141–150 of 257 posts
I do every homework problem. I do variations of the homework problems. I spend at least 6 hours outside of our class time (3 hours) doing the math.
When we have tests the Instructor gives us problems that are not like the homework where she can see if we can evaluate and apply the concepts to things we haven't yet seen.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> tuning the students in to Khan Academy and suchlike programs I think parents have an enormous role to play in the effectiveness of K-12 education. If they are not very much involved (e.g., enforcing, participating, encouraging) then school isn't valued or prioritized, nor will the average student see how fun many subjects can be to learn (assuming the teacher may not be effective at this). > were taught math badly…
The average parent would almost never have time to teach a subject they know, how would they find time to teach something they don't know.
If the parent can get the child to explain it, that also helps. AKA rubber duck debugging.
The key to math education is practice. Even drilling, maybe. Other fields deal with concepts more or less mapped to the real world. Physics is about real world, more or less (right until you get to quants, then the level of abstraction rises dramatically). Same goes for biology, and even computer science in general. There, you can rely on words, which usually convey meaning. In math, you can't rely on words. You'll n…
I agree with your statements about needing to 'play with' mathematics to properly understand it. I don't think that's a good explanation for why Americans suck at it, though, because the same goes for software development and it's really hard to argue that you guys suck at software.
regions where math levels are higher due to parents pushing for it.
"proper" americans are great in design, marketing and sales. mix the two systems and you get SV.
One very interesting thought I read about: Modern math classes tend to be very applied. I.e. the primary objective is to get the student to be able to solve real world problems with math. (A farmer sells 3 potatoes for a dollar. How much do 8 potatoes cost?). There seems to be some indication however, that abstract math is more accessible to some children, especially if they aren't supported by parents during their h…
It's an interesting question when you consider that in at least two university mathematics department rankings[1][2], the US holds 7 of the top 10 global spots. One could argue that for whatever reason, many of the professors, researchers and postdocs at those schools learned math in other countries, but, if these lists are to be believed, the US does have the richest mathematics knowledge in the world. So two questi…
The best American student mathematicians are the equal of anywhere in the world. But when people talk about poor math performance in the US, they're talking about the average—average math performance is terrible. This is because the U.S., more than any other advanced country, tolerates a high level of poverty and economic inequality. This inequality is reproduced within the educational system, and brings down our averages.
The average is lower not because the U.S. has lower performance across the board, but because so many more students lack the most basic numeracy. Too many students are going to school hungry, come from families torn apart by joblessness, abuse, and addiction, or where the single breadwinner has to work 80 hours/week in order to achieve a higher level of poverty, and simply doesn't have time to help the kids with their school work or ensure they are disciplined students, much less ferry them to all sorts of enrichment activities.
The article is about experience with actual students, with ones who have a real knack for the subject and would learn it despite what any teacher did, and with ones who waver. There proves to be a better way, which the article describes in various ways, including as "sense-making."
One of the problems here is that everybody has a pre-formed opinion and does not seem to want to risk having to modify it with the evidence of experience.
The key to math education is practice. Even drilling, maybe. Other fields deal with concepts more or less mapped to the real world. Physics is about real world, more or less (right until you get to quants, then the level of abstraction rises dramatically). Same goes for biology, and even computer science in general. There, you can rely on words, which usually convey meaning. In math, you can't rely on words. You'll n…
> The key to math education is practice. Even drilling, maybe. Do you have any research to support that? Because from what I've seen we currently think that drilling does nothing to help with understanding, and that one of the problems people have with maths is applying the wrong technique to a problem because they don't understand the problem. > You'll never understand even relatively simple things like complex anal…
First kids need to be drilled to pick up the basics such as tables of multiplication, the understanding comes afterwards (for some). This is how maths has been taught for ages, but not so long ago common perception under teachers changed: people started thinking, wouldn't it be better to teach kids the ideas and the reasons why basic math rules work, even better, let them discover those rules them by themselves, and get rid of those mind numbing drills?
After a couple of decades, the common perception has switched again: the answer is 'no' [1]. To be able to grasp the ideas behind math rules, your brains have to get familiar with the basic concepts first. And that just takes time and practice. When those basic concepts are engraved in your brain, only then are you able to start playing with them and build higher abstractions.
Learning complex mathematics is not any different.
[1] http://educationbythenumbers.org/content/kumon-worksheet-sty...
The key to math education is practice. Even drilling, maybe. Other fields deal with concepts more or less mapped to the real world. Physics is about real world, more or less (right until you get to quants, then the level of abstraction rises dramatically). Same goes for biology, and even computer science in general. There, you can rely on words, which usually convey meaning. In math, you can't rely on words. You'll n…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The teachers were taught math badly I'm a college math professor, and I've talked to people who've taught the required "math for elementary ed majors" class. From everything I've heard, it's bleakly depressing. The students (i.e., the future teachers) show little aptitude, curiosity, or work ethic. They just want to be shown algorithms that will always lead them to the correct answer. I haven't taught such a course…
I went to a university that used to be a normal school. I am not sure the math ed. majors "showed little aptitude" ( they got better grades than I did ) nor curiosity, but they were quieter people.