In a review of “Summer Algebra 2 Review/Preview, Session 1” (Mon Jul 25 – Aug 5 at 4:30pm Central, 2022), to go with her 2/5 rating, a parent wrote:
“I’m not sure where all the positive reviews stem from. The teacher was organized. However not a good explainer. At one point when my daughter asked him a question about how he new to manipulate an expression in a certain way, his response was, ‘ because I have a degree in math’. My daughter had to go on khan academy a lot to teach herself things he didn’t explain well. ‘ He frequently veered off onto irrelevant tangents having nothing to do with math, expressing his personal beliefs on unrelated topics.” [Misspellings, grammar mistakes, and punctuation mistakes in the original.]
My public response on Outschool is as follows, which I was glad to provide. [I made a few minor edits and additions from what I posted on Outschool.]
This review brings up many questions for the reader, which I am glad to address. Now while I, having a degree in philosophy, could go to all sorts of depth and breadth about any given point, I’ll stay limited yet comprehensive and real, and will also give other people a chance to speak. Let’s hear their voices. Maybe we can sit back, think, and have a cup of coffee or two.
I. “I’m not sure where all the positive reviews stem from.”
This makes us wonder what the reviews are and what they say. So here is a sampler. [We can read more on my Outschool page.]
1. “Michael is an outstanding educator. My son took IB Calculus this year and never learned conceptually. Michael explained the ‘why’ and provided context and deep understanding for calculus concepts. Highly recommend.”
— Rebecca M, “Summer Calculus Review/Preview, Session 1,” Jun 2022
2. “MG was a fantastic teacher. I loved how he taught with logic and would often refer to common world applications where we could use what we were learning. He has no problem waiting if you needed extra time to copy something down and didn’t mind walking you through a question. He also provided many resources for things like online TI calculators, formulas, logic, and extra practice. 10/10 recommend and would take his class next summer!”
— Kennedy Solaru, “Summer Algebra 2 Review/Preview, Session 2” (Mon Aug 8 – Aug 19 2022), Aug 2022
3. In a summer 2022 “Summer Geometry Preview/Review, Session 2,” both students thanked me for the class and said “you are a great teacher,” one of them making it a point to do so at the end of the second-to-last class because he would not be able to make the last day. (While I cannot share a video clip (learner privacy and all), Outschool staff can verify that it exists. All classes are recorded, so the comments are documented.)
4. “For the past 2 years, my son has taken a different math class over the summer with Michael Gold just to sharpen up before the upcoming school year, and the payoff has been tremendous. He loves this teacher’s style, is surprisingly riveted during the class, always on time, and absorbs the equivalent of an entire years worth of work in 2 weeks, helping him to breeze through the academic school year with great grades and a real sense of satisfaction. Your kids might roll their eyes at you at first, but they will thank you if you are lucky enough to grab a spot in one of Michael Gold’s classes. He is fast, clear, to the point and gives real life application examples to make math make sense. 10 stars if I could…”
—Lia J., “Summer Algebra 2 Review/Preview, Session 1,” Jul 2021
5. ”This class was excellent! My daughter said ‘He is the best teacher ever! He actually explains why things work so you understand what’s going on instead of just memorizing it.’ She took Calc 1 a year ago and wanted to review. She feels she understands it so much better now. She said they covered an entire semester in two weeks more in depth than her original college level class. She can’t wait to take the next level.”
—Danielle L,“Summer Calculus Review/Preview, Session 1,” Aug 2021
6. Someone in the very same section of “Summer Algebra 2 Review/Preview, Session 1” as this reviewer — same days, same times, same learners, same teacher, same instruction — gave it a 5 of 5 rating.
7. A student in the very same section of “Summer Algebra 2 Review/Preview, Session 1”— same days, same times, same learners, same teacher, same instruction — in a personal message to me at the end of the last class, thanked me for the class and said she learned a lot. While I cannot share that message (learner privacy and all), Outschool staff can verify that it exists.
