Tips for a first-time HS teacher?

[danzibr]

In a few weeks I'll be teaching HS for the first time... basically.

Spoiler: Background

Show

6 years a go I got a BA in Math Ed and a BS in Math. I did my student teaching, but rather than teach HS right away, I went to get a PhD in math, and as a grad student I taught many college classes (something like 60 sections total, from Intermediate Algebra to Calc 3). The main reason I'm teaching HS now is because my wife and I (and our 2 kids) are living near her family, and there are no universities nearby. Plus, I think I'll like it.

I'll be teaching at a small HS, replacing their department head, so I get all the best classes. Class size is ~10, 6 classes, 1 prep. I can give more details on that, if desired.

Questions
Maybe you're a HS teacher, or maybe you were a HS student once. Any pointers?

Current plans

• Seating chart
• Having grading be completion, done in class
• Cell phone usage -> lost points and I take it until the end of the school day
• Talk after you turn your test in -> lost points
• Tests modeled after ACT and SAT (primarily multiple choice, 1-2 work out)
• Have stuff like Rubik's Cubes and chess sets for before/after school and special days
• Make videos via EduCreations to put online for students to see if they miss
• Make notes available online for students to see if they miss
• Bell work every day
• Lots of EC opportunities, but by golly you'll have to work for it
• Require use of Anki
• Mix of calculator and non-calculator (personally I don't like them at all, but hey, they're handy)
• Work can be done individually or with a partner (person next to you). No large groups.

And uhh... that's all that comes to mind.

EDIT: Also, I'm interested in banks of multiple choice questions (preferably a .tex file, but I doubt I'll find one) from standardized tests. I've found a few via google, but no huge banks. Any good sites?

[Amidus Drexel]

In a few weeks I'll be teaching HS for the first time... basically.

Spoiler: Background

Show

6 years a go I got a BA in Math Ed and a BS in Math. I did my student teaching, but rather than teach HS right away, I went to get a PhD in math, and as a grad student I taught many college classes (something like 60 sections total, from Intermediate Algebra to Calc 3). The main reason I'm teaching HS now is because my wife and I (and our 2 kids) are living near her family, and there are no universities nearby. Plus, I think I'll like it.

I'll be teaching at a small HS, replacing their department head, so I get all the best classes. Class size is ~10, 6 classes, 1 prep. I can give more details on that, if desired.

Questions
Maybe you're a HS teacher, or maybe you were a HS student once. Any pointers?

Current plans

• Seating chart
• Having grading be completion, done in class
• Cell phone usage -> lost points and I take it until the end of the school day
• Talk after you turn your test in -> lost points
• Tests modeled after ACT and SAT (primarily multiple choice, 1-2 work out)
• Have stuff like Rubik's Cubes and chess sets for before/after school and special days
• Make videos via EduCreations to put online for students to see if they miss
• Make notes available online for students to see if they miss
• Bell work every day
• Lots of EC opportunities, but by golly you'll have to work for it
• Require use of Anki/flashcards
• Mix of calculator and non-calculator (personally I don't like them at all, but hey, they're handy)

And uhh... that's all that comes to mind.

Hrm... I agree with most of that (especially the chess sets). The only things I would personally do differently:

Seating charts: Change them up several times over the course of the school year, if you even bother with them at all.

Flash cards: Always annoyed the hell out of me when a teacher required me to buy some extra things to write on and remember to bring that I never used. I'm sure they help some people, but people like me are just going to take a 0 on that grade.

Cell phones: Don't make a big deal about it unless your kids make it into a problem. Tell 'em to keep them away while you're lecturing or they're working, but otherwise it probably doesn't matter.

[danzibr]

Algol system. Nice reference.

Hrm... I agree with most of that (especially the chess sets). The only things I would personally do differently:

Seating charts: Change them up several times over the course of the school year, if you even bother with them at all.

Flash cards: Always annoyed the hell out of me when a teacher required me to buy some extra things to write on and remember to bring that I never used. I'm sure they help some people, but people like me are just going to take a 0 on that grade.

Cell phones: Don't make a big deal about it unless your kids make it into a problem. Tell 'em to keep them away while you're lecturing or they're working, but otherwise it probably doesn't matter.

