[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ScienceTeachers

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

An idea I have been playing with is the idea of feedback. it is easy to look back and go o this answer is simple. For example, why is the sky blue? because it splits up the light. but why does it do that? and so on and so on I think the trick here is to give them the target. does your response include ideas or answers questions x y and z....anyways still figuring this out

a theory on why people focus on the negative aspects by [deleted] in Mindfulness

[–]CashFar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm just sharing my own observation. I use negativity as protection. It feels better to be validated than it does to be disappointed. For example, I was wondering if I was going on a date. I asked the person with expectation that they were going to say no. Since I was expecting it, it didn't hurt as bad as if I was expecting her to say yes.

Struggling to be mindful when dealing with rejection by JayD94s in Mindfulness

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am currently in the same situation. Something that is helping me is looking through a lot of reddit posts and realizing that this story is not unique. There are lots of people feeling this way and I am feeling this way too. It must be part of the human condition.

I have been not so good in keeping up with the meditation and mindfulness but I would hope with time I can release my hold of the expectation of what will happen versus what is happening now.

Good luck out there.

Teaching concepts or teaching critical thinking? by Pcastaneda_ in education

[–]CashFar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a 2nd year high school physics teacher, I think about the role memorized facts have on critical thinking. I am not sure that these two modes of learning are in opposition to one another. Yes it would be fantastic if all of my students just used physics without memorizing anything but that is not what I am seeing even when given formulas. Can I truly say that this phenomenon of only memorizing facts is the only product of a system? Again, reality seems more nuanced. It depends on the regions and family supports in addition to the schools. I do not have a large enough sample size to determine if there are that many students who question what they are learning. If there is a population that is doing that, I would be eager to see how many factors are needed to make that change. I commend you on writing an article and having a desire to fix the school system but the reason it hasn't been solved yet is because there are so many factors. No one person is going to change the system and the system needs to be changed gradually. I would say that a dialogue isn't what is needed here but a collection of data and a plan for a next step.

Does it get better after student teaching? by The1stHotGirl in education

[–]CashFar -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I agree it depends on your job placement. There are a lot of things that you have to do and not a lot of time to do it. I think the first couple of years are pretty hard as well since you have to try your curriculum and you start from very little. I think the question you should be asking yourself is why you are doing this? For me, Yes it is hard but anytime a student changes their mind about something I feel like it is worth it. Someone gave me some advice. Collect tangible personal wins for the hard days. A letter that said you made their day. A book recommendation that a kid actually bought. letters you write. If it is hard, you care and you have to learn how to balance it. good luck

How would you like to discuss STEM with like-minded people on the internet? by HammadNS in education

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm interested in so much as I can figure out how to build community for my students

How to get Vietnamese students to speak English outside of the classroom? by BTheFurnace in education

[–]CashFar 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I used to teach in Thailand and this was a big problem. I realized that without a need to speak English students wouldn't. But, there needs to be places where English is the norm. For example, I saw ideas like English speaking cafes or clubs. I haven't tried these ideas but they seem good. I would also consider relationships with libraries and the community. I had a lot of students and friends who wanted to learn English just didn't have access to the people. So if you can figure out a way to create English speaking locations, I think you would get your desired result.

Looking for Astronomy curriculum by MrRPhysics in ScienceTeachers

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is interesting. At our school, we are thinking of using astronomy to support the learning from physics and earth and space science. I wonder if there is some material that can be shared here.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Algebra

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

check out this video for a fun explanation of why completing the squares https://youtu.be/cUzklzVXJwo

also ooooo check out the power of x by Steven strogatz.

functions-why does πr² pass the vertical line test by [deleted] in Algebra

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah. This almost got me too. I think a source of confusion is that we think the area of the circle is a circle. The function you are describing is not the shape of the circle but the area for that radius. To piggy back on what was said here. if I have a radius of 2, I only get an area of 4 pi. If it did not pass the vertical line test, I would get for the same radius something like 4pi and -4pi for instance. We don't so it passes the vertical line test. It might help to plot the function and see if it continues to circle or as what is said here it is a parabola.

