Lets agree on the fact calculus requires logic, imagination and foundation. I believe in order to teach effectively you must cover the foundations and review/r

Lets agree on the fact calculus requires logic, imagination and foundation. I believe in order to teach effectively you must cover the foundations and review/revisit work regularly. I was mindblown the first time I saw how the formula for an area of a circle was calculated (via sliced concentric circles rearranged to form a pythagorean triangle). Practice without understanding is pointless. Perhaps start off with a foundational test every class for the first 2/3 weeks to get an understanding of what the students know. If the foundations are set, then it's really a matter of studying course work (we study to remember things!) and practice and review. Whitewashing (via practice) doesn't compensate for a lack of understanding. We think in pictures, the best way to teach is to make everything memorable (usually by visualization). In short, whenever you get a 'go slower', it's usually the case you actually are going to fast or there is a lack of understanding. Assign less homework just screams of too much work or frustration that they understand how to get there, but sometimes no idea why it works. Take courage, it takes faith to put your faith into your students. Discouraged? Encourage others - I'm sure your students could use encouraging too. Best wishes