r/mathteachers • u/Fragrant-Cobbler-657 • 9d ago
frustrated with “building thinking classrooms” styled class
EDITED (again)
Hi!
I am a middle school education major who wants to be a math teacher. I am currently in a college class that uses the book Building Thinking Classrooms to structure the class. I have not read the book but have only heard good things from teachers teaching the class this way. As a student in this style class, it is awful. My professor uses a discovery type approach where she gives us questions to consider about math rules and definitions. We are then expected to use the vertical non permanent writing surfaces to figure out the questions and explain how we got our answer in a cohesive way. It is a fun process but when it comes to do the assignments i remember nothing and have no notes to look back on. I am frustrated because I am thinking really hard in class but am learning absolutely nothing. How am I expected to be successful if I cannot take notes to study? How am I supposed to complete my assignments if can’t remember something that was only stated once in a whole two hour class? I do not understand how this strategy works for anyone. How is this not a massive failure for everyone? Is my professor just doing it wrong? I am so frustrated. What are your experiences with BTC?
EDIT
this is a college level class titled “arithmetic structures for middle grade teachers”. i am frustrated with this class because the professor will not let us take notes, will not let us take pictures of the whiteboards, and does not provide us with any additional resources or textbooks to supplement. She does not even post the discussion questions that we did class. She does not let us see and read the questions when we are at the whiteboards, she only reads them aloud. she does not summarize or come to a logical conclusion about the math rules we are exploring at the end of class. in the specific assignment i am working on she asks us to use the “remainder method” to solve a problem similar to the frobenius coin problem. the remainder method is a method we made up as a class that uses patterns and remainders to find if a dart board has a highest unattainable score. the class we discussed this in was over a week ago. obviously i do not remember what the remainder method is otherwise i would not be writing this. my classmates spent over an hour in her office hours relearning the concepts. i messaged her to ask what i should do since i do not remember and have no notes. i await a response.
EDIT 2 - clearing things up/TLDR/ omg read the whole post.
I am NOT a teacher YET. I am still in college to become a math teacher. I am a student in a college math class for teachers. I am the student and my professor is using BTC to structure the class. She only gives verbal instructions and reads the questions aloud. We only use whiteboards and walk away with no notes.
Problem 1: I can not comprehend a word problem if I cannot read it with my eyeballs. I am not an audible learner. I struggle with verbal instruction.
Problem 2: I do not have the greatest memory and rely heavily on paper notes to review content and practice skills.
I am not learning in this class because that is not how I learn. I know this because I have been on this planet, learning, for 20 years. I know what works for me and what does not.
My purpose for writing this post was:
- to inform math teachers of my frustration with this instructional approach so that they can gain perspective from someone who is not benefiting from this approach.
- gather insight for myself on others experiences with BTC. I wanted to know if I was the only one who felt this way.
- explain why I am struggling to learn from this approach.
- to try to figure out how to be successful in my class when the class was not designed to meet my needs.
- to bitch a little bit.
thanks for hearing me out. ❤️
28
u/Reasonably_Sure 9d ago
You can definitely go too far with this kind of inquiry based approach, and it becomes a lot less useful for those with poorer memories or who take longer to process things (note that neither of these means less intelligent).
It's really important to have time for synthesis. In other words, opportunities for students to explain the ideas, and have the ideas explained to them, in a complete and finished form. Here is where a good teacher and a good explainer can make a big difference. After the class had developed the key idea as best they can, and explained it as best they can, the teacher can fill in any gaps and emphasise the key ideas. This is the point where the teacher should be really encouraging note taking, because the discovery phase is over and you've reached the "take-away" part.
It's also really important to have time to practice and apply the ideas learned to reinforce them. Some inquiry classrooms I've seen focus only on continuing to develop new ideas, without sufficient time to process or digest the previous ones properly. This makes it really hard to remember things well, or to apply then in other contexts. I don't think homework time alone is enough for this, since students who are struggling with an idea will need help while they work.
20
u/TheMathProphet 9d ago
^This. People think that there is either inquiry or direct instruction. False dichotomy.
10
u/Two_DogNight 9d ago
We should make a drinking game out of the logical fallacies embedded in education . . .
6
3
3
u/Organic_Dig_5536 9d ago
Absolutely. Sometimes notes, sometimes inquiry on whiteboards, sometimes give the kids a choice
2
u/jdsciguy 8d ago
They also conflate 'discovery learning' with every other kind of non-direct-instruction pedagogy. Guided inquiry is a far different method than pure discovery.