Right. I should've mentioned I'll probably use the seating chart for 2 weeks, until I learn their names and we get to know one another a little. If I'm sure they're a good group, I'll let them sit wherever.

And for the flash cards... yeah, good point. I really want to promote the use of Anki, just because it's such an awesome program.

[Amidus Drexel]

Algol system. Nice reference.

And for the flash cards... yeah, good point. I really want to promote the use of Anki, just because it's such an awesome program.

Hrm... you know, I've never used Anki. Perhaps offer a couple extra credit points for flash cards?

[Pie Guy]

Honestly, don't bother with seating charts. They always annoyed me in high school, and I don't see the benefit given the tiny class sizes. Also, what is bell work?

Edit: also, don't just have repetitive algebra and exercises, throw in a few geometric proofs.

[Anarion]

For what it's worth, I think it's a bad idea to tie a student's behavioral issues (like pulling out cellphones or talking after a test) to the student's grades. It's unfair and misses the point of what a class is supposed to teach: if the student learns the material properly, they should receive a grade that reflects that.

Separately, if you feel that a student is disrupting the class, engaging in any kind of cheating, or just have no tolerance for distractions like cell phones, you can have behavioral punishments, which can be anything from a mild reprimand to confiscating the item, to sending the kid to the principal for more severe discipline. Certainly, if you think any of the kids are actually cheating, you should escalate that because cheating is one of those things that's NOT OKAY.

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents for consideration.

[Pie Guy]

Also also, "Having grading be completion, done in class"? Can you reword that?

[Hiro Protagonest]

• Have stuff like Rubik's Cubes and chess sets for before/after school and special days

You know what's missing from every classroom board game collection? Settlers of Catan.

[Scorpina]

Based on the time I spent as a high school teaching assistant, I have the following advice to offer.

Watch your back: The kids (okay, let's be fair, some of the kids will use any advantage they can to tear you down. Don't be fooled into letting them know your first name, address, that sort of thing, lest it be used against you.

Expect hormones: No matter what, at least one of your students is going to want to have sex with you. Now, if you're lucky, they'll keep it to themselves and the most you'll have to worry about is wandering eyes. If you're unlucky... well, that can be pretty bad. I speak from experience (uh, both ways actually.) Point number one comes in pretty handy here.

Be aware that rumours will eat you alive if you let them - and the staff room can be a hotbed of them.

Don't make friends: To a certain degree, it's okay - even useful - for the students to like you, but it's important to maintain the appropriate distance in the relationship. If you let it lapse you risk losing the respect of your students (not the ones you make friends with so much as ones who know you're friends with so-and-so). Conversely.

Don't be an authoritatian ****: Being strict is fine. Some of the best teachers I've known - both as a student and a TA - have been the strictest. The danger is taking it too far. If you ever, as someone I know did, find yourself actively coming up with reasons to punish kids, you're in trouble. Enforcing the rules is one thing, but it's important to know when you're straying beyond that territory.

Lastly, and probably most importantly...

Be thick skinned: You are going to be insulted. To your face. You will overhear, and be informed of, much worse things said about you behind your back. You're going to be teased, mocked and made fun of. Don't let it get to you, and try and remember that your teachers probably suffered through the same.

They're just children, and you have to accept that and everything that comes with it. As I said above, showing weakness is death - if you let them know they've got to you, you're in big trouble - so even if you do get upset, being able to hide it is a very useful skill.

[Knaight]

Based on the time I spent as a high school teaching assistant, I have the following advice to offer.

Watch your back: The kids (okay, let's be fair, some of the kids will use any advantage they can to tear you down. Don't be fooled into letting them know your first name, address, that sort of thing, lest it be used against you.

First name, really? Not broadcasting your address is one thing, but there's no reason to keep your first name hidden. Particularly as this sounds like a school less likely to have these issues (small class size and such tends to be an indicator of that).

As for the tests, I'd recommend avoiding multiple choice - not completely, but at least mostly. As much as getting used to the standardized formula has its uses, from a pedagogical standpoint they tend not to be nearly as useful at seeing what students have learned, or at getting students to think and practice on the test itself.