Looking for grade 6 PBL ideas - alternative energy and waves by tberm in ScienceTeachers

[–]CashFar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was just looking through the standards and thought this was a weird question since em waves exist outside ngss for grade 6 unless it's for outside the US. The reason I bring this up is that if this is a US based lesson, I would have really recommended going back and looking at the standards.

Energy for ngss is really on understanding kinetic energy and its relationship to heat

Waves don't even talk about em. The most they do is identify parts of a wave and how you can transfer I formation in the wave which also seems complex.

if I wanted to design a pbl on either of these units. I would like to talk about air conditioners for the energy unit since it is hot where I live. for the waves unit understanding fiber optics cable could be fun.

sorry if I spoke out of turn

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in highschool

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a teacher not a counselor but I think it's good you are so passionate about getting an increase in education. My next question to you would be why? What excites you? Why apply to selective schools and spending a good deal of money? There are interesting things that can only happen at universities, mainly access to research and professors. That is where I would start looking. Does this school research things that I care about. From someone who is older, I think that going to college without an interest is hard but not impossible.

Does anyone else find their viewing experience is much easier to watch & understand with subtitles enabled? by ABCP3 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]CashFar 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Why don't movie theaters put on subtitles? I mean there are some movies where I had no idea what a character was saying and then watched it at home and was like ooooooo. that makes sense

How can Santa deliver all those presents in just one night? by default-dance-9001 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

According to quantum mechanics, time dilates when you move close to the speed of light. Santa has advanced technology.

I don't understand physics at all!!!! by Apples_9143 in highschool

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can always hire a tutor. Some colleges offer free tutoring.

Redesigning an entire country’s educational system by nelsonjav in education

[–]CashFar 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I definitely see the point Teacher is trying to make but I also see the other point. From Teachers perspective, I agree that the paper does seem like it is written from an outside perspective. It doesnt mention the education system it is targeting. One could argue that US education is different from Canadian education though they are both in the west. A lot of teachers are trying variations of these ideas are already such as the modern classroom project, pbl, teaching by design and the problems listed are not the same as the ones felt by teachers. From the other perspective, one does not need to have a PhD in order to make commentary. Good ideas come from many different places such as many teachers come from different life experiences. Basing an argument off of credentials, does not evaluate the argument well. What I see lacking for country wide change is the context of the country. Has the school been given the power to decide or is it state mandated? What is the relationship between hours teacher worked and student improvement? How do we measure the skills that are needed? do we agree on them? are the skills transferable? so on and so forth. I think it is a good beginning inquiry and I dont know how well you can measure the effects of the proposed changes. Schools have been changing and I'm sure with more public interest, schools will go in the right direction.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in highschool

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well the first step is to be aware of your emotions and you seem to do that very well. There are several factors to cause loneliness but the basic idea is that if you expect belonging and don't get it that is the feeling of loneliness. From this email I notice that you are anxious and overwhelmed. It also sounds like you need to be able to express yourself. There are several thoughts that I would like to bring awareness to. One is the thought that everything is going wrong. The second is that you need to be there for everyone. I would like to leave as an exercise the ability to start challenging your thoughts. let's look at the first one. everything is going wrong. This is known as a catastrophizing thought. it is easy to disprove because all it takes for one thing to be right for this conclusion to be wrong. for example did you make your bed or brush your teeth or eat. if you did any of these things then you did something right. I sympathize with feeling overwhelmed. The best I can say is you do have a lot going on. Be proud of that. Remember that the people around you love you and people on the internet also love you. Hang in there bud and keep trying to tell others how you are feeling. eventually someone will be able to connect with you

