Teaching math without words?!

Below is a quote taken from the youtube comments page of this video.  I struggled with math in high school and maybe the word-less approach would have helped, but I also agree with the comments made by this youtube user.

" 

Now I can see this being very helpful for students with developmental disorders or mental disorders quite a bit, but fundamentally mathematics is communicated with language.  This is essential if you even want to step one foot into the square we scientists call mathematics.  Anything, what we should be doing is encouraging students to do a better job of convincing themselves in a manner (without giving them the visualizations) intuitively.  This will help prepare them for doing ACTUAL mathematics later in life, for example when making proofs; the heart of mathematical thought.  Intuition and creativity are very important in mathematics but a rigid, formal structure is needed to approach any discipline of mathematics properly.  As a student that was quite discouraged by my teachers from mathematics, especially in secondary school, my love for mathematics grew because I wanted to teach myself "why" things were true, because I wasn't getting that from software."

Outside45

I'm sharing this video because I went to school and played hockey growing up with Scott Slater and his twin brother Brad.  I haven't been in touch with either of them since high school but I was happy to come across this TEDx video.  Scott Slater has put together an outdoor education program called Outside45.  There is not better way to get students involved in their environmental schooling than taking them outside.  It is active learning at its finest.  Congratulations Scott Slater.

Video Link:  Implementing Change: Outside45: Scott Slater at TEDxWestVancouverED

Website link:  http://go45.sd45.bc.ca/blogs/schoolblogs/biblog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=23

Active Learning Stratigies

In an effort to make my class more interactive and engaging I am looking into ways to increase active learning.  I found this short video that discusses active learning and ways to implement it both in the classroom and online.

A changing education paradigm.

I like these RSA Animate videos.  This is one narrated by Sir Ken Robinson who is a world renowned education and creativity expert.

Do schools kill creativity?

Having done most of my PIDP program, the following video has come up a few times in various courses.  I thought it would be worthwhile posting it here to give others a chance to view it.  Ken Robinson is very well spoken and has a good point.  It is 20 minutes well spent.

What to do about late students?

Here is a great resource regarding what to do when students come late to class.

LINK HERE

 I am still trying to figure out what works best for addressing lateness in my class.

I'm wondering how others deal with this issue?  Do you send them to the chief instructor after a few offenses?  Deduct marks? 

Classroom Management

I teach a 24 week course called "Electrical Foundations".  It is a mixture of shop, lab, and class time.  I have 16 students of which 15 are men.  They range in age from 18 to 31.

My classroom management issue stems from one student who is an "over participator".  He is eager to learn and pays attention which is great, but he is always the first to answer my questions and often attempts to answer them before I have even finished asking them.  He starts guessing and shouting out possible answers as I am finishing.  I personally find it very distracting, but more importantly it doesn't give the others a chance to respond and I am finding now that many students have simply given up on trying to beat him to the answer.  

I am beginning to address the issue by reminding him before I pose the question that I would like him to give others a chance to answer. 

In hindsight I should have realized this issue in its infancy and addressed it then, but we seem to be making progress nonetheless.

 Now I'm interested to hear other classroom management issues and how they have been dealt with.

Clarke.

Simulation as an Instructional Strategy

Under this introduction you will find a video that I made regarding instructional strategies.  Specifically "simulation" as an instructional strategy.  In the electrical field there is a lot of theory to cover in class but also a lot of hands on practical skills that must be mastered in the shop.  The course that I teach covers a great deal of simulations done in the shop.  These simulations include, bending conduit, puller wire, wiring small dwelling units etc.  Here is the video outlining why I think simulation is a useful instructional strategy.

Including Introverts

This article was posted in a class discussions forum in PIDP 3250.  It sheds light on some ideas about how to include the "quiet" students, and encourage participation in class.

"In an academic environment, introverts may prefer to work completely alone and discover their best ideas in solitude. They are likely to be comfortable in a lecture hall; listening and learning without the demands of engaging with others"

Link to article

Free screen capture program for video assignments.

 I am not really adventurous when it comes to new video programs so I have been sticking to what has worked for me in the past.  Screencast-O-Matic is a very simple video capture of your computer screen for a powerpoint with voice over and webcam capability.  Check it out below. 

Link to website: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

Tips for taking notes.

Here is a link to tips for effective note taking.  I have always had trouble keeping up with the lecture while taking notes, and one of the tips in this article is to use abbreviations to shorten common words.  Makes sense to me.  Here is the link NOTE TAKING

The Power of Introverts.

Our journal for this week in PIDP 3250 was to give our thoughts on this TED talk video by Susan Cain.  After watching it I felt two things

1) She is telling the truth.  She seems nervous and uncomfortable in front of the audience, proving to me that she is truly an introvert.

2)  Maybe I'm not as introverted as I thought.

What's the purpose?

The purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts and ideas on instructional strategies.  I am in the process of completing my Provincial Instructor Diploma at VCC.  The course I am taking now is called PIDP 3250 Instructional Stratigies and one of the assignments is to manage a blog.  Over the next few months I will be adding content from the course to this blog as well as my own thoughts and reflections.  In the mean time here is a link to some tips for improving student motivation in class.
http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/21-simple-ideas-to-improve-student-motivatio/

The following is a post titled "Learning Styles" from Amber Donovan in my PIDP 3250 course.  

"I found a quick "quiz" on determining your learning style.  A lot of you will probably already know what way you learn best. 

Feel free to take the quiz by following the link below and share with us!  Also note, there are MANY of these quiz websites out there this is just one example

http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm

This site classifies into only three styles; Auditory, Visual and Tactile

I am an auditory learner according to the quiz and after reading the descriptions I would agree.

Why is important or beneficial for us as educators to understand our student's learning styles and what kind of barriers do we face when dealing with a learning style diversity in our students?

“The more thoroughly instructors understand the differences, the better chance they have of meeting the diverse learning needs of all of their students” (“Understanding Student Differences,” Journal of Engineering Education 94 [2005]: 57).

This quote was posted on the following website:

http://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-learning/understanding-your-students

I find this to be a valuable resource as it highlights the VARK model as well as Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

What are your thoughts and responses to the questions I have posted in bold?"

I took the quiz and found that I am a visual learner which seems to align with previous quizzes that I have done regarding learning styles.  I found the cartoon below to be accurate representation of a visual learner.

A Brief Autobiography

     My name is Clarke Bayles and I am an Electrical Foundations instructor at BCIT in Burnaby B.C.  The course I teach is a 24 week program that covers both the fundamentals of electricity and also the basic tool and hand skills necessary to be a successful electrician.  When my students have completed the course they are well prepared to find an entry level job as an apprentice electrician.  Hopefully this will set them on their way to having a successful and fulfilling career as Journeyman Electricians.
     I have been a Journeyman Electrician since 2008.  It was while I was attending the schooling part of my apprenticeship that I started speaking to instructors about what it took to become an instructor.  It was one such conversation with my 2nd year instructor in 2005 that I particularly remember.  He seemed excited that I was interested in his profession, and when a job came up six years later at BCIT he remembered that conversation we had and contacted me regarding the opening.  I applied and got the job in 2011 and after getting a handle on the course material, I can now focus on completing my PIDP courses.