To Harkness or Not to Harkness. To Harkness.

A roller-coaster week.

On Tuesday (we didn't have school on Monday)...

1) I was asked, "When are we going to start using the textbook" (which they purchased).

2) I was struggling to equate the textbook topics with those in the Exeter materials.

3) I was, quite frankly, struggling to solve some of the initial problems in the Math 3 materials. (For example, it's been some time since I've done anything with vectors.)

4) I was wondering how I was going to complete a required curriculum map using Exeter's discovery and spiraling methodology.

5) I questioned how I was going to get through the questions in a timely fashion using Harkness/discussion given the language issues, particularly in the Algebra 2 class.

My first time teaching since 2006 (I've been tutoring high school math and SAT and ACT math for the past 5+ years) and I was going to take on high school math (most of my teaching experience is in middle school math), teaching in another country, and an entirely new way of doing things!?! It was all too much. Time to simplify. Follow the book.

For the next day-and-a-half, my gut ate at me. I wasn't here, I hadn't gotten back into teaching, to do things the same. I wanted to incorporate a curriculum of problem-solving and critical thinking. I wanted the students to think, make mistakes, struggle, grow. The students need to talk, not me. A comment I had read regarding Harkness - "Teaching is listening, talking is learning" - just kept resonating with me.

So... To Harkness.

Decisions I've Made:

1) Two groups of 6-7 students each in my PreCalculus classes. Johnothon Sauer talked about how he felt 6-8 was an optimal size as it allows for more discussion opportunities. To improve their English - a primary goal - these students need to talk.

2) A discussion leader for each group with a sheet to track who presents each question, who contributes to the discussion, and whether or not everyone understands the question.

3) A guidelines sheet (modeled after the one I got from Johnothon) for the discussion leader, the presenter, and the participants. Talking/Discussing is new to them - they certainly don't do it in their Chinese classes - so these guidelines will help.

4) Trust the Exeter materials. There's simply no way Exeter's Math 3 materials (for PreCalculus) aren't plenty robust for any required curriculum. I'll record the main ideas of the questions as the topics I'm covering.

5) Quit worrying about "Am I getting through a textbook or an as-of-yet defined curriculum?" I want to teach depth and problem-solving. The greatest thing I can do for these students is develop their critical thinking skills and hone their English skills and vocabulary. (They do, after all, hope to attend US universities.) And, let's not forget, they're getting curriculum coverage in their Chinese math classes.

What would I tell my best friend if he were in the same situation? Take the risk. You know what the right thing to do is, you care, so follow your gut.

I have a lot of learning to do, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.