Date: 9.26/2007
Class Observed: Mrs. Wimpey's AP Calculus
Topic: Limit definition of the derivative
I took the young lady whom I had problems teaching last week the notes that I said I'd make up for her. She seemed very appreciative, and actually kept them (to the best of my knowledge... I don't recall seeing her tossing them in the wastebasket when she left).
I can't write. It's a little bit of a problem. Well, I can write -- but not very long. My elbow's being a pain, and so today I did more observing than note-taking. I noticed that Mrs. Wimpey has a very good relationship with her AP class, and then I thought about the relationship she had with her MTIV class. They weren't that much different. She would allow side-conversations if it involved her, and she would joke with them a little bit, but she would never pal around or let the topic drift too far from math before bringing it right back again. I thought this was great because for the past 3 years I've heard of teachers treating different level classes in a different manner. Classes of "lower intelligence levels" typically have a tighter leash on them, while classes of "higher intelligence levels" tend to have a little more reign.. but that's not the case with Mrs. Wimpey. She treats her brightest AP calc student the same way she treats her least-able Math Tech IV student, and to be honest, I think that's how it should be. As far as ability level goes, she knows what they can and cannot do, but she doesn't talk down to one and praise the other -- she treats both as if they're students who do not know a lick of what they're being taught. In this way she's thorough and fair... a great combination if you ask me.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Mental Block
Teacher Observed: Mrs. Wimpey
Class: AP Calculus (8:00 - 9:30)
My last observation could have certainly been better. I observed Mrs. Wimpey's AP Calculus class, and she split them up to do some group work. So I made my way around trying to help here and there, answering some fairly simple questions. However, there was one girl who I tried to help and, well, I just couldn't. I did my best to explain to her why infinity could not be a limit, and she just didn't understand. I even tried to break it down as simply as I could, saying a limit had to be one number, just one, and infinity wasn't a number, but rather a set of numbers. She still didn't understand, and I felt absolutely awful about it. I know that when I become a teacher, there will be times when I just won't be able to communicate some subject matter to every student, but I didn't expect it to be my second student ever.
What I know I will do, however, is make up a couple sheets of notes with example problems and explanations, and then give them to her when I see her on Wednesday. Hopefully those will help, but I sure can't let her go without being absolutely certain that I did my best to help her learn.
Class: AP Calculus (8:00 - 9:30)
My last observation could have certainly been better. I observed Mrs. Wimpey's AP Calculus class, and she split them up to do some group work. So I made my way around trying to help here and there, answering some fairly simple questions. However, there was one girl who I tried to help and, well, I just couldn't. I did my best to explain to her why infinity could not be a limit, and she just didn't understand. I even tried to break it down as simply as I could, saying a limit had to be one number, just one, and infinity wasn't a number, but rather a set of numbers. She still didn't understand, and I felt absolutely awful about it. I know that when I become a teacher, there will be times when I just won't be able to communicate some subject matter to every student, but I didn't expect it to be my second student ever.
What I know I will do, however, is make up a couple sheets of notes with example problems and explanations, and then give them to her when I see her on Wednesday. Hopefully those will help, but I sure can't let her go without being absolutely certain that I did my best to help her learn.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
First Time for Everything
I taught my first student today, and I didn't teach them wrong! It was such an uplifting feeling.
Again, same classes, same teachers, different times... I stayed a little later to discuss lesson plans and unit plans.
Also, Mrs. Wimpey was very kind and printed off the National and SC standards for her CP Stats class, which I immediately immersed myself in along with her AP Calc syllabus, pre-test, and various other papers. I'll tell you what, this wonderful lady is definitely doing everything in her power to make sure that my transition into student teaching is made as simple as possible.
Alright, my first teaching experience. It was in Mrs. Cortez's pre-calculus class, and she had the students doing some exercises out of the book. The first thing that struck me is that when she assigned them, she said, "Now if you need any help, look in the book first, and then come to us." Yes, she didn't say, "and then come to me." It felt like my first real experience as a teacher, and I could tell the students were a little hesitant to really ask me for any help. I would go around and ask the students if they were understanding things alright, and they'd stare at their papers and say, "Yes, sir," and not five seconds later they'd raise their hand for Mrs. Cortez. Not the best feeling in the world, but, eventually, they came around, and one of them asked me the reciprocal of -1. Now, I know, it's not the most exhilarating first-ever-teaching question, but you know what? It was a question. So I politely said that it was -1, and the girl said, "Oh, duh!" I eventually made my way to another girl who was about to go up and put her answers on the board, and she asked me to check and make sure they were correct before she wrote them for the whole class to see. Cautiously I ran my fingers down the page like any good teacher would do, checking for any mistakes, and, finding none, said she was good to go. I can't really explain the knot I had in my stomach while she was writing them, and all I did the entire time was stare intently at her answers to make sure they were indeed right. How horrible would that look, if I told her they were perfectly fine and she wrote the wrong answers? I would have been devastated. Thankfully, everything turned out fine. I'll get some confidence soon, but I think for the time-being I'm allowed a touch of anxiety.
Relating this to the material, I think the biggest idea would be that everyone learns differently, and that everyone thinks differently. While most people, even the least-mathematically-inclined of us, would agree that the reciprocal of -1 is a horribly easy problem and should be known my most anyone, it is still a question, and as such needs to be treated with respect, as well as the student. I'll admit that a little voice in my head asked, "Is she serious? The reciprocal of -1?", but I remembered what I'd been taught, and I applied it. Not everybody gets everything, and for those who don't, we teachers need to be there to help them through.
