Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Math teachers want to know

Dear QotD?ers,
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Remember when I mentioned that one of my 2009 goals was to exercize more? Well, my Monday/Wednesday evening fitness class was cancelled. I'm very dissapointed and hoping that my other class doesn't get cancelled as well.
I've been real excited about the quality and quantity of responses lately. It's very fulfilling to see so much interaction on QotD?, interaction that wasn't this available when it was just in e-mail format. Thanks everyone!
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Today's Question of the Day? is submitted by Mom:
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Have you ever had a math class where you did NOT have to use pencil, mechanical or regular?If so, where and what grade or level?
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I can't remember any math class that I didn't have to use pencil. Though in college or something I bet I could have used pens, but that would have been dumb. Math needs erasers. That's just how things work. Although, I have had math classes that assigned reports and papers, which were turned in on ink. (Thanks Mom and 9th grade geometry!)
Love,
The Asker

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I cannot answer this question, really. I would have never tried to do math with anything other than a pencil, ever. Therefore, I truly am unaware if there was ever a class where work could have been done with a different medium. It would have never crossed my mind to ask.

I also only wrote first drafts of papers in pencil. But I don't ever remember writing a paper for a math class.

Organic chemistry, and all the other chemistry classes, also required a pencil to do the work. I remember taking test in organic chemistry and having no less than 25 freshly sharpened pencils for the tests.

groovysabrina said...

I don't think I was required to use pencil in college, but I did anyway.

I did prefer to take class notes in ink, however, so that those precious words of the prof were permanent. Smudgy notes were always an bother when I tried to use them later!

Kristen said...

I think I took all my math, chemistry and engineering notes in pencil.
All my other classes I used pens with dates in green, concepts/important words in blue, important people in red. It was a fantastic system.

Anne, I had to take the make-up organic II lab exam. I used crayon. I passed!

Anonymous said...

Crayon!!??? I am certain I never had any crayons in college!

It was my virology class that made me addicted to multi-colored pens. I was most anxious to take the class, as I love and adore viruses. (Which should be viri in plural latin form, but for some reason is not.) And this class was being taught by a woman, so I was quite happy, as it would be another proof that women are as capable and smart as men.

But this professor, whose name I cannot remember for I think I would be forced to find her and cause her injury if I knew her name, taught the class like it was kindergarten. It was very insulting and uninspired and rudimentary. I hated going. But I could not skip class, and not virology.

So I went to class and took notes in a fun and fabulous way. By the end of the semester, I was taking notes with my left hand, upside down and each line was a new colored pen. I had no time to despise this woman in those circumstances.

Anonymous said...

Closest thing I got is Econometrics, where we did most of our work on the computer with statistical software. When we printed it, it was in ink.

Kristen said...

O-Chem II lab final was supposed to be the most horrid of all tests, and it was multiple choice. The make-up test was ALL work-out. I studied so very, very hard, but did not want to give in to the suffering that was going to be that test. There were actually a few of us that took it in crayon. Metalic w/ sparkles crayons, no less.

left handed upside down? that's impressive

Anonymous said...

Yeah, now that I think about it, that could be one of my secret spy skills. As it is, it just impresses the bejeevers out of fifth graders when I try to show them how to work something. It has the added benefit of NOT having to stand over them to write and potentially find out who didn't bathe recently!!

Econometrics!? I scoff! Is that an attempt to eleviate the soothesaying science of economics to something more fabulous?? Scoff scoff!

Anonymous said...

I agree, Math and pencils go together! Now, I do remember that in Math, I could have just left my pencil home for as much good as it did me to try to do well. I always managed to pass (miracle) but never made the straight A's I wanted to make. I am turned more toward the creative side of life!

Anonymous said...

I took business math last summer, and we were allowed to use pen or pencil on our tests. The guy who sat next to me used a green gel pen for all of his tests; I found that quite strange. One day I forgot my pencil and so I used a pen to take notes ... it was terribly messy with things crossed out all over the place ...

The Asker, for my history classes I use a red pen for dates, blue for names, and black for everything else.

Jessim said...

I've always done math in pen (well since middle school when we were allowed pens). Some teachers wouldn't allow it, but crossing out was always neater for me than pencils. I still hate pencils.

(Also interested about the comment of doing chemistry in pencil. We got points off if our lab notebooks were turned in in pencil, because pen was a "permanent record" even though all our work was carbon copied. This was in high school)

Anonymous said...

I love all the answers. Thank you!
It was quite interesting.
I will continue to require pencil in my math class..... and continue to us my "No Pencil......No Grade" posters.
It is one of the aspects of life that I do have control over. :)

Pencils are a must. I do 'give away' cap erasers to any student who needs an eraser.