanity to partner was a 5 year process. But do not be discouraged. A school in South Dakota was able to partner with their local Habitat during their first year of implementation.

Do not be surprised if your Habitat takes a “wait and see” attitude. They may not believe that you and your students are capable of building a quality house. They may need to see a smaller “cabin” built in order to believe what your students are capable of building. Understand that your structure need not be perfect because Habitat is use to working with volunteers who are not professionals. Invite your Habitat board to visit your “cabin” and your students. Let them see what you can produce. We found it very important to state that you do not want to change what they are doing but “to add capacity and come alongside of their successful programs”. They need to understand that you want to enable them to build an additional house each year, not to replace what they are already doing. Another avenue to consider is to invite the State Level Habitat for Humanity Office. Every state has an office that coordinates all state affiliates. Remember the state office does not control local affiliates but supplies support. We approached the state office and were received with open arms as another possible partnership that could increase capacity of local affiliates.

Habitats have tight budgets and they do not receive money from the International office in Georgia. They may or may not be able to front the cost of building materials for a partnership with you. The school in South Dakota was able to have their local Habitat buy the entire material package. On the other hand, we do not get the entire building package up front, only the materials that Habitat gets donated. We purchase the materials as we go and then sell the home at the end of the year for the cost of the program (no profit). We can include costs such as t-shirts and tool replacement.

A myth that exists is that the Habitat families are given the home. That is not true. They purchase the home for the cost of the land and materials. The cost savings for the families is due to the decrease labor cost and a no interest mortgage. The labor costs can approach $0 when extensive use of volunteers are used or there may be a small labor cost if certain systems of the new home are contracted out to professionals. When the home is sold to the family, and a zero interest mortgage is signed, the mortgage is typically held by the local Habitat. Because the local Habitat owes the mortgage, they do not recoup the money for the new home materials right away (usually it takes 20 years). The money for the land and materials is slowly returned month by month in the form of a mortgage payment. So, when the Habitat decides to build another house, they must fundraise the money for the land and materials again.

Habitat for Humanity does receive donations but probably not as much as you would think. Donations vary by region and by the time of the year. Donations can include the lumber package, paint, floor coverings, door knobs, plumbing fixtures, foam insulation board, etc. Here is one way that schools can be an attractive option for Habitats. If you are networking with the local community, often times you can get other donations such as roofing, windows, siding, drywall, HVAC, doors, etc. When you reduce the cost to build the home, both your program and Habitats purchase cost can benefit (pending what you negotiate with Habitat). Also, Habitat may be able to include you in grants or you may be able to do the same for them. So far, Habitat has directed us into 2 grant applications.

Another advantage that schools can provide to Habitats is another source of volunteers. Usually, Habitats can’t make use of volunteers younger than 16 on the job site (remember this again varies by the affiliate) because of insurance issues. Schools, on the other hand, are in the business of educating and insuring younger people. Some Habitats have money but lack the volunteer base to build homes. Other Habitats are struggling with an aging volunteer base and they want younger volunteers to join them in their mission. In addition, your program may attract another group of volunteers, they are called parents. Parents can often be used in the technical systems of the house as well as general labor. Currently, we are working through policies for Habitat members to volunteer with us. We especially want to encourage the family that is receiving the home to be part of Geometry in Construction. Our students benefit with the family’s involvement.

As you begin with development of a partnership with Habitat (or any other non-profit), consider what other value you can add to the house when you sell it. The design and engineering is donated by a local modular home factory and we have worked to find a civil engineer that will do the foundation design for no cost. We have found a modular home mover that will move and set the house on the foundation for free. Use your parents to locate some of these value added services. Perhaps you could find someone to do the concrete work, excavation, etc. Remember that the non-profit is looking at the complete house when they consider cost….any additional services that you are able to provide improves the bottom line for the non-profit and your partnership with them.

Another concern usually raised by Habitats is “Sweat Equity” performed by the receiving families. Each family that gets a Habitat home is required to work on their home or other Habitat homes. The number of hours varies but can range from 200-500 hours. Be prepared to help problem solve how the family can give those hours to the project. We are working to get them alongside our students. This may require a liability waiver or an additional insurance rider on the Habitat insurance policy. In addition, other options will be any site/foundation work, landscaping, final finish after the home is delivered, garage and porch additions. Note that we do not build garages. It is more cost effective for Habitat to build garages and porches on site.