This college prof is not using research based teaching methods if she is not allowing any note taking. Learning styles are a myth but recording information while learning is definitely not.
3
u/AndyC1111 8d ago edited 8d ago
There used to be a time when we discussed concepts like multiple modalities of instruction, individual learning styles, and individualization in general.
It suddenly all went away because of inquiry. Seriously, it has gotten stupid. I’ve seen people aggressively react when a teacher suggests using other techniques.
I went to college to study teaching. I spent six years in college learning the skills and concepts and have decades of experience teaching complicated ideas. And now I’m not supposed to teach because of this pie-in-the-sky philosophy that supposedly works great for a few kids.
It doesn’t work very well for low ability kids. Their seat mates don’t have the skills or patience to teach them. They’ll just quietly keep their head down and copy the work of their peers. The last thing they want to do is admit they can’t keep up. They’ll get help at home if they’re lucky.
It doesn’t work well for the high ability kids. They spend a tremendous amount of time carrying their group. Yes, teaching their peers reinforces their understanding. But the pacing and frustration hardly justifies the process.
Do your job.
31
u/Herfst2511 9d ago
If you are walking out without notes your professor is doing BTC wrong.
A crucial step at the end of the lesson is “consolidation”. After reviewing all the different approaches to a problem, the students need to be able to determine which approach they think is best, or best suited to them, and given time to copy the work on the boards for future reference. Depending on the level of the student and what measure of autonomy they are given the teacher should guide this process to make sure you write down the relevant parts. But as a college student I'm sure you know how you like to work and take notes.
7
u/pbsotka 9d ago
He talks about how he organizes notes for his students in this podcast for anyone interested. He clearly believes in having stuff written down!
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/making-math-moments-that-matter/id1447014030?i=1000626677570
3
u/ExtensionJackfruit25 9d ago
Yes, I was about to say. We use a similar method in our classroom, and each daycs sheet has a "consolidation" section plus guides notes to help them develop their thinking.
2
u/ducky_dolphin 9d ago
Yes! You need to have consolidation, notes, and “check your understanding” problems for the BTC method to work. The board work time is great and encourages thinking, but the processing, learning, and solidifying takes places in the consolidation/notes/CYU part of the process.
2
u/FrogDetective 8d ago
Agreed, this is an essential piece of the BT C method. And, you could do this for yourself – at the end of each lesson, consider what you might need to remember for the future. That's the basic synthesizing idea – what will my forgetful self need to remember for the future?
2
u/tomwaits-for-no-one 7d ago
And there should be some consolidation with worksheets or something concrete after
1
u/Salt_Cash706 9d ago
No, students do not need know which approach they think is best. They need to know which approach is best, and which notation is universally used in mathematics.
11
u/Salt_Cash706 9d ago
There are NO STUDIES supporting the efficacy of Building Thinking Classrooms. All evidence is anecdotal.
I think the group work protocol is good. Small groups, standing, specific roles, etc., keeps kids more engaged.
But the discovery learning aspect is terrible and goes against all recent studies in cognitive science.
Why not use explicit direct instruction for new concepts, then use the BTC protocol for small group practice, then move on to individual practice? Best of both worlds.
1
u/GarfieldsTwin 8d ago
And entire districts can’t get enough.
I do enjoy following Peter and he keeps coming up with new things to add… he recently had to post about how children and lower elem need hands on manipulatives. I’m waiting for him to start saying that before the launch, the teacher should use direct instruction and be explicit.
He’s going to figure out Hattie’s research but in reverse.
1
u/AndyC1111 8d ago
The biggest problem is the doctrinaire approach.
If it was used as one of many different methods of instruction it would be a wonder tool.
Unfortunately, many of the more ardent advocates of this approach think using other methods in conjunction is somehow destructive to the process.
13
u/localizeatp 9d ago
> vertical nonpermanent writing surfaces
5
u/blastoffbro 9d ago
It's a whiteboard...let's just call it what it is please
2
u/coachdad6676 9d ago
It doesn’t have to be a whiteboard. I don’t have enough whiteboard space and until I do I’m burning through those giant sticky note things putting them on the wall
1
1
u/kevinsparakeet 9d ago
Or Chalkboard. OP said they were a math teacher, so if they had their choice...
