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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:08:12 PM EDT
I need an ARFCOM fire mission over here. Seriously. I am convinced that all of my students are actually zombies with excellent manners and facial makeup. No one can be this bad at calculus.
These are Georgia Tech students? Then again the 4-year graduation rate is around 11%!  I actually like the blank exams because they are faster to grade. What round for shooting derivatives? DERIVATIVES OF THE DEAD! |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:10:59 PM EDT
[#1]
in high school i only made it to Algebra 2 and Trig. I had friends in calculus and they all said it was hard as hell, and being dumber than them I didn't even attempt it
ETA: there was a bonus to having friends in calculus, those damn graphing calculators could have some pretty damn fun games on em. I used to sit in class and play tetris or mario bros on em so the teacher wouldn't know. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:11:02 PM EDT
[#2]
I suck at math, so I can sympathise with your students... Hell I suck at college algebra (Taking it-- again...)
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:11:23 PM EDT
[#3]
I need to take calculus, how much for an "A"?
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:15:18 PM EDT
[#4]
I aced all my calc classes at tech, and yes we are all zombies, till gettin out day
B_E, BS AE, May 5th 2005, Georgia Institute of Technology |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:17:01 PM EDT
[#5]
If one is bad at calculus, one must REALLY suck at algebra.
Refresh your students on algebra. Back to basics. Maybe that will turn on a few lightbulbs. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:18:33 PM EDT
[#6]
It's always the teacher's fault.
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:32:26 PM EDT
[#7]
Got to be very proficient with algebra and it doesn't hurt to have all the trig functions memoriazed for calculus. But it's not that hard. Even I, Mr. Remedial Math, passed calc on the first try, albeit with a C.
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:32:46 PM EDT
[#8]
I'm taking calculus next quarter, can you do my homework for me?
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:46:09 PM EDT
[#9]
Yes, albeit badly. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:48:11 PM EDT
[#10]
I am turning into a zombie grading all of these justice-sucking exams.
Hey Belfry, congrats. Maybe in three years or so I will be out with my PhD in Bioninformatics. Then maybe women will notice me. Hey Treetop? It is inversely proportional to your cup size. If you don't have a cup size you're screwed. But not by me. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:49:26 PM EDT
[#11]
derivatives are easy.... it's the f*cking integrals that are hard.....
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:50:55 PM EDT
[#12]
Thats what calculators are for. 
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Posted: 9/25/2005 10:52:50 PM EDT
[#13]
And that is exactly why every American educated college freshman is a calculus retard. I hate calculators. They make everyone stupid. Imagine if you had a machine that wiped your ass for you. You would be surprised how quickly you would forget to do it for yourself. Jesus I am going insane. Back to Grading. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:02:31 PM EDT
[#14]
 ETA: Don't know what I'm laughing about... I had to take Dif Eq twice. It's the class that made me give up on a 4.0 GPA (We didn’t get to use calculators for exams) |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:17:38 PM EDT
[#15]
The calculator doesn't make everyone stupid. It is a tool. Its the person, not the object. I understood and was able to do the calculations by hand. The calculator was a godsend for me because it allowed me to complete an exam in 1 hour or so, whereas if I had no calculator, I'd still be in the classroom trying to finish that damn exam from hell. A students' inability to understand and perform higher math can be blamed on either of two things; disinterest/ incompetence, or poor instruction by the professor. Take your pick. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:18:47 PM EDT
[#16]
You have a calculator that can do indefinite integrals? |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:20:51 PM EDT
[#17]
I can get you a good deal on one.
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:34:42 PM EDT
[#18]
I've been doing the fuckers all day today including exponential and Logs. This shit is killing me. What made me think that after 20 years of not being in school I could go back for an EE degree? |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:38:16 PM EDT
[#19]
Getting back into math takes some time. It took me about 3 semesters before I could get a good handle on it after 20 years away from it. Don't give up. Ever. You can and will overcome it. |
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Posted: 9/25/2005 11:46:03 PM EDT
[#20]
Just be sure that no one gets any bruises on their self esteem. "It's OK to not learn this material. It's not important." Like hell! It's supposed to be hard, if it were easy it wouldn't be college.
They need to know: "This will be challenging. You will have to work hard, but you can do it. I am here to help you. Do not quit!" YOU are the teacher and set the tone. Do not quit on your students. Rick PS Contrary to popular opinion, there ARE dumb questions. Just smile and nod and move on. Good Luck. |
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Posted: 9/26/2005 8:59:46 AM EDT
[#21]
Argh. I went to bed around 3:30 and woke up at 7:30 to finish grading the exams. Terrible, terrible.
The kids were not really phased. Wait until they get their midterm progress reports on Friday. I went through the proofs on the test today. There were some moments where everyone went "Aaaaahhhh damnit!" interspersed with light snoring. Folks are not getting enough sleep. Also, no one eats breakfast. I asked everyone about the calculator thing. The fact is yes, calculators are just tools - but when the current high school math education focuses on teaching you how to use a calculator to solve a problem through repetition rather than actually understanding the concept involved these kids get stuck if they are shown anything that is not exactly like what has been covered in class. Let's see if anyone shows up to office hours today. |
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Posted: 9/26/2005 9:07:46 AM EDT
[#22]
Calculus is easy.
Its the algebra involed that kills me. |
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Posted: 9/26/2005 9:11:58 AM EDT
[#23]
Damn. Just Damn.
I LOVED calculus in high school. I loved algebra, so maybe that was a bonus. When I got to college, my first semester of calc was just a review of high school. Second semester was slightly more difficult. Third semester was as hard as it was for me in high school. Then out of nowhere, something called differential equations kicked my ass like it has never been kicked before. But I took these classes in 1990. There weren't any calculators that would do anything for you. If students have them, and are using them, and are bombing your class... Either you can't teach, or the students are hoping the calculator will save them. Ban the calculators for the sake of the students. I don't see any need for them in a calc class. |
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Posted: 9/26/2005 9:15:55 AM EDT
[#24]
They must have a GREAT teacher....
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Posted: 9/26/2005 9:50:06 AM EDT
[#25]
I did my best to stay away from math in school. I just never could remember all the rulls and steps. I got through algevra I and that was it. So when I was learning loggarithems in the Air Force Teck school I had to go back to the basics.
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Posted: 9/26/2005 10:37:38 AM EDT
[#26]
I took calculus more times than I care to admit to get my BSME. Everything required for the degree was intuitive except for calculus. I'd rather take two thermodynamics classes than one calculus class. It just didn't make sense to me and I finally passed the required classes by memorizing the proceedure rather than understanding the process. It is for this reason I will get an MBA before I get an MSME (If I ever go back to school).
Kent |
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Posted: 9/26/2005 10:44:48 AM EDT
[#27]
They do actually - I bust my butt and interfere with my own personal schedule more than any other TA I know in the department. I can teach the kids who come to office hours and ask questions. But I cannot light a fire under their ass if there is none. I should ask them how many among them are on HOPE! Or maybe just threaten to pop a Fox Labs grenade if the class average slips below 70. |
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