There are no typical building requirements for Habitat. Each Habitat sets its own priorities. Each home is custom designed for the family. Items such as basements, roof pitch, garage and porch, number of bathrooms, hallway and door widths, energy saving requirements, and square footage are determined locally. Recommendations from the national office are trumped by local building codes, subdivision covenants, and the local board of directors. Recommendations* from Habitat of Humanity International include:

1. The living space provided—excluding stairwells (except to a basement) and exterior storage—should not exceed:
• 900 square feet for a two-bedroom house
• 1,070 square feet for a three-bedroom house
• 1,230 square feet for a four-bedroom house
2. The basic house should have only one bathroom and should be accessible to persons with disabilities. The bathroom may be compartmentalized for increased usefulness. Three-bedroom houses may have an additional half bath. Houses with four bedrooms, or five or more people, may have an additional full bathroom.
3. Families should have an opportunity to choose decorative finishes for their house whenever possible.
4. A budget may be established with a predetermined limit (e.g., $1,000) to allow the family to personalize their home with such features as appliances, fencing, shed, etc.
5. Each house should have a covered, primary entrance.
6. When feasible, at least one entrance to the house should be accessible to persons who have difficulty with mobility.
7. All passage doors, including the bathroom door, should be three feet (3') wide. Halls should be three feet and five inches (3' 5") wide from rough frame to rough frame. [Note: if there is a door in the hallway, the minimum width increases to three feet and seven inches (3' 7") from rough frame to rough frame.] These standards allow for simple access for persons with disabilities. Further adaptations may be needed if a family member is disabled.
8. Homes should not have garages or carports.
*Recommendations from Habitat for Humanity House Design Criteria

As you can tell from the length of this article, there are many aspects of the partnership that must be worked through. It is crucial for both groups (the school and the non-profit) to understand that this must be a win-win situation. If the school can’t recover cost or the non-profit can’t get housing at the right price then the partnership is doomed to failure. As a teacher, I always need to put heavy value on the service learning aspect for our students. Our kids find an incredible amount joy and value in being able to help others by doing something that is bigger than themselves.

Strategies for Increasing Female Enrollment in Non-traditional Career Pathways

2011-01-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

As a father, as some of you may relate, I always wanted my daughter to have all of the best opportunities. Career exploration was no different. Exposure and exploration into multiple career pathways was always one of my goals for her while she attended high school. Although I was unable to make this happen for her while she attended LHS, I was able to create this experience for my son. This desire was one of my personal motivations in building the Geometry in Construction program.
Additionally, one of the most frequently asked questions is how were we able to recruit and retain such a high number of girls to enroll in our construction program. When we started this class 6 years ago, our goal was to have an annual female enrollment of 25 percent. Since the first year of the program we have broken this milestone annually and are proud to boast we have gotten this number up as high as 48 percent young ladies enrolled in the program. Also, we realized that if we wanted a program for ALL STUDENTS, then we could not ignore half of our school’s enrollment.

Here are a few of the things that we used to accomplish this goal.
1. Partnering with a core academic is a must. This allows us to get a core group of females in the course (22% or 16 ladies in year 1) by making it “okay” to take construction since it is tied to geometry. Remember that Geometry in Construction draws on numerous career paths such as being an architect, engineer, plumber, electrician, construction manager, surveyor, interior design etc. There are many ladies that have interest in one of these careers.
2. We acknowledge the differences in the sexes in class. We talk about how the guys are generally better at framing because of the strength. The ladies are generally better at plumbing and finish carpentry. The building of the house needs both groups of talent. It is at this time that we as teachers discuss the no tolerance of harassment/making fun of/name calling of anyone. It is important that we have follow through when harassment rears its ugly head. We strive to make the class a safe place.
3. The choice of tools that we use is not an accident. We want each and every student to experience success when they first start in the shop. First, we promote the use of a palm nailer. This tool allows a student to drive a 16d nail successfully, safely, and without frustration. The second tool that we promote is the battery circular saw. It is a light weight tool that is manageable compared to other heavier, electric circular saws. It is important to note that we start with these tools and as the year progresses; we do reduce the use of the palm nailer and increase the use of other power circular saws.
4. We invite guest speakers into the class to talk with students about different construction related career choices. We strive to have 50% female speakers. We tap into various professional organizations, unions, etc. for these speakers. When we have a female speaker, we have them address how it feels to be in a male dominated career path. There are many interesting responses.
5. Recently, we have started a “Rosie the Riveter” club for the ladies in our program. This is lead by female leadership team students as well as a female teacher. Participants receive special t-shirts, luncheons, round table discussions, etc. This is an excellent opportunity to bring in successful young female professionals to talk with the ladies about all of the career possibilities.
6. We must educate the counselors each year. We do this by hosting a lunch in which we share state test scores and female student testimonies. In addition, we invite counselors on field trips and we educate them on the career opportunities in the construction field for females. Yes, we too have had counselors tell the girls “they should not take a construction class”. The only way to combat this is with continual education of the counseling staff.
Once we were successful with the first class, the first year young ladies did an amazing job of telling their friends about the class. Each year we make an effort to be sure the ladies have felt valued as a part of the team that builds the house. Their success in the class has made them the best recruiters of next year’s students.

