Author Topic: The Educators Thread  (Read 14470 times)

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Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #70 on: September 29, 2011, 08:45:16 PM »
The true answer to "When am I going to have to use this" is "Most likely...never!"

Honesty.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #71 on: September 29, 2011, 08:48:17 PM »
It's just the superfluity of it. If the kids are going to sit there listening to you teach them shit about numbers, what's the point in making them do more? I mean, if it's one sentence, that's ok. It is just kinda adding salt to a wound in an educational sense. I always hated questions like that. Just my take, but you'd love me as a student! :P

I very strongly believe that students shouldn't come to my class to learn about numbers and shapes only. They should learn to see connections, to see how goals are met, to see how to take notes of important things, to know why we do what we do. Plus, they even ask me so I may as well show them that I care about answering them and keeping them in the know. Plus, I tell them everything I just said in this post. I ask them "Would you be smarter or dumber with no education?" Even with the unmotivated kids, they answer dumber and realize "Oh, so we think better with more school. That makes sense." I've seen some of my students turn around and actually start working more by organizing my powerpoints to include the "what" and "why" of the lesson. Plus it is pedagogically sound.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #72 on: September 29, 2011, 08:51:14 PM »
The true answer to "When am I going to have to use this" is "Most likely...never!"

Honesty.

HAHA! The other day this student who used to have a class with the teacher I am working with came in to visit. He is 20 now and works for the military. He always asked the teacher "When will I ever use slope? I'll never need this for real life!"

Guess what he does now. He does slope ALL DAY LONG for crucial military missions that require little error in his calculations. He told me that he wishes he could tell my current students that they're wrong if they think it may ever pop up in their lives again.

And even barring that, learning math develops your analytic thinking skills. You are all the better for taking more math classes for your life. I drill that into their heads almost every day and they get what I mean (well, starting to).

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #73 on: September 29, 2011, 08:52:38 PM »
Oh, I get where you're coming. I'm just giving you a student's perspective. The way I see it, you are going to have kids that dig what you are feeding them, you'll have kids who won't. Your job is to foster the minds of those that want to learn and do their shit so that is what you should do. It's a little elitist, but it is my theory of education. What you could also do is try to make it fun...what classes are you teaching again?

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #74 on: September 29, 2011, 08:54:37 PM »
Here's what my students wrote when I asked them to write a list about how they wanted to be treated:



You'll see that while a lot of it addresses me, there are also implications for how the students should treat one another.  Plus, I need to be doing these things anyway, and it lets the students have a voice.

yeah, my teacher is big on "the rules have already been set, just go over them again with them." I did that and the next day they were all angles, but then today it reverted quickly.
Best typo ever!

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #75 on: September 29, 2011, 08:56:06 PM »
I have a financial math class and where I have the issues is with geometry. The students are below grade level.

See, I break down every section to the bare minimum. I don't give anything extra, nothing irrelevant to their homework or test.

What is hard in the "making it fun" part is that I have a very strict pacing guide that says I need to cover x amount of topics for the year. There isn't enough time to teach what is mathematically true and to make it fun. I wish I could have all sorts of fun activities, but since it doesn't guarantee the eventual correct exposure to the required learning of mathematical concepts, it is out of the window.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #76 on: September 29, 2011, 08:56:59 PM »
I love that, c_s. I'm gonna ask my co-op teacher about that.

And omg at that typo. I didn't even mean that. It's so acute.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #77 on: September 29, 2011, 08:57:58 PM »
Ok, I'm going to make a comment that will get me shot by most of DTF here because I am stereotyping and being biased, something I always talk about not doing. However, relate everything to sports and music. Odds are, they're into it and sports is great for geometry. The financial math class could be good with sports too.

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #78 on: September 29, 2011, 09:02:04 PM »
I wish I could have all sorts of fun activities, but since it doesn't guarantee the eventual correct exposure to the required learning of mathematical concepts, it is out of the window.
But exposure doesn't automatically result in understanding, either.  Believe me, i understand living under the burden of "the test" and its subsequent standards, but you can cover all of the math there is and them not understand the first bit of it.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #79 on: September 29, 2011, 09:05:32 PM »
Yeah, which is why I do a short (as possible) powerpoint, give a worksheet and walk around help students. My powerpoint includes some examples relating to worksheet, and the worksheet relates to their chapter test, and the tests all relate to their end of course exam, which they must pass.

