Teaching a Teacher to Be

Midnight · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:03 pm Post subject: Teaching a Teacher to Be

As some of you know (or may not know; depends on how well you know me in the channel), I am a burgeoning math teacher at the age of 21. I've been teaching math for the past three years now, but these were all in a preparatory school setting. As this school year begins, I find myself a student teacher in a high school setting.

The reason I ask is that I'd like to know from the predominantly high school-age population here what they see in a teacher--specifically what is it about a teacher that grabs their attention and makes them want to learn and do well in that class, and what it is about another teacher that makes students indifferent and even openly defiant to their class.

In other words, I guess, I need advice. What is it about a teacher that draws you to them as someone you will likely enjoy learning from? What is it that repels you from other teachers, and eventually leads to disrespecting them? Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
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Yuriko · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:45 pm Post subject:

I like learning new things, things I hadn't thought of before. Also, the math class I remember most is my applied algebra where we learned how to write checks, do our own taxes, and figure out a reasonable price for a car from a factory price.

then again, maybe I'm the only one who finds something like that interesting.

**Sol** · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:35 am Post subject:

I think one of the things teachers would want to do is spend more time on certain topics, especially with a subject like Math. Unfortunately, there usually isn't enough time to do that, and so students start feeling rushed and discontent.

One of the things I liked in teachers was their ability to be consistent in their teaching. Not just from the bookwork, but with how they do their problems and manage to get students to understand it. A challenge, most definitely, but one that does start to pay off.

I'll relay something from my life in junior year in high school. I had an Algebra II teacher who really didn't like teaching us. Or, to be more specific, thought we were all stupid. She taught us right out of the book, but she never went beyond that; she would always give us the examples and expect to work them out on our own.

So come test time, everyone failed spectacularly. Every time. It's a wonder I even got through that class, knowing so little.

tl;dr, how the teacher conducts themselves will impact how the students will be. Be friendly and rather at ease around them, but don't reach out to connect with them too much, because you still need to let them know that you're the final authority.
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SeijinKage13 · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:15 am Post subject: try this

Teaching Math can be very difficult. I would suggest to maybe connect with the students while teaching them. By doing that, you can point out problems and solutions of the students' learning habits. Humor in class helps teach students more effectively than by any normal means, so try to use jokes or something to help students memorize things. Also, challenge them with bonus questions or bets (no money, of course) so they can work harder and have thing to at least work for. That is, at least, what my math teacher in Sophomore year did, and surprisingly, we did well in class (with the exception of the jocks).
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Dingo · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 2:19 pm Post subject:

Hmm, some of this may play into my own mannerisms around teaching once I get out of college. Some of the things I took out of my teachers a while ago were try to up-tempo things a bit. Also, like Yuriko said, applied stuff may factor into interest.
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**Malik** · Local Prinny Deity Age: 34 Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 1179

Christ, only 21?

It's going to be hard starting off. For me, I already knew quite a bit about my math teachers from what I heard from the previous classes (and students before me), so some go into the classes kind of knowing how they'll like the teacher.

My favorite high school math teacher was really funny. The humor really helps students (or at least me) remember certain concepts and applications by recalling those moments in class when they fell out of their chair laughing.

I'd say... be friendly so that students feel unashamed to approach you after lecture for help, but as Sol said, still keep policy so that they don't take your class as a joke.
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Midnight · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject:

Yeah, only 21. Started teaching from a while back, but I digress.

Thanks guys. Part of my problem, I suppose, is classroom management, since every class I've taught so far the kids either wanted to be there or had no other choice and was there. Therefore I've kinda dealt with the extremes of the spectrum and haven't really had any experience with those on the fence.

Humor for me, as I have been characterized before, is something that is "extremely dry." I've tried making comments that refer to things, but they either often fail miserably or I gloss over them. The only one that managed to elicit a response was a lesson on factoring when I mentioned a "Four-letter "f" word."
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NetOperator Wibby · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:30 pm Post subject:

Well, my 10th grade algebra teacher was, in a word, awesome. For some reason, math concepts don't stick in my head. I learn it, retain it long enough for a test, go on vacation, and then come back totally confused and lost. Not with him though. What he did was tell us stories about his life and somehow [seriously, I think he's a magician] tie in whatever he was saying to the current math topic. Same goes for my 12th grade Physcis teacher. However, they were both much older than you so they have years of experience to build off of. One thing I will say is this though ... high-school kids can smell fear, especially on new teachers. I would just relax and get to know them. Also, don't just stand or sit in one place for the whole class. Walk around, keep their heads and eyes moving. They will be less prone to fall asleep, and sometimes any hand gestures you make will enable themto remember something. At least, it did for me. Smile

