>I completely understand the ambivalance many kids experience
>in their math classes, around this subject of relevance.
>This is NOT to make the claim that math is irrelevant to
>the real world. On the contrary, it is highly relevant.
>But the math curriculum as a hand-me-down from the early
>1900s is very much a waste of time in many many ways.
>I hesitate not at all in sharing this opinion with students
>(and teachers) and encourage them to spread the word.
>
>Kirby
>Curriculum writer
>Oregon Curriculum Network
>http://www.inetarena.com/~pdx4d/ocn/
Oh, I forgot to mention parents. I'm likewise very up front
with parents that a lot of what goes on in today's math class
is not indicative of what will be going on in tomorrow's.
Like, here's a recent email exchange with a parent, in
Schenectady, NY:
> I very much agree with the need for all students to question authority
>(respectfully) from the first day of school on up. What particular
>weaknesses, especially in math/science do you have in mind? I have an 8
>yr. old in public education, so I am definitely *very* interested in your
>reply!
>
Hey, thanks for asking Mary Ann!
Most specifically, I'm stressed that USA educators are so incredibly
slow to introduce basic manipulatives around spatial geometry, inter-
proportioned to provide easily graspable whole number volumes. The
polyhedra fit with sphere packing in a set of Montesorri-style "jobs"
or "demonstrations" -- all early grade implementable.
That's hard to visualized perhaps. If you have a graphical browser,
I point you to http://www.teleport.com/~pdx4d/intro.html
Also, you might want to check my memo to the National Council of
Mathematics Teachers:
http://www.teleport.com/~pdx4d/ncmtmemo.html
How this "Beyond Flatland" approach connects up with science is
spelled out in more detail at my Oregon Curriculum Network
website (http://www.inetarena.com/~pdx4d/ocn/).
On the science front, I'm unhappy how little attention has [been]
given to the scientific debunking of the "race" concept.
http://www.teleport.com/~pdx4d/terms.html#race
I have email exchanges going with lots of teachers and mathematicians
and get lots of reassurances that these innovations are slated to
appear "any day now" -- but I'm highly impatient, as this stuff
has been sitting around, essentially unused, since at least 1979
-- some parts since the 1940s!
Kirby
Curriculum writer
4D Solutions
http://www.teleport.com/~pdx4d/
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