Subject: RE: 8th grade final
From: Wayne F. Mackey (wmackey@comp.uark.edu)
Date: Mon May 01 2000 - 18:46:15 EDT
Debra,
I think I know why students are low-effort. I think it is because they are
smart enough to figure out that all the way thru high school low effort was
plenty to keep them "progressing" at the same rate as some of their
classmates who were making huge efforts. If you made the effort to be there
in class and write down a lot on tests, you passed the course right along
with the rest of the class. So why try harder. When they get to college
and take the same courses they've had for several years before who could
blame them for doing exactly what has been successful all their lives -
nothing. Don't worry about getting them into the "right" entry level
course, they will behave the same way in any course. None of them (except
the hard science and math wannabes) have much background anyway so I think
they have just as good a chance of learning to study in a college algebra
course as they do in pre-algebra. And if they figure out that they have to
work hard, understand the concepts and be able to apply them they'll do
fine in any reasonable math course. Of course if they have to pick up a
minor in math before they get 3 hours of college math credit hardly any
will get thru that bramble patch. If you have a 60% success rate in each
course and lose 20% of successful students at each level, calculate the
probability that a given student starting at pre-algebra will eventually
succeed at a college algebra class. Good word problem but don't give it to
students, they'll all quit.
wayne
At 01:04 PM 5/1/00 -0400, you wrote:
>I think that the ideas communicated here probably have a lot of truth in
>them; however, since the "open door" is here to stay, I prefer to ponder
>different questions:
>
>Why are students "low-effort"? Is it because they have no experience or
>training or role model in being "high-effort"?
>
>How do we turn "low-effort" students into students who can meet
>"high-effort" standards?
>
>How do we get students into the right entry-level class, where they can be
>successful, but not bored or doomed from the beginning?
>
>
>Answering these questions will make an impact worth considering.
>
>Deb Poese
>Math, Montgomery College, Rockville
Wayne F. Mackey
Director, MRTC
University of Arkansas
ScEn #301
Fayetteville, AR 72701
wmackey@comp.uark.edu
(501) 582-3764
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