[Scorpina]

First name, really? Not broadcasting your address is one thing, but there's no reason to keep your first name hidden. Particularly as this sounds like a school less likely to have these issues (small class size and such tends to be an indicator of that).

In and of itself, it's fairly harmless if a few kids - or even a lot of kids, I guess - know your first name. I think a few of them knew mine, and I had no trouble personally.

One of my coworkers, however, ran into trouble when - by finding out her first name - some of the kids were able to find her Facebook account.

Which I suppose is another thing to be aware of: lock any traceable online presence down as much as humanly possible, or - at the very least - behave yourself online.

[Knaight]

In and of itself, it's fairly harmless if a few kids - or even a lot of kids, I guess - know your first name. I think a few of them knew mine, and I had no trouble personally.

One of my coworkers, however, ran into trouble when - by finding out her first name - some of the kids were able to find her Facebook account.

Which I suppose is another thing to be aware of: lock any traceable online presence down as much as humanly possible, or - at the very least - behave yourself online.

I can say that I knew all of my teachers first names - I don't anymore (I tend to only remember the teachers that I either really liked or really disliked, and if I remember the first name they are probably in the former category), but I did at the time. So did my classmates. This never caused an issue. Heck, a number of my teachers are Facebook friends with former students - it's made clear that this is only after graduation, and everything works fine.

Now, I was in a pretty good school, and in the IB enclave in that school (it's like AP, but where every class* has to be AP and there's a bunch of stuff on top of it), so it's hardly a representative sample. Still, given the class sizes given I suspect it's a reasonable analog for where the OP will be working.

*Other than electives and PE.

[sktarq]

A couple things. . . Be very consistent about grading and returning the kids work. What I mean is having a visible standard -preferably a standard you can show to them on the first day. Holding the kids to it but also having a standard for yourself and hold yourself to yours too. So say if you have an problem set due each Wednesday and you think you'll be able to have them graded on Friday-you may want to make it Monday but hit it each and every time. The faster you can make that turn around time the better as when students see you working hard for them they are far more likely to work for you.

I know one thing I found with Math in particular is that it is a subject where people have a harder time via not connecting with what the teacher says more than the subject itself. Hopefully you've worked out various ways of looking at math that connect to people of various mindsets.

Schedule extra time to deal with bureaucratic time wasting.

[Crow]

Don't sleep with your students.

[Randomguy]

I'm not sure if flash card learning is a good idea in a math class. Flash cards are great for memorization, but in high school math there isn't a lot of memorization. There's really just the formulas, and those are best memorized by doing practice problems, not by using flash cards.

Some goes for multiple choice: As far as I know, it doesn't fit that well with math. In all the high school math classes I've taken, only a small part of the tests were multiple choice. There's no real reason to give 5 possible answers to a word problem, except for making marking easier. Making students show their work lets you give part marks, and doesn't let them guess an answer.

For what it's worth, I think it's a bad idea to tie a student's behavioral issues (like pulling out cellphones or talking after a test) to the student's grades. It's unfair and misses the point of what a class is supposed to teach: if the student learns the material properly, they should receive a grade that reflects that.

Quoted for the truth.

[Starwulf]

Making students show their work lets you give part marks, and doesn't let them guess an answer.

I hated that idea in highschool. What in the bloody hell is the point in making a student show the work? If you can figure out the answer to the problem in your head, then why should the student get marked down for it? Or what if the student did things differently(but still kinda similar) in solving the problem, and always got the right answer, are you really going to penalize the student for thinking differently? Because I did that a lot as well, and I HATED that I'd lose partial credit for solving the problem differently. I mean, I can understand if you are in college, but in highschool? It's just ridiculous ><

[Crow]

For what it's worth, I think it's a bad idea to tie a student's behavioral issues (like pulling out cellphones or talking after a test) to the student's grades. It's unfair and misses the point of what a class is supposed to teach: if the student learns the material properly, they should receive a grade that reflects that.

He is the teacher, it is not fair to him if a student is disrupting his class. It is unfair to the other students in the class if the disruption leads to them not receiving the educational attention they deserve. Disruptive students can negatively impact the grades of those around them.

The question should not be if the punishment is fair. The question should be if it is warranted, and if it is effective.

