Webcomics and Teaching

Webcomics

So, I read Irregular Webcomic!, a webcomic run by DMM, pretty regularly. And often, there are totally geeky annotations, including (to point out only a few)...

here, where the joke involves vector calculus;

here, talking about the impossibility of StarWars using Thermodynamics;

here, explaining three Laws of Thermodynamics;

here, explaining how awesome Maxwell's equations are;

here, using the Shroedinger's Cat idea;

here, making Quantum Mechanics jokes;

here, making Fourier Transform jokes;

and now, here, using History and Math!

I hearts this comic so much!

Also awesome in the Math department is xkcd, by Randall Munroe! I've even used this comic in an animation I'm working on.



Teaching

So, being Saturday again, I went to the Maths school to TA; and, again, it aggravated me. But we had a meeting today, and our principal mentioned some of the duties of the Teacher and TA, which I was wanting to beat my teacher over the head about.

Some things mentioned...

Our school's philosophy/signature: Since we have such a high student-to-teacher-or-TA ratio, we have a "human element"; there is more human interaction: student-teacher/TA and student-student.

Roles of the Teacher and Techniques:

• don't lecture
  
  the kids are 13 and younger, they can't handle lecture-style yet!
  

  create lesson plan
  

  have authority
  

  avoid dead silence; talk! Fill the silence with teachery sounds!
  

  don't talk into the board
  

  do not read lesson plan
  

  don't work out of a textbook
  

  never lose face
  

  never let the student "win"
  

  lose once, lose all

Roles of the TA and Techniques:

• don't supersede the teacher
  
  if the teacher's wrong, don't point it out, no matter how frustrating
  

  make sure the students pay attention
  

  encourage participation
  

  supplement the teacher
  

  interact with the students; learn their names

Tips for Creating Lessons:

• don't copy down examples or problems
  
• not just formulas
  
• walk the students through it all

My birthday party

My birthday parties have been nick-named "Awkwardfest", but this year was pretty okay. In fact, we had a focus on awkwardness, and I even donned my "Awkward Fairy" costume (it's skimpy black spandex with a hole shows off what would be cleavage on a more endowed woman, and a black tie worn over the hole). Awkward! Especially when one of the guests flips the tie up!

But it was good. Kevin and Mark came.


Other Stuff

There's a guy at work who makes tobacco smell handsome. Or, maybe, just the way it smells on him is handsome. I don't know.


--Charisa