Lesson 1: Students were very competent at handling Ex 4D, the one on solving questions on basic logarithms. What a relief! We could then use the lesson to go on to the 3 laws of logarithms.
Lesson 2: Continuation on logarithms.
Lesson 3: Introduced students to common and natural logarithms and the use of calculators to solve the questions. Most of the students were quite cooperative, except a few who needed constant reminders to be on task and to take down notes. It's tiring to keep doing that, and to consider that it should have been a breeze to teach this class because of the smaller class size. Argh...
Sometimes, I feel like an idiot in the class, trying my best to engage the class and come up with different ways to get the students to remember concepts, while some daydream or even read Reader's Digest. We had a short test today on rationalising surds and solving questions on logarithms. Q3 was a question from the textbook which I explained on the board prior to the test, but some students still couldn't do it.
I hate to say that I was insulting their intelligence by using the EXACT question that had been discussed as part of the test, but if they still couldn't handle, it exasperates me. Faizal teachers the 3N students Geography too and experience the same situation in his class. Such classes make teachers feel really bad about themselves and question their confidence in being competent teachers.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
T3W4 A Math
Lesson 1 and 2: Sure enough, I was given another two days' medical leave to recuperate at home.
Lesson 3: Finally back in school. We had to go through answers to 2 class tests, exercise on Surds. Students were also introduced to Logarithms for the first time. Strangely, some students have weird apprehensions before we even approach the topic, and kept asking shouldn't it be done next year.
In the end, they managed quite well and were able to 'change' logarithmic equations to the indices form and vice versa. Not so bad mah...
Lesson 3: Finally back in school. We had to go through answers to 2 class tests, exercise on Surds. Students were also introduced to Logarithms for the first time. Strangely, some students have weird apprehensions before we even approach the topic, and kept asking shouldn't it be done next year.
In the end, they managed quite well and were able to 'change' logarithmic equations to the indices form and vice versa. Not so bad mah...
T3W3 A Math
Lesson 1: Students clarified doubts that they had on exponential equations and were introduced to surds. We had to recap everything from their Sec 2 work on the expansion of algebraic expressions, which is necessary to help them in rationalising or simplifying surds.
Interestingly, they were quite competent in identifying the conjugate surds.
Lesson 2: Continuation on rationalising and simplifying surds.
Lesson 3: I was defeated by a virus and had to stay at home until I have fully recovered. Doctor advised that I stay at home till I'm totally well and wanted me to see him again after the weekend if I am still coughing or having a runny nose. Missed my double periods. Sigh.
Interestingly, they were quite competent in identifying the conjugate surds.
Lesson 2: Continuation on rationalising and simplifying surds.
Lesson 3: I was defeated by a virus and had to stay at home until I have fully recovered. Doctor advised that I stay at home till I'm totally well and wanted me to see him again after the weekend if I am still coughing or having a runny nose. Missed my double periods. Sigh.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
T3W2 A Math
Lesson 1: Lost the day's lesson due to Youth Day.
Lesson 2: Students did a short test on indices to recap on what they have learnt during E Math. 19/24 passed - not too bad. 3 students missed the test because they were absent. We checked answers to the previous exercise 4A.
Lesson 3: The May/Jun Holiday Homejoy was collected today. All, but 3, completed the exercises. The parents of the 3 were thus called on the spot. I feel sorry for the parents who apologised on their children's behalf because the latter didn't do what they had to do. I will never let my mother apologise to others because of my misdeeds.
Students learnt about solving exponential equations. A 2-period lesson is extremely precious; it allows me to have more time to expose students to different kinds of questions and clarify their doubts. We could work on the questions slowly and I have the luxury of attending to the weaker students.
Lesson 2: Students did a short test on indices to recap on what they have learnt during E Math. 19/24 passed - not too bad. 3 students missed the test because they were absent. We checked answers to the previous exercise 4A.
Lesson 3: The May/Jun Holiday Homejoy was collected today. All, but 3, completed the exercises. The parents of the 3 were thus called on the spot. I feel sorry for the parents who apologised on their children's behalf because the latter didn't do what they had to do. I will never let my mother apologise to others because of my misdeeds.
Students learnt about solving exponential equations. A 2-period lesson is extremely precious; it allows me to have more time to expose students to different kinds of questions and clarify their doubts. We could work on the questions slowly and I have the luxury of attending to the weaker students.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
T3W1
Lesson 1: Everyone has a new timetable to follow, so I cannot blame the students for not having their materials on the first day of school since they didn't have A Math on Mondays previously. So, we did revision instead and I got them to draw one-page-per-chapter mindmaps that sums up all that they need to know for the first 3 chapters. We managed to complete only 2 during the one-period lesson. The 3rd chapter should be quite manageable for them to do on their own.
Lesson 2: We spent a period going through the questions that they had while attempting their 126 questions in their May/Jun Holiday Homejoy. It's heartening to see that most of them attempted the questions to their very best, instead of starting on them only when school started. Still, there are a few who are quite adamant in not doing ANYTHING. Deadline for the assignment is next week; I'll see how many parents I have to call.
Lesson 3: We began by recapping the rules/laws of indices. They had covered all these in their E Math in semester 1. I also insisted that those who didn't bring their notebooks stand. This must be a bad day for some; a couple of my very hardworking and conscientious ones forgot theirs and had to stand as well. We managed to practies on some of the questions in the text and there were some time left for them to attempt the homejoy and clarify doubts if any.