For some students of course, no punishment will be effective. With others, you have to find what is. It should at least be left on the table as a possible result. Maybe as a second or third step after other options have failed. Provided it is administered in a uniform and methodical manner, and the students know that this is something that will happen at a certain step, I see no problem with it, because it has become their choice.

I was one of those students who was disruptive AND got excellent grades. As an adult, I feel a little bad now about wasting the time of other students who didn't pick things up as easily as I did. I didn't care about detentions, notes home, in-house, or any of that. But if you started messing with my grades as a result...yeah I could shape up a little for you.

Edit: I also totally agree with making students show their work. It is not the answer that matters, but showing that you have learned how to arrive at the answer. I didn't like it either, but I am grateful for the teachers that made me do it, now that I am an old man. If you can arrive at an answer easily, it is no big deal to show how you did it. If you arrived at it in a different manner than normal, just show that.

[Aedilred]

I hated that idea in highschool. What in the bloody hell is the point in making a student show the work? If you can figure out the answer to the problem in your head, then why should the student get marked down for it? Or what if the student did things differently(but still kinda similar) in solving the problem, and always got the right answer, are you really going to penalize the student for thinking differently? Because I did that a lot as well, and I HATED that I'd lose partial credit for solving the problem differently. I mean, I can understand if you are in college, but in highschool? It's just ridiculous ><

Having to show the working used to frustrate me too, but I can see the point. Given the point is to teach, it's more important in the long run to ensure that students know how to do it than that they can sometimes guess the right answer, and they should be encouraged to learn the process. If they don't show the work, you have no idea whether they understand: they could have memorised a small group of answers and were lucky one came up; they could be guessing; they could be cheating.

Even so, I probably wouldn't mark students down for not showing the working, although I would encourage them to do so. But I would give some marks (or credit, or whatever you call it) for showing the correct working and going on to get the final answer wrong due to a clerical error or the like.

[danzibr]

Thanks for the responses, all. I have a few responses.

Also also, "Having grading be completion, done in class"? Can you reword that?

I will grade primarily based on completion (though let them know what they messed up). I'll check their stuff in class, and use a grading app on my iPad.

I'm not sure if flash card learning is a good idea in a math class. Flash cards are great for memorization, but in high school math there isn't a lot of memorization. There's really just the formulas, and those are best memorized by doing practice problems, not by using flash cards.

It is a good idea. Keep in mind I've taught college math the past 6 years. What I've found is that incoming students are incredibly lacking in their math vocabulary. What's the difference between an expression and an equation? What's the quadratic formula again? Wait, what's the difference between the quadratic formula and a quadratic equation? That sort of stuff.

It'd be like learning Spanish and only knowing how to conjugate verbs.

Some goes for multiple choice: As far as I know, it doesn't fit that well with math. In all the high school math classes I've taken, only a small part of the tests were multiple choice. There's no real reason to give 5 possible answers to a word problem, except for making marking easier. Making students show their work lets you give part marks, and doesn't let them guess an answer.

This, unfortunately, is based off ACT, SAT and EOC.

He is the teacher, it is not fair to him if a student is disrupting his class. It is unfair to the other students in the class if the disruption leads to them not receiving the educational attention they deserve. Disruptive students can negatively impact the grades of those around them.

The question should not be if the punishment is fair. The question should be if it is warranted, and if it is effective.

Agreed.

Also, for the separating points from behavioral stuff, what about participation points?

[FinnLassie]

I have no experience of American school, but having been a youngling in school myself I think I'll have some pointers. I'm also studying to become a primary level teacher with an interest on continuity between primary & secondary.

I'll be teaching at a small HS, replacing their department head, so I get all the best classes. Class size is ~10, 6 classes, 1 prep. I can give more details on that, if desired.

Emphasis mine. I'm a little confused. Do you mean the advanced skills classes? If so, I have to say please avoid saying it's the "best class". It's a rather old fashioned way of looking at education, and belittles young people and their advancements in the other skill level groups.

