Re: Elementary school teachers

Randal D. Anderson (rda@DANA.UCC.NAU.EDU)
Mon, 3 Feb 1997 22:16:17 -0700

Well said, Wayne. In general, I too have found that students are willing to
do those things in order to pass the course. Most of the students generally
want to understand the material, but because of past experiences with the
way the material was presented to them, they lack the enthusiasm we all share.

I hope things are going well for you, Wayne. Things here are great!

Randy Anderson
Northern Arizona University
rda@dana.ucc.nau.edu

>As long as the overwhelming majority of American mathematics education
>consists of teaching "how to" instead of understanding, it is not going to
>matter at all whether we teach students how to factor trinomials on paper
>or on a calculator or computer. It also won't matter whether we teach them
>how to factor trinomials or how to gather data and put it into a graphing
>calculator or how to approximate the real roots of a polynomial by looking
>at the graph.
>
>In an attempt to end(hooray) on a slightly more positive note, it has been
>my experience that students are, in general, perfectly willing and able to
>learn to understand, communicate, and apply the concepts of mathematics if
>it is made clear to them that in order to pass the course they must do
>those things. This does of course imply that the teacher can no longer get
>by with just working examples and homework problems in class. It is my
>fervent hope that that won't bother many of the math teachers. Sorry this
>was so long.
>
>
>Wayne F. Mackey
>SCEN #301
>University of Arkansas
>(501) 575-7661
>wmackey@comp.uark.edu
>