I won't restate my position on ADA and all that here. HOWEVER, we have
to draw lines somewhere. College is an academic environment, dedicated
to intellectual processes. The whole idea that people who have
"reasoning deficits" still are entitled to a college education is
absurd. I would love to play professional baseball but I have have a
"eye-hand coordination deficit" that prevents me from doing so. Certain
areas of our society simply require that we possess a certain level of
ability in certain capacities, physical and/or cognitive, to be
successful. Everybody is ready and willing to accept this concept with
respect to physical abilities, but cannot accept this with respect to
cognitive abilities. Why not?
Chuck Lindsey, Ph.D. clindsey@fgcu.edu
Director of General Education
Program Leader, Mathematics
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Blvd South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565
Phone: (941) 590-7168 FAX: (941) 590-7200
http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/clindsey
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laura Bracken [SMTP:bracken@LCSC.EDU]
> Sent: Sunday, October 04, 1998 11:33 PM
> To: mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
> Subject: Re: [MATHEDCC] Re: AA without Math Requirement
>
> I disagree with those that think math anxiety is something that can be
> erased by some mental resolution to get over it. I have seen students
> with
> math anxiety so profound that I would equate it to other anxiety
> disorders
> that we generally treat with more respect -- fear of flying, etc. I
> have my
> students write frequently in my developmental classes about various
> topics
> including their past math experiences. It is amazing that some of them
> have
> the guts to show their faces in a math classroom again after the shame
> and
> abuse they have been put through. If the student is capable of doing
> the
> mathematics but is handicapped by anxiety about failing, then we can
> help
> provide settings and experiences that gradually build student
> confidence.
> Of particular importance is careful placement. It does these students
> no
> good to start them in a class which they are marginally prepared for.
> Instead, they should begin in a class in which they have some
> competence,
> usually a foundations/arithmetic review course, and encourage them.
> Yes, it
> takes a long time to graduate this way but it may be the only way.
>
> Learning disabled students are by definition are students who we
> believe
> have the intellectual power to learn mathematics, put in the effort to
> do
> so, have the appropriate background and study skills, and still fail.
> Their
> achievement does not match their apparent aptitude. Testing can
> reveal
> deficits in receiving information or processing information (but, in
> my
> state, the cost must be born by the student unless it was done in
> their
> pre-college education). Once documented as LD, my understanding is our
> institutions are obligated by ADA to provide appropriate interventions
> to
> help these students learn. Straightforward interventions include
> allowing
> extra time on tests, allowing students to listen to music during an
> exam,
> teaching multi-modally, encouraging students to take notes for each
> other
> (photocopy or use pressure sensitive paper) so that those students who
> simply cannot listen and take notes can still learn, distinguishing
> directions from problems on tests with different colors/type faces,
> and so
> on.
>
> The most difficult scenario, in my opinion, involves those students
> who
> have memory deficits (learning a multi-step algorithm is difficult if
> not
> impossible) or reasoning deficits, particularly when abstract symbols
> are
> involved. We have a provision where our core math requirement can be
> met
> with a formal Logic course. This doesn't help a student with reasoning
> deficits much but it is difficult to conceive of such a student making
> it
> through the rest of the college curriculum anyway. I had a student
> this
> semester who had a stroke six years ago. She could add fractions
> perfectly
> one week and be starting over the next week. We know the cause of her
> disability which seems to make it more legitimate. Other students
> experience the same thing but can't point to a stroke as the cause.
>
> We all have students who are whiners and who test our patience. We
> start to
> think that anyone student who claims math anxiety or disability just
> needs
> to change their attitude. I think it is a bit more complicated than
> that
> for many students in this situation.
>
> --Laura
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Laura Bracken bracken@lcsc.edu
>
> Division of Natural Science and Mathematics Office:
> 208-799-2484
> Lewis-Clark State College Fax:
> 208-799-2064
> 500 8th Avenue
> Lewiston, ID 83501
> _____________________________________________________________________
>
>
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