How One CM Homeschooler Stays Organized

I am not one of those "school in a box" homeschoolers nor do we use workboxes. In the Barbie-pink crate are the books we are reading and the myriad of folders for each subject that hold graphic organizers, narrations, notes, math materials, printed out stories and poems, etc. I prefer pronged folders over three-ringed notebooks because paper doesn't tear out as easily. Since Pamela loves going through her old materials many years later, pocket-only folders do not work for us either.

Over the weekend, I type up the weekly plan in Excel and print it out. I also prepare graphic organizers, math manipulatives, etc. if time permits. Pamela, like her dear daddy, gets jazzed about marking off items as she goes and picks the order in which she does her work. She is quite the doodler, too.


Charlotte Mason considered a schedule one of the sound principles of a well-managed homeschool. Students need to know what they need to do and how long each lesson should last. On page 142 of Volume 1, she explained, "This idea of definite work to be finished in a given time is valuable to the child, not only as training him in habits of order, but in diligence; he learns that one time is not 'as good as another'; that there is no right time left for what is not done in its own time." To emphasize that point, I have a stopwatch to keep us from taking too long on a lesson.

Since things do not always go according to plan, on the weekend, I revise the list from the previous week to document what we actually accomplished. Then, I print out a clean copy and file it in a folder, pronged, of course.


You may look at our schedule and think we must spend every waking hour homeschooling! We do not.

Last week, we worked about four hours every day, doing the majority of the work in the morning. What we do is the antithesis of block schooling, which is all the rage in the schools in my town (four classes per semester, each class earning a year's worth of credit). We have very short lessons on wide and varied subjects, just as Charlotte Mason did at her schools. On page 286 of her third book, she stated that students aged elevenish to fifteenish spent 3 1/2 hours a day, using thirty-five books, to cover Bible lessons, recitations, English grammar, French, German, Latin, Italian (optional), English, French, and Ancient History (a la Plutarch's Lives), Singing (French, English, and German Songs), Writing, Dictation, Drill, Drawing in Brush and Charcoal, Natural History, Botany, Physiology, Geography, Arithmetic, Geometry, and Reading.

The secret to so many subjects is having short lessons. Notice that reading a poem only takes five minutes on my schedule. Most lessons are twenty minutes or less, even math because I have three twenty minute math lessons (Geometry, Algebra/Arithmetic, and Number Theory). Charlotted Mason recommended short lessons for reasons beyond having a wide and varied curriculum on page 142 of Volume 1,

• The sense that there is not much time for his sums or his reading, keeps the child's wits on the alert and helps to fix his attention.
• He has time to learn just so much of any one subject as it is good for him to take in at once.
• If the lessons be judiciously alternated––sums first, say, while the brain is quite fresh; then writing, or reading––some more or less mechanical exercise, by way of a rest.
• The program varying a little from day to day, but the same principle throughout––a 'thinking' lesson first, and a 'painstaking' lesson to follow,––the child gets through his morning lessons without any sign of weariness.

They had no homework!

Neither do we! If Pamela finishes everything up by Friday, she has no work on weekends and holidays. Charlotte Mason held classes on Saturday mornings, so our days last a bit longer. I find no need to dole out rewards or stickers because of one lovely, natural consequence: Pamela has more time to do what she enjoys doing, whether that be rocking on the porch rockers, using the computer, playing with her toys, making calendar lists, etc.

Original Thinking about Number Theory

Last week, I explained my rationale for splitting Pre-Algebra into three tracks (twenty minutes a day) and showed my plan for geometry and blogged our first week of geometry lessons. The second track for this year is number theory, a branch of pure--the opposite of practical and hands-on--mathematics. It includes topics like negative numbers, prime numbers, integers, whole numbers, rational numbers, etc. Number theory includes finding the greatest common factor and least common multiple.