I love helping students like this, and love helping them learn ideas and thinking skills they can use all through life for the better.
People can read more testimonials, and read my “bio,” on my Outschool profile. You will find testimonials and reviews from a broad range of subjects and a broad range of learners over a broad range of time.
And, as we know, most everyone can be found on the Internet: websites, YouTube channels, podcasts, Instagram channels, Facebook pages, LinkedIn pages, and more. You might find lots of info about me and my work in education, and you might find testimonials I have received from a broad range of subjects across decades. For example:
1. ”I really did learn more than geometry and math taking classes with you. I learned to reason and use logic to start solving things in everyday life. It’s pretty useful at work when I use reasoning to find root causes, and to find and fix problems. You teach people how to THINK!” –Dylan T, ex-high school student
2. “Prior to working with Michael, I had very little hope of actually pursuing my dream to work in the aerospace industry as an engineer. Yet here I am, finishing an engineering degree at A&M this Fall and working at Bell Helicopter as an engineer. I wasn’t good at math. I didn’t like math (in fact, I avoided it). With Michael’s help, I came to understand the importance of not only mathematics, but also reason, rationality, and a constant pursuit of knowledge. His emphasis on critical thinking and questioning changes the fundamental way student’s think about and approach problems, regardless of the specific nature of the problem. In other words, don’t expect him to do your homework – expect to come out asking for seconds. You will take away a lot more than you ever expected, and it will stick with you for a long time. I honestly wish more teachers were like Michael – maybe they should take a lesson or two! I cannot recommend Michael enough for any student of any subject, this guy is simply the best.” –Drew T, ex-high school student
3. ”We have been clients of Michael Gold’s for almost 10 years and he was initially recommended by the math department head at a top independent school here in Houston. Both of my sons (seniors in college and high school) have benefited greatly from Michael’s commitment to assisting students with math and science. Their confidence and grades improved significantly and we highly recommend Gold Academy!” –Robin C
We can generalize, from these reviews/testimonials and more, where the positive thinking comes from. If we want more information, we could also look up and question the authors of the reviews.
Someone could also contact me to ask me questions — which, unfortunately, no one did in the entire two weeks of the “Summer Algebra 2 Review/Preview, Session 1” or in the entirety of August since.
My recommendation is to ask questions and do research.
II. “The teacher was organized.”
Thank you! 🙂
III. “However not a good explainer.” And “My daughter had to go on khan academy a lot to teach herself things he didn’t explain well. ‘ “ [sic]
We can start to assess my ability to explain, or lack thereof, by looking at and thinking about the reviews above, reading and thinking about other reviews, and researching the teacher’s views and accomplishments. One might also ask the teacher questions.
Again, my recommendation is to ask questions and do research.
IV. “At one point when my daughter asked him a question about how he new [sic] to manipulate an expression in a certain way, his response was, ‘ because I have a degree in math’. “ [sic]
Yes, I said that — and I also sometimes say “magic fairy dust,” “by sprinkling magic fairy dust on my head. Want to borrow some?,” “cause I know,” “I’m smart,” “by thinking.”
I have also been known, when someone asks me to move my head (so they can see something written on my whiteboard), to shake my head wildly about. They laugh.
When I’ve said “by thinking,” I sometimes hear parents laughing in the background, and saying “yeah! Think!” The parents know that we are offering advice and help to the child. We are caring, not disparaging.
Many people enjoy the jokes. They also know from experience that we will, again, inevitably, dig into an answer. We will go deep and broad.
My recommendation again is to ask questions and do research. The person who says something (the author of a quote) is often a good source of information on how to interpret the statement and on what they meant.
V. “He frequently veered off onto irrelevant tangents having nothing to do with math, expressing his personal beliefs on unrelated topics.”
We’d naturally wonder what “frequent” means and what these “topics” are.
