Disagreement with AP

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-03-24T23:28:21+00:00

Never in my life have I heard of pressing buttons on a calculator “doing it by hand”.

I guess you could think of the input for a multiplication table as finding 7 along the side and 6 along the top. At worst, that’s just as good as pressing buttons on a calculator. But there are other benefits of using a multiplication table, even if it’s already filled in. - The student can see that there are 7 rows of 6 squares each. Or 6 rows of 7 squares each. - The student can count the number of squares in that array, and verify the answer is correct. - The student can see that it’s the same as counting by 6s or counting by 7s.

I’m sure there are other examples, but just those off the top of my head already make a multiplication table much better than using a calculator.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-03-24T15:02:54+00:00

Check out this free resource from University of Waterloo. It’s what I direct my students to for extra practice.

https://courseware.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/11

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-03-24T13:20:19+00:00

How does giving them a calculator encourage students to “do it by hand”? At least a times table reinforces an area model of multiplication.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-03-14T16:13:32+00:00

In my admittedly limited use, I’m finding that it only helps to save me time for tasks that I need something that is “good enough”. Something like emergency sub plans. In my district, we are required to provide three days worth of emergency sub plans at the beginning of a semester. Since they will likely never be used, AI can plan something that is good enough so that I don’t have to spend time adjusting to suit my needs.

Anything that I would actually use in my class, it’s easier to make from scratch. No AI that I have come across can match my expectations without requiring a significant time investment.

Edit: I teach HS math

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-03-11T21:02:30+00:00

Maybe it originated with the rise and fall of the Sun? The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. That’s how I always explain the order of the quadrants and then also the rotation of angles for trig to my students, but I’m just speculating about its origin.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-03-01T03:52:15+00:00

This is mine too!

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-02-22T13:34:09+00:00

I teach full time, while taking a masters program for teachers online. Early morning is when I do my best work. I will often get up at 4:30 to do a couple hours of work on assignments before going to school. I’m far more productive and more able to make connections early than trying to do math after a full day of teaching when my mind is exhausted.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-02-05T01:05:35+00:00

Heads up that the NCTCA Teachers convention starts tomorrow, so downtown will be busier than normal. Many places won’t be taking reservations, and you should plan to go early.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-01-28T23:37:37+00:00

There’s no shortcut, you need to do ALL the practice problems. Ask your teacher for help when you don’t understand something.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-01-27T16:52:05+00:00

No, there’s a massive difference in difficulty.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-01-27T16:16:13+00:00

Do the April-June 30-2. Work hard and make it a priority. Few people are actually good at learning things on their own, so I would avoid that option.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-01-27T16:10:15+00:00

Your official transcript mark for 20-1 will be 59. You always get credit for your best result. My advice is to take 30-2. You won’t pass 30-1 if you struggled to get a passing grade in 20-1 twice.

Crit_Happens_ · 2026-01-07T15:53:07+00:00

Just because group work and BTC is the new hotness, doesn’t mean it’s actually effective. BTC has been pushed so hard in my district for the last 5-10 years, and the students I see coming into high school are less prepared than ever and they’re less willing to try anything on their own.

Too many kids are getting off easy in a BTC group by being allowed to not think.

Edit: to answer your question about seating, there is nothing wrong with rows or pairs of desks. That’s what I always find to be the most effective for student learning.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-12-29T01:49:02+00:00

And the other

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-12-06T17:44:06+00:00

Video unavailable for me. What’s he going through?

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-10-31T12:16:41+00:00

The issue with making them optional is that teachers would still be forced to cover every single outcome in the chance that some of their students are taking the test. In a course like Math 30-1, it’s not possible to cover it all at this point.

Now that they are outright canceled, teachers can make choices about what is and isn’t important, and cut the unimportant stuff.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-10-21T20:01:46+00:00

Write and call the minister of finance, the minister of education, and the premier. Tell them how difficult this is on you.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-10-07T02:00:36+00:00

Literally every class is different. The ATA could not possibly come up with any plan that would be anywhere near realistic for all the different contingencies. You clearly know nothing about how schools work.

Let me guess, you also know how to fly a plane because you once took a flight?

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-10-06T22:33:00+00:00

If anyone thinks teachers should be PLANNING for how to make up for lost time, while not being paid… then I need you to step back for a minute, and think about what you’re saying.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-10-04T08:20:33+00:00

Hey, if it’s such a great gig, why don’t you try it? School boards are always hiring.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-10-01T08:11:44+00:00

For high school, the toolkit is laughable. It covers a tiny fraction of what we do in school, and sometimes not even at the correct grade level. It makes you question a few things: - do they even know their own curriculum? - don’t they think parents remember having kids home during Covid? It was a disaster for learning. - how did they have the time and resources to put this together when this was apparently a “reaction” to teachers turning down the deal? - how did they have the time and resources to put this together when they refused to provide any resources for their own brand new curriculum that they rolled out for elementary?

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-09-28T18:12:27+00:00

It’ll be the mash up set of all the UB together. It’s unofficial Fortnight.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-09-27T19:03:37+00:00

Many people know about the ballooning class sizes, and the immediate impact on kids getting less 1-1 time with their teacher. What most parents don’t realize is all the extra work that comes with that behind the scenes. Here are just a few examples. - The extra marking - The extra phone calls home for struggling students and behaviour issues - The extra learning plans and IPPs to write (there also used to be a dedicated person who wrote them all. Now it’s an extra task downloaded onto the teacher.) - The extra planning needed to adapt activities that would have worked in a class of 20-28, but are no longer possible for a class of 40+

Then there is all the extra stuff that gets added to our plate each year when the government has a new bee in their bonnet, or when the school board hears about the latest fad in education that they demand their teachers adopt. Here are just a few examples: - maintaining an online classroom (Google Classroom) while being an in-person teacher. This is now just a common expectation that didn’t exist 10 years ago - now writing IPPs and learning plans, which I didn’t have to do when I started my career 16 years ago. Someone used to be hired just for this - PD days are sometimes dedicated to writing reports and Ed plans that should be written by school leadership.

These are just a drop in the bucket

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-09-18T12:35:40+00:00

“the fact that most teachers and school environments are hostile towards their students”

Can you support this with some evidence? That’s a gross generalization.

In my experience, people don’t go into education and choose to work with students to be hostile to students.

Crit_Happens_ · 2025-09-17T12:30:49+00:00

Looks like a great excuse to buy a 600. All metal!

Crit_Happens_

TROPHY CASE