Topic: Bang Your Head on Your Desk - the thread of teaching despair!

[ergative]

When will students learn how to do BASIC Math? I try to make final grade calculation easy. All they have to do is add up their points and divide by 10. Is it really that hard to do? I even have an example...

[brag] I just had a student who did the math and used algebra to solve for x, so they realized they needed a 75% or better on the exam to pass.[/brag].

Then they emailed to ask what would happen if they failed the class, thus nuking all the good will they had earned from showing their algebraic skill, since the answer to that question is all in the course handbook. If I were less grumpy I would have told them what page to look on, but because I am more grumpy I just told them to look in the handbook.

[marshwiggle]

Last day of class was yesterday. Student emails that she just noticed she had zeros for two lessons from much earlier in the semester, but she did them now so she should be all set, and sorry about that. I had to break it to her that these are due by the start of class each week and PER THE SYLLABUS there is no late credit. I had a syllabus quiz and everything. Sigh.

When will students learn how to do BASIC Math? I try to make final grade calculation easy. All they have to do is add up their points and divide by 10. Is it really that hard to do? I even have an example...

I feel your pain-- I recently had a student ask what percent they got on a returned exam, where the score was reported out of 50 points. Not sure if the problem was in multiplying the result by 2 or a basic understanding of percents.

Or in realizing that dividing by 50 and then multiplying by 100 is the same as multiplying by 2.

DAMN YOUR LOGIC, SPOCK!

[mamselle]

I was thinking (having subbed in local schools) that the student well might have gotten stuck on whether you multiply by 5 first, or 2...since some places don't seem to teach "add a zero," or "move the decimal place over" anymore.

In Trachtenberg's system (which I once got in trouble for trying to learn and use in a 5th grade math test) you do, in fact double and then multiply by 5. (In that system, you learn to look at figures and "halve" or "double" them in your head, so x 5 is half the figure times 10--same reasoning).

I flunked that test, got taken to the principal's office and yelled at (wanting to say, the whole time, "why aren't you praising me for doing something inventive?") and returned the book to the library.

Sic transit gloria mathematicus...

M.

(Yes, I know that's a neolatinism...)

[Istiblennius]

Just got a begging and pleading email from a student who is on Academic Probation and heading to Academic Suspension for some work to do so she can pass the class (she even gave me a desired score). What makes her think that she can convince me she'll do this extra work when she's done only about a week's worth of the work for the class so far is beyond me. Apparently I'm the reason she's "kissing her education goodbye" and not the 11 classes she failed over the last year. You would think someone so desperate to avoid Suspension would maybe put a modicum of effort in.

[the_geneticist]

Just got a begging and pleading email from a student who is on Academic Probation and heading to Academic Suspension for some work to do so she can pass the class (she even gave me a desired score). What makes her think that she can convince me she'll do this extra work when she's done only about a week's worth of the work for the class so far is beyond me. Apparently I'm the reason she's "kissing her education goodbye" and not the 11 classes she failed over the last year. You would think someone so desperate to avoid Suspension would maybe put a modicum of effort in.

Oh, they are putting lots of effort into begging for forgiveness/special treatment/no consequences.
Academic effort, not so much.

[Parasaurolophus]

There are only so many times I can repeat that you have to sign up for a day when your presentation is due, and that the "participation" component of the class--which the university requires--is fulfilled by making at least one post a week in the discussion forum for ten weeks. It's on the syllabus. I sent out reminder emails. It's on the discussion forum--several times, because several people asked. I repeated it in our live sessions.

At some point, you do actually have to look at the syllabus.

[AmLitHist]

Apparently I'm the reason she's "kissing her education goodbye" and not the 11 classes she failed over the last year.

Welcome to the Destroyer of Lives and Crusher of Dreams Society, Istiblennius! 

Your official membership certificate is in the mail, and you can PM me for the instructions for the secret handshake.

Yours,
AmLitHist
Founding Member, DLCDS

[Puget]

I was thinking (having subbed in local schools) that the student well might have gotten stuck on whether you multiply by 5 first, or 2...since some places don't seem to teach "add a zero," or "move the decimal place over" anymore.

In Trachtenberg's system (which I once got in trouble for trying to learn and use in a 5th grade math test) you do, in fact double and then multiply by 5. (In that system, you learn to look at figures and "halve" or "double" them in your head, so x 5 is half the figure times 10--same reasoning).