Is “frequent” every 10 minutes? One hour of every 1.5 hour class?
And what constitutes a “personal belief” and a “tangent?” The eloquent reviews I’ve had suggest that what some might call “personal belief” and a “tangent,” expressed “frequently,” are deeply important and relevant to others.
For example, one person who I tutored privately from beginning of high school through some college, Rajiv — and hence who got years of my “opinions” and “tangents” — told me that
-while working on two degrees at Texas A&M University (one in Microbiology and one in Genetics, I think they were), he earned a 102 in Immunology, the highest grade that his professor had awarded in 20 years of teaching at Texas A&M University. (Note: I did not tutor him in Immunology. The impressive thing is that he did it on his own. My role in his achievement was to teach him, in years of private tutoring, how science is really done, not how some misconceive it, how to reason and use logic, and how to learn, study, and memorize.)
-he did so well at laboratory work that professors at TAMU vied for his assistance in their labs
-he earned a 100 in Kinesiology, in part because of the fitness I had taught him (how to squat, etc.)
-while in high school, he gave a presentation to three professional veterinarians, a required presentation in an animal science class, and, even as the vets disagreed with him, one even vociferously, was able to support his thesis, scientifically counter criticisms, and win all arguments (here I helped him indirectly, but not directly)
And, yeah, he knew explicitly and deeply that he got that from me, not from anyone else.
I love helping students like this. What a life we can help the young achieve. Amen.
To get the current 4.76 rating I have, I’d have had to have gotten 100+ 5/5 ratings. We can consider, again, the testimonials and reviews quoted above, and others out there on the Internet, as well as depths and breadths of information I have on blogs, podcasts, and websites.
Again, to repeat, I recommend people ask questions and do research.
As for what is related to math, what a mind does, and what education is about, we might consider:
1. “[Marva Collins] insisted on frequent reading and writing, through which children learn about their world and how what may seem separate matters when taught in subject silos, readily connect in thinking minds.”
–“Marva Collins” (5 May2022) by Graham Baldwin
Someone who said, in a lecture I listened to, that he saw, live and in person, Marva Collins at work teaching, and corroborated that she was a master of making connections. She’d always be having students connect math to history to physics to philosophy to ethics and so on.
Again, what some might call “personal belief” and a “tangent” are deeply important and relevant to others. Training in multidisciplinary thinking is, to some, not a failure but a standard of excellence.
2. ”But educators at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health assert that memorization alone does not a scientist make — above all, students must be critical, creative thinkers who are honest and responsible with data. In order to train scientists as critical thinkers, the R3 Graduate Science Initiative was recently created in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MMI), led by director Gundula Bosch, Ph.D.
“More recently, Bosch’s training as an educator showed her the importance of critical thinking, a skill she realized is rarely formally taught.”
—Revolutionizing with R3: A New Ph.D. Program Seeks To Train Scientists As Critical Thinkers
3. “These shortcomings, they say, may also contribute to some of the prominent problems in the biomedical sciences, including poor reproducibility and a rise in retractions.
“To address these issues, the researchers encourage science graduate programs to adopt interdisciplinary curricula that include philosophy and history.
…
For their part, Casadevall and Bosch write that science education reform should result in scientists who are:
-broadly interested, creative and self-directed, as were some scientists in the era of Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Linus Pauling
-versed in epistemology, sound research conduct and error analysis, according to the “3R” norms of good scientific practice—rigor, responsibility and reproducibility
-skilled in reasoning using mathematical, statistical and programming methods and able to tackle logical fallacies
…
-able to think innovatively and across disciplinary boundaries.
“ ‘This curriculum is designed to give students the think-outside-the-box skills to build bridges among the science disciplines and between science and philosophy,’ Bosch says.”
— Barbara Benham, “Biomedical science education needs a new philosophy, Johns Hopkins researchers say” (3 Jan 2018)
Again, what some might call “personal belief” and a “tangent” are deeply important and relevant to others. Training in multidisciplinary thinking is, to some, not a failure but a standard of excellence.
