Re: Don't Call It "Algebra"; Call It Something Warm And Fuzzy

hrubin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Herman Rubin) wrote:
>In article <l7ak74pmuogf13ieglu6v1gksmvb92lrgc@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>Bob LeChevalier  <lojbab@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>hrubin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Herman Rubin) wrote:
>>>>Because this is what has been taught, and this is what a student is
expected 
>>>>to knwo.
>
>>>And this is NOT what should be taught.
>
>>That is what the state standards expect him to know.  If you don't
>>teach it, you get fired.
>
>We are having considerable discussion on the effect of
>this kind of state standard.  We cannot have good education
>if the educationists, who ONLY know memorization and routine,
>make up the tests.  

The public wants the tests, and furthermore, they want kids to learn
the mathematics (i.e. algorithmic arithmetic) that they learned as
kids.  And they seem likely to vote out of office anyone who tells
them "no".

>>The state test will ask the question, and you as the teacher will be
>>blamed if he cannot solve it in the required manner.
>
>I repeat what I have said above.  There even are may 
>teachers who complain about the students not learning
>what is im****tant because of teaching to the test.

Yep, and yet the tests aren't going away.  This should tell you
something.  We can hope that maybe NCLB goes away, which will reduce
SOME of the pressure of teaching to the test, but the tests themselves
are almost certainly here to stay, and indeed are likely to expand to
cover all grades and not just the ones under the federal mandate.

>This continues in college, and the colleges are not
>willing to back up their professors who would teach
>the more im****tant parts.

Which also should teach you something about social reality.  He who
pays the piper calls the tune.

>>It is, when the state tests ask questions about trivia.  Which they
>>do.
>
>How many times have I said that the only way the public
>schools can be improved is to have affordable private schools,
>however it is done?

It can't be done, without making them into public schools.

>>>>Further complicating the decision is a certaintity that just becaue he
could 
>>>>do the problem correctly ont he board yesterday does not mean he could
do it 
>>>>today.
>
>>>STOP concentrating on memorization and routine.  Minimize them.
>
>>Memorization and routine lead to automatization, which is required on
>>a timed test.
>
>You continue to stress the trivia.  You seem unable to tell
>the difference between education and training; memorization
>and routine is training. 

And "We the people" want the animals (children) to be trained into
useful and self-sup****ting members of society.  I suspect that this is
far more im****tant to most people than any idealized concept of
"education", which is why the system has evolved in the direction that
it has.

lojbab
Bob LeChevalier - artificial linguist; genealogist
lojbab@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
   Lojban language www.lojban.org