Tips for teaching?

[Squirt]

Hey guys

Bit of a long story behind this but to keep it short: Earlier this week I had a bit of a "disagreement" with my physics teacher which resulted in a little challenge to teach some of the students who failed and were withdrawn from the electricity paper. So I gladly accepted, and here I am tutoring physics :smln: These students are 17-18 years old (same age as myself) and are quite intelligent students, as most of them I know personally.

My grades in the school exams for physics were two excellences in mechanics and waves and a merit in electricity (one point of excellence) and were the top grades of the class matched by one of mates. I'm pretty sure I know most of the content, plus I have support from some other students and teachers if I need it :bounce:

So this past week, I've organised a place and time to run these tutorials with the students. And for tomorrows tutorial I have prepared some notes on capacitors (as our teacher normally just hands us a book to read, take notes from the book and do questions from the book) with graphs and diagrams and the like. I plan to go through the notes and make sure that they understand what is in front of them. Then I think I'll just work through some questions step by step. I have bought a few packets of lollies which they can munch on :spop: But I really want to encourage them to ask questions, like why does that happen? How does this occur? etc. :dno:

So really I'm just after some tips for teaching. Like what has helped you (currently/previously) in learning? Why has that helped you? etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated :thup:

Thanks in advance

Matt

[Sophia]

Maybe go back further and find out why they failed in the first place. If they failed because they weren't interested, first you have to generate enough interest for them to pass. Or perhaps you should talk to each one privately and find out if there was content that was too hard. Failure of any sort makes for shame and lack of confidence, then follows motivation. If you can address the bit they failed with then their enthusiasm might return and then the interest will already be there.

In short, people who are interested generally ask questions anyway.

[Squirt]

Thanks Sophia! These students did put the effort in, they just didn't pass. Like I said these students are quite intelligent, I'm not sure if it was the teachers teaching ways or them just not understanding the content but I'll ask them tomorrow.

I even found a Bruce Lee quote for it “Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”― Bruce Lee

But yeah, the "disagreement" with my physics teacher resulted in us not going through the papers at lunchtime (he said the previous day that he would go through them tomorrow lunchtime)... So I might have to organise with the other physics teacher if he can help me out with that :thup:

Thanks again

[Matto]

i personally used past exam papers to work out exactly what i can and cant do and then asked teachers to go over the questions i had trouble with .it was usually only a small thing wrong or slight misunderstanding of the question as the hardest part is working out what they are wanting.

[alanmin4304]

I have always thought that as important as knowing the subject content is the ability to explain that to the examiner. What you might call "examination technique". I knew a number of very clever people who were not much good at exams but did know their stuff. Teaching some of that might be useful.

[Squirt]

Thanks! I'll bring in some of my sample papers which I used for revision and breakdown step by step to see what I'm doing and thinking at each step of the question.

I'm not sure whether I will have time to type out and print off notes each week for them though, our class does not really get all the notes as some times he just hands us a book to read and take notes from. Personally I hate it. It took me close to 35 hours in the holidays to get a complete set of notes from the book. Then you actually have to study the content as well. So I'm faced with the dilemma of being a "book teacher" but not having enough time to make complete sets of notes for these students. Any suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated as well

[livingart]

Sounds like you already have a set of notes, people have different ways of learning

[Li@m]

Dont forget DIAGRAMS AND VIDEOS! Alot of people are visual learners.

[Ira]

[Dr A]

Man, your physics teacher is doing a pretty good job showing you applied economics. Wish I could trick people into doing work for me.

[Squirt]

I realise that it is his job to be teaching these students. I just don't want to see their potential wasted. He said today that he will be running tutorials three times a week now, which I think is absolutely great. I will still be attending these tutorials to see if I can offer my help and knowledge

Thanks guys :thup: