EPTBut seriously, it's hard to teach people who are uninterested. The Onizuka method may lead to hilarity though.
They don't give an F, but I will. - Page 2
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ymir233
United States8275 Posts
But seriously, it's hard to teach people who are uninterested. The Onizuka method may lead to hilarity though. | ||
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States45247 Posts
On September 18 2012 09:00 docvoc wrote: DarkPlasmaBall here to save the day once again! To all the educators out there, what do you feel is the best method of teaching math? I've had a myriad of teachers and only a few stuck out as truly knowing what they were doing, is there a standardized, popularized method? Thank you for your kind words, although I'm not sure if I deserve the compliment  I'm trying very hard to directly answer your question of "what do you feel is the best method of teaching math" even though any experienced educator will tell you that there's no magic bullet to teaching any subject (or else every teacher would be teaching the same way and every student who tried would be getting straight As on tests and perfect scores on standardized assessments). Heck, even if you pick a single topic in a single math course (slope of a line, or derivatives, or Pythagorean theorem), there's still no established "best" way to introduce or teach these topics. There are too many variables to take into account: every student learns differently, every class is different, and every year is different. Heck, some math courses require different approaches too! I've also seen some teachers use group work effectively, whereas others have thrilling and engaging lectures. Some teachers implement computer technology successfully, while others use hands-on projects to great success, etc. I can't even say, "the best way is doing all of these", because sometimes you just don't have the resources or the mindset to use some of them effectively (although that doesn't mean you can't try it on occasion). But I don't want to just leave it at "there's no *one* right way", even though that's really the truest answer (at least, certainly for math... I'm not experienced in any other subject). So to elaborate, I'd say that the question you should be asking yourself is: "What are the most important things a successful educator needs to be able to do"? If I were to pick 3 answers to that question, 2 of them would be my previous tips that you replied to (generating interest and recognizing that students need foundational knowledge before giving them more advanced material). The third would probably be that you need to be willing to learn and adapt your teaching methods as an educator. There's a term that we use called "pedagogy", and it refers to your style and understanding and overall methodology of teaching... and it needs to evolve over time. Some of the worst teachers are those who have been teaching for a while but have refused to make any changes in their teaching style. Some of the best teachers learn from their previous experiences, figure out what works and what doesn't, and then apply new changes in the years to come. In short, you need to be willing to grow as an educator. You'll be surprised at the questions that students ask, and the approaches that they may take to come up with an answer that you haven't thought about before. Maybe you'll use that in the future... regardless, keep it in your arsenal of strategies. Of course, those are merely my opinions from my experiences as a math educator, and I'd be happy to hear what others have to say on the topic as well | ||
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Sterlymobile
United States1009 Posts
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Sickkiee
Japan607 Posts
I had a teacher; who was 'fresh' out of university, had a teaching degree and I assume a maths/science related degree also. She was teaching a Year 12 (final year, my class) class. Half of my class were retards despite the school being of above average standard. She would spend so much time on one topic because the class (the majority) would not understand simple algebra. Thus, when the test came half the class failed and we were reduced to such intense maths classes that the few who actually weren't retarded were allowed to go to the library and were given free time (supposedly to study). But I could clearly see the rapid transition from first day teacher, all excited, happy and enthusiastic to mid term 1 teacher who was about to blow her brains. Felt so sorry for her.  | ||
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Tal
United Kingdom1017 Posts
Having said that, the worst thing you can do is go in there with a negative mindset - as it rubs off on the kids in a vicious circle. You probably need to make a completely different lesson plan for the low level class, building things up very simply, and with stuff to keep their attention. I guarantee there'll be some kids who you'll be able to help a lot. | ||
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blade55555
United States17423 Posts
Great thing is if someone is going to be annoying they can just be kicked out (haven't had this happen in any of my classes). People are there to learn. Also I find it funny how all my college teachers so far talk about why they would never do high school/middle school because they would want to shoot their brains out lmao. In short I feel for you, just from being in class I would be extremely frusterated to teach pre college xD (well i'd hate to teach ever but if I had to I would only do college  ) | ||
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divito
Canada1213 Posts