Team Building with Purpose

2010-09-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Unless your students are very different from ours, when asked, "What is teamwork?", most of them will automatically think of sports teams they have either seen or been involved with. When you take this a step further and ask them what teamwork looks like in a classroom or work environment there is typically a moment of silence followed by an outstanding dialogue where the facilitator can guide the students through the basics of group development. This dialogue is the beginning of group dynamics training in Geometry in Construction.

Team building in sports is fairly easy to accomplish because there is always a common purpose for the team to unite around, usually based in competing against another individual or team. This differs in a work environment slightly because we are usually not competing against anyone. The teamwork here revolves around getting all of the people in class, typically 40+ students, to unite in the common purpose of:

1. Working together to make every member a better math student
2. Teaming together to construct a complete house during the year

In addition to class projects which emphasize teamwork like the group quizzes in math and the balsa wood house construction, we also lead the classes through icebreakers and team builders throughout the first quarter of the year. One of the common misunderstandings regarding team building is that they are a bunch of "fluffy" games with no meaning. This opinion is typically the result of attending poorly facilitated group trainings. In fact, if facilitated correctly, team building can become the most powerful portion of the Geometry in Construction program. This is how you create a group that thrives together toward a common goal and is willing to do whatever it takes to become successful.

Below is a brief list of helpful reminders for facilitation success:

It takes time! Do not skip or shorten the investment of time during the beginning of the year regardless of how much curriculum you feel like you have to cover. The investment of class time done early in the year will strengthen the group and will provide an anchor for you to refer back to when there are difficult times in the program.
The first team building exercises are mostly designed around getting to know you/name recognition. These are very "low risk" activities for students.
The first few days are especially heavy on team building activites. Probably 50-80% of the construction time is allocated for these activities during the first 1-2 weeks.
All the activities are "just games" unless you as a teacher/facilitator process the activity. Once a game is over, ask questions of the group and make sure to allow plenty of time for responses. In observation, the most common pitfall here is that we as teachers ask a question and then jump in to answer the question when there is silence. Discipline yourself to not do this by participating in the activity with the students.

Good questions can revolve around feelings, obserations, and most importantly how the activity relates to the class/capstone.
The math teacher should be a willing participant alongside the students. The only time that the math teacher backs out of the activity is if there is a need for pairs and you make the number of participants odd.
After the first 1-2 weeks, you still need to do one or two activities a day. Process, process, process.
Remember that when the math teacher starts unit 2, the construction teacher will be starting balsa wood houses. The balsa wood house is a team builder. Students must struggle through the balsa wood house. If they can not build a balsa wood house as a team, they sure can not build a "real house" as a team.

Quick and Dirty Checklist for Effective Cooperative Groups

2010-03-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

When you attend a Geometry in Construction 5 day training, a small portion of time is devoted to establishing effective cooperative groups. It is a vital part of the curriculum. This training is sometimes forgotten so here is a review written from a math teacher’s point of view.

Many teachers tell us that they do “Cooperative Groups” but in reality they do nothing more than put students together at a common table and hope for the best. So, now is a good time to evaluate your groups, to decide are you, as the teacher, making the most of this highly effective teaching tool. Below is a quick checklist of some of cooperative strategies.

1. Where does the teacher spend his/her time? During homework time in class there are teachers that use this time to sit at their desk, catching up on that pile of papers to grade. So, the question that must be asked “Is the teacher’s time better spent at the desk catching up on papers or is it better spent roaming the classroom, in a designated path, answering student questions”? I am a big proponent of some things on a teacher’s plate must decrease in order for the valuable things to happen. If roaming the classroom to answer student questions is sacrificed to take care of paper grading, then something is wrong. When I have student teachers, I never allowed them to sit while in class. There are too many positive things that are accomplished by roaming the classroom such as classroom management, informal student evaluation, answering student questions, showing the students that you care by circulating, etc. By-the-way, the construction teacher should be roaming as well. He/she may not be able to answer questions but they can help with keeping groups on task, build relationships, and most importantly, show a united front of both the math and the construction teacher to the students.

2. So, when students do ask questions, are you limiting their questions to one per table? This forces students to work together to decide what is the one question that needs the teacher’s attention. Many of the easier questions will then be answered by the group. I suggest that you answer one question at a table, and then move on to the next table. I even go as far as setting a path for going from one table to the next.

3. If you are unsure about questions being discussed prior to your arrival at the table, here is a handy tool. Instead of responding to the person with the question, ask the other members of the group what the question is. If they do not know, then the group probably is not working as well together as you would like. It is okay to pass by and let them know that you will be back to answer the question once everyone has discussed it.