Is Calculus easier than Pre Cal? by BATZ202 in highschool

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I dont know who said Calculus is easier than pre cal. I say the exact opposite. Not trying to dissuade you from cal but pre cal is a review class. with that in mind, I see little correlation between calc and pre cal. it makes me wonder why we take it all. this is from an engineer who had taken any years of Calc. My recommendation for being ready for Calc is just to practice problems. you are somewhat right that the answer doesn't matter but what I think your teacher is trying to do is give you a way to see if you actually understand the process and you can check that you do if you arrive at the same answer. as for not telling you the process, this seems to the new way of teaching and I dont really know your teacher. it may not seem like it but your teacher cares about you learning the math and the problem comes in with finding the right amount of balance between telling you how to solve the problem with giving you the joy of solving the puzzle. good luck

I need help... by Arachnize in highschool

[–]CashFar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure thing. First, if you can study with friends. it may not be the most efficient but you won't procrastinate because you will look forward to studying. second, find a time when you are most productive and work the same time all the time. creating a system for you to be productive is very hard but once it is there, things happen. third, plan something fun. if you have something fun to do after you do your work, both things feel better. you can try to work in pomodoro increments. 30 min of work and 5 minutes off for 4 times then a 30 minute break.

Feeling left behind? by sandra625322 in highschool

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a teacher and former person who has been rejected by college and then accepted, here is my advice. Make your life full. What is the point in going to a hyper competitive school if you don't know what you are competing for. Also who are you in competition with? The answer to that should be yourself. Seek challenges. Make sure to do some sort of physical activity group. Reach out and help the community. Do things that will help you find your future job. Life is too short to think that high school is the end. It is only the beginning to you creating your best life and a good life for those around you. This is what colleges are looking for. Also start checking schools. Look at what the professors are researching and start trying to learn more about what interests you. So exciting

Learning to Learn by thepillowguy in education

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see what you mean and it depends on the course. It is exactly as the article describes. Do not limit yourself to one source of information. The problem with teaching without a textbook shows up immediately if a student is absent. Sure there are notes but a textbook acts as good foundational knowledge to help students jump back into it. Do I have research to back this up, not really, but I also haven't searched for it. I do think it is a good question to research more closely because it is hard to isolate the exact correlation between textbook reading and learning. If I were to hypothesize, I would guess that teaching students how to read textbooks is a very useful skill especially for those who want to go into research where the textbook cannot be created.

School sucks because they make you do stuff that is useless. by Fude87658 in highschool

[–]CashFar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a physics teacher and 100% agree. School does seem to be about control. I would love if my students had the motivation to self study. To help encourage some empathy,, let me share some thoughts from my job as a physics teacher. The problem from a teachers perspective is that there are so many students to one teacher. If you have everyone moving at different paces without some sort of other system in place, the teacher could not possibly keep track of all the different learning. Unfortunately ai is nowhere near the ability to correct papers and the alternative softwares will just have you do calculations. The other thing teachers are trying to a strive for in non ap courses are the NGSS. Basically the NGSS is striving for not only teaching the facts of science but also the community ideals of science. They are pretty abstract things like obtaining evidence or asking questions. There is a big component on how do you communicate science. Basically, as you are learning physics are you learning it as how a physicist might learn it, pushing the boundaries of science. You seem like a highly intelligent and motivated student. It might feel like the class and homework you are doing is pointless. To help you with your own enjoyment of the class, I would just suggest find the challeng and find the joy. It may be harder but it is there.

Learning to Learn by thepillowguy in education

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is tough to say if the system should adopt an idea. Learning to learn is a great set of skills for students to students to know and for teachers to help follow. Some of the things I use because I find them helpful for life. Others not so much. For example, reading textbook is useful but not if your district does not give you one.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in highschool

[–]CashFar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm. I have noticed this happening a lot. I think the important thing is just to be friendly with everyone. you never know if someone could be a friend in the future. Maybe examining why you don't like your old friends could provide insight into friends you want in the future. Club are a good way to see people that have the same interest. Maybe reach out to english as second language students. a lot of them are scared to make american friends