I flunked that test, got taken to the principal's office and yelled at (wanting to say, the whole time, "why aren't you praising me for doing something inventive?") and returned the book to the library.

Sic transit gloria mathematicus...

M.

(Yes, I know that's a neolatinism...)

I think you are making this way more complicated than it is. If your score is 40/50, you just multiply the top number by 2 to get your score out of 100, which is your percent of course. There isn't any multiplying by 5 involved or moving decimal places involved. That's why it was surprising the student asked what their percent was.

This may be one of the students under the delusion that psychology doesn't involve math. Just wait until they get to stats and research methods. . .

[mamselle]

I'm not making it more complex, that's how math is taught in public schools these days.

That's what I mean about having subbed in the schools--the students that aren't understanding percent conversions learned to do it in this squirrely way that bypasses all the simple, straightforward ways that might otherwise make sense.

I'm not saying one should do it that way, but that's how they've been taught to think about it.

M. 

[teach_write_research]

I temporarily swam up out of the sucking whirlpool of grading and feedback. The calendar tells me it is Dec 11, our family does Christmas, and holy hell I'm weighing my options with telling my youngest child that there isn't a Santa because it would take the pressure off of delivering holiday magic. I have not a single brain cell available.

[mamselle]

If you wait another year, her school friends will tell her--if they haven't already.

Don't know if that alleviates or increases the pressure...

M.

[FishProf]

Posted as announcement on Thursday (last day of semester) AND announced Thursday and at the Final on Friday:

"DO NOT PANIC!

If you see a 60% on your portfolio score, that is JUST A PLACEHOLDER to indicate I have received it.  That is NOT yor grade (probably).

Don't email me in a lather.

In fact, don't email me at all UNTIL I post an announcement that everything is graded.  THEN if you have a question you can email me"

One student has now emailed me 8 times begging for a higher grade and a chance to do some missed assignments.  Oh Noes!  She won't graduate if she doesn't pass!

I am currently on Radio Silence while I grade.

[ergative]

Don't submit a .pages file for your final exam.

Don't submit a link to sharepoint document and then deny access for your final exam.

You have a student account to Office 365. The submission instructions say to upload a .docx or .pdf file. WE PROVIDE YOU WITH A TEMPLATE IN THE CORRECT FILE FOLDER THAT YOU JUST NEED TO FILL OUT AND UPLOAD.

And yet, somehow, emails are winging their way back and forth looking for staff members who have macs and can convert .pages to .pdf so the exam can be graded. If you weren't itty bitty baby first-year students I'd just flunk them all and be done with them. (Actually, access-denied sharepoint kid is flunking anyway.)

[Puget]

Don't submit a .pages file for your final exam.

Don't submit a link to sharepoint document and then deny access for your final exam.

You have a student account to Office 365. The submission instructions say to upload a .docx or .pdf file. WE PROVIDE YOU WITH A TEMPLATE IN THE CORRECT FILE FOLDER THAT YOU JUST NEED TO FILL OUT AND UPLOAD.

And yet, somehow, emails are winging their way back and forth looking for staff members who have macs and can convert .pages to .pdf so the exam can be graded. If you weren't itty bitty baby first-year students I'd just flunk them all and be done with them. (Actually, access-denied sharepoint kid is flunking anyway.)

Does your LMS let you restrict the file types that can be submitted? Moodle does, which is much easier than getting them to follow directions.

[dr_codex]

Don't submit a .pages file for your final exam.

Don't submit a link to sharepoint document and then deny access for your final exam.

You have a student account to Office 365. The submission instructions say to upload a .docx or .pdf file. WE PROVIDE YOU WITH A TEMPLATE IN THE CORRECT FILE FOLDER THAT YOU JUST NEED TO FILL OUT AND UPLOAD.

And yet, somehow, emails are winging their way back and forth looking for staff members who have macs and can convert .pages to .pdf so the exam can be graded. If you weren't itty bitty baby first-year students I'd just flunk them all and be done with them. (Actually, access-denied sharepoint kid is flunking anyway.)

Does your LMS let you restrict the file types that can be submitted? Moodle does, which is much easier than getting them to follow directions.

TurnItIn does, too. You set it to only accept formats that it can access.