Things to think about before flipping... Not flipping? --- Some thoughts on homework

Freetech4teachers has recently cautioned about introducing the flipping model. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/04/three-questions-to-consider-before-we.html

 

Rather than introducing a full-flip model, we just need to rethink homework. What do we want students to be doing at home? What would your best student be doing at home? Here are some thoughts

• Consolidation - quality, not quantity
• Assignments/Assessments
• Preparation

The third of these - preparation is where flipping comes in. We want our students to be preparing for lessons in advance by reading ahead (or watching videos). Surely if our students have a basic knowledge of the content that can be filled out in class, they will benefit.

 

What are your thoughts? Do your students read ahead?

 

One other thought on homework is that my best students actually spend time correcting their work and finding the parts of content where they do not completely understand.

 

 

 

The new General Maths Syllabus from 2013 - why they decided to introduce it and where to find the new syllabus.

The Board of Studies issued a notice on 12th March which can be accessed here. It seemed like a very hurried announcement with no clear direction. Here is what we know:

• The Board of Studies wrote the General 1 and General 2 Syllabus (as well as three new calculus mathematics syllabi) back in 2009.
• At a MANSW Annual Conference in 2008 I asked the question of whether the BOS was planning on making schools write new program's for NSW and then new ones within "a few years" for the National Curriculum (now Australian Curriculum) as it was in the works by ACARA.
• The Board of Studies completed these documents but recommended to the minister that they not be implemented (due to ACARA in my opinion).
• Schools could implement the General 1 course from 2010?? (from memory) as a Board Endorsed Course (not count towards ATAR)
• Then... The implementation of the F-10 Australian Curriculum got delayed... Until 2014 at this stage, if it ever gets implemented
• The 11-12 Maths Curriculum seems to be on hold with little information coming out of ACARA on this.
• 2012 - New HSC Examinations in all Maths courses (including General Maths - for one year???)

So the question has arisen - Why has the Board of Studies decided this year to suddenly implement General 2 as a Board Developed examinable course, which counts towards an ATAR? At the same time General 1 has an elevated status of a Content Endorsed Course, non-examinable and not count towards an ATAR. The 3 Calculus developed courses have been ignored.

 

The new syllabus was due to be published by the "end of Term 1" but we haven't seen it yet. If you're keen to see the new syllabus then visit this link: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/archives/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/mathematics-general-2-stg6-draft.pdf