Of the three tracks (geometry, algebra/arithmetic, and number theory), the latter worries me the most because number theory is the most abstract. Last June, after I split it all up into three tracks, I began experimenting with how to introduce negative numbers, which my plan covers in fourteen weeks. The most difficult aspect of using negative numbers is knowing how to add and subtract them. The concept of negative exists everywhere, even though we do not always use negative signs. I developed a series of games that addressed going from a number in one state of being, crossing 0, an going into another state of being. Rather than getting wrapped up in abstract terms like positive and negative, I found concrete situations to which Pamela can relate:

• Crossing the year 0 to study either the years B.C. or A.D.
• Crossing 0 degrees Celsius to temperatures above or below zero.
• Crossing the equator to go either North or South.
• Crossing 0 cents to have money or go into debt.
• Crossing 0 points in a card game to have points on the table or in the hole.

What makes the games fun is how we use context and imagination. We used to live in Minnesota and know full well what going above and below freezing temperatures feels like. So, when we play Minnesota Winter, we get upset at dropping temperatures and cheer when the thermometer rises. Pamela's favorite game is Time Travelers because we get to visit certain people (Mozart if we land on 1700 A.D. or Jesus if we arrive in 0). The most exciting moment for us is hitting 1900 A.D. because we talk about electricity, televisions, and computers but know we can't have HDTV until we hit 2000 A.D.

Time Traveler - Pamela and I both play this game, which starts at 0. We pick a card: red means to go backwards in time, while black means to go forward. The number of centuries jumped is the value of the card. If the value takes us out of range of the board (past the lowest year B.C. or highest year A.D.), we reject the card and keep picking until a value works. Pamela keeps track of her years on paper to help her see the pattern. When we first started playing the game, we counted each and every move. Now, she can do all aspects of movement in her head with few mistakes!




Minnesota Winter - This game does not have players because our imagination makes it fun. Pamela rolls the dice and keeps score. We place the red paper clip at 5 below to allow more opportunities to straddle 0. If she rolls an even number, the temperature increases by that amount. If odd, it decreases by that amount. She keeps track of the temperatures on her sheet, while I move the paper clip up or down. Over many rolls, the temperature will rise and once it hits the highest temperature on the paper, the game ends.




Going to Kenya - I already have a link for the map game, and the video shows Pamela and I playing it last week.


Chores - I already have a link for the chore game.

Cards - I do not have video of this game because it is not all that exciting. Pamela picks a card. If it's red, she loses pennies; if it's black, she gains pennies. The number of pennies are the value of the card. "On the table" is for a positive number of pennies left, while "in the hole" represents how many pennies she owes. She keeps track of the pennies on a sheet like the ones above.

What are the results of playing these games? Pamela understands the following concrete concepts about the idea of using negative numbers:

• If you go forward and are in positive territory, you add the numbers and stay in positive territory: 500 A.D. + 300 years = 800 A.D.
• If you go backward and are in negative territory, you add the numbers and stay in negative territory: 300 B.C. - 1000 years = 1300 B.C.
• If you go backward and are in positive territory, you subtract the numbers and stay in positive territory only if the number going backward is less than the starting number: 800 A.D. - 400 years = 400 A.D.
• If you go forward and are in negative territory, you subtract the numbers and stay in negative territory only if the number going forward is less than the starting number: 800 B.C. - 400 years = 400 B.C.
• If you go backward and are in positive territory, you subtract the numbers and end up in negative territory only if the number going backward is greater than the starting number: 500 A.D. - 900 years = 400 B.C.
• If you go forward and are in negative territory, you subtract the numbers and end up in negative territory only if the number going forward is greater than the starting number: 800 B.C. - 1200 years = 400 A.D.

Number Theory Track
I picked out Math-U-See lessons that fit into the category of number theory and spreaded them out over thirty-six weeks.