Still, one instance of proper exposure is better than wandering in the dark knowing only less than the proper exposure, imo.

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #80 on: September 29, 2011, 09:08:58 PM »
But where is the fun?

I am a firm believer in fun.

Get them to have fun and that's over half your battle for relevance right there.

Of course, maybe it's easier in Lit than in Math, but we've all got to find our ways.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #81 on: September 29, 2011, 09:11:51 PM »
What Lit classes do you teach and to what grade?

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #82 on: September 29, 2011, 09:12:44 PM »
In my current situation, I just don't see it happening with much approval from my co-op teacher. Definitely from observers from my college who are into the theory. I don't want to screw over my co-op teacher either by taking too much time off the pacing guide, who is ultimately responsible for their academic progress.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #83 on: September 29, 2011, 09:13:33 PM »
Not to mention, geometry sucks. I hated it. It's gonna screw me on the SATs though.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #84 on: September 29, 2011, 09:14:59 PM »
 >:( Whatever, geometry is awesome  :censored :censored :censored

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #85 on: September 29, 2011, 09:16:44 PM »
Algebra is the best thing ever. It is one massive puzzle and the more complicated and intricate, the better.

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #86 on: September 29, 2011, 09:18:11 PM »
What Lit classes do you teach and to what grade?
Well, right now I'm still looking for a position (just had an interview this week).  But last year in my student teaching I taught 11th grade (full semester) American Lit, 10th grade a unit on Southern Literature, and 9th grade a unit on research.

In my current situation, I just don't see it happening with much approval from my co-op teacher. Definitely from observers from my college who are into the theory. I don't want to screw over my co-op teacher either by taking too much time off the pacing guide, who is ultimately responsible for their academic progress.
Again, I totally understand the disapproval of the supervising teacher.  I think mine really thought I didn't "teach," simply because I never really lectured.  But I think you've got to get some fun and relevance in there somehow, or the kids aren't going to even have a desire to want to understand it.  Also, if kids feel the class is boring, that's some of your behavior problem right there.  Not that I am saying I know how to make math fun because I don't, but I am saying that you should at least give it a shot.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #87 on: September 29, 2011, 09:20:15 PM »
What did you do in your 11th grade American literature class?

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #88 on: September 29, 2011, 09:23:57 PM »
Algebra is the best thing ever. It is one massive puzzle and the more complicated and intricate, the better.

I agree. And calculus is like taking that puzzle and adding all kinds of cool...i don't know...tricks to it. Or making the algebra relevant to something else.


What Lit classes do you teach and to what grade?
Well, right now I'm still looking for a position (just had an interview this week).  But last year in my student teaching I taught 11th grade (full semester) American Lit, 10th grade a unit on Southern Literature, and 9th grade a unit on research.

In my current situation, I just don't see it happening with much approval from my co-op teacher. Definitely from observers from my college who are into the theory. I don't want to screw over my co-op teacher either by taking too much time off the pacing guide, who is ultimately responsible for their academic progress.
Again, I totally understand the disapproval of the supervising teacher.  I think mine really thought I didn't "teach," simply because I never really lectured.  But I think you've got to get some fun and relevance in there somehow, or the kids aren't going to even have a desire to want to understand it.  Also, if kids feel the class is boring, that's some of your behavior problem right there.  Not that I am saying I know how to make math fun because I don't, but I am saying that you should at least give it a shot.

Hmm. The section I am currently in wouldn't allow for that, because it is all "reasoning and proof." And then I have parallel/perpendicular lines next to teach.

Maybe some sort of game involving the concepts. Not like a bingo game but something fun like that that gets them using the ideas learned...

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #89 on: September 29, 2011, 09:25:11 PM »
Oh god...geometric proofs!!! BURN IT WITH FIRE!!!!