Current plans

• Seating chart
• Cell phone usage -> lost points and I take it until the end of the school day
• Tests modeled after ACT and SAT (primarily multiple choice, 1-2 work out)
• Have stuff like Rubik's Cubes and chess sets for before/after school and special days
• Make videos via EduCreations to put online for students to see if they miss
• Make notes available online for students to see if they miss
• Mix of calculator and non-calculator (personally I don't like them at all, but hey, they're handy)
• Work can be done individually or with a partner (person next to you). No large groups.

Seating plans: Only to be used if there are classroom management issues. I remember some of my teachers having us make big name tags to keep on our desks for the first two or three lessons to learn them... after that we were sure memorable. One of my maths teachers actually always called almost every single one in the classroom to answer something in the beginning of each course - she just looked at the name from the list, said it, and then checked who answered it. You learn names surprisingly quick.
Mobile phones: Follow school policy.
Tests modeled after ACT & SAT: Mixed feelings, mostly because ACT & SAT are so foreign and alien to me as concepts, as well as multiple choice. The last time I had multiple choice in maths was in elementary school, and I hated them.
Rubic cubes and other fun stuff: Have them at all times. Yes. Get all sorts of mathematical puzzles and games too, for individuals and groups. We use them so much in primary school, but hell, I would have enjoyed my school so much more if we had opportunities to put all them maths & problem solving skills into touchable contexts while counting all that crap. I know you likely have an advanced class, but still, these things can be eye opening to some if they struggle.
Putting notes and such online for absentees: Mixed feelings. Our policy was to get the notes from our peers, although the teacher was willing to assist if you had a valid reason to be off. Well, they did help in all cases, just not as much if you missed class for no valid reason. I didn't like this way too much, though, since I was often late & missed out on things.
Calculator & Mental Maths: YEASSSSSSSS. Make them kids do them mental maths. Honestly, it's such an important skill and something that actually helps with information processing. But please, use calculators too. They're exciting things, and I loved using my ultra hyper cool graphic calculator during classes. mainly because I had downloaded some calculator games in it
Doing work individually or as pairs: When I was in school, we were always encouraged to aid and ask help from our peers during maths, so this is a good way of going. Max. people meddling with the same problem together was always three. You just need to be observant of the fact that the kids aren't always helping each other... But you'll learn class relationships and dynamics soon enough. Don't hesitate to separate the teens from each other when necessary.

• Bell work every day
• Require use of Anki

Extra: What the hell is Anki, what the hell is bell work. *mutters and googles at some point*

[Aedilred]

Emphasis mine. I'm a little confused. Do you mean the advanced skills classes? If so, I have to say please avoid saying it's the "best class". It's a rather old fashioned way of looking at education, and belittles young people and their advancements in the other skill level groups.

I would assume he means "most enjoyable to teach". Which probably does overlap substantively with "most advanced students", since that's where the most articulate, engaged and most knowledgeable students tend to be found.

[FinnLassie]

I would assume he means "most enjoyable to teach". Which probably does overlap substantively with "most advanced students", since that's where the most articulate, engaged and most knowledgeable students tend to be found.

Well, that's where I have to disagree, since I don't really agree with most enjoyable being the most advanced. The most enjoyable pupils to teach are the ones with passion, which every child should have. If not, it's one of your jobs as a teacher to get that passion growing (and if needed, by cooperating with parents, the whole school, local community, etc, but that's digging a bit deep for today ).

[Asta Kask]

Everyone involved - teachers, students, and parents (but most of all teachers and students) is necessary. I would at least leave the possibility open that there are kids who won't be enthused by anything that can be reasonably done by a teacher. That's not a disaster, of course - not everyone needs to be an academic.

[Amidus Drexel]

I hated that idea in highschool. What in the bloody hell is the point in making a student show the work? If you can figure out the answer to the problem in your head, then why should the student get marked down for it? Or what if the student did things differently(but still kinda similar) in solving the problem, and always got the right answer, are you really going to penalize the student for thinking differently? Because I did that a lot as well, and I HATED that I'd lose partial credit for solving the problem differently. I mean, I can understand if you are in college, but in highschool? It's just ridiculous ><

It helps to see how a student got the correct answer. I will agree that I strongly dislike being asked to solve a problem in a specific way (or being required to show work to get full credit), but showing your work gives the teacher the ability to assign you partial credit for working parts of it out.