Week 1 - Practice crossing back and forth zero in games (money, map, time, temperatures, cards, etc.
Week 2 - Practice crossing back and forth zero in games (money, map, time, temperatures, cards, etc.
Week 3 - Transition to doing number line problems and introduce the concept of negative and positive.
Week 4 - Transition to word problems involving situations encountered in the games plus the number line to focus on the idea of negative versus positive.
Week 5 - Do selected problems for adding negative numbers from Lesson 1 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 6 - Add a twist to the game where you can draw a card that will subtract some or all negative points before you make a move. Transition to doing subtracting negative numbers on a number line.
Week 7 - Transition from subtracting negative numbers on a number line to word problems.
Week 8 - Do selected problems for subtracting negative numbers from Lesson 2 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 9 - Demonstrate multiplying positives and negatives through the concept of adding or subtracting multiple times.
Week 10 - Transition to multiplying negative numbers on a number line to word problems.
Week 11 - Do selected problems for multiplying negative numbers from Lesson 3 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 12 - Demonstrate dividing positives and negatives through splitting up a negative or positive number into groups.
Week 13 - Transition to dividing negative numbers on a number line to word problems.
Week 14 - Do selected problems for dividing negative numbers from Lesson 4 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 15 - Demonstrate additive inverse with concrete objects and a balance and Math-U-See blocks.
Week 16 - Transition to additive inverse in stick diagrams and word problems.
Week 17 - Do selected problems for additive inverse from Lesson 9 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 18 - Demonstrate commutative and associative properties with concrete objects and a balance and Math-U-See blocks.
Week 19 - Transition to commutative and associative properties in stick diagrams and word problems.
Week 20 - Do selected problems for commutative and associative properties from Lesson 11 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 21 - Demonstrate multiplicative inverse with concrete objects and a balance and Math-U-See blocks.
Week 22 - Transition to multiplicative inverse in stick diagrams and word problems.
Week 23 - Do selected problems for multiplicative inverse from Lesson 13 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 24 - Demonstrate distributive properties with concrete objects and Math-U-See blocks.
Week 25 - Transition to distributive properties in stick diagrams and word problems.
Week 26 - Do selected problems for distributive properties from Lesson 12 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 27 - Set up a chart of prime numbers and divisible numbers and see if Pamela can discover the pattern. Work past the chart to determine if other numbers are prime. Explore multiples with Math-U-See blocks.
Week 28 - Transition to factorization and visual ways of doing that. Explore common multiples with Math-U-See blocks.
Week 29 - Explore least common multiples with Math-U-See blocks. Factor the multiples to see if there is a pattern with primes.
Week 30 - Transition to pictures and fractions problems.
Week 31 - Do selected problems for prime numbers and least common multiples from Lesson 21 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 32 - Explore common factors with Math-U-See blocks. Transiton to exploring the greatest common factor with the blocks.
Week 33 - Transition to pictures and fraction problems.
Week 34 - Do selected problems for greatest common factor from Lesson 22 of MUS Pre-Algebra.
Week 35 - Describe kinds of numbers and group them (counting numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, real numbers). Develop a Venn diagram and identification ideas.
Week 36 - Do selected problems for irrational and real numbers from Lesson 30 of MUS Pre-Algebra.

Wordless Wednesday: The Principal Drops In for the Day

Zappos' Brain Friendly Work Culture

Zappos, CEO Tony Hsieh formed a theory, "if you create a work culture that fosters well-being, good practices and (eventually) good profits will naturally flow out of the operation." By 2008, Zappos.com hit a major financial milestone when gross merchandise sales for the year surpassed $1 billion, driven primarily by repeat customers and word of mouth. On any given day, approximately 75% of orders are from repeat customers.

"No matter what happens with the economy, the demand for talent will remain," Managing Editor Andy Serwer writes in his FORTUNE.com blog. "Great companies know that super-motivated, happy, world-class employees are an incredible competitive advantage."

How do good ideas harnessed in vision lead to policy where you work? Business schools teach the importance of creating vision. Yet, impact of carrying out policy to make vision a reality creates flames of inspiration or dampens them. Ever wonder what makes the difference as leaders and employees alike begin to walk the talk...

