The Pedagogy Puzzle

We were 75 minutes into class and her engagement and grasp of the content was wonderful! 😊 She had, with minimal guidance, derived the formula for the length of an arc of a circle by applying proportional reasoning. When a student makes a cross-topic connection like this, it is rewarding!  😇  Now, we were solving questions to cement her understanding of the concept. We reached the last question in the set: The second hand of a clock is 10 cm long. How far does the tip of the second hand travel in 20 seconds? She racked her brains for close to 10 minutes before concluding that she was stumped! 😵 I asked her to share where she was getting stuck. She replied that she didn't know the speed at which the hand was moving - so, she couldn't find the distance that the tip had travelled. I realised that she was thinking of the {speed = distance ÷ time} formula. So, I gave her a hint that knowing the speed at which the hand was moving wasn't required in this case. In addition, I...

Previous post: In-person vs. online - the similarities (part 1) In the first postlet (linked above), I focused on the similarities between in-person classes at school and classes in the online environment. In this postlet , I will interweave the findings of research studies with my practical experiences as a math teacher to illustrate the differences between these two modes of teaching/learning with a continued focus on one-to-one classes as that is my area of expertise . A point worth mentioning here - there are four types of classes that we could technically experience and analyse: classes in schools (one-to-many and in-person) private in-person tuition classes (one-to-one and in-person) online classes being conducted by schools during the Covid-19 pandemic (one-to-many and online) private tuition classes over the web (one-to-one and online) I have extensively taught in contexts #1 and #4 and taught, to a limited extent, in context #2 when sitting down with individual children af...

Previous post:   Setting clear expectations So far, I have covered  how/why I took up online teaching , my first interaction with parents and children, how I plan/execute the trial session and setting expectations with my students. A common suggestion that I received in comments on this series was to compare and contrast in-person classes with online classes. I believe that this is a good time to explore this topic and I plan to divide this exploration into two postlets. In this first postlet, I will interweave the findings of research studies with my practical experiences as a math teacher to paint a picture of the similarities between  regular in-person classes in school and classes in  the online environment ( with a focus on one-to-one classes as that is my area of expertise ). I think that this will provide necessary grounding, not just for the next postlet, but for the series as a whole.

Previous post: The first class Each child is unique and enters a class with different mindsets and experiences related to mathematics (specifically) and the teaching-learning process (generally). Considering the grades that I cover (6 to 12), subject teaching at school is the norm; consequently, children are exposed to a spectrum of teachers and pedagogies and adapt depending on who is at the blackboard (or projector in a technology enabled classroom!). When I think back to my own school days, there were teachers who instantly commanded respect and attention while there were others who seemed to bring out our most raucous sides! 😆 Thus, setting expectations was one of my priorities for the class following the trial session. As I was building our relationship from scratch without the benefit of face-to-face interaction, this assumed even more importance!

Previous post: The foundational bricks After the opening conversation , I am ready to plan the first class (in online teaching parlance - the trial session). What are the elements that I include in this session and why do I structure it this way? ~ o ~ x ~ o ~ I log on to the interface about 5 minutes before the child and upload an image like the one shown below on the first slide. I also check that my laptop and internet connection are working smoothly.

Previous post: A shift in pedagogy Most of the children I taught online began classes either because their parents liked my profile or had heard about my teaching by word of mouth. The families were based in different countries (India, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Denmark etc.) and the children studied in grades 6-12. Their schools were affiliated to ICSE, CBSE (these are two popular boards in India) or international boards. My interest and expertise lie in math; so, in these postlets, I'll draw on my online math teaching experiences. Once a new parent/child reaches out for a session, what is my approach? What are the bricks I lay so that the foundation of our partnership is strong?

The silent classroom with the early morning light streaming in... seconds before the children came in from assembly! 😄