4. Do you have your groups arranged such that there is at least one high ability student in the group? It is important that each group has a resource person. You do not need to publicly identify the person….the group already informally knows who it is. Also, you may elect not to have a high ability person at the table but instead have someone who is gifted with being able to explain. Many times the patient person is more valuable than the high achiever.

5. Do you reward good group behavior? Remember that you need to reward anything that you value. Set daily goals for students. One way to do this is to set a goal for students to get to on their homework/classwork. This is as simple as stating a problem number that students should get to in class. If they are successful, or you feel they did their best, reward their accomplishment. We stamp their paper using a rubber stamp of something unique. The students collect these and can turn them in for extra credit. There are various versions of this routine…the important thing to remember is your students need daily feedback from you on how they worked in class. Reward students that worked hard, that took time to explain a problem to someone at their table, that participated in an activity, etc. The construction teacher can be the one to do this task.

6. Do you make use of group quizzes? Some teachers feel this defeats the purpose of quizzes. There is some truth in that. However, for me in the classroom, I believe quizzes have 2 purposes. First, the quiz gives me a reading of the student’s knowledge. Second, and equally important, the quiz is to be a learning tool. Some of the most intense learning times have occurred during group quizzes. I know that someone is thinking “What about the student who copies?” My argument is:

a. Are the points assigned to the quiz a significant entry (enough to make major changes) in the gradebook?
b. You still can move the copying student to work alone without penalizing all students.
c. It takes something off of the teacher’s plate so you can do more important things in the classroom. Reference #1 above.
d. I can grade a group quiz right in front of the group and give instant feedback….a great learning tool for students.
e. I can ask higher level questions (Quadrant D Learning) with a group quiz.
f. By roaming, I can still get a reading on student’s knowledge.

I hope this provided a brief review for you. Self evaluation is a valuable tool in teaching. In the near future we will provide some notes for you to evaluate team building principles.

Washington Teachers' Hard Work Pays Off

2010-02-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington hosted a 2 day “Infusing Math into CTE “ workshop January 21 & 22. There were 28 people in attendance with 7 school districts represented from all over the state of Washington. Below are some of the highlights of the lessons developed by CTE-Math teacher pairs.

At the middle school level, teachers of Project Lead the Way from Evergreen Public Schools developed and engineering project for kids. The students will be designing and building boomerangs, collecting flight data, and then analyzing the results graphically.

In addition, other teachers from Vancouver developed ideas for pulling the rigorous math out of the robotics unit in PLTW by examining gear ratios.

Boat building was the focus of another pair of teachers. Rick Rosenow, Lake Moses High School, and Andy Davis, South Whidbey High School, began developing an intriguing lesson involving cutting of aluminum sheets in building of the custom boats. Discussions of tessellations, nets, reflections as well as collecting data to build data tables to streamline the cutting process ensued.

Continue Reading Here
Electrical theory was the core of the lessons developed by Dave Kester of Bremerton High School. As an automotive teacher, Dave examined the current flow of parallel circuits in autos. By conducting experiments, students will be collecting data on fuse capacities as additional lighting needs are added to a vehicle. With help from Scott Flanders, Lake Stevens High School, they looked at the linear functions that could be used to predict fuse sizes.

New Market Skills Center teachers Crystal Leigh and Matt Gordon delved into crane capacities. Collecting data, they discovered that the lifting capacities of cranes depends on the location along the boom that the load is placed as well as the angle of the boom. Exponential functions can be used to model the lifting capacities.

Numerous other lessons from the field of construction were developed using rafter lengths, site preparation, shed construction, polygonal vent construction, residential wiring, and structural testing. It was a pleasure to work with all the teachers who participated to bring additional relevance and rigor to their classrooms.

It is increasingly apparent as teachers begin the process of infusing rigorous mathematics into CTE and infusing CTE relevance into the math classroom that the HOW of STEM education is beginning to take flight. Teachers and administrators see the need to reexamine the instructional methods they are using. The high level students need the application of their mathematics while the struggling students need the rigorous math skills. As assistant principal Wes Allen of Mountain View High School in Vancouver Washington said “This just makes too much sense not to do it”.

After reading about the great lessons developed in Vancouver, what are your possibilities for relevance in the math classroom and rigor in the CTE classroom? Workshop planning has already begun for the 2010-2011 school year. As you are budgeting your Karl Perkins allocation, curriculum monies, and stimulus funds, contact us for opportunities to bring a custom workshop to your area. We will work with your group in a variety of CTE areas, customizing the outcomes to meet the needs of ALL students.