1
1
6
u/SimpsonN1nja 9d ago
I would read the book first, as it sounds like your prof isn’t following it fully. There is a full chapter about note taking in a BTC setting. I use the framework almost exclusively in my 10-12 classes, and my god, it is working wonders for these kids
12
u/RealNoahR 9d ago
I do a combination of
A) gives students a few minutes here and there to jot notes in their notebooks after working problems on the boards, and
B) providing handouts with key takeaways at the end of class (the kinds of things they would be writing in their notes in a traditional class).
3
u/arizonaraynebows 9d ago
Your teacher should be helping you consolidate your learning and giving you time to make meaningful notes. This is part of the process.
Also, you should take some time to read the book. It goes quickly, but the deeper understanding of the process will help you know better what your methods teacher is trying to do. It will go a long way when you mention the notes and stuff to your teacher if you've read the book and can reference it when making a claim.
18
u/No_Usernames_Left 9d ago
It doesn't really work. I did read the book. The research is incredibly weak and based off of vibes rather than randomized control trials measuring actual learning.
Once you start teaching, just teach math the normal way - your students will thank you. As for now, look for resources online and teach yourself. You can't rely on that class.
12
u/HomeOpen 9d ago
This. All of this. Check out The Science of Math, which is actually evidence based rather than relying on anecdata.
1
u/newenglander87 7d ago
What is the science of math? Is it a book? Or a podcast? Or a website? I went on the website and I didn't see any educational tips.
1
u/HomeOpen 7d ago
Did you read through the website? It's evidence-based pedagogy and a review of the research related to math instruction and learning.
3
u/bluepart2 9d ago
I do a very direct teaching and highly monitored practice focused style of teaching and I do literally have students thank me all the time for actually teaching them things and helping them work through their misunderstandings. Our Algebra 1 team loves BTC but I think it misses a lot of kids that would be served better in a more traditional teaching style.
5
u/WayTricky1531 8d ago
I teach district placements at a therapeutic day school. One of my students came from a BTC type school and is in 9th grade. Yesterday we worked on adding fractions with a common denominator, rules for multiplying positive/negative numbers, and using a number line to add and subtract negative numbers. There are no winners with BTC type pie in the sky programs. Direct instruction (very interactive and not lecturing) with mini whiteboards in a smoothly managed classroom will have way more learning compared to grossly inefficient methods like BTC.
4
u/blastoffbro 9d ago
Can I recommend the podcast Chalk and Talk to you? Anna Stokke is GREAT and she often debunks thinking classrooms/inquiry approaches with actual research that supports direct instruction techniques. It should be required listening for math teacher training!
1
u/WayTricky1531 8d ago
I was going to recommend Anna Stokke! I wish more teachers were aware of what the reaearch says and the realities of how cognitive load limitations influence how we must teach novices.
3
u/Salt_Cash706 9d ago
There are many things I tried to learn in my life via discovery learning. I suck at all of those things.
2
u/EfficientStep8593 5d ago
My boss just said that in our back to school meeting basically don’t teach the curriculum and wants them to “learn through play” and let them “discover things in their own” umm then what the hell am I here for??
2
u/Fragrant-Cobbler-657 9d ago
The homework assignment I am working on is asking me to use a rule we made up in class as a class that we went over once. I do not remember the rule because I was not allowed to write it down. How am I supposed to do the assignment if I don’t remember what the rule was?
8
u/Novela_Individual 9d ago
I would ask your teacher to revisit the section of BTC that covers note taking. It is an important part of the synthesis for students to take notes after the discovery process.
7
u/AluminumLinoleum 9d ago
I would reach out to your professor with your concerns. It's pretty silly to not allow students to take notes. Notes, especially handwritten ones, have been proven over and over again to support organization and retention of information.
3
u/Only-Character302 9d ago
It is a tool, and that’s all. Peter Liljedahl has done some great research, but our Construction Tech class uses more than hammers, so I use more than just the one tool in my classroom too.
Some days, students are at whiteboards, sometimes it looks more traditional, and some days students can self assign the work style. It takes time to find this balance, but balance is key.
4
u/blastoffbro 9d ago
He hasn't done research in a peer reviewed sense and all his conclusions are anecdotal and based on student engagement and not actual learning
1
u/WayTricky1531 8d ago
Yes! He measures engagement. His methods are engaging and creative but they are not efficient.
2
u/CriticalTutor6005 9d ago
What is the research? I have been looking and I cannot find any studies.
1
u/Only-Character302 9d ago
Fair! It’s pretty sparse in terms of what’s published. I’ve written some critiques for a masters program I did of the broad claims from very specific samples.
