Preview of the new classroom

Wow, talk about an amazing school!  The school itself is almost complete, but the classrooms look AMAZING.  I thought it might be fun to include some pictures of the classroom before students got here to show the general set-up and then see how it evolves throughout the year.  Ill try to do a few of these posts throughout the year just to see how things go.

I love having the tables in pods so that students can work together, and I love having a bigger one in the front-middle so that I can make that the group that is more of my home location.  I rarely use the teacher desk, as I feel it makes it too hard for students to ask real individual questions, so that bulky thing is off in a corner.

Without further adieu, here is the set-up!

Great Day Planning!

Just spent a great day planning and working with the math department.  I am sure excited for this school year and all the potential learning options and strategies that we are going to be bringing to the classroom.  Yeah!

My Schedule

Should you need to find me for any reason, you can check in my classroom (223) or in the math department office on the fourth floor.  Find the coffee maker in either location, and you will find me.

Here is my class schedule though, should you need to find out where and when I will be in either location.

Monday - I will be in my classroom from 7:30-12:35, and from 2:30-3:40

Tuesday - I will be in my classroom from 7:30-9:55, and from 11:25-12:35

Wednesday - I will be in my classroom from 7:30-11:20, and from 1:15-3:40

Thursday - I will be in my classroom from 7:30-8:40, from 10:10-12:35, and from 1:15-3:40

Friday - I will be in my classroom from 10:10-11:20, and from 1:15-2:25

If you cannot find me during those times, I will probably either be in the classroom working or up on the fourth floor in the math office.  Come by and see me anytime! 

Who I am and what I have done...

So, you will be spending a year in class with me on our mutual journey through the world of mathematics.  For those of you who might want to know a bit more about me professionally and personally, here is a bit about myself:

Professional:

Resume

Personal:

Blog

Yes, I am a very active blogger, and if you would like help developing your own blog and web following, let me know.  I find it a fun way to harness the power of the internet and help to tell those amazing stories that make up my day-to-day life.

I have also been very involved in building up Facebook presences for schools in the past, having been one of two key members in building up the Facebook presence of my old school (Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science).

Check out some of my work on their Facebook page:

Facebook Link

Enjoy!  If you have any questions, email me at rtumin@gmail.com

Past Projects with Write-Ups

If you are curious about my my previous school, or the sort of projects we did there, check out the following links.  We have some great videos as well that should be a part of those links.  

I love hands-on math, and the chance to build something or possibly break it, is often a driving factor in my decision on what sorts of projects I will be assigning at the beginning of a school year.  Here are some examples of past assignments.

Trebuchet Day 1

Trebuchet Day 2

Trebuchet Day 3

Trebuchet Day 4

Bridge Project

Enjoy!

Important Links for You!

I love to upload things to Dropbox.  I will be putting a lot of the notes from class up on Dropbox in various formats on a weekly basis.  If you miss any notes or think you might have missed a key part of the notes, check out the Dropbox page for your class.

Here are the links:
Math 10

Math 12

Calculus

Make sure to save your classes' respective page.

Email me at rtumin@gmail.com with any questions, and also feel free to add me on Line at 40779670.  

Look forward to hearing from you all!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone!  I cannot tell you how excited I am to start a new school year here at Mahidol University International Demonstration School.  This is my first time in Thailand, but I have been teaching for about six years now at a school in Hawaii.  While I specialize in mathematics, I would always be more than happy to help you with any other subject you might need help in.  Don't hesitate to ask me any questions about any subject that you might need help with.  

I believe that every single student can learn, and each person must be challenged.  Learning occurs both in and outside the classroom, and I believe that you can grow as much from a "failure" as you can from a "success."  Don't be afraid of challenging yourself and always treat each situation as one that you can grow personally from.

Honesty and integrity in a classroom is key.  Admit when you do not know, ask for help in anything that you need, and try to view the classroom as a place for collaborative learning.  I am not always going to have the right answer - do not ever be afraid to speak up if you think you can explain it better than me.  I usually learn from you students as much as you might learn from me.  

This is your education, own it and love it.  My hope and goal is that we will learn so much more than mathematics in my classroom.  While we can explore the world around us using mathematics, this is not our only mode of learning.  Do not be afraid to bring in any outside knowledge and contribute that to the collective whole.  

You are what makes the learning process exciting and fun.  

I am here to be your collaborator, not your professor.  Let's take this journey in learning together. 

Richard Tumin