4. “Science students learned the facts of their specific field without understanding how science should work in order to draw true conclusions.”
–David Epstein, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
Book description: “David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.”
5. “Part of the problem, [Arturo Casadevall] argued, is that young scientists are rushed to specialize before they learn how to think. They end up unable to produce good work themselves and unequipped to spot bad or fraudulent work by their colleagues.”
— David Epstein, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
Again, training in multidisciplinary thinking is, to some, not a failure but a standard of excellence.
6. “I fully agree with you about the significance and educational value of methodology as well as history and philosophy of science. So many people today — and even professional scientists — seem to me like someone who has seen thousands of trees but has never seen a forest. A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This independence created by philosophical insight is — in my opinion — the mark of distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth.”
–Albert Einstein (Letter to Robert A. Thorton, Physics Professor at University of Puerto Rico (7 December 1944) [EA-674, Einstein Archive, Hebrew University, Jerusalem]. Thorton had written to Einstein on persuading colleagues of the importance of philosophy of science to scientists (empiricists) and science.)
7. “Few [scientists] are philosophers. Most are intellectual journeyman, exploring locally, hoping for a strike, living for the present.” –E.O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
Scientists — or teachers.
From the book description: “Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramatic links between fields. He explores the chemistry of the mind and the genetic bases of culture. He postulates the biological principles underlying works of art from cave-drawings to Lolita. Presenting the latest findings in prose of wonderful clarity and oratorical eloquence, and synthesizing it into a dazzling whole, Consilience is science in the path-clearing traditions of Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman.”
8. ”Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking. To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half truths, prejudices, and propaganda. At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths. To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr. (From MLK’s 1947 article “The Purpose of Education,” published in the Morehouse College campus newspaper The Maroon Tiger.)
VI. A recommendation
Again, to repeat, I recommend people ask questions and do research.
Here, from Daniel Dennett, are some standards of discussion and criticism we can strive to achieve:
“1. You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, ‘Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.’
2 You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
3. You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
4. Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.”
From “How to Argue With Kindness and Care: 4 Rules from Philosopher Daniel Dennett” (19 Jun 2019) by Josh Jones
We could ask things like “what do you mean by that?,” “what is the context?,” “what is your argument?,” “what are some common misunderstandings people make in regard to your position?,” etc.
As I say, having a degree in philosophy, I am all over epistemology, logic, explanation, concept-formation, theory-formation, the nature of induction, the history of science, the philosophy of science, education, the philosophy of education, the history of math, the philosophy of math, etc. Thinking through and elaborating on all this is what I do. (Well, some of what I do.) I have researched, studied, thought about, and lived it for decades.
Etymologically, “philosophy” means “a love of wisdom.” It, properly speaking, has wisdom, friendliness, caring, and a love of life in it. I concur.
Sincerely,
Michael Gold
B.S. Mathematics
B.A. Philosophy
MovNat Certified Level 2 Fitness Instructor
Texas Teacher Certificate, Secondary Mathematics
My “Title” on Outschool as of 3Sept2022
"A Logical, Holistic, Fun Approach to Learning, Living, and Understanding the World"
My “About Me” section on Outschool as of 3Sept2022.
I teach individual and group classes in math (arithmetic through calculus and statistics), physics, chemistry, nature study ("natural history"), SAT prep, ACT prep, grammar, writing, logic, thinking skills, and physical fitness.
Being a Scientist-Philosopher-Logician-Aesthete-Athlete Teacher and Fitness Trainer, I offer solid course content, but a lot more: concept understanding, thinking skills, logic, multi-disciplinary thinking, and practicality. About being "multidisciplinary" and "holistic," I both walk the walk and talk the talk.
To paraphrase the great writer Victor Hugo, if I was merely teaching to the test, I'd break my pencil and throw it away. Education is not about making test-taking drones. Education is about helping children become the best adults and the most powerful, practical, happy life-loving thinkers they can be.