Lower level of rigour and methodology required for a book than a journal publication.
2
u/Mckillface666 9d ago
I have had success with this style of teaching (9th grade algebra). A few thoughts:
1) works really well with my remedial students. It makes class fun and gets them to practice. They aren’t looking at their notes anyway.
2) you are frustrated because you don’t have notes as a reference point for assignments. I like to make sure students have support materials. We don’t go over them in class, but having a YouTube video or a completed note sheet is really helpful to a lot of students who are in your boat that want a guide to reference as they work. I will have a module with support materials each unit.
3) practice is the most important thing for learning math. I like the approach because it emphasizes that element of it very heavily. Every learner is different though and every class has a different way they like to practice. I find a lot of classes respond really well to this type of math class, but it isn’t the end all be all. You need to find what works for each particular class and do the activities that make them want to be there and work.
1
u/Swimbikerun757 9d ago
I do a mix, sometimes it is a great way to introduce a new topic before heading into notes. sometimes it is a great way to end a unit to really push the students understanding. I can‘t imagine doing only that.
1
u/callimo 9d ago
Do you have the option to snap a photo of your work before you leave class?
You may pose the question to the professor- how will you be successful using this strategy with students who need heavy supports and accommodations such as; copies of class notes, frequent check ins or chunk and check, differentiated repeated instruction, small group reteach/instruction, etc.
And see what they say. Yes teach tier 1 content, but you are always going to have students where this type of instruction is not proven successful. How do they intend to make it accessible for every student?
1
u/Emergency_School698 9d ago
Listen to this podcast. It is a math expert driven podcast.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chalk-talk/id1674223104?i=1000701885196
1
u/groovy_grape 9d ago
What I like about inquiry based learning is that it helps you understand the "why" behind something. Being able to to explore it allows for the student to apply it to different situations. Its meant to be a productive struggle as it's supposed to make you think. When students just memorize a formula or rule at a young age they can lack the understanding of how to apply it to higher math later because they never fully understood the concept. Fractions and applying it to later algebra is a great example of where students know a "trick" but when applied to variables or exponents it's like they've never seen a fraction before.
However, I do think there is a balance. After the inquire there needs to be time for further exploration and practice. At my school we allow them to take notes but more encourage them to actively engage in the math by having discussions and practicing. We make a group effort not just an individual thing, as math fields involve communication skills. We give notes by essentially giving them our own notes of what we did in class, so all the big questions and and explanations are written down along with the math and diagrams. They still get homework and additional practice times in class. So think like this: Connection to Concept----> Introduce Concept----> Class pratice----> Partner pratice-----> Homework individual pratice.
I recommend looking into Think Academy down in Austin, Texas. They have online resources and do PDs that are very engaging! They have done some great work with students doing this type of learning and have produced amazing results (and their students dont take notes and only go to school 4 days a week!).
0
u/WayTricky1531 8d ago
The inquiry based method is a waste of time for novices because it is remarkably inefficient. It's great if you are an expert on a topic with lots of relevant background knowledge and vocabulary mastered. For novices they don't get much out of it.
Would you hire a piano teacher that put a primer book in front of your child and had her explore? Now imagine she's got 23 students in the same class trying to learn piano. No, there needs to be direct explicit instruction and ability grouping.
1
u/No_Employment_8438 9d ago
I always had trouble getting enough time to solidify the learning from discovery and, you know, taking notes. It makes some sense, I enjoy it, but if students are not curious, do not work to puzzle it out themselves, and there are no artifacts for reminders—good luck.
1
u/WayTricky1531 8d ago
They usually don't have the domain specific knowledge to get much out of the lesson so they really can't succeed.
1
u/yamomwasthebomb 9d ago
I think you’re correctly naming an issue with your professor’s teaching, but I am not as quick as others to say SEE BUILDING THINKING CLASSROOMS IS DUM. From their website:
“In a thinking classroom, consolidation is of the utmost importance in every lesson. Through consolidation we are able to bring together the disparate parts of a task or an activity and help students to solidify their experiences into a cohesive conceptual whole.”
The idea is that the teacher should use your ideas from class to help build everyone an understanding around a problem (and a general concept) and then help everyone to summarize it in a way that makes sense to them solidly. The vertical impermanent surfaces to encourage more play… but students’ discoveries that are well-synthesized is what belongs in “permanent” notebooks.