BTW, you're only one year older than me, holy crap man! Good luck.
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Tachyon360 · Le Croissant Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 740

All of my most memorable teachers from my days in high school were the ones that showed genuine enthusiasm for their subjects. No rote memorization, no bizarre hippie projects, no classroom politics - just a deep and bright love of their subject that really showed in everything they did. Those teachers were never afraid to look like idiots (one teacher I had jumped around the classroom trying to explain the chaotic nature of electrons), nor were they afraid to approach tricky subjects from multiple angles with colorful language tossed in (a Spanish teacher I once had noted "gustar" as "totally back-ass-wards" and proceeded to explain how "me gusta" doesn't really mean "I like it" as the textbooks state, but rather "it is pleasing to me").

To put it in more concrete terms, learn what you have to cover with your class and then throw the syllabus out the window. Learning should be fun for the students, but not so fun that they learn nothing, so in short: wing it, love it, and make a total ass of yourself in the process.
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**Izumi** · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:08 am Post subject:

This is a good topic; if anyone wants to put in their advice for English teachers too I'd be happy to hear it. :P
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NetOperator Wibby · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:08 am Post subject:

I think Tachyon360 said it best. That's what I was trying to say, but I wasn't doing a very good job of it. Confused

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Roll Soul · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:17 am Post subject:

I don't think I really qualify as "high school age" but I'll give it a shot ;P

For one thing, as was pretty much mentioned already, keep animated. Move about the classroom, make gestures with your hands, keep the life and enthusiasm in your voice. Let them know that you enjoy being there, and soon they'll love being there too.

Another thing is to not let the stragglers fall behind. I was a horrible kid in school, especially in math, and when it came time for me to take the tests for my GED (yes, I was a dropout) math was the only one I didn't pass. However, my teacher at the school was AWESOME. She really helped me and didn't let me fall back, and she took the time to talk me (or anyone else needing it) through whatever. Pretty soon, I was practically a sub-teacher in the class.

Anyway, my time's running short and I've gotta run, so I can come back to this later. But that should be a good start~
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Midnight · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:13 pm Post subject:

AngelfanA16 · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:17 am Post subject:

hey, i know some student teachers as a college student, and they have some good qualities about them.
The biggest one is be willing to a have a sense of humor. My current math teacher right now has an awesome sense of humor, while still teaching incredibly well. Something that sets you apart from other teachers sort of.
Examples are awesome. For example, my teacher was explaining ratios (simple stuff, but still the point will get across.)and stuff, and she used a story about her kids to exemplify the lesson that she was trying to teach.
Anyway, those are just a couple off the top of my head. i would type more, but i'm dead tired right now. hope this is helpful.
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**Izumi** · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:29 am Post subject:

Poochy.EXE · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 3:05 pm Post subject:

Well, here's a few things that I've seen make good teachers:

1. Have a good sense of humor. Be goofy, creative, and make jokes out of your material. Humor makes it easier to remember stuff.

2. Audience participation is always good. Make your entire class get up and do stuff; it keeps 'em awake. For example, I once had a math teacher who made the whole class stand up to practice for degrees vs. radians. "Face this wall. Okay, now turn pi/2 radians to your right. Everybody facing the windows? Okay, good."

3. Be unpredictable. Keep your class on their feet; again, it keeps 'em awake. The same teacher in my last example once suddenly threw a piece of chalk clear across the room to illustrate parabolic projectile motion.

4. Be flexible. While it's good to plan out several lessons in advance, you should still leave some room to adjust. Slow down and spend more time on material that your class doesn't seem to understand, and speed up if they all seem to be doing well.

5. Have some fun in class every so often, even if it's only vaguely related to the material. It's perfectly fine to start off on a tangent at times, if you have something interesting or funny to say. It'll get the students' attention better for when you come back from your tangent.

6. Listen to your students' feedback. Treat your students like adults, and they'll respect you back. Avoid talking down to them - this is one error that way too many teachers seem to make.

7. For math grading, partial credit for mostly-right solutions with an incorrect final answer is usually a good idea.

8. I generally recommend being somewhat lenient with grades. Don't give people A's just for showing up, but be lenient enough that your students will focus on learning the material and not on their grades. Also, don't put too much emphasis on grades, either.