I'm dreading it... the first day I stand infront of a class, but at the same time, I'm confident that it will be right where I should be.
Again, same classes, same teachers, different times... I stayed a little later to discuss lesson plans and unit plans.
Also, Mrs. Wimpey was very kind and printed off the National and SC standards for her CP Stats class, which I immediately immersed myself in along with her AP Calc syllabus, pre-test, and various other papers. I'll tell you what, this wonderful lady is definitely doing everything in her power to make sure that my transition into student teaching is made as simple as possible.
Alright, my first teaching experience. It was in Mrs. Cortez's pre-calculus class, and she had the students doing some exercises out of the book. The first thing that struck me is that when she assigned them, she said, "Now if you need any help, look in the book first, and then come to us." Yes, she didn't say, "and then come to me." It felt like my first real experience as a teacher, and I could tell the students were a little hesitant to really ask me for any help. I would go around and ask the students if they were understanding things alright, and they'd stare at their papers and say, "Yes, sir," and not five seconds later they'd raise their hand for Mrs. Cortez. Not the best feeling in the world, but, eventually, they came around, and one of them asked me the reciprocal of -1. Now, I know, it's not the most exhilarating first-ever-teaching question, but you know what? It was a question. So I politely said that it was -1, and the girl said, "Oh, duh!" I eventually made my way to another girl who was about to go up and put her answers on the board, and she asked me to check and make sure they were correct before she wrote them for the whole class to see. Cautiously I ran my fingers down the page like any good teacher would do, checking for any mistakes, and, finding none, said she was good to go. I can't really explain the knot I had in my stomach while she was writing them, and all I did the entire time was stare intently at her answers to make sure they were indeed right. How horrible would that look, if I told her they were perfectly fine and she wrote the wrong answers? I would have been devastated. Thankfully, everything turned out fine. I'll get some confidence soon, but I think for the time-being I'm allowed a touch of anxiety.
Relating this to the material, I think the biggest idea would be that everyone learns differently, and that everyone thinks differently. While most people, even the least-mathematically-inclined of us, would agree that the reciprocal of -1 is a horribly easy problem and should be known my most anyone, it is still a question, and as such needs to be treated with respect, as well as the student. I'll admit that a little voice in my head asked, "Is she serious? The reciprocal of -1?", but I remembered what I'd been taught, and I applied it. Not everybody gets everything, and for those who don't, we teachers need to be there to help them through.
I'm dreading it... the first day I stand infront of a class, but at the same time, I'm confident that it will be right where I should be.
It's a start...
So... Monday was my first day of observations (from 8 AM to 11 AM). I observed one Math Tech IV class, which was Statistics, and a CP Pre-Calculus class.
The first teacher I observed, Mrs. Wimpey, did an incredible job at interacting with her students. It was fantastic to see a real High School teacher in a situation where I'm not the student, and it made me appreciate teaching and math so much more because I realized just how much work must go into preparing, teaching, interacting, clarifying, etc. The second teacher I observed was Mrs. Cortez, who also interacted very well with her students. Both of them, and I found this very interesting, had a great relationship with their students. They weren't like my teachers in high school who were very business-oriented with their "I'm a teacher, you're a student, that's it" attitude. These teachers really seemed to care for the kids and about their learning, and it showed with their ability to tolerate horseplay to the extent that it didn't interrupt the class. They allowed kids to call out, but if they became a nuisance they quickly put an end to it, and the kids obliged. I wouldn't say they were chummy, but they definitely had something more special than that boring teacher-student relationship. I'd say it be more like mentor and peer.
What I'd love to see when I become a teacher is something like this happening among my students and myself. I'm sure when I first start I'll probably grip a little too tightly, and it will be a while before I feel I can loosen up without losing control of the classroom, but I feel more than prepared and ready to do that.
As for anything covered in class, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head that relates to this. Being attentive to your students' needs, perhaps, and attentive to their learning styles. Maybe that's why they had such a good relationship with the teacher, because the teacher was willing to go the extra mile to make sure they got it.
The first teacher I observed, Mrs. Wimpey, did an incredible job at interacting with her students. It was fantastic to see a real High School teacher in a situation where I'm not the student, and it made me appreciate teaching and math so much more because I realized just how much work must go into preparing, teaching, interacting, clarifying, etc. The second teacher I observed was Mrs. Cortez, who also interacted very well with her students. Both of them, and I found this very interesting, had a great relationship with their students. They weren't like my teachers in high school who were very business-oriented with their "I'm a teacher, you're a student, that's it" attitude. These teachers really seemed to care for the kids and about their learning, and it showed with their ability to tolerate horseplay to the extent that it didn't interrupt the class. They allowed kids to call out, but if they became a nuisance they quickly put an end to it, and the kids obliged. I wouldn't say they were chummy, but they definitely had something more special than that boring teacher-student relationship. I'd say it be more like mentor and peer.
What I'd love to see when I become a teacher is something like this happening among my students and myself. I'm sure when I first start I'll probably grip a little too tightly, and it will be a while before I feel I can loosen up without losing control of the classroom, but I feel more than prepared and ready to do that.
As for anything covered in class, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head that relates to this. Being attentive to your students' needs, perhaps, and attentive to their learning styles. Maybe that's why they had such a good relationship with the teacher, because the teacher was willing to go the extra mile to make sure they got it.
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