Hear, hear was originally an imperative for directing attention to speakers, . . . The phrase hear him, hear him! was used in Parliament from late in the 17th century, and was reduced to hear! or hear, hear! by the late 18th century. The verb hear had earlier been used in the King James Bible as a command for others to listen.
Here's a summary of what I'm hearing. I've tried to omit and obscure as much personal information as possible without compromising the accuracy or context of the feedback received. To all those who responded, thank you very much for your candid and thoughtful feedback. I am listening, and your words do make a difference. Believe me. But more importantly,
Believe in yourself!See also: UNSKILLED AND UNAWARE OF IT, Article #140 Written by Alan Bellows, courtesy of the highly skilled and temporarily tragically disabled master craftsman, eminent maestro and mathematician, performance artist and teacher extraordinaire, Mr. Kipp Johnson, who sent me a reference to the article on Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 8:52 AM. (Might what's bad for Mr. Johnson's right hand be good for his left, not to mention his right brain?)
Tell me whether you feel like you are keeping up with the material presented in class or whether you feel like you are falling behind.
- I definitely feel like I can understand what you're presenting and what you're trying to say in class, but I feel like I would be completely lost without some sort of description on what we're doing.
- I feel as though I'm staying afloat with the material, but really can't tinker with a code because I haven't learned what to do and how to replace certain things. I understand changing the class names and simple things like that, but don't know what big things to add/subtract to make the code work.
- Well, it's hard to say if I'm keeping up or not. I guess would say I'm somewhere in the middle because I am completely new to programming so I do not get about the majority of the things said in class.
- I can do the simple things such as creating functions, console.log, alert(), etc. But I have absolutely no idea how to code whatsoever. I guess I can say that I do not completely understand, but I can do enough to get by.
- I feel the rhythm of the class is good. But when there is [a coding] assignment, it takes me some time to figure out [what] I need [to do].
- I do feel like I'm falling behind because even with the little bit of help, I'm having trouble getting everything settled.
- With other pieces of homework in tact, I'm having no time to work on these assignments. English, Calculus, and all my other classes require lots of hard work and I am having trouble multitasking
- I am keeping up with the material although it can be sometimes lots of reading for me (since I am a slow reader :). )
- I feel like I am only somewhat keeping up with the material, but will start improving quickly, as I am now getting used to the language of Java.
- I struggle [with] understanding [how to code].
- I feel like I'm kinda keeping up but there are times like when writing code that i sometimes feel a little behind.
- I definitely understand a lot of the stuff being discussed in class
- I feel as though I am keeping up with the material, but only tentatively. I think that I've got the general gist of what's going on and I more or less understand how to modify snippets of code and how to experiment with trial and error. However, if you told me to write a program from scratch, I don't think I would be able to without having to refer back to programs that you wrote.
- I feel I am sort of keeping pace but slightly towards the back of the pack,
- I feel like I am falling behind on what is going on in class. I have been putting in effort outside the classroom to understand the material, but some of it is still confusing.
- I feel have mostly been keeping up, but I am a little confused about the stuff we have done this past week.
- I feel that I am keeping up with class and home work.
- I have been able to figure out most of the basic concepts we have discussed so far such as compiling and running java programs, however, I have found difficulty in writing the programs . . . and keeping track of all of the terms discussed.
- I feel like I am falling a little behind in class, because of some of the classes I missed from college meetings and because I easily get distracted.
- I am keeping up with the materials.
- For now, I do not think I understand everything, and it’s hard for me to create some basic Javascript code. But I am trying to work on it.
- Until yesterday when you stayed after school to help me compile my code, I did feel like I was falling behind, but now I think I understand 90 percent of what the course has covered so far.
- I'm currently studying your code of "let's go to the mall" to see what is what and what it does.
- I'm currently . . . studying through the Javascript book that we are using in class to help me understand what is what and how to use it.
- When I type things down, they never seem to stay in my head. However, when I write the things down, they stay with me for the rest of class and the rest of the day.
- If I sometimes get left behind, I can still find means to figure things out. I can look at the blog, I can look for it on books, and I can ask other students. Then I think I will fine with what we learnt. If I still get left behind, I will make an appointment with you.
