Re: Other Foundations of Math secondary teachers?

Brian Harvey wrote:
> 
> mathteach@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 writes:
> >I am a new teacher.  I am teaching a class called Foundations of Math
> >for 9th graders who are not ready for algebra. [...] What do you do
with
> >students for this amount of time when there is no preset curriculum?
> 
> Consider teaching them algebra.
> 
> Elementary school math (arithmetic) depends mainly on two skills:
> (1) memorizing arbitrary stuff; (2) tolerating the arbitrariness of the
> arbitrary stuff.  [Yes, I know that once you understand a lot of math,
> both the number facts and the multi-digit algorithms become
non-arbitrary.
> But there isn't one kid in 20 who understands all that.]
> 
> Algebra is completely different.  There are *reasons* for things.  The
main
> skill is logical reasoning.  If you think your kids don't have that,
watch
> them playing computer games.
> 
> Teaching them arithmetic one more time (even if disguised as checkbook
> balancing, or whatever the latest "real application" fad is) will just
> give them one more chance to fail.
....

But if they don't know arithmetic yet, then they'll continue to fail at
everything else...

-- 
submissions: post to k12.ed.math or e-mail to k12math@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 e-mail to the k12.ed.math moderator: kem-moderator@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 website: http://www.thinkspot.net/k12math/
newsgroup charter: http://www.thinkspot.net/k12math/charter.html