Welcome to a new school year!
Hello, I am Mary McMahon and I will be facilitating answers to your math questions. As I told my freshmen college students Friday, I have been teaching math longer than most of them are alive! On my profile I said that I have been supervising practicum and student teachers since 1988.
I would like to share some ways to learn more about your students. I often give a math autobiograpy assignment where they write about their past math experiences, the good , the bad and the ugly! It is meant to have them reflect on what went well and what didn’t and make changes. I assure them that the past is the past and we need to move on.
Within the first weeks of school, I have them write a letter to the person they complained to the most about being in another math class. This allows me a chance to learn about how the term iis going on an emotional level for them.
On all quizzes and tests, I give an extra credit question that often involves creativity. On my first quiz, the “Extra Credit” question is ”Ask me a question.” After the quiz, I read the questions to the class and answer them. Since students are unsure of what I am looking for, some ask math questions while others will ask more personal ones like this one I received Friday ”If you were a bird, where would you go for the winter?”
For this blog to be successful, we NEED your participation. PLEASE let us know what direction you would like this blog to take: continue this thread or start a new one.
Mary