- To avoid continuing to fall behind, I will work with friends and parents to understand concepts, in addition to reading the text book and watching tutorial videos.
- I'm taking a course outside of school later this month that is supposed to give you a good idea about coding ad computer programming.
- I will try to download a system called BlueJ that the previous Computer Science Class used,
- I can practice more at home
- try to read more content and covered . . . in the textbook
- I would personally prefer to use BlueJ in class, an installation that allows us to write, compile, execute, organize, and store programs all in the same place. The use of Powershell was really helpful for understanding the basics of how a computer processes code, but now I feel it is a bit of an annoyance. I do know a few people are having issues with running the jdk on their home computers, so installing BlueJ would be a simple solution. In addition, they are already installed on the computers we are using at school. If you want to look into it, here's the website: http://www.bluej.org/
- I am going to start using the website and my text book as resource to better understand the material.
- I am . . . going to ask for 1 on 1 help on material I don't understand.
- I have been trying to find some videos about how to create a Java program, but the ones I have found construct their programs differently.
- I intend on reading all of the articles and pages in the book more closely in order to get a better grasp of the material.
- I plan to come in during zero period on either this thursday or next tuesday to get some extra help on the coding assignment.
- I am going follow the instruction that you gave us in exercise[19],
- I will try to focus on your teaching in class, and do my best to understand.
- I will read the textbook and find . . . the information that I want.
- Maybe I will watch some videos . . . on Youtube,
- I might look through some websites related to our course.
- I hope that I will be getting better and better as I put effort into it.
- For those that feel falling behind, DO READ THE BOOK! The book helps to build up a system of knowledge.
- finish the assignments thoughtfully.
- Try to do something that is fun and you are interested in with [Java or JavaScript] when you have time.
- To someone that feels as though they are falling behind, I would probably recommend that they pay closer attention in class
- I would tell someone who is falling behind to persevere.
- I would recommend to them recording classes on their phone
- go back and listen to certain explanations and develop specific questions.
- I like to participate in class discussions and ask questions to remove doubts that I have.
- experiment at home when you are bored or don't have any work to do.
- Try the things that you are having trouble with and get a better concept of what to do.
- if you are falling behind, it also may be because you are not paying attention in class.
- they need more [practice with] conceptual things
- There really is no substitute for actually writing code with the stuff we cover. I couldn't learn French without speaking it, and likewise I can't learn Java without writing original code. Coding my own stuff allows me to discover for myself the reason for java rules that seem arbitrary.
- I think it'd be really useful to start working on projects to visually comprehend what we can make, since I'm not sure how to make anything right now. I couldn't start a code and make anything out of it, and I really want to change that.
- I think it'd be really useful to start making things with code and start from step one, assuming no one has made a full code before.
- Instead of learning different facts about coding, we should make it a process of learning. I'd really like to start a project and learning something new.
- I think it'd be extremely beneficial to plan on what exactly we're going to learn and accomplish, because I'd like to learn and understand how to code more and more each day.
- What I recommend is to spell out what that concept is and make homework based on the concept(ironic that a student is asking for more homework).
- in general, I need more detail and homework based on the concepts learn that day.
- Probably talk about some fragments someone else wrote, and try to understand or improve the code together.
- I would appreciate a little more information on the format of [the programming language], and more help understanding which words are general or shared between programs as keywords.
- I would like you to start using the book more in class.
- I feel that it is a good idea to review some of the stuff covered in the year just so that everyone has a chance to catch up.
- I think I am forgetting some of the content from the beginning of the year, like making a path through the directories on a computer, I never fully understood that and would like to back to that.
- some time for working on task with questions and corrections could be useful
- I personally believe it is much more helpful to know what the goal of a program is before just plopping it on the screen and asking about its system, so that the syntax and methods are more self discovered and seem less arbitrary.
- I think we should do review exercises at the beginning of class
- I think we should slow down the pace of the material. I feel like we are moving too fast and I am being overwhelmed with new concepts.