This is less relevant to say, low-level algebra as it is to calculus, perhaps, but I think the point still stands.

[Madcrafter]

I would say definitely go with part marking for work shown. It gives students who don't get answers right but have the process down the chance to salvage their grades a bit instead of always being out of luck on those questions. As for one of the comments above, I have never heard of someone losing marks because their process was the "wrong" way, or for not showing work if they got the answer right (unless they were obviously cheating or something).

Tied into that, I would probably want to stay away from the multiple choice questions. The main reason I see for doing them is if you want to pump a bunch more questions into a test, or because it is faster and easier to mark (especially if your school has a Scantron machine). It is nice that you are trying to prepare them for standardized tests, but a long answer word question where you can show where they went wrong is more valuable a a learning tool, and if they are going to take SATs/ACT they'll be prepping on their own too, they'll do plenty of multiple choice questions already.

Calculators. I can see staying away from them mainly for the lower grades and some subject areas where they would render the learning trivial, but do make sure they come up at some point, and maybe go as far as teaching students how to use some of the more advanced functionality (plotting, statistics, equation solver). I've seen people in university that were at a significant disadvantage simply because they didn't know of some function or another their calculator could do, and they're nearly ubiquitous tools out side of a school environment.

Participation points: eh, stay away I think. In small doses they won't matter enough to those who really don't want to participate, and if you make them significant enough to be punitive that's grossly unfair to those who have issues participating (which this being high school, will probably be most people, even if they don't show it) or those who are struggling with course content.

Also vote yes to making sure you are very consistent on marking times. That's really nice to have.

Finally, if you can, I would try and include a math project of some sort. One of the most engaged I remember being in math was doing my IB internal assessment, which was sort of an individual math project that involved some more creative thinking than is typical in math class. Pattern generalization, modelling, that sort of thing. And that is saying something, since I spent basically every math class for grades 11/12 doing the crossword and sudoku out of the daily newspaper instead of listening to the teacher (who was remarkably fine with it, since it didn't distract anyone else).

EDIT: Maybe someone else can chime in on this: letting the students know you have a PhD? I think that would be a net positive, but that is biased personal experience based on the one teacher at my high school who was Dr. --- instead of Mr./Ms. ---, and who everyone though was super cool and smart (and who was really mostly an administrator, I think he taught maybe one/two classes every few years).

[Knaight]

Calculator & Mental Maths: YEASSSSSSSS. Make them kids do them mental maths. Honestly, it's such an important skill and something that actually helps with information processing. But please, use calculators too. They're exciting things, and I loved using my ultra hyper cool graphic calculator during classes. mainly because I had downloaded some calculator games in it

What I've found tends to work fairly well is having designated calculator work which is not particularly feasible to do without a calculator. Say that you're teaching about systems of equations and finding where lines overlap (I think that's in Algebra 1). The non-calculator part can have questions that require the skills, but generally involve slopes of easy fractions, overlap points that are on simple coordinates like (1/2, -5), etc. The calculator part could then have something like finding where y=104.765x+876.23 and y=47.931x-293.76 intersect. A teacher in college handled this by having a two part test - you have a calculator and non-calculator part, on different colored paper (so it's easy to see which part a student is on). You have to turn in the non-calculator part before you take out your calculator, but you can see what is on the calculator part and do the parts of it that don't require calculators before turning in the non-calculator part, which makes balancing time between the two of them easier.

Then there's statistics, where even basic statistics tend to be best done on a calculator. Finding the mean and standard deviation of 200 data points by hand is a waste of everyone's time.

[sktarq]

It helps to see how a student got the correct answer. I will agree that I strongly dislike being asked to solve a problem in a specific way (or being required to show work to get full credit), but showing your work gives the teacher the ability to assign you partial credit for working parts of it out.

