Someone changed my mind about repetition

I used to believe that the principal reason some people can solve pretty much any math problem on a given topic is that they have done more exercises on that topic. Hence, I concluded that more people would be better at math if teachers stopped trying to be nice and just assigned a lot more homework.

But, perhaps, more important than doing 50 problems is understanding the theory behind it, either on an intuitive or rigorous level, deeply. Perhaps making students do 50 problems is just mean, and any benefits of it aren't worth it.

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Busybee333 · 31-35, F

The truth is in the middle . Conciseness, Review, Order, and Practice (in class and at home)

My best teacher started by teaching the reason behind each concept we learned before the exercises.

I have no talent in math, but in his class specifically, I was one of the best.

He gave us only and solely the details we needed (short direct and simple sentences that stated the rules and the reasons behind them). He agremented with few but on point examples. Sometimes teachers throw a tsunami of info in one class and students get lost. Orderly and simple .. is best.

We solved a lot of exercises in class. Not only the homework. We had bonuses for practicing extra at home. We also had optional creative math projects. He never made people feel stupid for not understanding.. always explained with respect in as many ways as necessary.

If you have your heart into it, you will be good :)

33person · 26-30, M

@Busybee333 That sounds like a great teacher, and I especially agree with your point about the tsunami of information thrown into one class. It's overwhelming and not helpful.
My question would be how much homework did he assign? Like about how many problems, or how long did it take per night? Since much of the practice was done in class, how much was left to do at home?

Busybee333 · 31-35, F

@33person He gave us what he would count as 30 to 40 minutes hw.. 10 to 13 exercises.. their length and easiness varied .

Bonus work for the trimester:
If someone went out of their way to complete 5 to 10 pages he assigned (for the trimester), he added 2 or 3% bonus (can't remember) on their final grade for the term. (They didn't have to be all correct, but he had to see the effort and thinking process involved).

Edit : I think I made all 10 pages because I was scared of math and wanted to be good lol

raysam363 · 31-35, F

Repeated problems are fine for drilling formulas into their heads, but like you mentioned, it doesn't really give a deep learning. Rote isn't understanding.

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33person · 26-30, M

@raysam363 What were the pros and cons of you having 60-100 due in one night?

raysam363 · 31-35, F

@33person Not many pros, considering you also had other homework assignments to work on. I suppose I did learn how much homework I could miss and still get a B. Chemistry was the worst though, she punished the entire class with ridiculous homework.

33person · 26-30, M

@raysam363 Yeah, it seems the intended purpose is not what ended up happening.

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