On September 18 2012 00:07 Kuja wrote: I dont think you get the point of a vent blog. Oh I think I do. The point would be to be in a profession where you wouldn't require a vent blog. On September 18 2012 00:08 Jumbled wrote: Why do you say that? He sounds like he cares about getting the pupils interested and having them learn something - seems like a useful attitude for a teacher. There's a big difference between getting his pupils interested in lessons and learning from them, and berating them on a forum in a "vent blog" because their level of understanding and knowledge isn't where he subjectively thinks it should be. He's there to teach, and if he has to treat 30 kids 30 different ways based on their level, that's his job. I've done group tutoring and helped with classes in my old high school, and sure, it's easy to sit up there, belt off some material, take questions and call it a day. But to actually understand that not every kid is going to understand it, or that they'll have their own myriad of issues with the material is a given. | ||
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States45247 Posts
On September 18 2012 21:53 divito wrote: Oh I think I do. The point would be to be in a profession where you wouldn't require a vent blog. Does such a profession even exist where every part of the job is so perfect that you never get frustrated and want to let off some steam? Whether it's because of your boss or the workload or your coworkers or anyone else you interact with while you're on the job, surely you're going to have plenty of tough and disappointing days at any workplace. Blood, sweat, and tears. That being said, some people handle that frustration differently. Some people go for a run. Some people play a few games on StarCraft. Some people vent face-to-face with a friend or family member, maybe at home or going out to eat or for drinks. And some people blog about it. I'm not saying that every day should be like this (you really should have more good days than bad)... but I do know that the first year or two of teaching is absolute hell, and that you're going to need some sort of outlet. It's better than going crazy | ||
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QuanticHawk
United States32113 Posts
On September 18 2012 21:53 divito wrote: Oh I think I do. The point would be to be in a profession where you wouldn't require a vent blog. There's a big difference between getting his pupils interested in lessons and learning from them, and berating them on a forum in a "vent blog" because their level of understanding and knowledge isn't where he subjectively thinks it should be. He's there to teach, and if he has to treat 30 kids 30 different ways based on their level, that's his job. I've done group tutoring and helped with classes in my old high school, and sure, it's easy to sit up there, belt off some material, take questions and call it a day. But to actually understand that not every kid is going to understand it, or that they'll have their own myriad of issues with the material is a given. if i taught middle school math and i had kids who couldn't properly do 9/3, i wouldnt even be able to post a vent blog because my fingers would have angrily mashed my keyboard to shit. and yeah wtf kind of crap is that, everyone, no matter what you do, is gonna have a bad day at some point | ||
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divito
Canada1213 Posts
On September 18 2012 22:12 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Does such a profession even exist where every part of the job is so perfect that you never get frustrated and want to let off some steam? Whether it's because of your boss or the workload or your coworkers or anyone else you interact with while you're on the job, surely you're going to have plenty of tough and disappointing days at any workplace. Blood, sweat, and tears. That being said, some people handle that frustration differently. Some people go for a run. Some people play a few games on StarCraft. Some people vent face-to-face with a friend or family member, maybe at home or going out to eat or for drinks. And some people blog about it. I'm not saying that every day should be like this (you really should have more good days than bad)... but I do know that the first year or two of teaching is absolute hell, and that you're going to need some sort of outlet. It's better than going crazy I'm not saying you can't let off some steam or get frustrated with work; there will always be bad clients, horrible bosses, or tasks that annoy you. However, if you are having such drastic feelings (like the OP) about your work, then something is clearly wrong. Whether that's with himself, his placement or the kids, doesn't matter. And really, I'm more concerned with the content of his frustration than being frustrated at work. He's there to educate minds that are malleable, inexperienced, and without the knowledge he has obtained. It's not fair to put those values he's listed in his blog on those kids and in such an intense way; everyone is different. Understanding that things with some students will be slower, and some will be faster is part of teaching. If I ever had the feelings he had over one of my clients taking computer lessons, I'd definitely re-evaluate what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. There are some clients that pick stuff up quickly, and others that take me repeating the same thing 30 times in a one hour session. Does that annoy me sometimes? Sure, it'd be weird and probably a psychological issue if I didn't. I do, however, understand that there are people out there that approach things differently, that aren't tech-savvy, or just have a slower time absorbing something foreign to them. There's no logical or rational way I could ever hold that over them, especially not in an emotionally unstable way as the OP does. | ||
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ymir233
United States8275 Posts
On September 18 2012 21:53 divito wrote: Oh I think I do. The point would be to be in a profession where you wouldn't require a vent blog. Clowns? Oh wait... | ||