If I had to prove why something is an ASA triangle one more time, I was gonna shoot someone.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #90 on: September 29, 2011, 09:25:32 PM »
Bitch please

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #91 on: September 29, 2011, 09:25:55 PM »
What did you do in your 11th grade American literature class?

How expansive of an answer do you want?  But here's one example of how I intro'd Transcendentalism:

https://www.gchstranscendental.blogspot.com/

The main project for that unit was for students to create a scenario in which they were arrested for an act of civil disobedience.  They then had to argue their case in front of a jury using at least six quotes from Emerson and Thoreau as part of their defense.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #92 on: September 29, 2011, 09:27:15 PM »
That sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thoreau was a beast.

Offline Gadough

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #93 on: September 29, 2011, 09:27:50 PM »
Bitch please

This is how you should respond to your students whenever they ask a question.
Gadough isn't Hitler. He's much, much worse.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #94 on: September 29, 2011, 09:30:19 PM »
Bitch please, if you want a right angle i'll show you how far i bend your mama over before i spank her

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #95 on: September 29, 2011, 09:31:31 PM »
That sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thoreau was a beast.
His ideas really are quite radical and have influenced the likes of Ghandi, MLK, up to modern day protestors.  And one kid made a video about how marijuana should be legalized.  Talk about controversial (think small Georgia town).  Thought my supervising teacher was going to have my head.

Offline Gadough

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #96 on: September 29, 2011, 09:33:18 PM »
Bitch please, if you want a right angle i'll show you how far i bend your mama over before i spank her

I wish you had been my math teacher.... :(
Gadough isn't Hitler. He's much, much worse.

Offline Jamesman42

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #97 on: September 29, 2011, 09:34:07 PM »
haha no i'm not actually like that

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #98 on: September 29, 2011, 09:34:40 PM »
I think civil disobedience is one of the most important political concepts ever. Too bad it isn't more prevalent in society.

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #99 on: September 29, 2011, 09:38:10 PM »
Maybe if more people studied their fucking Thoreau in school....

contest_sanity school of civil disobedience: starting the Revolution, one student at a time!

Offline Gadough

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #100 on: September 29, 2011, 09:38:44 PM »
haha no i'm not actually like that

I don't believe that.
Gadough isn't Hitler. He's much, much worse.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #101 on: September 29, 2011, 09:39:32 PM »
Maybe if more people studied their fucking Thoreau in school....

contest_sanity school of civil disobedience: starting the Revolution, one student at a time!

Hell yeah man. I'm sick and tired of the crap I'm learning in my English classes.

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #102 on: September 29, 2011, 09:41:17 PM »
Which is what?

BTW - I think I'm sigging your quote about Henry David.

Offline 73109

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #103 on: September 29, 2011, 09:46:38 PM »
It's just shitty shit shit. English class has now become, "read and interpret class" which is fine and all, but it gets annoying when I need to be told what a simile is 1000 times. Right now, I am in AP Language and Composition so we are studying rhetoric and it sucks balls. Over the summer, I had to read To Kill a Mockingbird, Life of Pi, The Scarlet Letter, and Of Mice and Men and do some shit with that...

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: The Educators Thread
« Reply #104 on: September 29, 2011, 10:12:31 PM »
See, the school I taught in was primarily black, so I used a lot of rap content.  For an intro to rhetoric, why not something along these lines:

"But even when a rapper is just rapping about how dope he is, there's something a little bit deeper going on. It's like a sonnet, believe it or not. Sonnets have a set structure, but also a limited subject matter: They are mostly about love. Taking on such a familiar subject and writing about it in a set structure forced sonnet writers to find every nook and cranny in the subject and challenged them to invent new language for saying old things. It's the same with braggadacio in rap. When we take the most familiar subject in the history of rap - why I'm dope - and frame it within the sixteen-bar structure of a rap verse, synced to the specific rhythm and feel of the track, more than anything it's a test of creativity and wit." (Jay-Z)

And then play a video clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LzdKH1naok&feature=related