This is just a quickie post, because believe it or not I do have a life. Actually I wrote it this morning and have just decided to publish it …
My thought process links to a post I’m halfway through about an “epiphany” I’ve had recently about teaching … I know you JUST CAN’T WAIT! But you’ll have to as I need to read it through and check it and don’t have the time.
My timeline on twitter seems to have gone “growth mind-set” mad and this is a time when 120 characters just isn’t enough. For what it’s worth, in my opinion this is another example of us “repackaging” ideas to make them “new” and shiny – but this isn’t about GM . Some people are on a quest for a “magic bullet” and as a consequence we’ll end up breaking teaching down into a series of tick boxes to be ticked and this is the worst thing that can happen to us as a profession. Yes, I agree there should be a set of principles but once you get into the “tick box” culture it becomes more about what you did wrong than what you did right … “Oh I can’t tick that box because at some point you referred to “able” students” (you can insert any “thing” in this statement) … regardless of the fact that 100’s of times in the lesson you did everything else right.
Teaching in Maths isn’t difficult but those that are distracted by “shiny, new” stuff seem intent on making it so. (Right now I have a vision of Gollum in my head)!!
Greet students at the door, be positive (be yourself!) and have high expectations of behaviour, work ethic (basically expect them to “try their best” 100% of the time) and effort. Tell students what they’re going to learn. Teach them it. Question them and discuss/unearth misconceptions. Get them to practice, apply and demonstrate it (through whatever means you find works for you) and link to other areas of maths. Review what they’ve learnt. Tell them how they’re doing and wave goodbye at the door. Oh and then regularly assess their learning over time.
OK so I have MASSIVELY over-simplified it but I just don’t get it but then again I never have been the most fashionable person. I’ve never been the person that follows the fads. I like to think I am pragmatic about things – quite laid back really (or I used to be) and have no intention of following the trends unless they work for me. Have any of you actually questioned any of the research findings about any of this trendy stuff .. makes interesting reading! Do what works for you!
PS: Let me give you an example of when this kind of yoghurt knitting motivation just wouldn’t have worked. I’m 17, just got my first (ok second!) serious boyfriend and have just flunked my Physics A level mock. Mr Hindle (**waves at my old school Lliswerry High … that has TWO “l’s”**) wanted me kicked off the course – told me I just didn’t “have it”. My response “I will prove you wrong! I will get you the highest grade in Physics this school has seen” … and do you know what: I p1ssed it! The joy of showing him my result when I got my place at Warwick University stays with me today!
PPS: I am not so against the whole GM thing – in fact I have some “motivational quotes” taped to the back of my chairs in my room! These are a fab idea from @MrsMartinMaths on twitter that were originally designed to be taped to the desks and no I didn’t do it because “GM” is all the rage I did it because I like the principles of not limiting my students.