- It would be really helpful to go over the structure of a . . . program (where the objects go, where methods go, when we need to define things, . . . )
- I would really appreciate if we went through a Java program (like “Go Dog Go” or “Let’s go to the mall!”) and identified the ‘things’ (methods, constructor methods, objects, parameters, return values, ect.) inside of it (like the code analysis section of exercise 15). I think that that is what would be most helpful to me right now.
- I would . . . like it if we went over the homework assignments more and if we went over the bigger projects more in class
- I think that you should give some more book reading and work to compliment your in class teaching. It is a technique that other teachers use often and I think that if it was implemented into your class it could be a success.
- I think that quizzes more often would be a good way to encourage more studying and preparation.
- I think it would be more helpful if you started to tell us what the purpose of what we are doing is before we start another project.
- I think you should start giving us some practices such as the multiple choice question for the conceptual things.
- It will be very helpful if you can do a little bit of review at the beginning of each class or even take a whole period to go through all the things that we’ve learned before.
- I think it might help us if you introduced topics by posing the problem they solve.
- When I ask a question, try to figure out exactly what the mistaken belief that caused me to ask that question is before you start to answer. This will allow you to keep your responses relevant.
- What you did with the binary assignment was great because it was homework based on what we learnt that day, I would like to see homework like this that help me learn the concept even better like that binary assignment. But, I would like to see more details like with the binary assignment, not everyone knows what hexadecimal is so I got fairly lost when doing the assignment because the concept of hexadecimal was something we never covered in class and even so, hexadecimal wasn't even explained in the assignment so that made the assignment fairly confusing.
- Keep the Droodle!
- I like the blog thing that you are keeping updating everyday. It is clear and easy to find what I need. I know you will keep updating the blog ^_^
- please keep the doodle thing. I enjoy your drawing a lot.
- I like the examples you use in the class so please keep that.
- I really enjoy the side topics we cover in class, it keeps me interested when the class is less structured.
- I also like working on a task together in class, with someone in the driving chair.
- I would like for you to continue teaching at around this same pace, or maybe a little slower if possible to add more in-class time to work on assignments, so that we could ask you for help on the spot. On the other hand, if the pace of the class was faster than it is now, I might have trouble keeping up with the material.
- I really appreciated the study guide for the last quiz!
- I also think the droodles are fun.
- I do not think that we should move any faster . . . because I think I would fall behind.
- I think that the amount of time that you give us to complete assignments is just right. Since we usually get 1-2 days for most assignments it gives time for the material to soak in and absorb.
- I love the doodle guessing part, and I hope you will continue doing it.
- I would choose to stop spending the entire time with you talking,
- I do enjoy learning about the ins and outs of the java programming language, but I would maybe not address all of the questions asked with a 10 minute long lecture on a side topic that obscures the actual main point of the exercise. Some questions I feel should be answered with a "we'll come back to that later after we have a more firm understanding of the basic principles that are required to answer that question"
- I cannot think of anything that I would like to “stop” doing.
- I honestly don't believe that anything you are doing right now is wrong because I am steadily learning a lot of material and am enjoying myself.
- So far it's a fun class and you're a fun teacher!
- you are good at programming and such, but you do not seem to be very good at teaching. I do not mean this as an insult at all, I am just saying what I think. You do not explain the concepts clearly, you show us what the concept is but I am pretty sure that not everyone gets what it is. Like I get what variables are because I figured it out from what you showed us, but for something like an object and a class you did show us but since it isn't spelled out, so I hardly have a clue what those are.
- all of the students really like the way you teach so you don't ever have to change your teaching ways.
- I am glad you noticed when I sent you my email
- I also loved the one-on-one sessions . . . I seem to work better in the morning than in the afternoon.
- Right now You are doing great as a teacher and I wouldn’t change a thing. Keep it up.
- I'm enjoying the course
- I have certainly learned a lot and hope to improve with more practice.
- Thanks Mr. Spurgeon!
- Personally speaking, I think you are a great teacher and will be successful at VC and your career as a teacher.
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 1:14 PM
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 1:35 PM
- I definitely feel like I can understand what you're presenting and what you're trying to say in class, but I feel like I would be completely lost without some sort of description on what we're doing.
