HS Math Teachers - Question

When covering new topics that previous skills are necessary, how do you handle it, if they don't know those previous skills?

I had a discussion with my principal today about having to backtrack a bit in my trig class to fill in some algebra gaps. He wasn't pleased with that approach. He feels that teachers who do this, do not see good results. He feels that I should continue with the new topics, even if they don't know the basics.

Opinions? How do you handle this?

The last 2 years have been the roughest for me based on the quality of students I have encountered. I am not sure how to handle the material at times, so that I cover all standards and prepare them for the Regents.

HS Math Teachers - Question

I would not spend a whole lesson on that kind of skill. We just don't have the days to give up. I would either go over it in the context of the new lesson as it comes up or if needed, cover it in my anticipatory set at the beginning of the lesson and then in do nows the next few days if needed.

We also have castle learning (now called school island). Not sure if your school has access but it's a website we use for review. I would make a homework assignment that reviews the old content and give them several days to complete it. They can get help from each other, come to extra help, use the hints on the site, and even retry questions they miss. It's also easy to see which questions were most missed by each class so after it's due I always go over the top 2 or 3 missed questions in class.

Re: HS Math Teachers - Question

Well I don't give up days for review. I will go back for a few minutes and then forward or use it in my warm-up also. He wants the warm up to be more advanced questions.

I can't assign anything online or else I have to stay after to allow my students to use the laptops, which I can't always do.

HS Math Teachers - Question

I tell the kids to walk out and go find an Algebra class to sit in. Kidding. Really kidding. Say I'm doing logs which requires knowledge of properties of exponents I will use a lot of common terminology to jar memories. What did we do when we divide exponents? I try and blend it in with the lesson if that makes sense. Also when I model a problem on the smartboard I will make a notation on the side of the problem like "Remember when we multiply exponents we add and logs follow the same rules" So that when they are doing HW or even the next day it is written down somewhere.

Re: HS Math Teachers - Question

Thanks...I guess just end of the year frustrations with administration.

HS Math Teachers - Question

I agree with the pp's. it sounds like your principal is not a math person and doesn't quite understand our constant struggles

HS Math Teachers - Question

I do not teach math, but run into the same issues. I always seem to be "reteaching" things that they should have learned in elementary and middle school.... How do you get to 10th grade and not know how to make an appropriate scale for a graph?!?!?

I am a HUGE fan of using do now and summaries. I collect the summaries more or less every single day to check their progress....it can be overwhelming, but with my students it is necessary - otherwise I never know where half of them are in terms of their learning. I make the HW align with the lesson - so they can use their notes to assist them in the application of their learning. It has taken me a long time to really refine these techniques, but they do work.

Re: HS Math Teachers - Question

Can you tell me what your summaries are?

Re: HS Math Teachers - Question