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teaching is hard.
 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 17:54 [#01457242]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker



Does anyone here teach? You have to study the students
carefully for what is difficult for them (no one wants to
look dumb!), which is hard at first. Figuring out exactly
how long everything will take is hard. Even things like
board space are hard at first. blechchhh


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 17:56 [#01457246]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator



i've had a teaching course when i was studying. i could
never work as a teacher though..


 

offline recycle from Where is Phobiazero (Lincoln) (United States) on 2005-01-13 17:57 [#01457250]
Points: 40075 Status: Regular



0oh god please tell me that your not going to become a
teacher and guide our childrens future ? on one hand that
would be bad, ive seen the way you act with people around
here, you could ruin many many livees, on the otherhand you
could help out the retards that arnt able to see the big
picture like i know you can

in the meantime, im just watching your avatar girl, yap yap
yap about nothing, its been real, its been fun, but it hasnt
been real fun

im out


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 17:59 [#01457253]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to recycle: #01457250



I'm teaching in a university, frog-slayer von brimwald


 

offline ecnadniarb on 2005-01-13 17:59 [#01457254]
Points: 24805 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



Yes teaching is hard. I have conducted on site traning in
the past for complete novice PC users used to only using a
terminal. The mouse was a new experience for them...one
woman was crying because her mouse wasn't working, she was
actually moving her money purse around the desk. We had
people vomitting and everything and it was only 10 minutes
into the introduction session.

All but two were competent by the end of their training, the
two remaining are past all hope.


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 18:03 [#01457259]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator



teaching at the university is cool though..although i
wouldn't call it teaching.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:03 [#01457260]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to ecnadniarb: #01457254



my first day was awful; I couldn't read anyone's feelings at
all and could not connect whatsoever. The main problem is
I'd say things like 'and this is easy so I can go over it
fast, right?' and everyone would look uncomfortable, and I
thought maybe I asked a dumb question..

today I asked loooooooooots of questions, even on simple
stuff. It doesn't take much more time, it gets them
involved, gives them a sense of accomplishment..

It's also surprisingly tiring!


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:04 [#01457262]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to tolstoyed: #01457259



well I should have explained.. I'm a 'teaching assistant';
in this particular course the professor lectures 3x a week
and I give 1 hour long sessions 2x a week. It's cool
because I choose my curriculum completely autonomously.
Anyway the point of these is to iron out the shit with
students, so it's pretty involved.


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 18:06 [#01457264]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator | Followup to sneakattack: #01457262



"I choose my curriculum completely autonomously"

meaning you discuss aphex?


 

offline X-tomatic from ze war room on 2005-01-13 18:06 [#01457265]
Points: 2901 Status: Lurker | Followup to sneakattack: #01457242



Oh don't worry, you'd be an excellent teacher as you seem to
have mastered the art of constructive criticism, and seem
keen to first carefully assess a person's intellect before
making any rash conclusions about them.


 

offline ecnadniarb on 2005-01-13 18:06 [#01457266]
Points: 24805 Status: Lurker | Followup to sneakattack: #01457260 | Show recordbag



I'm normally pretty good with people when I first meet them
I can normally tell the type of person they are. I hate
watching people conducting training where they try to
'force' people to get involved though...and I am probably
over critical of other peoples teaching methods, therefore
in the larger scheme of things I am a shit teacher :D


 

offline recycle from Where is Phobiazero (Lincoln) (United States) on 2005-01-13 18:07 [#01457268]
Points: 40075 Status: Regular



sounds like lots of fun, one word "hot chics in detention"

wait, what grades ? ages ?

yeah my first comment in this reply, was semi-pathetic

congrats by the way


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 18:08 [#01457270]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator



and surely the best part is you get to hang out with
studentesseseses


 

offline recycle from Where is Phobiazero (Lincoln) (United States) on 2005-01-13 18:08 [#01457271]
Points: 40075 Status: Regular | Followup to ecnadniarb: #01457266



most of us like you here, except people named Alex


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:09 [#01457272]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to X-tomatic: #01457265



HAHAHAHA it's YOU!

before I criticized you in that thread (which I was
enjoying, by the way. loosen up!), I was commenting on your
speedball 2 avatar, but you were too aloof to respond.

