Re: [MATHEDCC] Crossroads Workshops

Sandy Spears (SSPEA1@UKCC.UKY.EDU)
Thu, 01 May 97 18:50:21 EDT

I have to jump in here again lest my comments be misinterpreted. I do believe
in graphing calculators and I wholeheartedly agree with what Ed and Martha have
said. Part of the problem with this discussion was brought out by Ed when he sa
id that the goal of the standards includes using technology with a reformed
curriculum. When we discuss Intermediate Algebra we are not all talking about
the same course and so of course our responses are going to be different in
some respects just because our courses are different. I agree that learning
algorithms is not learning mathematics, in and of itself, but learning which
buttons to push (and even if you don't teach it this way, there are students
who will chose to learn it this way because they don't know how to learn it
any other way) is not learning mathematics either. As the standards say, we
need both and there is room for both. I also know that because a student goes
through a process one or two times does not necessarily mean he/she has ownersh

ip of the the idea behind it. Both require some repetition. Everything we
learn in life requires some repetition. Students will forget how to solve an
equation graphically just like they forget how to solve one with paper and
pencil. However, by doing both they get a better understanding of what the
solving is all about. And by doing some "real world" applications they will
get a better understanding of why they should learn this stuff in the first
place. Sorry for being long winded.

Sandy Spears
Coordinator, Mathematics Program
Jefferson Community College
109 E. Broadway
Louisville, KY 40202
584-0181, ext. 2269
sspea1@ukcc.uky.edu
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