And a few things for what NOT to do:

1. Unless literally EVERY member of a group (or your entire class) is acting up, group punishment generally is a bad idea. Chances are you'll annoy the better students in the group/class and turn them against you.

2. Do NOT play favorites in grades. This should be easy to do in math classes - just avoid giving points for objective qualities like "neatness". When giving partial credit, just decide beforehand your criteria for each point, and stick to it.

3. Don't teach right out of the book. If possible, don't even use the book in class. Refer to the book when giving homework and when planning your lessons, but don't actually refer to it in lecture if it can be avoided.

4. Avoid assigning busywork. For math, this means look over your assigned homework problems, and make sure you don't have multiple problems whose solutions are nearly identical. If you write your own problems and use a real-world/applied problem, put constants right in the problem; don't make students look them up. And NEVER force your students to color stuff or do arts and crafts in a math class. Leave that to the art department. Homework, in my opinion and those of the best teachers I've had, is for practicing and applying the material.
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Sai-kun · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:26 am Post subject:

Hi Middy :D

What you might wanna do, once you've pretty much settled into your groove is actually ask students what they think, not of you as a person, but how you're teaching. It might not be the best idea depending on how the kids are, and you'll obviously get "less homework" "no homework!" responses, but some kids might actually give you advice, or at least tell you what they like.

Also, no matter what, don't forget that the way that people, especially young students, all learn different ways, so write things down, don't just say them, because I know that's a problem that I still have, despite being in my senior year of high school, that teachers just say what our assignment is, they don't put it on a piece of paper or write it on the board.

Also, I think Poochy nailed it pretty good, but...be funny! Don't tell lame jokes related to math, but if you saw something funny earlier or read something funny in a newspaper or online, share it with the kids. You'll help relax them and make the classroom a better place to be.

Also [for the last time I swear! :P], encourage the kids from day 1 to come to you if they have problems with anything. Not necessarily life-advice, since that's a riskier area, but just general school stuff. You're damn smart, so you shouldn't have a problem with that. If you can open yourself up to them like that, you'll put them on the same level as you, which will, at least in my experience as a student, make them friendlier in class and encourage them to pay attention to you more.

Whew. >>
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robo · Net Battler Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 63

On the humor thing...especially since you said you don't have good luck with it. Don't do it if that's the case, or at least it should come out so naturally that it doesn't sound like humor at all. I've rolled my eyes at and felt so embarrassed for teachers and profs continuously trying too hard to get a few laughs from the students and using 'hip' examples to relate to the young people (although in your case, you ARE young people). Honestly, it's math. While it may be incredibly interesting to you and a few others, chances are a few jokes are not going to make the subject any more invigorating to the majority of high-schoolers. It doesn't mean you need to be cold and super-serious of course. I think you will be well-liked so long as you are warm and approachable.

One thing I always wished my math teachers did (and I felt the female teachers were more adept at this) was explaining things in small easily understandable steps. Make it as basic as you can. I hated it when math teachers taught as if they were simply showing off what they knew. After one example of a new operation or whatever, they'd move onto the next problem and start grouping steps together or skipping them, assuming the class got it. No questions doesn't really mean no questions.

Also, last one. Engage the class. For some reason, it felt like...after elementary school, the teacher/prof was the only one allowed to do ANYTHING. Randomly call on one of them and have them solve problems in front of the class, so there is more pressure for them to learn the material. Maybe have a weekly competition...split them up into teams...see who can solve the problems the quickest. Things like that.
Hope this isn't too redundant.

Gavisi · Age: 32 Joined: 23 Sep 2008 Posts: 1

Hey Ixi!

A lot of the stuff Poochy said is basically a description of my favorite high school math teacher. A few things:

1. Make your lessons respectable. My Pre-Calc teacher's lessons had some humor, but at the same time he was serious about them. If your humor's not good, make up for it with excitement.

2. Going off on a short tangent can really capture students' attention. A one or two minute story about something funny/interesting you saw removes a lot of stress from the students - and hopefully from you.

3. Be consistent with your rules. If you say "No test re-takes if you miss a homework", keep up with that for the whole year. My Pre-Calc teacher didn't make exceptions to his rules "just because", and a lot of his students really respected him for that. Or at least I did.

4. If you feel comfortable with your students, you can talk a bit about your personal life. This goes back to point 2. There are some people who don't think of their teachers as normal people. Mention something not school-related - the weather, a game, traffic, whatever - and your students will realize that you are indeed a human.