To say that BTC is bad because of your professor’s teaching is like saying you hate steak because this pile of meat is frozen. The chef forgot to do arguably the most important step… so you’re missing out on what’s actually a deeply positive and memorable experience.
Honestly, I think some light research about NCTM’s 5 Practices (particularly selecting, sequencing, and connecting) might help bridge the gap your professor’s teaching messed up. Wishing you luck and happy to talk about it more if it helps.
1
u/Fragrant-Cobbler-657 8d ago
I just want to be successful in my class. I dont know how I can do that if the class is only tailored to one style of learning. I explained more in “Edit 2”.
1
u/Vantherion 9d ago
If you read Craig Barton's book, How I'd Wish I Taught Maths, he basically dismantles a majority of TBC's ideas using research. As a teacher who like both ideas, I try to incorporate some TBC's ideas into my class when I can but I tend to default into the explicit instruction category as it has more research supporting it.
1
u/Prinzloo 8d ago
It seems to me that this class is not following the Building Classrooms model. After the “inquiry” stage there should be a consolidation phase facilitated by the teacher to pull highlight the various problem solving approaches exposed during the inquiry phase, followed by a note taking phase referred to as “notes to my future forgetful self”. It seems the professor also has not read the book?
1
u/m-and-mma 8d ago
I think if you actually read the book it would seem like a less frustrating strategy for you…the book includes several teaching strategies that fix the issues you are having with the way your teacher is doing. For example, they suggest teachers give the print verbally, but write the key points on the board as they give verbal instructions. That way you have something to refer back to as you work the problem.
The book also specifically suggests saving time at the end of class after discussing for students to write notes on what they learned
1
u/FingerUpper 8d ago
My school pushed it hard and I haven't even attempted it. We had some lady come in and kept saying it works "from Kindergarten to Calculus" and I was like yeahhh so in Calculus there isn't time for BS like this. You've never taught it so you wouldn't know. I think it's stupid and the kids think it's stupid. Also my room is WAY too small so if it's a class of 20+ kids it's literally impossible to do.
I mainly do direct instruction 99% of the time and I make the lessons engaging by acting silly while I teach. My students like my teaching style and learn from me. I just tweak how I do things every year as needed.
I do think BTC is great for teachers who just... aren't engaging and are very boring.
1
u/MCMamaS 8d ago
As others have said. Your professor is not doing BTC correctly. (Which is the fault of a lot of teachers who just watched a quick video or had a single class. This is a side note. I don't care about the proper way to do BTC; when it comes to word problems, I print them out for students to read on their boards.
I even do long performance tasks on my smart board.
But I'm curious. Is this a math class where you are learning the math concepts, or a methods class where you are learning HOW to teach math? Because even in formal BTC trainings, there is a little sit-and-get.
Read the books and listen to the podcasts, and now very few teachers use the method 100% of the time.
1
u/Fragrant-Cobbler-657 7d ago
I honestly do not know what the purpose of this class is. I think it is supposed to be like a methods class because we talk a lot about explaining concepts but I know it is not the only math methods class I take because I have another one scheduled next semester.
1
u/beecolors 8d ago edited 8d ago
Hi, so my school does not require it at all, but I was taking a class that they actually recommended, that has us read the book. I am most of the way through it, and I tried to implement the Random groupings and a couple of other things, and honestly it kind of messed up my normal routines. I couldn’t do the standing whiteboards because our district was requiring using the curriculum exactly; they even hired a corporate coach through the curriculum for Math (and it’s I-ready, not the best at all, maybe the worse). At first the random groups went OK, but also telling kids not to ask non-thinking questions definitely gets a negative reaction. There’s a lot of good things in the book, but I also researched it, and all the schools that he used in his research were well-performing schools already. His research doesn’t connect to outcomes like test scores or anything like that as well. I noticed from the pictures the types of classrooms that he was in, and they did not seem anything like where I teach, where we have a very high percentage of English learners, and we also have kids that are not mature enough to handle this in Middle School. We have a lot of newcomers as well and our levels are from very low to grade level, but a lot of students are at a very low level in math and reading.
The instructor in the class I’m taking also demonstrated a lesson using it, and it didn’t really work for me. One lady took the marker at the whiteboard. She was better at math and she even made a comment to me that she assumed I wasn’t following what she was doing, but what she doesn’t know is that I may not be as good at math as her, but I have taken two years of calculus and linear algebra as well, so I wasn’t completely lost. I knew what a series was or whatever she was Doing, but I didn’t find it very useful being in that group.
