Re: [MATHEDCC] Endless bad press

Ruth Collins (LV2FLY@nni.com)
Tue, 7 Oct 1997 17:05:40 -0400

Jodi,
I have rather strong feelings about this.... I'm not sure
why people say they are bad in English or history but fear
and dread math....my current thinking looks at the
(collectively) often rigid approach on math in the early
grades... kids love math in the early grades and that love
has almost been extinguished by third grade...... before
anyone over-reacts this is not another "any answer is right
person"... however, when I teach my "teachers-to-be" math
classes, their fear is measurable... some of these students
(yes, mostly female) are accomplished math students with
fine grades, but the fear is still there...
When I was in school there was a flexibility (for example
in geometry) that made class a challenge and fun both... we
worked on proofs and improved on our own proofs as well as
others proofs and discussed the reasons why one proof might
seem stronger than another, while still being longer...
shortest was often better but never the only answer.
Somewhre in the process, this whole thing was lost.... my
children had three different geometry teachers with books
that supplied half of the proof and you "filled in the
blanks".... teachers routinely mark answers wrong at the
local school when a student doesn't use the TEACHER"S
method, even though the student method is a valid
approach.... the standards from three, or is it four,
national math organizations address this problem but there
are so many other variables out there...

Just my thoughts.

************************************************************
********************************************************
..............Ruth Collins..................

Mathematics Department , Room 329
Delaware Technical and Community College
Wilmington, De 19801

(302) 571-5335

FAX: (302) 577-2548


----------
> From: jodi <jodi@PRIMENET.COM>
> To: Geoffrey Akst <akst@idt.net>
> Cc: mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
> Subject: Re: [MATHEDCC] Endless bad press
> Date: Monday, October 06, 1997 9:35 PM
>
> Geoff,
>
> I remember a few years back watching a commerical on tv
with a new doll
> that talked. One of the things the doll said was "I hate
math", or maybe
> it was algebra, I can't quite remember. I do know that
it infuriated me at
> the time! I think this goes back to the article that was
posted from the
> Boston Globe, about the mom that had told her child that
she was not very
> good at math. I would like to see something done, and I
try to get this
> across in my classes. I tell them "I understand that
people have math
> fears, I have experienced them myself, but we have to get
past them. Deal
> with it and go on. If we don't, then it can interfer
with our success in
> math class."
>
> What else can be done? I would like some suggestions if
anyone has some.
>
> Jodi Cotten
> Northern Arizona University
> Graduate Student
>
>
>
> > About half an hour ago, I innocently turned on the TV
waiting for
> >the 6 pm news. Something called _Full Hous_e was on
Channel 11 here in New
> >York -- apparently a teen sit-com. Around the
restaurant table, one guy
> >says: "Does anyone know anything about Advanced
Algebra?" A young woman
> >responds: "I know enough not to take it!" Laughter on
the sound track...
> >
> > If any of us had a nickel for every anti-math joke that
we hear in
> >society at large, our salaries might be more
respectable! What can we do
> >about this? How important is it to do something?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Geoffrey Akst
> >Mathematics Department
> >Manhattan Community College
> >199 Chambers Street
> >NY, NY 10007
> >(v) 212/346-8530, -8531, -8532
> >(f) 212/346-8550
> >(e) akst@idt.net
> >
> >
>
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>
> Jodi
> Galations 5:22
>
>
>
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