P.S. you have proved yet again that you're a fucking idiot.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:11 [#01457276]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to ecnadniarb: #01457266



I thought I was good with analyzing people but my first day,
with a group like this, it was tough. Asking lots of
questions has been (so far, after two sessions) the only way
I've gotten them really involved in what I was doing. I
asked lots and many times a volunteer was so slow in coming
that I would target people. Usually I'd go by facial
expression, if someone looked really troubled or really
victorious always (obviously) got a good response to work
with. I have lots of time to keep experimenting.. damn is
it exhausting though.. do you feel it takes much energy as
well?


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:12 [#01457278]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to tolstoyed: #01457270



well I'm a student as well =P

and in your other post.. I will bring up aphex some day =)
my little mp3 player will be a good way to enter the topic,
because I'll use it to record (and criticize!! FUCK it'll be
humiliating!) my performance.


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 18:15 [#01457282]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator | Followup to sneakattack: #01457276



how many students you work with? because overhere asking
questions and remembering students is impossible because of
the large groups..must be cool for the students though.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:17 [#01457286]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to tolstoyed: #01457282



this is about 30 kids.. I'm going to input they're grades
and everything! I'm not feeling comfortable about that AT
ALL. I hate this sort of power.. very very very very much.
A computer should be grading and assigning grades.. oh well


 

offline recycle from Where is Phobiazero (Lincoln) (United States) on 2005-01-13 18:22 [#01457289]
Points: 40075 Status: Regular



basically your now forced to grow up, you gotta love society


 

offline a guest from the visual field on 2005-01-13 18:23 [#01457290]
Points: 154 Status: Lurker



I'm a TA as well but instead of teaching I just mark tests
and essays and such, which is both fun and frustrating. I
know what you mean about having the power/responsibility of
assigning grades to people. It’s always tough to fail
someone.


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 18:26 [#01457297]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator | Followup to sneakattack: #01457286



haha, here, there are like +300 people at every
course...there are some universities where people actually
don't fit into lecture rooms and sometimes have to stand by
the door and listen..quite weird, but i guess that comes
wheen schools are free of charge :)


 

offline nacmat on 2005-01-13 18:30 [#01457303]
Points: 31271 Status: Lurker



I would love to be a teacher


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:33 [#01457311]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to a guest: #01457290



yeah I'm going to have to do that part of it as well. In my
school (some of) the below 300 level courses have these
supplemental recitation sections; I'm doing 259, 3D
calculus.


 

offline fleetmouse from Horny for Truth on 2005-01-13 18:33 [#01457312]
Points: 18042 Status: Lurker



The hardest part about teaching is making sure each child
gets a sniff at the Fist of Power.


 

offline recycle from Where is Phobiazero (Lincoln) (United States) on 2005-01-13 18:34 [#01457313]
Points: 40075 Status: Regular



ive NEVER had to be in one of those (fcuk what are they
called, not cubicals) those little trailer houses outside
schools, cause the schools are to big

it makes schools look so ghetto


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:35 [#01457316]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to nacmat: #01457303



it's pretty satisfying when it goes well, but damn did I
underestimate how much energy and thought I'd put into it
(very little time spent sitting down plannign things, but
lots of away-from-books obsessing).

today though one person was frowning while I was proving
something and I singled them out, and it was really nice
seeing happiness creep into their face as I clarified for
them and answered their questions. It's wholesome to feel
that people really do care about doing things well, and not
just money, hedonism, etc.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:36 [#01457317]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to tolstoyed: #01457297



yeah my school's pretty nice. Though note the lectures are
larger, I get a subset of the students enrolled in the
class. Higher level classes are of course much smaller
(number theory last semester had 10 people).


