Learn more physics!
Q:
Hey! I am in gr.10 and taking gr.11 physics. Whenever I go in for help, about a question I don’t understand, my teacher simply just rewords the question or uses a different tone of voice. She doesn’t help me understand a question. So I was wondering if there is a certian way I can reword my question other than "I don’t get this can you help" because it is just not working. Sometimes I get really frustrated. I stop going in for help because it isn’t helping me at all. If you can help me that would be great!
- Candice (age 16)
A:
Candice- The problem you're facing is very common. Lots of teachers
have some training in physics but not enough to know how to handle
unexpected questions. So students trying to really understand the
material are often stranded.
Of course we're delighted to answer some questions, but the way we
work usually doesn't allow turn-around nearly fast enough to help with
school assignments. We're better at helping with those odd questions
that stay stuck in the back of your mind.
I can think of a few things that might help.
1. Do you have a good textbook? We know they seem out-of-date, but they really are useful.
2. Do you know someone who recently took a similar course?
3. This is maybe the mosty useful. Do you have a couple of friends
taking the course who would like to study together? There's actually
good research that shows that students working together on tough
technical courses can learn the material better.
Mike W.
(published on 10/22/2007)
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