- I feel as though I'm staying afloat with the material, but really can't tinker with a code because I haven't learned what to do and how to replace certain things. I understand changing the class names and simple things like that, but don't know what big things to add/subtract to make the code work.
- I think it'd be really useful to start working on projects to visually comprehend what we can make, since I'm not sure how to make anything right now. I couldn't start a code and make anything out of it, and I really want to change that. During my free time I take the codacadamy JavaScript coarse and I'm learning how to make a webpage/app/interactive site. I think it'd be really useful to start making things with code and start from step one, assuming no one has made a full code before. Instead of learning different facts about coding, we should make it a process of learning. I'd really like to start a project and learning something new. I think it'd be extremely beneficial to plan on what exactly we're going to learn and accomplish, because I'd like to learn and understand how to code more and more each day. I would love to start a code from very scratch and make something out of it!! So far it's a fun class and you're a fun teacher! :)
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 2:51 PM
- Well, it's hard to say if I'm keeping up or not. I guess would say I'm somewhere in the middle because I am completely new to programming so I do not get about the majority of the things said in class. But I what do get is that if i do "x" action, then I would get "y" result. I can do the simple things such as creating functions, console.log, alert(), etc. But I have absolutely no idea how to code whatsoever. I guess I can say that I do not completely understand, but I can do enough to get by. For example(if you couldn't tell already) the coding project was based off of your coding of "let's go to the mall" so I'm currently in the midst of studying that code to see what seems to do what. But I think i'm more struggling over understanding.
- As I've stated above, I'm currently studying your code of "let's go to the mall" to see what is what and what it does. Another action I'm currently taking to studying through the Javascript book that we are using in class to help me understand what is what and how to use it.
- I will at least say this: you are good at programming and such, but you do not seem to be very good at teaching. I do not mean this as an insult at all, I am just saying what I think. You do not explain the concepts clearly, you show us what the concept is but I am pretty sure that not everyone gets what it is. Like I get what variables are because I figured it out from what you showed us, but for something like an object and a class you did show us but since it isn't spelled out, so I hardly have a clue what those are. What I recommend is to spell out what that concept is and make homework based on the concept(ironic that a student is asking for more homework). What you did with the binary assignment was great because it was homework based on what we learnt that day, I would like to see homework like this that help me learn the concept even better like that binary assignment. But, I would like to see more details like with the binary assignment, not everyone knows what hexadecimal is so I got fairly lost when doing the assignment because the concept of hexadecimal was something we never covered in class and even so, hexadecimal wasn't even explained in the assignment so that made the assignment fairly confusing. But in general, I need more detail and homework based on the concepts learn that day.
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 2:52 PM
- I feel the rhythm of the class is good. But when there is assignment about writing codes, it takes me some time to figure out every grammars that I need.
- For those that feel falling behind, DO READ THE BOOK! The book helps to build up a system of knowledge. And finish the assignments thoughtfully. Try to do something that is fun and you are interested in with java when you have time.
- Probably talk about some fragments someone else wrote, and try to understand or improve the code together. Keep the Droodle!
I do feel like I'm falling behind because even with the little bit of help, I'm having trouble getting everything settled. With other pieces of homework in tact, I'm having no time to work on these assignments. English, Calculus, and all my other classes require lots of hard work and I am having trouble multitasking. . . . On the other hand, all of the students really like the way you teach so you don't ever have to change your teaching ways. I am glad you noticed when I sent you my email about what I wanted to talk to you about and how you introduced to me about java. I also loved the one-on-one sessions that we had every morning. I seem to work better in the morning than in the afternoon. When I type things down, they never seem to stay in my head. However, when I write the things down, they stay with me for the rest of class and the rest of the day. So, in short, I am falling behind, i have no game plan, and keep your way of teaching. Do you know how I can fix this dilemma and how I can balance everything out?
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 7:35 PM
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 8:23 PM
- I feel like all the rhythm are good. I am keeping up with the material although it can be sometimes lots of reading for me (since I am a slow reader :). )
- If I sometimes get left behind, I can still find means to figure things out. I can look at the blog, I can look for it on books, and I can ask other students. Then I think I will fine with what we learnt. If I still get left behind, I will make an appointment with you.
