Re: [MATHEDCC] Is it okay to....

Len T. Malinowski (malinolt@SNYFLCC.FINGERLAKES.EDU)
Tue, 3 Mar 1998 16:26:12 -0500 (EST)

I am questioning the assumption that students need algebra to take any
"general college course in math." When considering this are we talking
about mathematics majors? What about all the COMAP material and that
"For All Practical Purposes" textbook? How much algebra is needed to
tackle the material in that book? Formal algebra or logical thinking and
some concepts of algorithm? I get confused too easily on these issues.
So a majority of the students need to take formal algebra in order to use a
small portion of it when taking another mathematics course? Where
is teaching in the context of the problem? Maybe it is me, I teach discrete
mathematics and there are these crazy creatures that have made me believe
that mathematics is realizing patterns regardless of whether numbers are
involved or variables. Creating assumptions or conjectures about those
patterns and proving those conjectures or the contrary of those
conjectures. Bringing evidence from as many views as possible to help
me prove a conjecture right or wrong and when you think you are done
changing an aspect and seeing how it influences what I thought was
true. I am fully aware that logic and propositional calculus (including
quatntified)if trully understood by my college students would serve them
probably just as well as algebra. There would still be variables but not
of the arithmetic algebra type and we could still address domain but I am not sure if
range would have the same emphasis.

On a different note, imagine where all of us would be if we had to
demonstrate a proficiency of the English language before we would allow
anyone to use a computer or have access to the Internet. Why do we
restrict the use of calculators in high school? Okay, appropriate use
is probably more politically correct. While our high school students
will not use calculators in mathematics courses, they will be allowed to
use computer spreadsheets in their business courses and probably their
science courses at the high school level. About 25 years ago when
scientific calculators were becoming available, they were allowed to be
used in business and science course in New York State including the
REGENTS examinations but not in mathematics. I sometimes wonder if high
school students think their instructors are behind the times by one or
two generations? I would much prefer to teach the essence of
mathematics than the history of mathematics. To take a mathematics
course to prepare one to take another mathematics course and nothing
else seems very self-serving. It is contrary to the NCTM and AMATYC
standards. Let us do mathematics and encourage our students to
communicate what they are doing without placing too many restrictions
on the tools that are allowed.

Len

+=======================================================================+
| Len Malinowski Finger Lakes Community College |
| malinolt@snyflcc.fingerlakes.edu Canandaigua, New York |
+=======================================================================+

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