"You made me enjoy learning again." --Jacob L, ex-high school student
I can help you excel in an academic subject, but at the same time teach you ideas and techniques you can use in your future work and all through life. I seek to have students grasp, as thoroughly as they individually can -- based on their age, interests and background -- a subject, its concepts, its methods, its background, and the lessons we learn from it all.
"I really did learn more than geometry and math taking classes with you. I learned to reason and use logic to start solving things in everyday life. It’s pretty useful at work when I use reasoning to find root causes, and to find and fix problems. You teach people how to THINK!" --Dylan T, ex-high school student
How I teach varies by class, subject, and student, but I generally use a combination of lecture, interactive discussion, Q&A, and in-class work.
My background and qualifications are a BS in Mathematics and BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin (with the equivalent of a minor in Physics), and a Texas Teacher Certificate in Secondary Mathematics from the University of Houston. For 10 years I taught in schools in Houston, then, to be able to focus on and teach rational methods, started working on my own, which I have been doing for the past few decades.
In April 2018, I became a Certified Level One MovNat Fitness Instructor; in May 2019, I became a Certified Level Two MovNat Fitness Instructor.
But my real qualifications are shown not from what I have done, but from what my students do and have done. Here are some examples:
"Prior to working with Michael, I had very little hope of actually pursuing my dream to work in the aerospace industry as an engineer. Yet here I am, finishing an engineering degree at A&M this Fall and working at Bell Helicopter as an engineer. With Michael's help, I came to understand the importance of not only mathematics, but also reason, rationality, and a constant pursuit of knowledge. I cannot recommend Michael enough for any student of any subject, this guy is simply the best." --Drew T, ex-high school student
"Exercising in the woods with Michael has benefited me more than any other type of workout that I have done with any trainer. I enjoy the natural movements and the unlimited variety of exercises that Michael routinely exhibits in the outdoors. Climbing trees, carrying logs and asymmetrical objects, learning to balance on uneven surfaces, and strengthening ligaments, rather than just muscles, are unique exercises Michael utilizes. He is more than just your typical trainer as he covers your overall well-being. I am a freshman on the LSU football team and can attest that Michael is an excellent strength coach.” --Carlton S, ex-high school student
“Michael introduced me to thinking about problems as a whole and inductively (a thought process which has helped in every form of learning). To this day, 7 years later, I still use this method to help me solve problems and learn, in work and in life, more effectively. I highly recommend Michael to anyone looking to improve their ability to problem-solve and appreciate learning.” --Joe S, ex-high school student
"I recommend to any parent that seriously cares about their child's educational well-being -- as well as their mental and physical health -- to get in touch with Michael Gold and get started with him right away! His holistic and hierarchical approach to learning and understanding the world is a must when helping your child prepare for their future. My three children study with Michael, and I couldn't be more pleased with their progress. He makes learning fun!" -- Melanie K, mother of three to whom I taught math and science
"We have been clients of Michael Gold's for almost 10 years and he was initially recommended by the math department head at a top independent school here in Houston. Both of my sons (seniors in college and high school) have benefited greatly from Michael's commitment to assisting students with math and science. Their confidence and grades improved significantly and we highly recommend Gold Academy!” —Robin C
I have helped students bring their letter grades up two or three letters, have helped students get A+s in math and science, have helped students get As on essays, have helped students bring ACT scores up 5-7 points and SAT scores up 200-300 or more points, and have helped students function better in athletics and in everyday life.
Interests and hobbies include science, the history of science, the philosophy of science, foraging and botany, wildlife tracking (for study) and zoology, posting pictures on iNaturalist, making nature videos to post on YouTube, biology, ecology, dogs, cats, horses, old movies, exercising, spending time in the outdoors, fitness training in the outdoors, cooking, eating, and sleeping.