In class blogging: GEOMETRY

Shadowing a geometry class is a blast from the past. Currently, the freshman honors geometry class is learning about how to prove parallel lines. While the kids are reviewing, I start to notice a bit of a lack of method while solving the proofs. Mainly, the kids don't know they can label their diagrams; if I had not known that during my geometry experience, proofs would have been MUCH more difficult. On the other hand, there are quite a few similarities in this class and my geometry class with Ms. Posta: this class is very organized. They have packets of problems just like Ms. Posta's binders and they have pre written notes like Ms. Posta's. (I only compare this class to Ms. Posta's because I found her teaching style very effective for my learning style.)

The kids are walking around, doing parallel line proofs to practice for an upcoming quiz and I've decided to do one if the problems myself. At first, my geometry skills are very rusty. I always had problems with geometry because I could see how the conclusion was true but I was always missing a step in my proofs. While I tried this first problem with supplementary lines I realized that that problem I had had not gone away. I had to look at the answer to find the correct way to phrase my statement (which was annoying AND cheating). I ended up being able to solve the problem (which I will show below) but I realized why it had been so difficult for me: there were congruent lines drawn on the diagram that were not in the givens. Ms. Posta had never done that before. I wasn't sure if that was something normal or not but it almost seemed like cheating because it showed you what you needed to prove to solve the proof. It also threw me off because its something that I wasn't used to. I wondered if this was something that the kids in geometry had been taught as normal or if this three some of them off too? I know that teaching styles change between teachers, and I'm not saying that one teaching style is more effective with the just by what I witnessed today, but in very curious as to which method of geometry is more effective in a new student. If some of these kids in class took Ms. Posta's geometry would they develop different weaknesses and strength than they have now under this teacher?