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:36 [#01457318]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to recycle: #01457313



glad mine has nothing like that.


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2005-01-13 18:38 [#01457323]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator | Followup to sneakattack: #01457316



im sure these are beginers trouble and you'll learn how to
do it with less effort. i remember the first time i had to
present some project infront of a large group - i had no
idea about how it is going to go but luckly i was well
prepared so it went ok...but then after a few more times it
went excellent! im sure you even get to enjoy it a lot
without almost any effort put in.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:40 [#01457325]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to tolstoyed: #01457323



well, it'll obviously be an endless project. Luckily the
second was 10000x better than the first, but I know I have
to stay on my toes.


 

offline Torture Garden from Feelin' 2Pacish on 2005-01-13 18:49 [#01457340]
Points: 974 Status: Lurker



I teach part time at a school, it isn't that hard for me
because I don't get a big class. I have a small group of
students who're pretty content, It does make me feel old
though. It's hard sometimes with the feeling of
responsibility but it's a two way thing and if I'm doing the
best I can it's all I can do. At first I was a nervous wreck
though and made a fool of myself.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-13 18:51 [#01457344]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to Torture Garden: #01457340



I was very nervous the first time, and somewhat so today. I
am teaching material I saw very long ago! Balancing an
insane course load simultaneously is nasty.

luckily I have very talented students; I can basically
expect any student to work any problem, and boosting them
now and then is nice.


 

offline w M w from London (United Kingdom) on 2005-01-14 01:58 [#01457737]
Points: 21456 Status: Regular



I used to hate when teachers made the class participate. My
favorite ones by far were when they did all the lecturing
and I just took notes. It was almost as introverted as
reading a book. I'd probably let people leave whenver they
want or sleep on their desk if I taught. But I still think
reading books is much better than listening to someone talk,
as far as learning goes. I should just get the fuck off this
messageboard before I hurt myself.


 

offline JAroen from the pineal gland on 2005-01-14 02:00 [#01457740]
Points: 16065 Status: Regular | Followup to w M w: #01457737



you are starting to sound like matus


 

offline w M w from London (United Kingdom) on 2005-01-14 02:07 [#01457754]
Points: 21456 Status: Regular



Well people are imitative creatures.. and having no friends
and thus more of a blank personality slate, I'm especially
susceptible to influence.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-14 02:11 [#01457760]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to w M w: #01457737



Well my recitations are targetted at kinda exercizing the
students. I try to bring in very interesting problems to
solve, with good abstract thought and not just mundane
computation. I try to get ALL sorts of participation, an
even mix of good answers and downright confusion. You can
tell SO much by faces--I can keep this distribution easily
by looking and picking the appropriate person.

By calling lots of people I get them really involved and
they think much harder.

Learning from someone can be superior to a book if they have
lots of experience--they can in real time respond to any
query with much more data than what you have in that text
book. Think about google--is it better for answering
questions than the books on your desk? Yes. And the really
good professors I have here, asking them questions is like
google to the googolth power.

JAroen regardless of whether that is true, I know I
sound like you a lot.


 

offline JAroen from the pineal gland on 2005-01-14 02:20 [#01457778]
Points: 16065 Status: Regular



its not meant as something negative.

learning from someone only surpasses books when they arent
autistic morons, and you're not 'sharing' said person with
29 other students

imhoteps.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-14 02:22 [#01457785]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to JAroen: #01457778



I would have agreed had I not had a class last semester with
a guy named william hrusa; there is no book I could have
read in my whole life to get so much information, at such a
high level, in such a dense format.

and that doesn't mean he just yelled at us; he was very
clear and precise and everything he said could be thought
about deeply so you could think abuot it as much as you
like, or otherwise still get lots from it.