Agriculture and Geometry in Construction

2010-01-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

The Unstoppable Machine: Strategies to Gain Momentum and Support for your Contextual Program

During a recent workshop in California, one of the participants asked us how we gained so much momentum in such a short period of time. To recap, for those of you who haven’t seen us in a little while, the Geometry in Construction program began with two teachers who had a big vision and a little support 6 years ago. Today we have a thriving program with 180 current students with an even balance between young men and young women. Including our 22 sister locations, the program has served nearly 1000 students nationwide.

An advantage to teaching Geometry in Construction is having only one prep, instead of multiple preps. We accomplished this despite great opposition at times, ever-increasing academic accountability, and diminishing budgets over the years. Needless to say, over the years we have learned a few things about building support for a program.

As many schools return to the 2009-2010 school year with registration taking place in the near future, we have assembled and written the strategies we used to create the unstoppable machine we now call Geometry in Construction. These ideas have all proven to work for us, and we believe that regardless of the program you lead, this list can help you move your program from good to great.

Unlock the Entrepreneurial Talent in You: Seize the Market

To fully understand the process, you have to first analyze how to attract and recruit students to your program. Students have so many more options and choices for involvement. According to Dr. Glenn DeGuzman, Executive Director of Berkeley’s Center for Student Leadership, research studies indicate that this generation of students, otherwise known as millennial students, want as much variety, information, and entertainment as possible in their lives – especially in the classroom. As he analyzed the Geometry in Construction program, three factors contribute to the success of the program.

1) Geometry in Construction appeals to students who like to learn in small groups. Millenial students show that they prefer to learn in small learning communities where they have the opportunity to collaborate with others on a regular basis.

2) Millenial students tend to get bored easily when they are not challenged to learn in many different ways. They are used to giving and receiving information quickly. This is why students are able to pay attention in class while maintaining one or more text conversations with friends or listen to their I-iPods simultaneously. Geometry in Construction allows students to activate multiple learning strategies so participants engage with each other and with the academic material in ways that are meaningful and academically rigorous.

3) This generation of students has a much greater affinity to give back to the greater good over previous generations. They desire to be involved in large-scale projects where they feel they can make a difference locally. The Geometry in Construction program meets this need by providing a meaningful capstone project, which provides transitional housing to low-income and homeless families in their local communities.

Teachers can learn a great deal from academic research that is useful in creating these types of programs. Although we didn’t know any of this when we started, it really did make sense during our conversation with Dr. Deguzman.

As teachers we are usually pretty good at attracting students to take our classes; however, if you limit your marketing effort to just students, you are selling yourself short of your true potential. In order to avoid this common pit fall, we encourage you to reach out to a wider population and educate everyone including students, parents, fellow teachers, administrators, counselors, the community, and business leaders.

For math and core academic teachers, this is not a normal part of a traditional teaching position. However, CTE counterparts can vouch for the struggle to keep an elective program alive during times of increased academic requirements. Our advice comes from firsthand experience in building initial support for our program as well as how we continue to maintain that support. As each of you continue to build your programs please remember that the marketing effort needs to be pushed from ALL collaborators communicating the same message to students, parents, and the community. Each one of you plays a crucial role in the program’s success.

Gaining Support from Students:

Visit your feeder schools and/or classes. The math teacher is usually more effective in this outreach because there is a bigger audience. We visit all Algebra I classes that feed our geometry program. In order for this to happen, the construction teacher may need to provide coverage for the math teacher while s/he visits with each feeder class. The visit is scheduled to occur early during the registration process and prior to students making up their minds about what they will take. It is easier to steer a moving car than a parked one! I usually spend 15 minutes discussing the options for geometry. It is important to highlight the following:

• Show the capstone project. Show a photo of the past capstone or a drawing of what you think the capstone will be.

• Provide a brochure to each student who wants one. A sample is included in the general information folder that you received at the Geometry in Construction training.

• Highlight that Geometry in Construction is a rigorous math class. It is not the easy way out. Show data if you have it or discuss the national data to support your statement of the rigorous nature of the class. In our district, students can take Geometry in Construction and then continue on to Honors (pre-IB) Algebra 2.

• Discuss career paths that involve construction. Most students understand the connection with the trades but often do not realize that a connection also exists for white collar jobs such as civil engineering, architecture, drafting, interior design, construction management, landscape design, etc.

• Discuss the philosophy of the class that the math will be given relevance. Illustrate a 30 second example of studying area by looking at blueprints or studying Pythagorean Theorem by looking at roof rafters.

• Celebrate the differences of the guys vs. the ladies. The guys are naturally good at framing for example. The ladies shine in the trim and finish work. Discuss the use of battery saws and the use of palm nailers….tools that level the playing field between the sexes. Some of our freshman boys benefit from these tools. It is assumed that males can hit the head of a nail but in reality neither sex has had much experience in construction.

