3 ms·
Just because you know it doesn't mean you have the pedagogical skills to help somebody else know it. By way of example, I am more than competent at introductory
by jcranmer 5y ago
Just because you know it doesn't mean you have the pedagogical skills to help somebody else know it. By way of example, I am more than competent at introductory computer science yet I am wholly incompetent at teaching it--were a student to need help with something that basic in CS, I wouldn't know how to go about helping them understand, since I don't understand why they might not be understanding something.
- mlyle 5y agoThis past trimester I taught a Computer Organization & Design class to middle school students for the first time, with curriculum that I developed. Observations: * Wow-- the brighter half of MS students can do nearly as well as bright undergraduates on this material if you go a little slower and make some allowances for attention span. The neuroplasticity, recent memory of learning arithmetic, and lack of fear of the material really helps. * Holy crap-- I had no idea before trying to teach this how much number theory that I take for granted. Like, I forgot to cover how many possibilities there are for n-digit numbers in different bases and some early lessons on number systems took this for granted. Figuring out what you need to cover, and how, for something to make sense later is hard.