Another year is off to a start, and a pretty good one, I feel. This marks year three at my school and I have basically used the same introductory presentation all three years, with minor modifications. The students seem to enjoy the brain exercises (not yet enough content to call it on-level mathematics) but both they and I seem to be a bit bored during the syllabus discussion.
I thought seriously this year about starting off with a 3-act task, but I will instead hold that off until I see the kids again for a second time. I'd like to do math on day 1 and set good norms from the start but I don't think putting it off for a day or two is going to hurt. I will start pretty simple with the Popcorn Task which not only reviews some important Math 8 standards (a class most of my geometry students don't take) but is also easily accessible and counter-intuitive. Calculus will be more of a "what is calculus?" lecture along with getting student voice on the answer to that question. Having to start with limits is something of a pain, and while some teachers forego it entirely, I don't yet feel comfortable doing that. One benefit, though, is getting a good handle on where my students' skills are without simultaneously introducing them to new content like the derivative. I have yet to incorporate the new AP Course Description breakdown of concepts, and their 3-tier approach to content is going to make it harder to put into an SBG format. As far as I can tell, the return of L'Hôpital's rule is the biggest change. Once again, I have my kids read an excerpt from Paul Lockhart's famous essay, "A Mathematican's Lament," as their first homework assignment. I'm eager to hear their feedback about the essay. I find it difficult to meet the high bar Lockhart sets for educators while still meeting my requirements as a public school math teacher--even in a private setting, a teacher will have the pressure to prepare kids for ACT/SAT testing and a balance of creative inquiry learning and standard test-prep content will probably be best. But if I can bring out the life, beauty, and creativity in math, then I think I am on the right track. Here's hoping the first full week goes nicely.
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About the AuthorNader Mohyuddin Archives
October 2022
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