Comments on: Now teaching ActionScript at the Academy of Art MFA Program http://caleb.org/blog/uncategorized/now-teaching-actionscript-at-the-academy-of-art-mfa-program/ Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:17:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Phillip Kerman http://caleb.org/blog/uncategorized/now-teaching-actionscript-at-the-academy-of-art-mfa-program/#comment-15549 Phillip Kerman Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:40:19 +0000 http://caleb.org/blog/uncategorized/now-teaching-actionscript-at-the-academy-of-art-mfa-program/#comment-15549 Teaching is a real challenge. You will probably find success, but no matter how good you are, you can always improve. Pseudo-coding is great of course... though once I had a student say he didn't "believe in it"... and he actually did pretty well. The biggest thing I've learned from teaching (for over 10 years) is that no matter what you plan, you'll get to much less--assuming you cover it well. The best is when students go on to build great things. The percentage (however small) of students who you'll never reach is less of a problem than you might think. That is, while it may sound bad, the truth is (for me anyway) you'll always get a student or two or three who will never succeed in the class. I guess it depends why they're taking the class. But, the hard thing I guess I'm saying is that it's okay to write off students when it's necessary. Good luck! Teaching is a real challenge. You will probably find success, but no matter how good you are, you can always improve. Pseudo-coding is great of course… though once I had a student say he didn’t “believe in it”… and he actually did pretty well. The biggest thing I’ve learned from teaching (for over 10 years) is that no matter what you plan, you’ll get to much less–assuming you cover it well. The best is when students go on to build great things. The percentage (however small) of students who you’ll never reach is less of a problem than you might think. That is, while it may sound bad, the truth is (for me anyway) you’ll always get a student or two or three who will never succeed in the class. I guess it depends why they’re taking the class. But, the hard thing I guess I’m saying is that it’s okay to write off students when it’s necessary.

Good luck!

]]> By: Mark Badger http://caleb.org/blog/uncategorized/now-teaching-actionscript-at-the-academy-of-art-mfa-program/#comment-15517 Mark Badger Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:58:46 +0000 http://caleb.org/blog/uncategorized/now-teaching-actionscript-at-the-academy-of-art-mfa-program/#comment-15517 Congrats and welcome to the mill, I teach the actual ActionScript class so you'll suffer with all my students now. I expect most of them are stillfrom a couple of semesters back so their all fresh into 2.0. Teaching is fun, it's hard to remember when they node their heads and say "yes I'll do that" they have no idea what your talking about even if you've explained it like 100 times before. If you give them a small assignment in class and they can't handle it you'll learn more then they every will tell you. And give them psuedo-code to build if they can't build from psuedo-code it becomes another clear sign of what they learned/remember. Mark Badger Congrats and welcome to the mill,
I teach the actual ActionScript class so you’ll suffer with all my students now. I expect most of them
are stillfrom a couple of semesters back so their all fresh into 2.0.

Teaching is fun, it’s hard to remember when they node their heads and say “yes I’ll do that” they have no idea what your talking about even if you’ve explained it like 100 times before.

If you give them a small assignment in class and they can’t handle it you’ll learn more then they every will tell you.

And give them psuedo-code to build if they can’t build from psuedo-code it becomes another clear sign of what they learned/remember.

Mark Badger

]]>