"Try, Try Again"

Pella Externship Day 7-11 I spent the end of last week trying to pull some useful equations from the past several years of data.  I'm starting to understand the difficulty involved.  Any best fit line that is calculated is hard to justify using for optimization.  When you look at the predicted value using the equation, there is often a huge variance from the actual results produced.  Yesterday and today I looked into another option for predicting the amount of lumber recovered.  The lumber plant has some test results from specific mills that they have collected and studied over the past 2 years.  While there are a relatively small number of samples taken for each mill, they were isolated and specific.  In addition, a portion of each of the past 4 days has been invested in designing different versions of the optimization tool.  With some luck, I think we will be able to combine our conclusions from the data into a functional program. In terms of lessons to bring back to the classroom from this week, I have caught myself several times searching the Internet for answers to my programming problems.  As a math teacher especially, it is easy to dismiss the importance of inquiry in the classroom.  I need to find opportunities for my students to find solutions to challenging problems independently.   With the pressure to cover everything in the curriculum, it is easy to forget the importance of students creating their own connections and being given time to struggle with difficult problems.  I need to remind myself that the time invested early on in the school year to build confidence and independence will allow for a much smoother 2nd semester.