Category Archives: failure

Teaching 2015 (review)

Posted on August 22, 2016 by draulston

Below is a set of notes to myself at the start of the last school year.  The start of this year seems an appropriate time to review them. This document is an attempt to put together some things I know … Continue reading →

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Note to a headmaster

Posted on February 9, 2016 by draulston

My headmaster sent me a link to an NPR story that he thought I’d enjoy.  I sent the following response… This reminds me of a story I may have told you before: one reason I enjoy teaching calculus and post-calculus … Continue reading →

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“learning to learn”

Posted on October 29, 2015 by draulston

A number of us, and I think the School as a whole, say that one of our major goals is to “have students learn how to learn.”  IF such is the case, then it occurred to me a number of … Continue reading →

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Public ignorance

Posted on September 9, 2015 by draulston

This week, I learned the value of public ignorance (or, perhaps, relearned it).  One of my math students wanted to complete a proof by saying, half-way through, “Since all these steps are reversible, just reverse them for the second half … Continue reading →

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Teaching 2015 (1)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by draulston

I was inspired yesterday by going to see the actual furniture I’ll have in my “innovative classroom” next fall.  As a result, I decided to put down some thoughts on how I’ll bring to my teaching some of the innovations … Continue reading →

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“Curving tests”

Posted on December 11, 2014 by draulston

I had a colleague opine yesterday that if you have to curve a test, it’s not a good test.  I would say that’s only true if your goal is to write a test that doesn’t need curving.  If you have … Continue reading →

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Would that….

Posted on March 7, 2013 by draulston

this article had come out 25 or 30 years ago…. http://smartblogs.com/education/2013/03/06/teaching-the-last-backpack-generation/ It’s both gratifying and annoying to see that what I’ve been doing in some way for the last at least 25 years, probably my whole career, but I may … Continue reading →

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ISAS Day 1

Posted on February 2, 2012 by draulston

It was good to see colleagues from other schools whom I get to see only too rarely these days.  It was also interesting to hear so many of my basic principles of teaching from the last many years affirmed by … Continue reading →

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The “F” word

Posted on January 20, 2012 by draulston

At St. John’s, it’s not what you think.  Or rather, it is, but that particular word is in such common currency, both here and elsewhere, as to have lost most semantic value.  The real “F” word here is “failure.” Because … Continue reading →

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