 |
 |
 |
|
Honoree's antics ease the pain of math
Students don't usually think of calculus as a fun subject, but Scott Malloy's students say he's a whiz at making math enjoyable.
Malloy, California's entry in the National Teacher of the Year competition for 2001, makes advanced placement math classes at Brea Olinda High School both educational and entertaining. He has been known to dress up as Dr. Evil (of Austin Powers films) to get their attention.
Malloy, who shaves his head, dons the collarless gray suit and carries around a stuffed animal, Mr. Bigglesworth, looks every bit the mad mathematical scientist as he tells his students to construct cylinders from paper and find volume formulas and functions.
"You're brilliant, you're gifted," says the Brea-Olinda Teachers Association member, occasionally chewing his pinkie in keeping with the Dr. Evil character. "Some of you juniors are really coming along. Ten weeks ago you were almost intolerable. Now, you're almost human."
Before the students get to work, he offers a real-life example on the importance of math, noting that the U.S. Post Office prohibits the combined girth and length of packages from exceeding 108 inches.
"I really like him because he challenges his students," says Sangeetha Reddy. "He makes it so that you want to learn instead of feeling like you have to learn." To show her appreciation for his efforts - and to earn some extra credit - Reddy baked him a pumpkin "pi pie" that demonstrated the radians of a circle.
 Scott Malloy, who will represent California in the National Teacher of the Year competition, listens as Amanda Calder and Elizabeth Ewing discuss a calculus problem
"I tried to use whipped cream, but that didn't work, so I put index cards in the pie to divide it up," explained Reddy. "I didn't think he'd eat the pie after all it went through, but he did and said it was very good."
"Mr. Malloy makes us laugh, but he makes us learn because he loves math so much," says Katheryn Ramsey. "He's so passionate about it that it helps motivate us to learn more about calculus. I'm glad, because otherwise it would be really boring."
"He's the best," chimes in Alex Liu. "He uses lots of different ways to teach us, which makes it easier for us to understand math. If we don't understand it one way, he makes us understand it another way."
Malloy, a 1987 UCLA graduate who majored in economics, began teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District 13 years ago. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I entered the teacher intern program on an emergency credential and got a crash course in teaching. I taught junior high and lived on aspirin for three years."
He found he preferred working with older students when he transferred to Banning High School in Wilmington. "It became my calling. I got higher-level math classes and started getting excited about it. My teaching came to life when a colleague encouraged me to follow my instincts and create new lessons."
Malloy, who is in the process of completing his master's degree in math at CSU-Northridge, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation grant and an Eisenhower grant for furthering mathematics, science and technology education. His students had the highest pass rates in the school for the AP College Board exams.
 Exhibiting his Dr. Evil mannerisms, complete with costume.
He acknowledges that math is one of the more challenging subjects to teach. "It's difficult, and many students have to go through pain and struggle to learn it. When I was in school, there was just pain and struggle without bright points. I try to make things different."
To engage his students, Malloy relates math to history and practical purpose. "I explain that the foundations of calculus weren't proven until the early 20th century, and that for 300 years calculus was on thin ice. I tell students they shouldn't feel bad if they struggle with it, since the greatest minds also struggled with it. I tell my students that no question is too dumb, and I never laugh or ridicule them. And I always give them exercises so they can put what they have learned to good use."
As for his alter ego, Dr. Evil, he says, "If I were up there like a tyrant, I wouldn't have the kids going along with me. They enjoy a funny parody of a power-mad math teacher."
Malloy, who has designed and implemented AP statistics and AP computer science classes at Brea-Older, also finds time one afternoon each week to teach elementary students chess as part of the district's after-school GATE program.
 |