Interestingly, leaders shape vision into action as the brain cultivates new neuron pathways toward spirit and highest values. Let's look briefly at Zappo's "10 core values" formed by leaders and employees alike, to see how they relate to workings of the human brain.

1) Deliver WOW Through Service - Creating a "WOW" factor challenges the brain and breaks routines. The human brain leaps to problem solving and challenge to break boring routines.

2) Embrace and Drive Change - Changes take place by taking on and tackling new approaches. You work in working memory more as you learn, practice and problem solve.

3) Create Fun and A Little Weirdness - Play brings a joy to the work experience. The drive to play is located in the brain's thalmus.

4) Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded - The human brain thrives on creativity. By developing a fascination for discovery and adventure, you can experience joy in your work.

5) Pursue Growth and Learning - Zappos created a company library which provides hundreds of self-help and positive psychology books, Carlin Flores notes in Psychology Today, Oct, 2009. Reading unleashes your brain's thinking box. And, now Zappos is offering courses as well.

6) Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication - While experience and upbringing shape our communication style and the way we develop relationships, these can be changed. As we share what we care about with fellow workers we build honest relationships. Because the human brain has great plasticity, we can change how we communicate.

7) Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit - Creating a mindset that builds a team spirit can make or break an organization according to Jim Collins in How the Mighty Have Fallen. Folks at Zappos live team spirit daily.

8) Do More With Less - Having all the newest gadgets at work does not make people happier. Experiences create meaning because people find "more meaningful part of one's identity and contribute more to successful social relationships," according to Leaf Van Boven, psychologist at CU-Boulder. When the recession hit in 2009, Zappos changed their congratulatory $3,000 happy hour that bonds new employees to a $110.00 in-house social and it's just as effective, if not more, than going to a bar.

9) Be Passionate and Determined - If people are passionate about what they do, it stimulates on-the-job optimal experience. Demanding cognitive tasks prompt the brain to focus intensely by filtering out irrelevant signals as you work.

10) Be Humble - "Something interesting happens," Bruna Martinuzzi notes, "when we approach situations from a perspective of humility: it opens us up to possibilities, as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our point of view. We spend more time in that wonderful space of the beginner’s mind, willing to learn from what others have to offer. We move away from pushing into allowing, from insecure to secure, from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. We forget about being perfect and we enjoy being in the moment." Humility is developed as part of the emotional or intrapersonal intelligence.

Brainpower's in play at Zappos!

Wonder how CEO Tony Hsieh truly walked the talk, when so many others let good ideas fizzle?

He describes the process...

Many companies have core values, but they don't really commit to them. They usually sound more like something you'd read in a press release. Maybe you learn about them on day 1 of orientation, but after that it's just a meaningless plaque on the wall of the lobby.

We believe that it's really important to come up with core values that you can commit to. And by commit, we mean that you're willing to hire and fire based on them. If you're willing to do that, then you're well on your way to building a company culture that is in line with the brand you want to build. You can let all of your employees be your brand ambassadors, not just the marketing or PR department. And they can be brand ambassadors both inside and outside the office.

If you were heading a company, what might you add to Zappo's 10 core values?

What one would you like to see incorporated into your workplace?

How Does Writing Make Things Possible?

Writing a blog opened the world of others' ideas, leading me to reflect, sharpen, and place "two-bits" in a shining, moving and expanding Social Media galaxy.


Writing makes things possible.

Thoughts?

Technologies Convergence 2

Back in 1989 when I was still a primary school children, been imagining different future technologies. One definite imagination is that mobile phone, which exist a couple of years later. Another is the convergence of watch and mobile. phones If that technology is possible/available, it will definitely be one of the best technology combination ever. I did not know that my dream comes true, twenty years later. The exclusive watch phone was announced to be released on August 27, 2009.


