Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
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Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#2Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#3really odd piece:
- only perspective from kids is by way of a parent who claims she's happier than he has seen in ages. really, due to an intense math class?
- > The Math Academy has had some success using tutoring sessions three times a week to increase the number of sixth-graders admitted.
so, seems that it isn't raw pure latent talent, there is some amount of grooming here to get kids to place higher.
- no actual hypothesis or comments on the question the article title asks. strange.
my guess is it's a mix of really intelligent kids and parents who are motivated to play educational arms race type games: competitive nature is moving more and more forward in development (need to be above and beyond ASAP to better qualify for stuff later in life), and with parents with $$, it's possible.
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#4really odd piece: - only perspective from kids is by way of a parent who claims she's happier than he has seen in ages. really, due to an intense math class? - > The Math Academy has had some success using tutoring sessions three times a week to increase the number of sixth-graders admitted. so, seems that it isn't raw pure latent talent, there is some amount of grooming here to get kids to place higher. - no actual…
The parent is a good summary.
I'm also not sure what the point of training kids to do advanced math tests is, but it would be interesting to see what the results are, if any, over the next 5 or 6 years.
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#5Story can be read here:
https://outline.com/X6uzgf
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#6This is so misguided. The magic of math doesn’t happen when you are superficially going through more “advanced” topics. And they are definitely going through it superficially since only one score mentioned was a 5 (which is incredibly easy to get since it allows for almost 40% incorrect answers).
It’s way better to make sure the basics in geometry, algebra and Pre-calc are rock solid before taking a calculus course. This way you don’t memorize a bag of tricks, but can derive unique and creative approaches when you need to. Its more fun that way too.
Preferably these kids should be able to solve any USAMO problem under time pressure before going on to advanced subjects. It’s Cargo cult math otherwise.
https://artofproblemsolving.com/news/articles/avoid-the-calc...
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#7This reminds me of the movie "Stand and Deliver"
> The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout prone students to learn calculus.
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#8This is so misguided. The magic of math doesn’t happen when you are superficially going through more “advanced” topics. And they are definitely going through it superficially since only one score mentioned was a 5 (which is incredibly easy to get since it allows for almost 40% incorrect answers). It’s way better to make sure the basics in geometry, algebra and Pre-calc are rock solid before taking a calculus course.…
This view doesn't seem to be reflected in the article to me:
>This coming school year, 140 sixth- and seventh-graders at three Pasadena middle schools will be taking math courses usually given to 10th- and 11th-graders. Thirty-eight eighth-graders at two middle schools will enroll in Calculus BC, the more advanced of two AP calculus options.
And
>“Their scores don’t reflect the true extent of their mathematical knowledge and skill,”
That said, what is the need for "time pressure" in mathematics? There are plenty of unsolved equations out there:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in...
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#9I like this. For a while I’ve had the feeling that more “advanced mathematics” should be introduced at lower grade levels. I can also remember many of my teachers to be admittedly and somewhat proudly “bad at math.”
I also think that there should be softer mathematics courses taught. For example, something like “the history of mathematics” or “the mathematics of space” or something like that where the course content is more exploratory, assignments look more like essays or poster boards, etc.
I wonder if showing students calculus (in a light-hearted way) before they fully grok algebra or geometry might have an accelerating effect? I don’t know if this is a great analogy, but many find it easier/quicker to learn a framework/tool, not for the sake of learning, but because it’s standing between them and a goal.
Re: Why are so many 8th-graders taking AP Calculus at this[Pasadena]school district?
#10This is so misguided. The magic of math doesn’t happen when you are superficially going through more “advanced” topics. And they are definitely going through it superficially since only one score mentioned was a 5 (which is incredibly easy to get since it allows for almost 40% incorrect answers). It’s way better to make sure the basics in geometry, algebra and Pre-calc are rock solid before taking a calculus course.…
A 5 is a 20th percentile score; I'm not sure I'd quite term that "incredibly easy".