Bradford Egelston

As a teacher/instructor AND a parent of a daughter with learning challenges, effective instruction to those with learning disabilities is a cause that's near and dear to my heart.  It's imperative that instructors work WITH students to present information and materials in a way that the student can learn via the "path of least resistance".  The goal is not to lessen the work requirements or lower the bar, but to even the playing field.

In higher education, I've encountered many students with significant language-based barriers.  In my experience, I've been successful with the concept that "math is universal" and I can usually show what I need them to understand with illustrations and diagrams.  Only when I believe they understand what I'm doing will I introduce the necessary language and English vocabulary.

Student groups can be tricky.  In theory, assigning random groups should result in a mix of strengths and weaknesses that will balance out.  Like a good basketball or baseball team, students will gravitate toward different roles that either play to their expertise or they'll attempt to fill some aspect that's lacking.  Careful monitoring is necessary to determine when a certain mix doesn't have the necessary chemistry.  They may need some help in finding their niches or be prompted with some guiding questions or first steps.

In teaching math, it can be very difficult to keep students engaged.  Moving around the room and keeping proximity to students in mind during my "lecturing" is key.  When I'm at the whiteboard, making eye contact with specific students and keeping up the back-and-forth discussion keeps them from drifting to sleep.  Asking open ended opinion-based questions to students who are shy or may not be totally grasping the concept is a safe way to keep them included in what's going on.  When students volunteer answers, I'll challenge those answers (even if they're correct) to see if the student can back… >>>

Students should rely on feedback from grading.  Therefore, graded work needs to be returned to the student within 48 hours along with notes or explanations of docked points.  Marking an algebra solution as wrong and awarding no points isn't nearly as insightful as identifying what the specific error was (arithmetic mistake vs. algebraic mistake) and awarding partial credit.  For example, a student could make a minor error such as losing track of a negative sign or making an error in addition (2+3=6), but demonstrate a strong understanding of the algebra concepts being assessed.  Not all mistakes are created equal.

Troubleshooting should be a continual process.  Always be prepared for the event that your Plan A may not work, even if Plan A has been successful for the last 20 class meetings.  The number one goal is for the students to master the concepts that need to be taught and simply pounding a square peg into a round hole won't translate to any measurable success.

I rely heavily on PowerPoint presentations for math instruction and have discovered that, if done correctly, animated (GIF) images can greatly increase both interaction and learning.  For example, a student activity involving rolling a pair of dice can be "accelerated" to show how an increase in sample size (n) will gradually approach a normal distribution.  When rolling a pair of dice, 7 is the most likely combination while 2 and 12 will be the least likely. 

After a small sample size of 5-10 rolls, the normalized pattern has yet to show.  With 20-30 rolls, it may be seeming to take… >>>

While I believe that all teaching styles can impart learning to students, the effectiveness of each approach varies based on the needs of the students.  I typically work with students in the developmental level of math, which tends to come with a lot of nervousness and apprehension.  With those types of demographics, the statue or drill instructor teaching styles tend to minimize success.  Students will be bored by an instructor who simply reads from the textbook or slides and are far less likely to engage with the material (which they'll likely find to be equally boring).  Drill instructors, even in… >>>

Perfection is the enemy of good.  When I first got into teaching, an instructor I admired told me "If you're going to teach for thirty years, then teach for thirty years.  Don't teach one year thirty times."  I am always adjusting my teaching based on new things that I've learned, new approaches that students have shared and the needs of the particular group that I have.  What worked great the last three classes may fall flat the fourth time.  

I am no stranger to making a math error on the board during a class.  If I catch it first, then… >>>

I have an extensive background in teaching inner city middle school so I had to hone my Managing Student Behavior skills very quickly.  I became very good at being approachable and friendly but still maintaining authority as the teacher/instructor in the room.  I worked very hard to make sure that students enjoyed my company and genuinely respected me without giving up command for friendship.  Even now that I'm teaching adults, I use the same tactics.  I listen.  I offer to help when I can.  I keep in mind that a student being angry, disruptive or disengaged might not have anything… >>>