Comments on: Help Me Get Away With This /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/ less helpful Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:19:45 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 By: Ms. Libb /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-131535 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:47:42 +0000 /?p=722#comment-131535 This is way late but…

What about putting up a series of animals and counting their legs (mammals w/4, birds w/2, fish w/0)?

You could arrange it so that the mean would be 1 and the median 3, or something like that, and then only the mode would be useful.

I would LOVE to do testicles w/my 9th graders, but I don’t think I should in my first year at a school :-/ I’ll wait to build up some goodwill first :-)

]]> By: Tony /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77625 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:51:02 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77625 Sorry, Ben, but I have to disagree. Attention grabbing? Sure. Will it leave an impression? You bet. But you have to weigh how much more effective using “testicles” are vs. the potential of getting yourself in a wee bit of trouble. Depending on your administration and your students and how “uppity” their parents can get, it could be a bad decision.

]]> By: Ben /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77604 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:11:56 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77604 I think I’d go with the testicle example for several reasons:
(1) at my school 9th graders take Health, which includes information on testicles, so it’s probably a curricular connection,
(2) It’s effective. To be honest, I couldn’t’ve adequately described the difference for mean, median, and mode off the top of my head until this post,
(3) testicles are attention grabbing. You’re keeping it scientific (i.e. you’re not using “balls”) and discussing the mathematic principles of testicles is bound to catch their attention.

If I were in your shoes, I’d probably use it. Of all the comments, I think Sandy’s worry about creating psychological stress in young adolescents is the only real worry. You know your students. If you think they’re up to it, go for it. Don’t let the “man” tell you what words can’t be used in class. :-)

]]> By: Tony /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77303 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:49:56 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77303 I have to agree that the cross curricular argument just might be your best defense. Either way, you have to be really careful, because this one could get your picture in the paper real quick. Testicles definitely have shock value, but there has to be something else out there with instructional value equal to, if not exceeding, testicles. I’m not sure exactly what that is, but is has to be out there somewhere.

]]> By: Dina /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77273 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:08:18 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77273 “But I have to believe that the class whose teacher approaches the material dry, factually, like it’s no big deal, like he isn’t trying to scandalize anybody, might just dodge that heavy-caliber bullet.”

That’s what I meant about investigating health-curriculum connections, smartass. (Smartietesticles?)

I get a lot of mileage out of using other people’s handouts. Perhaps you can capitalize on the fact that the word might be one on a list of 25 to which they’ve already had to write out definitions and study for a matching quiz. Nothing like rote teaching to defuse the explosive nature of language…

]]> By: John Larkin /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77235 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:55:09 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77235 Dan, what about a different beast? The moose. Correct me if I am wrong but I think only the male of the species have antlers. Took me a while to nut that one out.
Cheers,
John

]]> By: dan /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77213 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:53:02 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77213 @Dee: I had a bookworthy file at one point but inside of a few weeks I was copying in basically all my posts, most of my e-mails, tweets, text messages. It got out of control. I’ll let you know when that future chart-topper snags a publisher.

@Sandy: Okay. I definitely don’t want to make adolescents psychologically uncomfortable. There is a very good probability that I would’ve been psychologically uncomfortable back when. But I have to believe that the class whose teacher approaches the material dry, factually, like it’s no big deal, like he isn’t trying to scandalize anybody, might just dodge that heavy-caliber bullet.

Plus, I dunno how comfortable you are with the math, but udders won’t work. Cow testicles would but, I mean, c’mon, right? I’m hurting for alternatives, basically.

]]> By: sandy /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77195 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:08:03 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77195 How about using cows and their udders, or some such thing from the animal kingdom that is still fun and gimmicky (in a good way) but not so touchy? My sensitive and brilliant son (who also reads this blog, BTW, and is thinking of becoming a math teacher) would have been embarrassed TO DEATH to have had to sit through that discussion in early high school. Aside from any objections the administration might have, why make adolescents psychologically uncomfortable when you don’t have to?

]]> By: Dee /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77185 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:44:00 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77185 (collapsed on the floor, holding my sides, and laughing so hard I’m cryin!)

Can I be there? Seriously this is the best post and comments I have read in a while. If you have a “bookworthy” file – put this in it.

]]> By: dan /2008/help-me-get-away-with-this/#comment-77179 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:56:50 +0000 /?p=722#comment-77179 Ahem. Dan Meyer does not know the meaning of CYA.

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