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States45247 Posts
On September 18 2012 23:29 divito wrote: I'm not saying you can't let off some steam or get frustrated with work; there will always be bad clients, horrible bosses, or tasks that annoy you. However, if you are having such drastic feelings (like the OP) about your work, then something is clearly wrong. Whether that's with himself, his placement or the kids, doesn't matter. And really, I'm more concerned with the content of his frustration than being frustrated at work. He's there to educate minds that are malleable, inexperienced, and without the knowledge he has obtained. It's not fair to put those values he's listed in his blog on those kids and in such an intense way; everyone is different. Understanding that things with some students will be slower, and some will be faster is part of teaching. If I ever had the feelings he had over one of my clients taking computer lessons, I'd definitely re-evaluate what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. There are some clients that pick stuff up quickly, and others that take me repeating the same thing 30 times in a one hour session. Does that annoy me sometimes? Sure, it'd be weird and probably a psychological issue if I didn't. I do, however, understand that there are people out there that approach things differently, that aren't tech-savvy, or just have a slower time absorbing something foreign to them. There's no logical or rational way I could ever hold that over them, especially not in an emotionally unstable way as the OP does. I think a lot of teachers become quickly disillusioned once they finally stand in front of their own classroom. They have big dreams of molding the absolute best minds, and that they'll become so much better than the teachers they had, and every kid will appreciate what's being done for them... and then they actually try teaching, and they have no sense of classroom management, and they hadn't considered the fact that half the students don't know their ass from their elbow. It takes a lot of getting used to, and the shock should wear off, but if it never does, then I agree with you that putting up with the politics and other things (which are often trivial bullshit) that come from teaching (the curriculum and time crunch, the students mouthing off, the parents, the endless lesson plans and grading papers, etc.) might not be for you. But that's not to say that you can't find a way to center your educational profession around the little things that students say that are incredibly insightful, or when you get some feedback from a parent that lets you know you're doing things well. A lot of times, that's what makes the profession worth it. And every other teacher is willing to put up with all that other bullshit; it's a matter of getting through the beginning and having it become your lifelong career, rather than just another job. (I believe even in my state of New Jersey- one of the best educated states in America- half of all teachers quit before their third year. So it's common for new teachers to misunderstand what they're getting into.) But everyone's different. It's about what you think you can put into the job, and how much you're willing to take before you crack  | ||
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WarSame
Canada1950 Posts
On September 18 2012 00:27 Recognizable wrote: I'm trying to wrap my brain around this but I fail. I don't understand this definition of a vector at all. Right now I am doubting if I still even know what the fuck a vector is(I sure as hell should, maybe it's called differently). You sir, confused the shit out of me. Seriously. I'm in Second Year Engineering at a pretty good Canadian University and I consider myself pretty damn good at math, and I don't even get this definition of a vector. And these kids are learning this first year of high school? | ||
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ymir233
United States8275 Posts
On September 19 2012 01:28 WarSame wrote: Seriously. I'm in Second Year Engineering at a pretty good Canadian University and I consider myself pretty damn good at math, and I don't even get this definition of a vector. And these kids are learning this first year of high school? It's a generalization of vectors so that the definition can not only act as a catch-all, but it becomes easier to work with in analysis/abstract mathematics so you can pull out proofs/rules/theorems more easily, then reapply it to whatever subject you're working with that requires vectors. Norm is just group-theory talk for magnitude of a vector. The grammar for his explanation of the translation is kinda messed up though...I really don't think you need to go into mapping to explain what a Euclidean vector is... | ||
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Endymion
United States3701 Posts
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EffervescentAureola
United States410 Posts
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14fighter
United States226 Posts
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endy
Switzerland8970 Posts
Everyone hated him except me Most people didn't give a damn about the class, because they would pick the biology major, and the latter weights heavier than maths in the French baccalauréat (final high school graduation exam), so you can graduate high school with an F in maths... | ||
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obesechicken13
United States10467 Posts
On September 18 2012 00:07 Kuja wrote: I dont think you get the point of a vent blog. Is that what this is? I had a hard time reading the blog. | ||
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kafkaesque
Germany2006 Posts
On September 18 2012 00:11 TheKwas wrote: Every teacher in the world needs a place to [...]Fuck kids. | ||
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