Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
-Plato
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Our Best Advice...
...that students ignore:
1. Here's a trick. Before class, just quickly look over what we're going to learn. A couple of minutes of preview will make everything so much easier to understand!
2. Check the odd problems as you go so you don't find out later you did all of the problems incorrectly.
3. You say you can't study for math. Make a cheat sheet. [Can we use it on the test?] No, just make it, look at it, and throw it away before the test.
Any more? Even better - and ideas on how to make them act on our nuggets of wisdom??
1. Here's a trick. Before class, just quickly look over what we're going to learn. A couple of minutes of preview will make everything so much easier to understand!
2. Check the odd problems as you go so you don't find out later you did all of the problems incorrectly.
3. You say you can't study for math. Make a cheat sheet. [Can we use it on the test?] No, just make it, look at it, and throw it away before the test.
Any more? Even better - and ideas on how to make them act on our nuggets of wisdom??
I'm a blogger!
Over the past few weeks, I've found so much inspiration from the community of math teachers online. I'm starting this blog without any hope of offering that same inspiration. Rather, I think I need a place to consistently reflect on my teaching. I also hope to get feedback and ideas from the many talented teachers our there!
I'll be going into my 9th year of teaching this fall. How time flies! My career began at my Catholic school alma mater. I enjoyed 5 years of teaching advanced math courses, uniformed students, and low pay (but higher than I'd ever had before). Because I wanted to buy a house and start a family, I transferred to the lucrative public school system. The 35% pay raise resulted in a decrease in financial worries. The fact that I was teaching 8th graders put me into mental duress. I learned to foresee disaster, to repeat directions 7 times, and to hold adolescent attention for 85 minutes at a time. Okay, I didn't quite master the last one.
Finally, while humming the Jeffersons' "Movin' on Up", I secured a transfer to the district's high school. My first year was rough - I think all new preps will do that to a teacher/mom/wife. I have a lot of hope for this coming year. More information on how I think is to come in case anyone decides to read this some day. :)
I'll be going into my 9th year of teaching this fall. How time flies! My career began at my Catholic school alma mater. I enjoyed 5 years of teaching advanced math courses, uniformed students, and low pay (but higher than I'd ever had before). Because I wanted to buy a house and start a family, I transferred to the lucrative public school system. The 35% pay raise resulted in a decrease in financial worries. The fact that I was teaching 8th graders put me into mental duress. I learned to foresee disaster, to repeat directions 7 times, and to hold adolescent attention for 85 minutes at a time. Okay, I didn't quite master the last one.
Finally, while humming the Jeffersons' "Movin' on Up", I secured a transfer to the district's high school. My first year was rough - I think all new preps will do that to a teacher/mom/wife. I have a lot of hope for this coming year. More information on how I think is to come in case anyone decides to read this some day. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)