Blanca Parra shared this Prezi with me, and I love it. It’s going into my collection of resources I can share with people about how we can change mathematics education. I wonder if we could get RSA animate or someone with similar skills to create a video related to this.
Alfonso Gonzalez says:
This is so refreshing! I’ve heard this math is linear argument for covering so many concepts in one year that if we take it off the table then maybe math teachers can feel less pressure about covering everything that will be on the test in one year.
What are your thoughts on coverage versus taking a few topics and letting students learn them in depth? I do like the idea of going off on tangents that students are interested in pursuing (pun kinda works here).
November 6, 2011 — 5:27 pm
David Wees says:
In an ideal world, the curriculum would be full of support for teachers to explore all over the place and when students are old enough to be able to decide what it is they want to do with their lives, then they can specialize.
So I’d say that we need much more freedom, at least at the high school level. I also wonder at teaching algebra to middle school students. Only a tiny percentage of those students go into careers that require algebra, but they all need mathematical thinking. I’d rather focus on mathematical thinking, using whatever content works. A committed student can learn enough algebra in a year that their future in the sciences and/or engineering is possible.
November 6, 2011 — 7:52 pm
Jim Noble says:
Thanks for sharing this – it was a great moment in my day, having just watched John Bennett’s TexManhattan talk which did not sit entirely well with me – although it has given me plenty to think about – this was deeply soothing! I am envious of being able to articulate this so well and so accessibly. I’ll be sharing and re-reading! cheers, Jim
November 15, 2011 — 4:08 am