• Involve the host teacher by giving him/her program t-shirts, brochures, or copies of data. Invite them to visit your classroom. Open the communication between you and them.

• Invite students to visit the job site when they are able. This can build excitement. Sometimes we have had whole classes stop by for a visit.

Parents:

• Send, by mail, an introduction letter and a brochure (samples are included in the general information folder that you received at the Geometry in Construction training) to each home 1-2 weeks prior to registration. Be sure to highlight all of the points mentioned above. Include your contact information to answer any questions.

• If your school has an evening where parents/students are invited in to view programs, activities, or classes make your presence known. This is a great way to market your program.

Counselors, Administrators, and Key People:

• Many teachers tell us that it is not their responsibility to get students into their class…that is what the counselors get paid for. Regardless of the truth of that statement, we strongly suggest that you take control of the situation.

• Invite your counselors, administrators, and key people to a lunch hosted by you. We provide either pizza or sub sandwiches. For our first year, we paid for the lunch out of our own pocket. During this meeting, we visit all of the points that we highlighted for students and their parents. We provide each counselor with several brochures just like the ones that are given to the students.

• Give the counselors, administrators, and key people a t-shirt, brochures, or copies of data. Build those bridges when you can.

Community:

• Begin talking with your advisory board. Do not approach them for money but for support. Arrange them to contact key people in your district. Build the excitement with them so they can spread the word.

Gaining Support for Your Program After Students Enroll

Students:

• Follow through on what you promised during enrollment time and always remember that you want the students to know you are on their side.

• Two weeks prior to the start of the year we send out a letter to parents and students talking about how excited we are that they are registered for the upcoming program which welcomes them to the Geometry in Construction Team/Family. We carefully choose words like Team and Family because we want them to feel like they are part of a small learning community rather than just another number in a large high school.

• Mistakes made making the capstone need to be corrected but realize that students do not purposefully make mistakes. In other words, do not yell at students when they cut a board incorrectly.

• Provide ample tutoring in the geometry class. Times that we use are before and after school as well as a tutor night (1 hour) the night before a test at a local restaurant. Moving the location from the classroom to a restaurant is a nice change for your students.

• Provide an avenue for students who do not do well on the geometry test. We provide an option for a retest. This is a big plus for gaining support from all parties.

Parents:

• We send a weekly email to all parents. This takes 15 minutes once your email address list is built. The topics include the math assignments for the upcoming week, quizzes and/or tests, any special activities such as guest speakers, any unusual construction days such as dressing appropriately for painting or weather, etc.

• Establish 2-3 “Bring your Parent to School” days. Usually we have these on Saturdays scattered throughout the year. We have the students work alongside the parents. This is a great opportunity for students to show off what they know and what they have accomplished. This also provides an opportunity for parents to see how the teachers interact with the students.

Counselors, Administrators, and Key People:

• Invite your counselors and your administrators on field trips. They enjoy getting out of the office, they build relationships with you, and most importantly, they will see what your program is really like. We are strategic when choosing which counselors are invited on which field trip. For example, the counselors who value student relationships are invited on the ropes course while the counselors with a college focus are invited on the field trip to the local college engineering lab.

Community:

• Invite local media to some of your first activities. Be sure to invite when your capstone is taking shape. Emphasize that a Geometry class is doing this….not a construction class. The media is looking for extraordinary and interesting topics to report. A construction class building a house is ordinary, whereas a Geometry class building a house is unique.

• Invite the district administrators to your class whenever you have a unique activity. They especially like being part of the class when the local media is coming in.

By employing some of these ideas into your current or future projects and programs we believe you can’t go wrong. Best of luck and please keep us posted about how your programs continue to go from good to great.

Harlandale H. S., Texas

2009-11-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

Harlandale Independent School District is located in southern San Antonio, Texas. The district has 2 primary high schools. Harlandale High School was a Texas Education Agency Recognized school in 2007-08. Its enrollment of 1880 students is 90%+ Hispanic with 34% of the students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Albert Perez is a construction teacher with 24 years experience. He originally trained for Geometry in Construction in Seguin, Texas during the summer of 2008. Mario Rodriguez, who has 16 years experience in math did his training during the summer of 2009. With support from their CTE director, Velma Ybarra, they launched Geometry in Construction this fall.

Tell us about your classes?

We have 2 sections of 25-30 students each. Each section is scheduled for two 50 minute periods each day. We have about 30% females. Originally there was to be only 1 section, but the initial enrollment came back with 2 sections and with 20-30 students on a waiting list.

What are you building as a capstone?

The project is being built on campus on concrete block piers. The 754 square foot house has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. It has a bay window, to get more of the geometry into the construction. What is unique is the 26’ by 29’ house is being built in one section and will be moved in one piece.

What type of community support have you received?

