Advice for teaching high school kids

[Grimz101]

Read this thread and know what to do and not to do;
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=305752

My thread has reached significence

 

[Arwon]

I go to UNSW. It's a pretty decent university. Just to get this straight, you're not studying education here, you're teaching HSC-level physics somewhere in Sydney?

I'm not really sure how our Foundations program works - I thought it was mostly a way for people to bridge knowledge gaps so they can get into university without having the right secondary qualifications? I'm not sure that you would be necessarily teaching high schoolers.

The good thing, though, is that the students should be more motivated than high schoolers since they're choosing to be there in order to continue on to a Bachelors degree.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Be patient with the students who are slower with math. I never took physics beyond Grade 9 (considered junior high here) because I couldn't wrap my brain around the mathematical formulas, what they meant, and how to apply them. I took three years of high school chemistry, and constantly struggled with the parts that dealt with physics concepts -- because of the math.

Now just because I'm algebra and calculus-challenged, don't assume I know absolutely nothing about physics and don't care. Actually, I find it fascinating, and envy the people who can "speak it."

The previous suggestions to apply the lessons to everyday life as much as possible are great! So do that, don't tell dumb, unfunny jokes, don't stifle the students' creativity... unless, of course, it might lead to the building getting blown up or something...

 

[azzaman333]

Take 'em out in the sun and test the speed of sound.

Except that's completely irrelevant to the course.

 

[Xyan]

Just remember that you teach kids, not math or physics or anything else.

 

[nc-1701]

Make the tests match the classroom work. Nothing pisses kids off faster than getting a test and not knowing how to do it even though they paid attention and took notes in class. Don't require excessive reading assignments or even use a textbook any more than absolutely necessary. Keep the grades very simple, just have a few graded tests or papers that are graded. Don't grade homework, quiz assignments, etc. for anything other than bonus points.

This comes from a first year Community College student.

 

[Perfection]

Perf is right. You can find plenty of fun things to relate to physics, so make the class interesting and fun and they'll care more.

Well, it's not so much about the kids, but the fact that it's a good excuse to play with toys at work.

Playing at work is awesome, I encourage doing it whenever possible.

 

[Communisto]

Bang the hot ones.