Caption: new LG watch phone


Caption: the watch comes in two colours

The price was initially expected to cost £1,000, but later drop further to £770 by Orange mobile network. It seems that Orange was pity with their customers over the recession that hits the UK in 2009. Finally, the price was decided. You may get a brand new watch phone for the price of £500 now.


Caption: buttons to dial and receive phone calls


Caption: front view of the LG watch phone

For anyone who has some interest with this phone, then you may wish to know more about it. This watch phone has a build-in 3G function, speaker and a media player. It provide a completely scratch resistant touchscreen interface, which means that it will not produce any scratches at all even when used by a female with long nails. Similar to other mobile phones, however, this watch phone only has a built-in VGA camera. You may, of course, send sms with this phone. Besides that, it also has this voice-activated command, which makes it a lot easier for people to answer their phone calls.


Caption: PS3 Slim

It was also revealed that Sony has joint venture with Toshiba and IBM, producing a superior processor for the new PS3 slim. An IBM spokeman says that the new Cell chip contained in the new PS3 slim (45nm)is much slimmer compared to the old PS3 machine (65nm). This means that the new PS3 slim machine will slightly compress your electricity usage up to 40% lesser since the size of the chip is slightly (34%) smaller than the old model. This new machine will also generate lesser disturbing fan noise. This is a rumor from a Sony spokeman. He said that the memory size has expanded from 120 Gigabyte to 250 GB, twice their memory size. Sony identified that their new PS3 slim will cost £250 in September 2009.

Calculator

Have you had any difficulties with math calculations?

We have been taught to handle mathematical calculations, e.g. simple operations (+, -, x, /) and higher level mathematical functions such as those involved factorial, statistics etc. In fact, all calculations are possible by human, except the time that we spend is much longer than usual. Simple calculations such as 1 + 1 is very simple. A person can easily answer it as 2 in less than a second. However, we may have difficulties to provide immediate answers for questions such as 2435 ( 1203 x 3323). It is possible, but we have to consider the amount of time that we spend sketching on a piece of paper. This is why humans have developed various types of calculators.

Calculator is really important. Even a great scientist need a calculator very much in his research. Though calculators provide great functions that would help to minimise overload and stress in human, however, how could a calculator (including scientific calculators) produce the answer for equations like: (x1-x0)^2 + (y1-y0)^2 = r^2?

I have currently attended a conference at Dundee, UK, and there are experts who demonstrated some really brilliant research. In fact, their reserach are quite similar to Professor Thimbleby's work. Back in 2007, when I met Professor Thimbleby in a workshop at Cambridge university. He demonstrated his novel work, of a piece of calculator. He said this was his son's work, a PhD student at Swansea university, UK. He also demonstrated the so called 'mighty' calculator to the delegates.


Caption: Mr. Will Thimbleby playing with his new development


Caption: the machine is well-designed to able to calculate complex sums, i.e. eiπ

According to Thimbleby, the definition for their calculator is " a novel calculator, designed primarily for interactive whiteboards and pen-based devices, provides a better task fit than conventional approaches. The calculator provides a natural, dynamic method of doing calculations by handwriting using conventional notation. This paper discusses the calculator’s underlying design principles, which collectively create a coherent and innovative ‘look and feel' ".

This calculator is really not a normal ones. From observation, i notice that this calculator works with a computer. It is a thin machine, which has the size of a keyboard. Simply writting any form of mathematic calculation on the 'board', and this particular machine will send cues to the computer through the USB, publishing the results immediately on the screen.Yes, any form of mathematical calculations. The below is a video of how the calculator works.


Caption: how the calculator work?

There mouse cursor is detected by the pen, acting as a detector that analyzes what we wrote on the machine. It will send our writting to the computer program and publish what are are writting. There is a clock in the interface. If you wind the clock backwards with the pen (anti-clockwise), you may rewind what you have written previously. In other words, it is acting as a history toolbar. Overall, this calculator is amazing since you can get an answer for any mathematic calculations, and easy to use!

Impressive?