3A Mathematics Specialist Course

Well I sat down today and finished my worked solutions for the 3A MAS course for Saddler's text. The most difficult part seems to be the Vectors component as the other areas are quite simple in their delivery.

I suggest to students to get a hold of the OT Lee text and do extra examples of these vectors questions. A couple of examination preparation books are also available from Academic associates and Academic task force. I was lucky to have been given the West One 3A CD that also has some great material to supplement the standard text.

A problem that I have seen in the class is getting students to understand the nature of vectors, especially the idea of magnitude and components. I even have to think twice when wind problems are involved. I need to amend the programme and structure it more to vectors and away from logarithms.

My advice for all starting out teachers is to do the hard yards and complete any exercises set for students before asking students to complete them. This is especially true for mature age teachers with long gaps between completing high school maths and teaching it.

One useful thing I did was mark stop points against the work where I felt I'd had enough before starting again. Although I completed the text in a couple of days, it was in multiple sittings. I'll use these stop points as indicators where I can slow the programme down.

The TDC assignments to date have been well received by students. They have been able to complete the assignments and have been positive in their feedback. If the TDC can keep supplying quality assessment then that will reduce the assessment problem for teachers starting to teach yr 11/12 specialist courses. It is daunting for starting teachers to identify good assignments/investigations.

The MAT course on the other hand so far is a bit of a doddle given the work we did with students last year.

Fractions

Primary parents are always asking about ways of teaching fractions. The main thing I tell them is to spend time with their kids and work through their own thinking. One of their main concerns is that they do it differently to the teacher and don't want to get their child confused.

I relate to this as many times as teachers we have to think if we have broken it down far enough to promote thinking. Sometimes having a framework is handy with steps to teaching a concept or skill. Here's an ebook that does that (it's not perfect but it could help).

There are many other ebooks on mathematics found here

Happy and sad event

The guys on the Plato website today have announced that they will be winding it down stating that Platowa had achieved its objectives. I think all of us in the teaching profession in WA have a big thank you to say to these guys and what they have achieved over the last four years (especially in making the union a relevant body again). If Marko was president of the SSTUWA even a hardened anti-unionist like myself would join.

It has been amazing to watch technology used in a way that achieves an outcome, and equally amazing to see people put their jobs on the line over an ideal and principle. Agree with them or not you have to appreciate their efforts. It will be interesting to see if a lobby group like this will ever again be as powerful within the teaching fraternity (are you watching this space MAWA?).

If and when Plato is retired, I will miss reading the forum about WA education from the minds of teachers, parents and interested parties. Without it, we would not have seen into the politics of teaching. I am glad that they feel they have achieved what they set out to do. It is rare in life that we have time to reflect upon actually reaching our goals.

Four days to go...

The countdown is on to the next break.. four days to go.

The last week of term is a time of wind down, with students in upper school focusing on their ball on Thursday and those in year ten disappearing on holidays before the end of term.

I'll gather in the last of the test results from this term and celebrate getting through another week eight of term. For me, week eight is always a milestone, each week eight signals getting through the goals of a term and getting that much better at teaching.

One interesting experience last week was a student that despised my teaching method last year actually sitting for two hours with me conquering a topic - at her request. Hopefully she can keep this up - it would be wonderful if she could, the re-engagement of a student into education is something that should be celebrated, too often students are lost in year 10, on the verge of starting a run at university. It signalled what we all know deep down, that a student should never be given up on, you need to be on the lookout for ways and means to repair damaged rapports.

The last week was a good one, with many signs of students understanding what senior school is all about, smiles and students seeing success in their progress.

I'm really looking forward to the break.. and some baby time. She's growing up so fast. Now that we've figured out that the expressed bottle is causing the colic.. she's another baby (and a wee bit quieter and happier!)

We reached a few milestones with the blog too, 1100 visitors this year (the same amount as the whole of last year) and over 3300 pages read. Many thanks to those that have left words of encouragement.

:-)