Snow classes
March 4, 2005
We've been set back by about a week because of weather. It really interupts the flow of class. Oh well, it is not in my power to control the weather. Last night was the first time we met as a class in a week and a half. I lectured about recursion relations. I had asked them last class to read chapter one in their text which deals with recursions. I also sent them an email reminder of this fact when we missed our classes because of snow. I was happy to see that many people seemed to have done the reading. It was also clear that they had a hard time with the material. That's ok though, I'm thrilled if they read it before we discuss it, and then hopefully revisit it after we discuss it in class. I also graded and returned their homework assignments. These involved making estimates and making estimates understandable. Overall, they were very well done. A common mistake was a failure to cite sources for statements of fact that are not common knowledge. (The Great Lakes contain X gallons of water.) A second common mistake was a failure to write the answers in an intelligible manner. This is typical in math classes - you get a bunch of scribbled equations and then a boldly written answer. I'm trying to break them of this habit. The best part of the homework was the response to the so-called "grades." We've had many discussion about how they should interpret these numbers. My policy seems to be sinking in - no one came and asked for points back. Many came and asked me to explain where they went wrong. Even those I had misgraded simply came to me to understand if it was my mistake or theirs - but did not ask for "points." I think they are starting to see this grading process as a conversation, as constructive criticism, as an opportunity to find and fix the holes in their knowledge. Do I hope for too much?
February 2005 «