We have had wonderful support from the community. Everyone we have asked is willing to be a sponsor. The Minority Contractors Association of San Antonio have partnered with us by providing expertise and architectural drawings. In fact, the architect is an alumnus of Harlandale High School. All the HVAC has been donated by a large firm in San Antonio.

How have the students responded?

When students were asked “Do you want to change back to regular geometry?” Their response was “No, we like being able to apply our math”. Another popular comment has been “Not what I expected. It was supposed to be easy. I have to think.” We have had no major discipline issues whereas by now we would have had 1-2 fights in our regular class.

What has been your biggest surprise?

The girls are taking a leadership position in the math classroom and on the construction site. Also, I have gained a new perspective of how the classroom math is applied in real life situations.

What has been your biggest obstacle?

The process for ordering materials takes a lot of time.

What advice would you give others considering starting Geometry in Construction?

Start with a small capstone. Order your materials early. Be willing to learn and be willing to get out there with the kids.

Do you have any final thoughts?

It has been a good experience for both of us. Have an open mind because you may not be the master of your subject.

Thanks to Albert Perez and Mario Rodriguez for sharing a little about their classes.

End-of-the-Year Celebration

2009-11-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

It’s never too early to begin thinking about an end-of-year celebration. I must admit, initially I had serious doubts about the work vs. benefit balance. It was and still is a lot of work and although scheduling the event, coordinating the food, tracking the RSVP’s, soliciting donations, organizing the student awards, and carrying out the evening’s festivities are a party planners dream; these tasks coupled with a full teaching load can push a teacher to the breaking point. Advanced planning is the key to a successful experience that will leave your students wanting more and the community asking how they can help in future years.
Whether it be Geometry in Construction or another type of contextual program, the end of year banquet provides several benefits to the program including a valuable time to honor the students in front of their parents and the community. Second, the banquet will provide an opportunity to recognize any business partnerships (However big or small they may be) and also any key school/community members.
Here are the things that you can do now to prepare for the banquet.

• Find a location and get it on the school calendar. We use the school cafeteria which we annually fill to capacity at just over 500 people. It does not have to occur the last week of school. We have always scheduled ours for 2-3 weeks before the end of the year. This avoids the graduation/end of year activities. We prefer it to be on a weeknight from 5:30-8:00 pm.

• Send out the date to all your student’s parents. Do this several times throughout the year so that families can “Save the Date”. Also, invite all of your school administration and key community members. Again, remind them of the date often.

• Send out the date to all business sponsors. Remind them a month before the actual banquet.

• Begin to have those feelers out for inexpensive food. We buy pizza and salad (or something similar) to serve as dinner for the crowd. Any portion of this that you can have donated is a plus.

• If you have a potential buyer for the house/project, be sure to invite them…even if they are a potential buyer for next year’s project. The event provides a great opportunity to market your project. Include the local media in the invite.

• If you have student aides….or management team members, be sure they clear the calendar for 2-3 hours before and after for set-up and clean-up.

• Make a class list of all your students. On this list record any funny happenings, etc as you go through the year. We give each student an award at the banquet. The awards can be on a certificate or some inexpensive item that represents the award. The local “Everything’s a Dollar” store gets a lot of our business. Awards include hardest worker, best at drywall, roofing, etc, most improved math student as well as some funny awards such as “It’s too cold to work” or “measure once and cut twice”. We try to keep the awards in a positive light. Sometimes these awards are done in groups such as the “best plumbers” or “willing to tackle anything” awards. Keep a list of the highlights of each student. Do not wait until the week before the banquet to come up with all the awards.

• Be sure to take photos. Get group shots as well as individual. We have 2 digital cameras that we have running in every construction class. We select 2 students to be photographer of the day. The students selected as photographer changes daily. If you keep the same photographer, you will get photos of the same students. We ask that students take photos of only students that are working. Also, be sure that you take some of the math classroom. Download these photos once every couple of weeks, and sort through them getting rid of any poor quality photos or inappropriate ones. You can choose a student to do this if you think they can exercise good judgment.
We hope this gives you a little insight into planning the big event. Make records of the banquet so that you do not have to recreate the whole thing next year from scratch…as I know that once you have done it once, you will make it a cornerstone of your program.

Chester High School, Chester, California

2009-10-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Chester High School, located 200 miles north of Sacramento in Chester, California is a new site for implementing Geometry in Construction. On the shores of Lake Almanor, the high school is small by many standards with 180 students but big in spirit. Construction teacher Paul Hardig, with 24 years experience, and Math teacher Shawn Mahaffey, with 20 years experience, are two energetic teachers with a passion for their students.

Describe the structure that you are building?
The house is 16 ft by 20 ft. It is unusual because it is a 2-story. Radiant floor heating is being explored as the heating option. The cabinets will be built by the class. The plans were originally used by a local junior college and more recently updated by a local engineering company.

