i broke down and called my dad for some help with incidence geometry models today. after much discussion, we both realized that neither of us knew the answer to my question, though we had made some progress. so, i sat down and gave it some really serious thought--not so much based on my dad being wiser than me and therefore more correct, but based on the premise that i found fault with his explanations and i just knew i could figure out exactly why.
so, i did.
and i just wrote a flawless geometry proof to boot. it's so fucking fabulous to finally be good at this shit. i'm much less reluctant about finishing my math major this semester. thank god.
xxx
today was my first discussion section for my western civ class. i loathe class discussions. it didn't help that i hadn't read the communist manifesto since the summer of 2004, but i went in there, raised my hand, spoke up, put forth my ideas in spite of the ridiculous interpretations offered by my classmates and promptly vomited on my shoes when i walked out of class.
i think, someday, i'll write a paper about the worthlessness of class discussions in 100-level classes full to max capacity. not today, though.
xxx
i like the idea of oral exams, though. i think it displays a much greater mastery of a subject to be able to discuss it fluently and on the spot with your peers or superiors. it's an entirely different level of examination than the joke of rote memorization employed in most public classrooms.
you may think this contradicts the section above regarding class discussions. and, in a way, it does. it's certainly possible to have rewarding discussions and debates when class size, time and subject mastery allow. however, that is rarely (if ever) the case in an introductory class with 55 students all vying to get their oh-so-important participation points.
oh! how i abhor participation points! it's my firm belief that an educator ought to inspire, not require, students to participate. and, under no circumstances, should a teacher penalize a student for not "taking advantage" of "tools" he doesn't not need to succeed.
so, i did.
and i just wrote a flawless geometry proof to boot. it's so fucking fabulous to finally be good at this shit. i'm much less reluctant about finishing my math major this semester. thank god.
xxx
today was my first discussion section for my western civ class. i loathe class discussions. it didn't help that i hadn't read the communist manifesto since the summer of 2004, but i went in there, raised my hand, spoke up, put forth my ideas in spite of the ridiculous interpretations offered by my classmates and promptly vomited on my shoes when i walked out of class.
i think, someday, i'll write a paper about the worthlessness of class discussions in 100-level classes full to max capacity. not today, though.
xxx
i like the idea of oral exams, though. i think it displays a much greater mastery of a subject to be able to discuss it fluently and on the spot with your peers or superiors. it's an entirely different level of examination than the joke of rote memorization employed in most public classrooms.
you may think this contradicts the section above regarding class discussions. and, in a way, it does. it's certainly possible to have rewarding discussions and debates when class size, time and subject mastery allow. however, that is rarely (if ever) the case in an introductory class with 55 students all vying to get their oh-so-important participation points.
oh! how i abhor participation points! it's my firm belief that an educator ought to inspire, not require, students to participate. and, under no circumstances, should a teacher penalize a student for not "taking advantage" of "tools" he doesn't not need to succeed.
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both my majors involve about 90% discussion classes, generally with the same five or six idiots who have an opinion on every subject, especially those they know nothing about.
it does make me feel smarter, although this comes at the price of "why the hell am i wasting my life listening to this?"
well said. the same goes for taking attendance