One thing I hate about mathematical classes

[ChaoZ]

Is that if theres only a minute left in class, the teacher decides to do a problem that takes 5+ minutes. So instead of the students having time to understand the problem, all they do is copy notes frantically.

 

[chari]

I hate the fact that for one semester my professor will assure us we need a calculator to pass the course and doesn't show how to do anything by hand. Then, I go into a harder class the following semester, and the prof doesn't let us use calculators and I am completely lost.

/rant off

Thanks for this thread by the way, I needed to get that of my chest.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: chari
I hate the fact that for one semester my professor will assure us we need a calculator to pass the course and doesn't show how to do anything by hand. Then, I go into a harder class the following semester, and the prof doesn't let us use calculators and I am completely lost.

/rant off

Thanks for this thread by the way, I needed to get that of my chest.

lmao, I just did Simpson's rule of approximation in calculus today. I mentioned that it would be used in cases where you couldn't integrate or that the integral was too much of a pain in the neck to be worth bothering with. A students said, "well, why would you use Simpson's rule at all, if you can just have a calculator estimate the area?"

"That's calculator class. This is calculus class. A couple letters are different on the end. Of course we can do the problem on the board with a calculator. I'll have someone do it on a calculator when we're done, just so we can check our answer." I'm thrilled to have turned a class away from the evil little black boxes that saps their intelligence. They actually did dozens of multiplications of two 2 digit numbers in their heads today; quicker than they could with a calculator. (I don't take off for mental arithmetic mistakes on tests in order to encourage them to actually think.)

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: chari
I hate the fact that for one semester my professor will assure us we need a calculator to pass the course and doesn't show how to do anything by hand. Then, I go into a harder class the following semester, and the prof doesn't let us use calculators and I am completely lost.

/rant off

Thanks for this thread by the way, I needed to get that of my chest.

lmao, I just did Simpson's rule of approximation in calculus today. I mentioned that it would be used in cases where you couldn't integrate or that the integral was too much of a pain in the neck to be worth bothering with. A students said, "well, why would you use Simpson's rule at all, if you can just have a calculator estimate the area?"

"That's calculator class. This is calculus class. A couple letters are different on the end. Of course we can do the problem on the board with a calculator. I'll have someone do it on a calculator when we're done, just so we can check our answer." I'm thrilled to have turned a class away from the evil little black boxes that saps their intelligence. They actually did dozens of multiplications of two 2 digit numbers in their heads today; quicker than they could with a calculator. (I don't take off for mental arithmetic mistakes on tests in order to encourage them to actually think.)

My 6th grade math teacher thought I was cheating once when I did multiplication with two 2 digit numbers. Now that I think about it though, how could he not think I cheated? I didn't show any work on the whole sheet. I told him I did it in my head and then he asked me a problem, I did it in a minute in front of him without writing anything, and he told me to just show my work so he can be fair to everyone.

That's my story of the day, anyone want to subscribe to the newsletter?

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: chari
I hate the fact that for one semester my professor will assure us we need a calculator to pass the course and doesn't show how to do anything by hand. Then, I go into a harder class the following semester, and the prof doesn't let us use calculators and I am completely lost.

/rant off

Thanks for this thread by the way, I needed to get that of my chest.

lmao, I just did Simpson's rule of approximation in calculus today. I mentioned that it would be used in cases where you couldn't integrate or that the integral was too much of a pain in the neck to be worth bothering with. A students said, "well, why would you use Simpson's rule at all, if you can just have a calculator estimate the area?"

"That's calculator class. This is calculus class. A couple letters are different on the end. Of course we can do the problem on the board with a calculator. I'll have someone do it on a calculator when we're done, just so we can check our answer." I'm thrilled to have turned a class away from the evil little black boxes that saps their intelligence. They actually did dozens of multiplications of two 2 digit numbers in their heads today; quicker than they could with a calculator. (I don't take off for mental arithmetic mistakes on tests in order to encourage them to actually think.)

My 6th grade math teacher thought I was cheating once when I did multiplication with two 2 digit numbers. Now that I think about it though, how could he not think I cheated? I didn't show any work on the whole sheet. I told him I did it in my head and then he asked me a problem, I did it in a minute in front of him without writing anything, and he told me to just show my work so he can be fair to everyone.

That's my story of the day, anyone want to subscribe to the newsletter?

lol i can contribute to it

 

[randumb]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: chari
I hate the fact that for one semester my professor will assure us we need a calculator to pass the course and doesn't show how to do anything by hand. Then, I go into a harder class the following semester, and the prof doesn't let us use calculators and I am completely lost.

/rant off

Thanks for this thread by the way, I needed to get that of my chest.

lmao, I just did Simpson's rule of approximation in calculus today. I mentioned that it would be used in cases where you couldn't integrate or that the integral was too much of a pain in the neck to be worth bothering with. A students said, "well, why would you use Simpson's rule at all, if you can just have a calculator estimate the area?"

"That's calculator class. This is calculus class. A couple letters are different on the end. Of course we can do the problem on the board with a calculator. I'll have someone do it on a calculator when we're done, just so we can check our answer." I'm thrilled to have turned a class away from the evil little black boxes that saps their intelligence. They actually did dozens of multiplications of two 2 digit numbers in their heads today; quicker than they could with a calculator. (I don't take off for mental arithmetic mistakes on tests in order to encourage them to actually think.)

My Calculus BC teacher encouraged us to use calculators since we could use them on the free response section of the AP test.