Describe the classes that are involved?
The primary Geometry in Construction class is 16 students strong with 6 girls and 10 boys. The students in this class really benefit from a different approach to mathematics, says Shawn. The curriculum is “great stuff” and my students are gaining “valuable experience” through the program. The students are more eager to learn when they can “get their hands on the math”. Other classes involved in the building of the structure will be a construction class of 10 students headed by Paul. There is one other “highly academic” Geometry class being taught using College Preparatory Mathematics. Many of the activities and problems from the Geometry in Construction class have been used in this geometry class with great success.

What are some of the reactions from others?
We have had lots of support from the school administration, ROP director, parents, and the community. We have already presented to the local Rotary Club and believe that many donations will be forthcoming. Our parents have been very positive.

What advice do you have for others considering Geometry in Construction?
Teachers need to have a good grasp of cooperative learning to get the full benefit of the course. The other piece of advice would be for the proposal/paperwork to be started early…preferably in the spring before the fall when the class is implemented.

Students at Chester High School are indeed fortunate to have teachers such as Paul Hardig and Shawn Mahaffey who have worked above and beyond to bring this class to their community. Thanks Paul and Shawn!

Donation Pointers

2009-10-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

Tips for Donations
If your school is like most other schools, donations are always useful and needed. When we build the house at our school, we depend on donations for about 25% of the materials/cost of the program. We work hard at securing help from our community. We have been fortunate because our community responds. We believe this is because we are working with students building a house for a homeless family. Some of the donors give because we are an educational institution while others donate because of the service component.
Here are some quick pointers for helping with the donations.

• We do a mail out requesting donations to all of our businesses in the community. If you have student aides, they can help with this task. Request specific materials. For example, for a roofing company, request 15 squares of shingles or from a plumbing company, request a white toilet. We have found the companies are much more likely to donate material than money. If you need money, request a specific amount to fund certain things. Example, our end-of-the-year banquet is funded because we requested a specific amount of money and specified how the money would be spent.

• The mail out is the start. We will do follow-up phone calls to find out if there is interest.

• We write grants that we find from the local businesses. Remember to check the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant.

• Work through your local realtor association as well as the Chamber of Commerce, Lions, Rotary, etc. If they have a newsletter, maybe they can present your need to their members.

• There are some things that seem difficult for us to get donated. For example, the lumber package is tough for us to get donated. So, we ask to get things at cost, with little or no markup.

• One of the best resources for donations you have is your student’s parents. We do a weekly email that is sent home that announces upcoming homework assignments, field trips, and general information about the program. In this e-mail, we will post our needs. Many times, parents have connections with their work or with friends. We typically have a good response to this approach for donations.

• Whenever we do get a donation, we advertise the business as a supporter. We do this by putting their name out in the weekly emails to parents as well as putting their logo on the web site. (Remember this year you can put logos on the website that we are hosting for your school. Contact us about this possibility.)

• Invite donating businesses to your end-of-the-year banquet as well as to your Advisory Board. Send letters of thank you and if possible acknowledge in the local media.

We hope that you are able to help your Geometry in Construction program with these tips. We found the donations were easier to secure after the first year of the program. Many businesses were waiting to see exactly what we were doing. They wanted to be a part of something different. Your local media can help you with this by telling the community what you are doing and what the benefits are for the students you are working with.

Geometry in Construction in Texas

2009-09-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Geometry in Construction in Texas
McKinney ISD
McKinney is located 30 miles north of Dallas and is considered home to one of the state's largest historic districts, the country's fastest growing populations, and a new site for implementing Geometry in Construction. Teacher Danny McFarland and Teacher Steve Burgett from McKinney Independent School District took some time to chat with us about the progress of their program.

What is the size of the structure you are building?
Our Lake Cabin is 8' wide 19'-3"long and just under 13'3" high. We are building on a heavy-duty car hauler type trailer.

Where did you get the plans for the structure?
We got our idea from your suggestion about Tiny Houses www.tumbleweedhouses.com. Our plans came from students who submitted ideas to the architectural drafting class for final drafting. The architectural drafting class students and teacher all are great to work with.

Are there any stories you would be willing to share with us?
Only that I made the right pick for a partner. Danny does not finish my sentences yet, but he is on the same page. (Thank goodness)

How many years of experience do you have under your belt with teaching?
35 years teaching Building Trades and Wood shop, all at the same high school. Geometry in Construction has been a new and welcome change.

After implementing this program, what are some pieces of advice you are willing to share with others in taking this program on? Try to get the kids to buy in early and take ownership as soon as possible.

Thanks to Teacher Danny McFarland and Teacher Steve Burgett for their updates!