What I've learned

From my Presentation



I learned that some students may say they don't like math, but what they really mean is that not always do they like math, i.e. sometimes they actually find math interesting, and some other times boring.



The teachers want to be effective and cannot stand when other teachers who are not competent stay in their teaching positions without much possibility to remove those people from the teaching profession.



I learned that some students are actually aware of the importance of math; that even though they might never have to apply the exact same concepts learned during class, math plays a role in maintaining your mind active.

From the Other Presentations

Most teachers suggest using humour as a tool to both gain students attention and dealing with difficult students. All students need humour.

Explaining too much can be counterproductive, as in the example of the student who said that "the teacher may explain and explain until I understand, but sometimes the teacher can explain and explain until I don't understand."

Students, contrary to popular belief, want to be assigned homework. They don't need a whole lot of homework, so finding the appropriate amount is a careful decision that a teacher must take.

Teachers who have taught for a long time do not need to lesson plan as much as novice teachers. Some senior teachers do not even lesson plan.

Different things work for different students. Teacher have to have a full arsenal of tools so that students do not get bored with the same techniques. The best technique cannot all the time every time.

One of the ideas that caught my attention on one of the last presentations is to ask the mathematics students to keep a math journal.

You have to use technology wisely. One of the teachers being interviewed explained how he made a mistake by simply taking the students to the computer lab and then the students, even though they had a blast at the computer lab, they ultimately did not learn anything. The students would then ask for the class to take place in the computer lab repeatedly.