- I like the blog thing that you are keeping updating everyday. It is clear and easy to find what I need. I know you will keep updating the blog ^_^ Also please keep the doodle thing. I enjoy your drawing a lot. I like the examples you use in the class so please keep that.
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 9:07 PM
- I feel like I am only somewhat keeping up with the material, but will start improving quickly, as I am now getting used to the language of Java. One area I struggle in is with understanding the order and format of writing codes.
- To avoid continuing to fall behind, I will work with friends and parents to understand concepts, in addition to reading the text book and watching tutorial videos.
- I would appreciate a little more information on the format of java, and more help understanding which words are general or shared between programs as keywords. I really enjoy the side topics we cover in class, it keeps me interested when the class is less structured. I also like working on a task together in class, with someone in the driving chair. I would choose to stop spending the entire time with you talking, some time for working on task with questions and corrections could be useful.
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 10:11 PM
- I feel like I'm kinda keeping up but there are times like when writing code that i sometimes feel a little behind.
- I'm taking a course outside of school later this month that is supposed to give you a good idea about coding ad computer programming.
- I would like you to start using the book more in class.
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 10:27 PM
- I definitely understand a lot of the stuff being discussed in class, however, I feel that it is a good idea to review some of the stuff covered in the year just so that everyone has a chance to catch up.
- I think I am forgetting some of the content from the beginning of the year, like making a path through the directories on a computer, I never fully understood that and would like to back to that.
- Right now You are doing great as a teacher and I wouldn’t change a thing. Keep it up.
Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 11:14 PM
- I feel as though I am keeping up with the material, but only tentatively. I think that I've got the general gist of what's going on and I more or less understand how to modify snippets of code and how to experiment with trial and error. However, if you told me to write a program from scratch, I don't think I would be able to without having to refer back to programs that you wrote. Overall though, I'm enjoying the course and I have certainly learned a lot and hope to improve with more practice.
- To someone that feels as though they are falling behind, I would probably recommend that they pay closer attention in class (mainly directed at my acquaintances in the [nth] row).
- I would like for you to continue teaching at around this same pace, or maybe a little slower if possible to add more in-class time to work on assignments, so that we could ask you for help on the spot. On the other hand, if the pace of the class was faster than it is now, I might have trouble keeping up with the material.
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 12:56 PM
- I feel I am sort of keeping pace but slightly towards the back of the pack, which is really frustrating because I have already self-taught myself some of this material, as well as had some guidance under Mr. Kearns
- I will try to download a system called BlueJ that the previous Computer Science Class used, so I can practice more at home, and will try to read more content and covered content in the textbook
- I am going to list a few more than one thing I would like different about the class.
- I personally believe it is much more helpful to know what the goal of a program is before just plopping it on the screen and asking about its system, so that the syntax and methods are more self discovered and seem less arbitrary.
- I do enjoy learning about the ins and outs of the java programming language, but I would maybe not address all of the questions asked with a 10 minute long lecture on a side topic that obscures the actual main point of the exercise. Some questions I feel should be answered with a "we'll come back to that later after we have a more firm understanding of the basic principles that are required to answer that question"
- I would personally prefer to use BlueJ in class, an installation that allows us to write, compile, execute, organize, and store programs all in the same place. The use of Powershell was really helpful for understanding the basics of how a computer processes code, but now I feel it is a bit of an annoyance. I do know a few people are having issues with running the jdk on their home computers, so installing BlueJ would be a simple solution. In addition, they are already installed on the computers we are using at school. If you want to look into it, here's the website: http://www.bluej.org/
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 2:29 PM
- I feel like I am falling behind on what is going on in class. I have been putting in effort outside the classroom to understand the material, but some of it is still confusing.
- I am going to start using the website and my text book as resource to better understand the material. I am also going to ask for 1 on 1 help on material I don't understand.
- I think we should do review exercises at the beginning of class and also I think we should slow down the pace of the material. I feel like we are moving too fast and I am being overwhelmed with new concepts.
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 6:49 PM
- I feel have mostly been keeping up, but I am a little confused about the stuff we have done this past week. It would be really helpful to go over the structure of a java program (where the objects go, where methods go, when we need to define things, ect.)
