Comments on: Student Created Final Exam Study Guides

By: Next Semester « Continuous Everywhere but Differentiable Nowhere

Next Semester « Continuous Everywhere but Differentiable Nowhere — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:03:13 +0000

[...] In Algebra II, do a written “final exam study guide” project again, to continue having kids work on their writing skills. Provide feedback, and an opportunity to do revisions, and fix errors. (Video study guides from years ago, paper study guides more recently.) [...]

By: Cool Idea: Student-Created Review Guides « Take It To The Limit

Cool Idea: Student-Created Review Guides « Take It To The Limit — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:49:39 +0000

[...] Take It To The Limit A Math Teacher’s Journal « PowerPoint Idea Cool Idea: Student-Created Review Guides May 29, 2010 Cool idea from Sam Shah [...]

By: samjshah

samjshah — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:16:15 +0000

Does 1-to-1 computing mean that each student has a laptop? If so, then yes, we are a laptop school. However, currently the wireless/bandwidth is limiting, so I can’t plan classes where everyone logs onto the internet and go to some website to do something.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:19:11 +0000

That’s a nice idea (class blog with limited intro to latex). Then if the student encounters a need for heavy formatting they know to look up more about latex.

Sam, does your school have 1-to-1 computing?

By: samjshah

samjshah — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:13:37 +0000

@everyone: We just didn’t have time to do LaTeX, and even if we did, I don’t think I would make them all download a TeX editor. It’s just not worth it to me at this stage, when all considerations are weighed. (But I personally love LaTeX… I typed all the multivariable calculus problem sets in LaTeX: http://samjshah.com/2009/01/26/this-sunda/)

I am probably going to institute a class blog next year, with student scribes. And early on I will teach students to type some basic LaTeX, because WordPress is so friendly with it (plus I will direct students to the Sitmo Equation Editor). So at least by the end of the year, students will be familiar with the existence of LaTeX and some basic commands, and if they wanted to pursue it, they could.

Sam.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:25:43 +0000

For the LaTex concerns, I theoretically like the Sitmo Equation Editor that Kate used with her class review blog. Sam, I toyed with the idea of taking student questions for the final. Didn't do it this year (interruptions meant that our presentations were still happening the day before the final), but want to hear how it goes if you do it next year.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:02:31 +0000

I agree with that in principle, but there’s a very steep learning curve there. Not to mention getting IT to put on the necessary software (since they’re probably using an MS OS). I think equation editor is a better bet as it can be quickly picked up and does a pretty decent job of basic mathematics. Ideally if children were exposed to some programming and html earlier on, then latex could be introduced. But I think introducing latex would consume too much class time for too little benefit to too few students.

By: Jaime

Jaime — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:09:33 +0000

You will be doing your kids a big favor if, rather than imposing MS Word and Equation Editor as the tools, leave that point open and let them know that LaTeX exists: if any of them is ever going to write math on a computer again after high school, it’s almost certain that it won’t be Word they will be using…

By: samjshah

samjshah — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:51:10 +0000

Just had an additional idea I wanted to put down here for when I come back next year to look at this:

Have students write their own final exam. They can be inspired by problems from the textbook and their homework and their assessments, but they have to write their own problems. Even if it is just changing a few numbers. (And they should write what inspired each problem, so students can go to that source for more problems.)

Also students have to come up with a well-written, clear solution key.

It might be too daunting of a task to write a final for the year. So maybe divide up the class into pairs, and each pair is responsible for writing a final exam for one quarter.

And tell students that at least one question per study guide will be on the final exam. So they will be writing part of the exam, while helping their classmates study.

Ooooh, I’m really digging this idea.