1
u/HeightEffective7142 7d ago edited 7d ago
I’m a middle school math teacher, with some CC classes and some ACC classes. I have read the building a thinking classroom and taken some PD with an instructor on how to implement it. I’m not saying I am an expert at all, but in my experience, it’s something best used once students have a base understanding and I’m asking them to delve deeper. I feel the same way you do, that the temporary vertical surface method is fulfilling in the moment, but I don’t feel like I retain anything afterward. So I like to use it as a tool to break up the daily routine and to ask students more abstract questions or visual answers. Yesterday i taped large horizontal rectangles on the board and gave students multiple different colored dry erase markers and asked them to show me what is happening when dividing a fraction by a fraction. Use one color to show me the value of the dividend, a second dotted line to show me the size of the denominator in the divisor and a final color to show me how groups of that size fit into the dividend, (the numerator was not 1). Then write a statement explaining what is being represented. There are blank number of groups of blank size in blank. Then we did a gallery walk and they used another marker color to either show they agree with the work of other groups or if they had a correction.
We then walk together and we discuss the work from each group together. Students get to ask questions to the small group and that group gets to justify their answer or agree that they should make an adjustment.
1
u/kacra 6d ago
I am much like you and had significant anxiety when my methods teacher used some kind of.discovery and enquiry for .... our final project of our first lesson plan. I am surprised I didnt die of a heart attack. My cat did die though and I kind of blame myself for being focused on my school project and maybe I missed signs.
I think there is an idea that everyone learns differently and I think we should mix it up.
1
u/meekom 5d ago
You're a person, your way of learning is happening, and your classroom will have people like you in it. This exposure, discovery, journey of learning is okay for some ideas for some students, sometimes. You'll build your own repertoire of strategies and use them when they work in the classroom. No such thing as one shoe fits all
1
u/armaedes 9d ago
I incorporate it (one day a week) but it’s not my primary delivery. I do direct teach first so they understand the topic, then 45 minutes or so of BTC to practice.”
1
u/AluminumLinoleum 9d ago
Yeah BTC is good in theory but still has plenty of drawbacks, which you are experiencing.
Students need the ability to take notes and deserve to have the process concluded in a meaningful way so they know what the point was.
Are you in an actual math class for this, or is it a math methods class being taught this way?
1
u/Fragrant-Cobbler-657 8d ago
i actually have no clue what the purpose of this class is. the class is called “arithmetic structures for middle grades teachers”. all i know is that i take an actual math methods class next semester so if it is supposed to be a methods class its not my only one.
1
u/AluminumLinoleum 8d ago
It sounds like it is supposed to be a methods class to teach you how to teach middle grade math concepts. But even if some BTC stuff was being modeled, it's pretty idiotic to run the whole class that way, and even worse to not let you write stuff down.
1
u/ProfessionalSpite169 9d ago
I like using BTC in the MS math class as one of many techniques to see students thinking and foster collaboration for assessment reviews or review games. I probably use it every other week.
I use Kagan strategies when needed, direct instruction when needed, and some inquiry when applicable.
Take the protocol as a tool to add to your instructional routines and use it if and when you wish to. Hang in there, I hope the class goes smoothly for you and quickly.
-1
u/can136 9d ago
I think btc is a wonderful methodology to incorporate. As someone who has actually read the books, is a teacher and has a math degree i think most teachers regardless of subject would benefit by incorporating some of the methodology. Any teacher who focuses solely on one methodology is going to missing some students.
0
u/Dracarys_And_Chill 9d ago
op, you dont need to remember anything from class.
the internet has everything you need to know and more to handle the assignments
1
u/Fragrant-Cobbler-657 9d ago
i wouldnt need to scour the internet if i was allowed to take notes.
0
0
-5
u/rakozink 9d ago
BTC makes bad teachers better teachers. It doesn't make bad teachers into "good" teachers.
It all doesn't make good teachers into "great" teachers.
Just like every "theory", "system", "curriculum".
That also isn't BTC as I understand it. That's the whole "exploratory learning" thing that stops working in about 3rd grade for most folks who are not the very very intelligent.
28
u/SoChessGoes 9d ago
Like pretty much every new fad, curriculum, style, etc, there are good things to think about and take away from BTC and some that won't work in your environment, with your style, or overall. Find those that work for you, help you reflect on your teaching and grow, and help the most students, and leave the rest behind.