- I have been trying to find some videos about how creating a Java program, but the ones I have found construct their programs differently. I would tell someone who is falling behind to persevere. I would recommend to them recording classes on their phone so that they can go back and listen to certain explanations and develop specific questions.
- I would really appreciate if we went through a Java program (like “Go Dog Go” or “Let’s go to the mall!”) and identified the ‘things’ (methods, constructor methods, objects, parameters, return values, ect.) inside of it (like the code analysis section of exercise 15). I think that that is what would be most helpful to me right now. I would also like it if we went over the homework assignments more and if we wemt over the bigger projects more in class I really appreciated the study guide for the last quiz! I also think the droodles are fun. I cannot think of anything that I would like to “stop” doing.
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 7:59 PM
- I feel that I am keeping up with class and home work. I like to participate in class discussions and ask questions to remove doubts that I have. I do not think that we should move any faster though because I think I would fall behind.
- As advice to someone who's not keeping up; experiment at home when you are bored or don't have any work to do. Try the things that you are having trouble with and get a better concept of what to do. Also if you are falling behind, it also may be because you are not paying attention in class.
- I think that you should give some more book reading and work to compliment your in class teaching. It is a technique that other teachers use often and I think that if it was implemented into your class it could be a success. I think that the amount of time that you give us to complete assignments is just right. Since we usually get 1-2 days for most assignments it gives time for the material to soak in and absorb. I honestly don't believe that anything you are doing right now is wrong because I am steadily learning a lot of material and am enjoying myself. Thanks Mr. Spurgeon!
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 8:16 PM
- Am I Keeping up with the material? I have been able to figure out most of the basic concepts we have discussed so far such as compiling and running java programs, however, I have found difficulty in writing the programs such as in exercise 15, which took me extra time to figure out, and keeping track of all of the terms discussed.
- What is my plan to get fully up to speed? I intend on reading all of the articles and pages in the book more closely in order to get a better grasp of the material.
- One thing I would like you to start doing. For me, I think that quizzes more often would be a good way to encourage more studying and preparation.
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 8:34 PM
- I feel like I am falling a little behind in class, because of some of the classes I missed from college meetings and because I easily get distracted.
- Because I feel like I am falling behind, I plan to come in during zero period on either this thursday or next tuesday to get some extra help on the coding assignment.
- I think it would be more helpful if you started to tell us what the purpose of what we are doing is before we start another project.
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 8:49 PM
- I am keeping up with the materials.
- I think they need more practices about conceptual things.
- I think you should start giving us some practices such as the multiple choice question for the conceptual things.
Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 9:51 PM
- . . . I was having a hard time catching up with some basic knowledge of Javascript and this class, and I didn’t do well on the first quiz. After the first two weeks, I started to understand more by learning from my friend who sits next to me. For now, I do not think I understand everything , and it’s hard for me to create some basic Javascript code. But I am trying to work on it.
- I am going follow the instruction that you gave us in exercise[19], I will try to focus on your teaching in class, and do my best to understand. I will read the textbook and find out the information that I want. Maybe I will watch some videos of Javascript on Youtube, and I might look through some websites related to our course. I hope that I will be getting better and better as I put effort into it.
- It will be very helpful if you can do a little bit of review at the beginning of each class or even take a whole period to go through all the things that we’ve learned before. I love the doodle guessing part, and I hope you will continue doing it. Personally speaking, I think you are a great teacher and will be successful at VC and your career as a teacher.
- Until yesterday when you stayed after school to help me compile my code, I did feel like I was falling behind, but now I think I understand 90 percent of what the course has covered so far.
- There really is no substitute for actually writing code with the stuff we cover. I couldn't learn French without speaking it, and likewise I can't learn Java without writing original code. Coding my own stuff allows me to discover for myself the reason for java rules that seem arbitrary.
- Far be it from me to give teaching advice, but
- I think it might help us if you introduced topics by posing the problem they solve.
- When I ask a question, try to figure out exactly what the mistaken belief that caused me to ask that question is before you start to answer. This will allow you to keep your responses relevant.
