I teach both middle school "technology" (think shop class mixed with Computer Science) and I later teach the same students in geometry and calculus in high school.

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

I teach both middle school "technology" (think shop class mixed with Computer Science) and I later teach the same students in geometry and calculus in high school. This means when I first work with students there are no grades, just an opportunity to be creative and learn how to use tools and programming to make things.

This creates an amazing foundation for our work in academics later.

I wonder if it could be a model for improving math education we could expand?

[lienrag@mastodon.tedomum.net]

@futurebird

You're aware of Freinet's work about non-authoritarian evaluation, right ?

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

When I only work with students in a context where I'm giving a grade, and that grade is "high stakes" because colleges care about math grades the students are less likely to bring their full creative potential to the subject of math. Grad grubbing happens.

But when they know me from working on a project first, where the feedback is narrative, where they help set the goals they are just more open to really learning the material, just just "getting through it"

[cpkimber@scicomm.xyz]

@futurebird I worked at a private international school doing a similar curriculum, but not long enough to get to see the younger kids come through to my calc/ physics classes.

Now I do IB, and I have lots of good to say about it when speaking about THE STUDENTS IT WORKS FOR

and not as much good to say for those it doesn't work for.

Obviously, school just isn't for making educated/ capable/ thinking/ empathetic individuals, and as educators we have to secretly do that part on the side.

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@lienrag

Yes! those ideas always seemed so pi in the sky to me though when I'd try to apply them to math class where there are standardized tests and check lists that must be met.

But what if it were more typical to have a teacher who works across grades like I do? I was at a little conference for HS calculus teachers recently and I was the only one who taught another subject or younger grades.

In too many schools the calculus teacher isn't ever assigned to lower grades.

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@cpkimber

What doesn't work as well for students?

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

Also when schools gut their arts programs, when they get rid of things like shop class and PE it's really harmful. It's harmful even if all you care about is students learning "the basics" eg. how to read and write, how to understand numbers and a smattering of history. Young people can't understand those things as well when they simply have less experience in everything.

[emilianosandri@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@futurebird Since I was very young I used to love math and computers and showed a precocious attitude to both.
Sadly in upper grades my interest in math was soured by grades, European system is much less competitive than US system but a bad grade still brought lots of drama at home and this made me develop anxiety towards math. Equations triggered a flight or fight response in me that ironically suppressed my ability for the higher level thinking essential for learning math. This vicious cycle continued for the whole high school and only now I’m recovering a true passion for math.
On the other hand I was always able to study and practice programming in a very low pressure environment. For most it was just me and the computer and mistakes just meant I had to find another way to write my code, they didn’t caused family drama. This drew me to programming more and more until I was able to make a job out of it.