Oct 20 Mulgrave visit

I was the driver. Neil, Jessica, Breanna, Joyce were the passengers.

We arrived at 710. The meeting started at 800.

After the group meeting, our DP math teacher candidates went to Rm 180 and had a short conversation with 3 DP math teachers (Kayle, Micheal, Prior) and 1 MYP physics/math teacher. We were told about the big jump of difficulty levels from G10 extended to G11 math HL. It is also true that parents may be a factor of pushing students to study HL math. The class pace is fast for HL while the SL is ... Also fast...... We were shown a student's G12 SL term project using chi-square analysis and a lot of statistics knowledge. It was really astonishing when we told that all the statistics knowledge was taught in class. The teacher also mentioned that they have to teach extra-curriculum knowledge to students within insufficient amount of time.

At 910 we were in Rm 182, Dr. Frewin's math 12 HL class. The topic was derivatives. Students were asked to play a card game to match on-card information to different functions. By the way, the classroom was clean and tidy with several math artifacts.students were invited to play the card game on teacher's laptop, then to explain their work on the whiteboards on the two side walls. Frequently, the teacher recalled definitions of some math concepts as well as derivatives and average velocities. One can told that physics contents were introduced inthe class (and of course the students are taking physics 12 this year). Students were encouraged to express their thoughts and understandings at anytime of the class.

We were invited to watch a performance after this class.

The at 1100 we went back the Rm 182 and attended a math 10 class. Students were engaging but the class pace was slow. The topic was about tangent and started with slope. Graphical calculators were widely used and large amount of time was spent to explain how to use them. Kids have little knowledge about numbers as I was invited to explain why a decimal number cannot be a perfect root square of an integer.

Then we had a short break and attended a ToK class taught by the Vice Principal. Topic was about how knowledge was acknowledged through eight aspects: sense perceptions, 

Then it was the lunch time. Students were arranged to have lunches at different times.

At 1405 I had my last class visit in Rm 165 with Mrs. Chen. It was such a wonderful feeling to speak Chinese legally in classroom. Unfortunately there were only two students who took Mandarin as language B SL. They were struggling in this course as G10 Mandarin emphasized too much on listening and speaking, with limited skills in reading and writing. However, students can understand what I was talking (in mandarin) and respond in English. It is truly amazing that this communicating process improves their perceptions of Chinese culture.

Mulgrave is such a wonderful school that is only available to some families. Even though, it is wonderful, wordless to say.