Not Sure What To Say...

The majority of my feelings stay the same about the current material that we are covering.  I am trying to have a positive attitude about why we are even taking this course, but still don't understand WHY we are taking this course.  It isn't to say that I am not aware of how this could be used…but just because it can be, doesn't mean that I will be. When in the world am I actually going to use this stuff?

When our group originally met for our weekly guided practice, we were quite stumped about using a z-score table.  However, with persistence, we did figure it out and got through the work. That definitely made me feel better about being able to get the stuff done.  However, I still have to go back to, if I only understood how this would be used or where I would use it, it might make it easier to actually understand.  I try to get my students to connect to what we are doing by pulling in real examples that they may see, or analogies so that they can compare and put into perspective, what we are talking about.  I don't mean to be rude or harsh about the instruction.  I think the removal of pressure to have the week's work perfect for our grade is very nice and helps me stay more calm about what I need to do, but just because the scores relate to a spelling test, doesn't help me see where that works into my brain and classroom.

I still can't get past feeling very overwhelmed by the material with this class.  I hate not feeling like I have much to contribute to the group activities.  However, I do like working through the material together because it has given me a chance to talk through things and get better understanding of ideas, or possibly confirm my own thoughts.  I am also at a place with work/teaching, where there is a lot of "revamping" occurring due to the Common Core and Essential Outcome work and the all powerful RTI focus.  This has gotten me in the mindset of staying focused on things that I can use and need so that I keep myself focused so that I can be most productive and efficient.  That being said, as much a data will be driving a lot of the things that we do (for RTI), I feel like data is different than statistics (with all the options for how to look at the numbers/scores).  For all I know, what I just said is ridiculous, but that is where I am currently at.

Not So Excited About This One

I am really nervous about this new course.  I was never the best math student, no matter how hard I may have tried.  The amount of vocabulary that needs to be understood and applied is one of the biggest things that intimidates me.  I hate feeling as though I don't know what is going on (but I guess no one really likes that).  There are a few places and instance where stats come into play for me, but very little and in the most minor of degrees.  For this reason, I also have a hard time understanding the need for learning this stuff and having this course. Hopefully, during the class sessions, it will become more obvious on why we are going through a course with this focus and it helps me gain a better understanding and appreciation for statistics…because right now, all I have to say is YUCK!