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Hello? Yes. Hello?
Oct. 2nd, 2005 03:05 amBack in school, though so much is different. Remembering the looming of exams, the strange and intense pseudo merit-based politics which emerge naturally among the quantitatively-tasked and -minded. Also remembering, certainly not least (and most certainly not least in time) the joys and tasks of L^AT_E\Chi LATEΧ.
If any of the four of you readers don't know, I'm studying statistics. I hope to enumerate and elucidate the reasons and full motivation for this, but for now I've mostly learned that
I had a classic experience with an undergraduate a few days ago. (Yes, part of my duties involve being a Teaching Assistant for a total of roughly $700 per month.) After one assignment, his running-average grade is 97/100. He emails me to ask if this means that he got 7/10 on the assignment. After I explain to him that he did not, and that the 97/100 is, indeed, a running average, he emails back to explain that he is confused and does not know how to find his grade.
Sympathy aside, this assignment which he did well enough on was mostly about... running averages. This is what happens when performance and grading is a fundamental motivator. Fairly sad. I wonder how much of the problems and disconnect of mathematics-teaching is due mostly to the fact that its understanding must, usually, be prompted insistently by an authority figure.
If any of the four of you readers don't know, I'm studying statistics. I hope to enumerate and elucidate the reasons and full motivation for this, but for now I've mostly learned that
- Moment-generating and characteristic functions are very useful.
- I really don't know statistics.
- I really believe that I will, and that I will have something interesting to say at that time.
- God cries when someone wastes their talent and work on Mathematical Finance. Well, I haven't learned this, but I suspect that it may be true.
- Hoffman and Kunze's Linear Algebra text should be considered basic material for a math major. I don't know how it became such a legend at N-- C------, but it is ridiculous.
- I am very uncomfortable with not having an easily satisfied competence metric. This is largely because the natural condition of my mind is laziness. I hope (again and still) to change this.
I had a classic experience with an undergraduate a few days ago. (Yes, part of my duties involve being a Teaching Assistant for a total of roughly $700 per month.) After one assignment, his running-average grade is 97/100. He emails me to ask if this means that he got 7/10 on the assignment. After I explain to him that he did not, and that the 97/100 is, indeed, a running average, he emails back to explain that he is confused and does not know how to find his grade.
Sympathy aside, this assignment which he did well enough on was mostly about... running averages. This is what happens when performance and grading is a fundamental motivator. Fairly sad. I wonder how much of the problems and disconnect of mathematics-teaching is due mostly to the fact that its understanding must, usually, be prompted insistently by an authority figure.