Lesson 2: We spent a period going through the questions that they had while attempting their 126 questions in their May/Jun Holiday Homejoy. It's heartening to see that most of them attempted the questions to their very best, instead of starting on them only when school started. Still, there are a few who are quite adamant in not doing ANYTHING. Deadline for the assignment is next week; I'll see how many parents I have to call.
Lesson 3: We began by recapping the rules/laws of indices. They had covered all these in their E Math in semester 1. I also insisted that those who didn't bring their notebooks stand. This must be a bad day for some; a couple of my very hardworking and conscientious ones forgot theirs and had to stand as well. We managed to practies on some of the questions in the text and there were some time left for them to attempt the homejoy and clarify doubts if any.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Reflection on MYE...
10 out of 28 students passed the MYE after adding the marks for their daily assignments and tests. This is the same figure as the number of students who had been highlighted and were supposed to do A Math end last year by Hwee Hwee. Hmm, I didn't do too bad then.
The rest of the students did not do very well. It was PAINFUL that one student scored zero upon 70 marks for both his papers, despite SRP and afternoon one-to-one sessions, especially after he came back from his overseas basketball trip just to make sure that he could grasp what he had missed out.
Some students in the 2/3 of the class who failed had already given up on the subject totally. In fact, one of my students' test marks are just like binary codes: 0-1-0-1. On one occasion when she left school earlier because she was unwell, she was reluctant to take the retest and told me to just write her name and give her a zero. No attempt to even try. Sad.
A check with their E Math teacher revealed that only 3 passed their MYE. OMG. If these students are not even handling their rudimentary mathematics well, how are they going to learn and do well with additional mathematics skills? I worry for them and wonder if this is the right approach to help them: just give them a subject that they cannot handle so that we keep these students in the class (instead of having them loiter around in the school) and not providing them a choice in what subject to take based on their competencies/interests?
I love to teach Mathematics and want to do it well. At the same time, I want to spend my time and effort on students who are really keen to learn and do A Math. So, I proposed to my students before school closed to think through if they want to continue to work hard for the subject. If they do, they would have to complete the 126 questions from their workbooks and submit when school reopens. They also have to pay attention during lessons, bring their notebooks all the time and submit all their work on time. Otherwise, I'll get them to sit at the back of the class where they can do their revision for other subjects silently on their own and not disturb other classmates. In this way, I can better devote my time and effort on students who wish to master A Math well and those who have no interest in A Math can channel their energy to other critical subjects that they are not so good in.
Oh ya, they also have to submit the letter to their parents (to let the latter know what work their child has to do) with signatures together with their holiday homejoy. Looking forward to seeing them put effort in their own work and stop waiting for me to provide answers all the time. Also hoping that they will hand in their work promptly from next term onwards and not let me 'beg' them for work. I always tell them, "I'm a teacher, not a beggar".
The rest of the students did not do very well. It was PAINFUL that one student scored zero upon 70 marks for both his papers, despite SRP and afternoon one-to-one sessions, especially after he came back from his overseas basketball trip just to make sure that he could grasp what he had missed out.
Some students in the 2/3 of the class who failed had already given up on the subject totally. In fact, one of my students' test marks are just like binary codes: 0-1-0-1. On one occasion when she left school earlier because she was unwell, she was reluctant to take the retest and told me to just write her name and give her a zero. No attempt to even try. Sad.
A check with their E Math teacher revealed that only 3 passed their MYE. OMG. If these students are not even handling their rudimentary mathematics well, how are they going to learn and do well with additional mathematics skills? I worry for them and wonder if this is the right approach to help them: just give them a subject that they cannot handle so that we keep these students in the class (instead of having them loiter around in the school) and not providing them a choice in what subject to take based on their competencies/interests?
I love to teach Mathematics and want to do it well. At the same time, I want to spend my time and effort on students who are really keen to learn and do A Math. So, I proposed to my students before school closed to think through if they want to continue to work hard for the subject. If they do, they would have to complete the 126 questions from their workbooks and submit when school reopens. They also have to pay attention during lessons, bring their notebooks all the time and submit all their work on time. Otherwise, I'll get them to sit at the back of the class where they can do their revision for other subjects silently on their own and not disturb other classmates. In this way, I can better devote my time and effort on students who wish to master A Math well and those who have no interest in A Math can channel their energy to other critical subjects that they are not so good in.
Oh ya, they also have to submit the letter to their parents (to let the latter know what work their child has to do) with signatures together with their holiday homejoy. Looking forward to seeing them put effort in their own work and stop waiting for me to provide answers all the time. Also hoping that they will hand in their work promptly from next term onwards and not let me 'beg' them for work. I always tell them, "I'm a teacher, not a beggar".
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Math T2W3
Lesson 1: I was again on course on my precious 2-period lesson on Tuesday. I merely assigned students to do a quadratic inequalities test and some revision questions on the previous topics.
Lesson 2: It's good to be back to see them again. I missed many many Math lessons. We finished the wordy questions on quadratic inequalities where students have to bring in the discriminant. Thankfully, most seem to find this topic manageable.
Lesson 3: I introduced students to intersection of a line and a curve. Students again have to know exactly the 3 cases where D can be >, = or < to zero and that they can only start bringing in the discriminant after they have substituted and simplified the questions.
Lesson 2: It's good to be back to see them again. I missed many many Math lessons. We finished the wordy questions on quadratic inequalities where students have to bring in the discriminant. Thankfully, most seem to find this topic manageable.
Lesson 3: I introduced students to intersection of a line and a curve. Students again have to know exactly the 3 cases where D can be >, = or < to zero and that they can only start bringing in the discriminant after they have substituted and simplified the questions.
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