The problem comes when it actively hurts people's ability to do math. I know I have left a year long HS math class with a lower level ability than when I started (And had just aced my math SAT I and II's) than when I wen in. Trying to work it out the way the teacher wanted left me unable to do it his way or my way. I was horrible at math for years after-only a great TA a couple years later gave me extra help to learn how see calculus in a way my mind works. I went from D and F to strait A's for the rest of the semester in a couple hours worth of private teaching. Until then, and still today, my work would have been a certain shade of blue, billy idol's hair point shape, the scent of burnt meat, the answer because that is how my mind works-and for years it work extremely well. Most math teachers I've had don't seem to share an understanding of how that could possibly work (and I've always assumed self selected towards a limited collection of mental styles to produce disproportionate self referencing communities). In college the students taking math classes (depending of on what your definition of Intermediate Algebra is collegiate Algebra being the beast that it is) is going to be more likely one that already shares more traits with the "common" mindsets that a more random group of HS students who are there because it is a requirement to graduate.

also a thing a couple of my best teachers have used. daily mini-quizes first thing. In our AP classes we even graded each other. Even if you missed it it wouldn't really hurt yo grade but really pushed people to study the topic ahead of time, get in the mindset, and the review of the problem gave both opening for people to ask question, snapped you out of it if you didn't know you hadn't gotten it, and got people thinking in the subject in first minute. Plus as it was the first thing we did it covered a lot of the attendance issues.

[SowZ]

I always preferred projects to tests, and research assignments where the paper is graded more on your knowledge of the subject and less on how well it is written. Though that is probably better for science and such as opposed to English, but if I was a teacher I'd teach science.

[AtlanteanTroll]

It all depends on what subset of students you'll be teaching. Realize a lot of students just won't care, especially if it's not an honors/AP/IB class.

Giving partial credit for showing how a student got did work helps students who legitimately try, and also discourages use of calculators to do anything more than time-saving, otherwise easy sorts of equations. Depending on the class, calculators will probably be mandatory for some bits. I think every math class I took in HS required I own a TI 83 Graphing Calculator for some bit.

I also echo the bit about staying away from multiple choice. Or at least, reserve it for the final/midterm if you're really set on ACT/SAT prep. Generally speaking, it's lazy for the teachers and it discourages students from doing the work. "Oh, A looks right, let's not bother with the B, C, & D. The test is timed and I need to get to question 16."

As for flashcards, they really won't help the kids learn the equations, or so was my experience. The sort of thing you seem to want to come out of flashcards comes from repetition, not memorization. That said, flashcards are still great. The best math teacher I ever had let students take a flashcard into the final (and midterm, I think?), where they were allowed to write whatever they wanted, provided they kept a certain average grade for the entirety of the year up till that point.

I can see how some teachers would disprove of that, but if you've demonstrated you basically know your stuff as a student, it's the worst thing in the world to go into the final knowing all the recent and more difficult things, and then realizing you've blanked on some formula that was only relevant for the first three units of class.

EDIT:

A thing a couple of my best teachers have used: daily mini-quizzes first thing. In our AP classes we even graded each other. Even if you missed it it wouldn't really hurt your grade but really pushed people to study the topic ahead of time, get in the mindset, and the review of the problem gave both opening for people to ask question, snapped you out of it if you didn't know you hadn't gotten it, and got people thinking in the subject in first minute. Plus as it was the first thing we did it covered a lot of the attendance issues.

My best teacher also did this. Definitely recommend.

Don't make friends: To a certain degree, it's okay - even useful - for the students to like you, but it's important to maintain the appropriate distance in the relationship. If you let it lapse you risk losing the respect of your students (not the ones you make friends with so much as ones who know you're friends with so-and-so). Conversely.

This however, I don't. Again, it all depends on what subset of students your teaching. You don't want to be friends with them when they're still in school, do to other reasons Scorpina mentioned, but there's no reason to not let things be chummy. You'll have to use your best judgment though. Post-graduation I've grabbed coffee with teachers a handful of times, and it's been delightful.

[Talar]

Remember this is math, most people do not like math enough to get a Ph.D in math, much less a B.S. And the best teachers I had in high school were the ones who had a personality and let it show in class. For me it let me get more engaged in the class and participate more, which led to me learning more in said class. And do NOT teach to dumbest common denominator, you need to challenge the students, that way they should learn more, and they will gain confidence when they start succeeding at things they thought they would not succeed at. At the same time make sure the challenges aren't too far out of their spectrum. It is a fine line to toe I believe.