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| Total Votes : 13 |
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 Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:33 pm
I am tutoring some people in Aplied Calulus... And they are having trouble getting down the derivative rules. Do you guys have any suggestions? I am thinking flash cards or maybe some sort of game... But I am not sure it that would work.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:03 am
Dr. Leonard McCoy I am tutoring some people in Aplied Calulus... And they are having trouble getting down the derivative rules. Do you guys have any suggestions? I am thinking flash cards or maybe some sort of game... But I am not sure it that would work. In my opinion the only thing that works is doing lots of problems. Ask them to do 100 problems of increasing difficulty over three nights, that should sort them out.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:47 am
jestingrabbit Dr. Leonard McCoy I am tutoring some people in Aplied Calulus... And they are having trouble getting down the derivative rules. Do you guys have any suggestions? I am thinking flash cards or maybe some sort of game... But I am not sure it that would work. In my opinion the only thing that works is doing lots of problems. Ask them to do 100 problems of increasing difficulty over three nights, that should sort them out. Um... Yeah.. I hate that method... It never works for me. They just end up getting them wrong and they start to get frustrated. The people in this class take it because it is required not because they like it. There is no way they would just go with doing tons of problems. Sorry... But in this particular situation I don't think that is the best idea. I was thinking memorization work. They can't quite remember the rules. I am better with jingles and rhymes... I was thinking of something more on those lines.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:24 pm
Dr. Leonard McCoy jestingrabbit Dr. Leonard McCoy I am tutoring some people in Aplied Calulus... And they are having trouble getting down the derivative rules. Do you guys have any suggestions? I am thinking flash cards or maybe some sort of game... But I am not sure it that would work. In my opinion the only thing that works is doing lots of problems. Ask them to do 100 problems of increasing difficulty over three nights, that should sort them out. Um... Yeah.. I hate that method... It never works for me. They just end up getting them wrong and they start to get frustrated. The people in this class take it because it is required not because they like it. There is no way they would just go with doing tons of problems. Sorry... But in this particular situation I don't think that is the best idea. I was thinking memorization work. They can't quite remember the rules. I am better with jingles and rhymes... I was thinking of something more on those lines. Its definitely the least creative and least fun method but in the end it might be what you're left with. I used to teach a lot of classes like the one that you describe and it can be a really soul destroying experience. Good luck with it. My advice: realise its not your responsibility to make them pass, its your responsibility to give them a good chance of passing if they do the work.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:02 pm
Flash cards and mnemonics never work with me. Repeated problems seems to be the only way to drill things into my head.
Some things I remember mostly because they're associated with something ridiculous, like my analysis professor's "They're functors so they multiply" one-line "proof" of the chain rule. Of course, the "fractions" argument might work better: df/dy*dy/dx = df/dx by "cancellation"
I've got a mnemonic for the division rule, though, that I stumbled across years ago:
ho-dee-hi minus hi-dee-ho over ho-ho, in reference to the Seven Dwarves.
For the product rule I just remember that the derivative of x^2 wrt x is just 2x = x*(dx/dx)+(dx/dx)*x.
Polynomials shouldn't be too much problem, should they?
Um...sin and cos I remember by remembering that the tangent vector to the circle traces out a circle as you move the tangent point.
e^x I remember 'cause it's cool like that, and a^(bx + c) for constant a, b and c I just derive using the laws of exponents.
ln(x) is also just straight memorize for me, because I also find it cool.
Are there any other interesting derivatives that aren't too esoteric?
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:49 am
thank goodness I don't have to teach tri function differenciations. I am helping with an applied math course for chemestry, safety, and physical science majors... So I am working mainly on physics math. ^^ I have had to pull out my books and wipe off the dust! I am enjoying it though. Many of them are getting it with me instead of the professor (he tends to speak "math"... Many science majors are getting lost in the jargan)... Just me saying it as a student seems to be working quite well. I am glad I am still young... I still know how to talk to the young uns. lol
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Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:54 pm
I could never deal with that. I can only tutor people in math if they were good at it. Like not helping them get through a math class but go beyond it. It annoys the hell out of me when people don't get it. I know its not right to be that way but I can't take it. I pisses me off.
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Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:41 pm
I make up my own problem, and solve it infront of them. Then, after they see it done, I have them re-create the whole thing from scratch, and solve it on their own. I don't show them the answer once they start out, because i want them to see how it is done, and then find out myself if they understand what i just taught them.
This probably sounds pretty stupid, i'm only a Sophmore in high school , and i'm only in Geometry... So i am not sure how this would work for higher mathmatics...
but, you did only ask for suggestions.
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