Thread: Am I getting old.....or what?

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Bob, that have the risk to give a new meaning to a "dirty old man"

Well, just finished greasing the front drive shaft of my D2, so I fit the bill, in the best way, Bob

Just found this thread and love it, being a) a maths teacher and b) 40 yrs old. Young enough not to remember slide rules, old enough that I spent most of school without a calculator, so I can actually do a lot of maths mentally (which drives my students nuts, because they can't).

A couple of observations. We began a laptop program at school recently, so all kids from years 8-12 got their own laptop. W naturally assumed the kids would be able to use them productively, being teenagers. We were wrong. Games, yes, Facebook, yes, but even google and email they struggled with using effectively, let alone Excel or Word. We're making good use of them, but its been interesting and challenging times for us.

Second, watched a TED video on maths education recently. The summary is that we really don't need to be teaching much algebra and calculus to kids these days, statistics is much more important (something I agree with). This educator found kids very comfortable with graphics calculators, and found that the average grade 5 kid could use them to solve problems that kids in yr 12 solve using integral calculus.

Interesting times in education at the moment, for many reasons

Originally Posted by Pinelli

Just found this thread and love it, being a) a maths teacher and b) 40 yrs old. Young enough not to remember slide rules, old enough that I spent most of school without a calculator, so I can actually do a lot of maths mentally (which drives my students nuts, because they can't).

A couple of observations. We began a laptop program at school recently, so all kids from years 8-12 got their own laptop. W naturally assumed the kids would be able to use them productively, being teenagers. We were wrong. Games, yes, Facebook, yes, but even google and email they struggled with using effectively, let alone Excel or Word. We're making good use of them, but its been interesting and challenging times for us.

Second, watched a TED video on maths education recently. The summary is that we really don't need to be teaching much algebra and calculus to kids these days, statistics is much more important (something I agree with). This educator found kids very comfortable with graphics calculators, and found that the average grade 5 kid could use them to solve problems that kids in yr 12 solve using integral calculus.

Interesting times in education at the moment, for many reasons

that was the worst unit i had to do. i can appreciate its awesome uses but i just couldn't grasp it

jc

Originally Posted by Pinelli

Interesting times in education at the moment, for many reasons

My daughter is in the final year of her Teaching Degree at the A.C.U., Brisbane. She is doing her practical placement , and has been offered an internship at this school. She says any credit is due to her mentor, a teacher with many years experience, who has taken her under her wing. Daughter says ' She is a grumpy old fart, who takes no crap, but has the total respect of the students' . Daughter has said she would do some things different, but keeps that to herself. Bob

Originally Posted by Pinelli

Just found this thread and love it, being a) a maths teacher and b) 40 yrs old. Young enough not to remember slide rules, old enough that I spent most of school without a calculator, so I can actually do a lot of maths mentally (which drives my students nuts, because they can't).

A couple of observations. We began a laptop program at school recently, so all kids from years 8-12 got their own laptop. W naturally assumed the kids would be able to use them productively, being teenagers. We were wrong. Games, yes, Facebook, yes, but even google and email they struggled with using effectively, let alone Excel or Word. We're making good use of them, but its been interesting and challenging times for us.

Second, watched a TED video on maths education recently. The summary is that we really don't need to be teaching much algebra and calculus to kids these days, statistics is much more important (something I agree with). This educator found kids very comfortable with graphics calculators, and found that the average grade 5 kid could use them to solve problems that kids in yr 12 solve using integral calculus.

Interesting times in education at the moment, for many reasons

When I was a young kid, if we were ever got caught with a calculator in class it was the cane across the back of the fingers.
But now days teachers accept and use calculators/computers in class.
Go figure...

Originally Posted by Flipper

When I was a young kid, if we were ever got caught with a calculator in class it was the cane across the back of the fingers.
But now days teachers accept and use calculators/computers in class.
Go figure...

Not accept, the school even recommend a brand of calculators and in many cases they sell them at discounted prices at their schools shops.

Hopefully the school and teachers actually teach them both how and when to use them.

I'm not on any maths classes this year, (full timetable of Physics and science), but when teaching maths, I use weekly or fortnightly tables tests with my students. They learn that calculators are no good because they're too slow for the speed of the test - much quicker to do them in your head. The kids usually enjoy it because after their first one, they get a small reward (sticker, stamp or similar) when they improve on their personal best. Gives all the kids the chance to get a bit of recognition for improving, even those that normally fail everything else.

I also increase the speed at which the tables have to be answered as the year progresses, which they don't enjoy so much

Originally Posted by justinc

that was the worst unit i had to do. i can appreciate its awesome uses but i just couldn't grasp it

jc

Do you want me to send over some 10 year olds with graphic calculators to help?