 

offline w M w from London (United Kingdom) on 2005-01-14 02:23 [#01457788]
Points: 21456 Status: Regular | Followup to JAroen: #01457778



See, I'm really just imitating you second hand.


 

offline JAroen from the pineal gland on 2005-01-14 02:24 [#01457793]
Points: 16065 Status: Regular



fucking asswipes you, ive wasted another 45 minutes here.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-14 02:27 [#01457797]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to JAroen: #01457793



yeah fuck, we should all get out of here, as fun as this is.


 

offline JAroen from the pineal gland on 2005-01-14 02:29 [#01457802]
Points: 16065 Status: Regular



well i still have 6 anorganic chemistry chapters to revise
:\


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-14 02:30 [#01457804]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to JAroen: #01457802



gaaaaaahhhh lots here as well (+ sleep). time to log off.


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2005-01-14 02:30 [#01457805]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to sneakattack: #01457760 | Show recordbag



I've done a bit of teaching- tutoring kids to improve their
reading in a high school and also as a scout leader teaching
sailing, canoeing, etc.

"Learning from someone can be superior to a book if they
have
lots of experience--they can in real time respond to any
query with much more data than what you have in that text
book."


Yes, the fact they can see what you're doing and comment on
it, be it a bit of code you're writing, or the way you
drive. Books can warn you about common mistakes, but until
you reach a certain level of proficiency, it's hard to spot
in your own work.

One of the hardest things is being patient with people who
can't grasp what are, to you, very simple things. The best
thing I've found is if they really fail to grasp something
one way, show them another technique that reaches the same
goal, even if it's slightly inferior. Once they've got that
and understand it, go back to the original method and try
showing them again.

Also, with problem solving, start with a problem that just
requires reiteration of something they've been taught, then
with slightly different values/figures, then one that
requires combining a couple of things, before finally doing
"real" problem solving.


 

offline w M w from London (United Kingdom) on 2005-01-14 02:33 [#01457807]
Points: 21456 Status: Regular



Yeah, but what happens when someone like william hrusa
writes a book. There's infinite time for him to organize his
thoughts. But yeah, getting questions answered in real time
is good. I just have memories of completely stupid forced
classes I have absolutely no interest in by people who are
bad at teaching like "minority literature", politically
correct exclusively "minority" fiction taught by some black
woman too who saved the book "black boy" or something that
sucked for the end, either for final impact to make it seem
like she wasn't pushing an agenda about the suffering of
blacks in america or something. After you read each book you
have to get together in groups and draw pictures of it and
shit. Now that's quality learning.


 

offline w M w from London (United Kingdom) on 2005-01-14 02:34 [#01457809]
Points: 21456 Status: Regular | Followup to JAroen: #01457793



Wasn't my comment worth the wait?


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-14 02:35 [#01457810]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to Ceri JC: #01457805



I could never give similar problems, and fortunately my
students are bright and don't need it (my uni rocks). I'm
not too patient with people but I'm willing to listen; I
give them time to solve but if they get stuck I'm not going
to let them get frustrated. Also with 30 people I don't
want anyone getting bored.

It's really really really incredible how much you can learn
from watching faces. This is of course an obvious fact but
hitting my like an avalanche in this context. I was 13/13
on asking people about a problem and predicting what they
needed based on their faces--it's that dependable.


 

offline w M w from London (United Kingdom) on 2005-01-14 02:40 [#01457814]
Points: 21456 Status: Regular | Followup to Ceri JC: #01457805



Yeah, having another brain attached to another pair of eyes
observing some skill you are currently doing is something
that a book sucks at.

I could try reading faces if I didn't have a phobia of
looking into them to make eye contact.. oh yeah, if I
was even at teacher too.

I leave.


 

offline sneakattack on 2005-01-14 02:44 [#01457820]
Points: 6049 Status: Lurker | Followup to w M w: #01457814



what's wrong with eye contact?


 


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