Re: [MATHEDCC] Combined Algebra - Time Allotment For Asking Questions
Rob Kimball (rlkimbal@WTCC-GW.WAKE.TEC.NC.US)
Mon, 28 Sep 1998 07:59:56 -0400 (EDT)
I have two comments to add to the homework dialogue. Let me preface
by saying that no answer to this question is correct all the time
and we must have some degree of lattitude for altering plans.
1) One of the things I don't see in marginal students that
they must learn if they are to ever be better than marginal
is persistance. I fear that too many students use the time
we (teachers) are willing to put into homework the _next_ day
as a substitute for the time they didn't put into homework
the night before. What happens if a student (at home) can't
do a problem in the homework? We know the answer, but I don't
think students know. Perhaps they will never need to learn
if they expect us to do the problem for them in the next class.
2) I have three children in school (8,11,12). I have often sat
down with them to go over problems they couldn't do and found
we had to go back and build some skills that were keeping them
from successfully doing the assigned work. After an hour or two
of hard work, they at least were ready to do the _home_work.
Granted, most students don't have a math teacher at home (aren't
they lucky!!!) so there must be studetn teams and other resources
available to them. That's not my point. Most of the time, after
spending several hours on homework with my children, I asked them
what they did the next day. The answer was usually "we went over
the homework" - So, how do you argue that you should spend
another valuable class on material you expected them to do for
homework? Did any of them come see you before class with questions?
What are the people who worked on the homework doing while you are
redoing #1,3,5,...?
Robert L Kimball 919-662-3602 (Office)
Chair, Mathematics and Physics Dept 919-266-0850 (Home)
Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC 27603-5696
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