<p>I have seen more than one article in the Exonian about how some students are frustrated with the way Math is taught at Exeter. There are no Math textbooks for guidance or reference. Students are only given a workbook full of problems which they are to solve throughout the entire term.</p>
<p>Has anyone else experienced this frustration at Exeter? How is Math taught at other BS?</p>
<p>I was at parents’ weekend recently at Exeter. Impressive school. Having said so, I think the way they teach math (and probably science) is crazy. No textbooks. Just working through problems. It seems to me that many students are frustrated. It is the teacher’s job to teach. It is not the student’s job to teach. Perhaps this runs counter to the Harkness table. Other schools use the Harkness method, but not for science and certainly not for math. It is clear that Exeter will not change. It is all about the Harkness method. IMHO Harkness is great in some settings and bad in other settings.</p>
<p>The kids we know who are freshmen at Exeter are not frustrated with the math. Like our child these kids were two years ahead in math at their previous school, but were bounced to ‘beginner’ math to learn the ‘Exeter’ way. Apparently this is normal. Deerfield seems to teach frosh physics the same way, working through problem sheets with a partner or partners.
As a science guy, I was a little skeptical of the approach until we observed them in action. We sat through an entire class during parents weekend. Then, during the parent / teacher conference it was explained why they do things in this manner.
Essentially, it’s trying to build skills that go beyond what can be learned from a textbook.</p>
<p>This is perhaps best answered by an Exeter student, but I’ll give it a try anyway . . .</p>
<p>For “guidance or reference,” try a teacher or a fellow student.</p>
<p>If you really want a book so that you can look up the formula you need for solving a problem, then you’ll find Exeter math challenging at first . . . Until you learn how to figure out the formula for yourself. At which point you’ll never need to look it up again.</p>
<p>There’s definitely a period of adjustment. But the end result is probably worth it.</p>
<p>Don’t want to go through that, then don’t go to Exeter. Just about any other school you might be looking at will teach math the “normal” way.</p>
<p>Considering the way that mathematics education in the U.S. is consistently berated in the news, I can’t help but think that a radically different way of teaching math might be frustrating and crazy and…a great thing, in the end, for my kid anyway, who is decidedly not math-inclined, but gradually growing in confidence in a way I haven’t seen before. </p>
<p>The nice thing about Exeter is that kids learn quickly to turn to one another for help. My son has gotten lots of direct instruction from the “math geniuses” in his dorm when he needs it. </p>
<p>[Phillips</a> Exeter Academy | Lion’s Eye Favorite: A Passion for Math](<a href=“http://www.exeter.edu/news_events_10538.aspx]Phillips”>http://www.exeter.edu/news_events_10538.aspx)</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen so far, the emphasis at Exeter is on understanding the logical underpinnings of math problems rather than simply memorizing formulas, etc. I guess it must work because Exeter-led teams do extremely well in international math Olympiads. For kids coming from “traditional” public school math - whether accelerated or not, there is an adjustment period which might be as long as one term.</p>
<p>There is more to it. My kid and the immediate circle (preps) are tackling fairly advanced problems with basic means. I’ve tried solving some of their problems and my first tendency was to plug in advanced formulas. I was elated and even a little embarrassed by how much simpler, elegant and ultimately more insightful the kids’ solutions were. Thumbs up!</p>
<p>Science is a little different. Connection between the experimental and the theoretical is stressed; data collected in lab is graphed and then used as a starting point to answer all kinds of questions as part of homework. There is a book, but it’s there to help this process rather than to drive it.</p>
<p>Is Exeter the only BS that teaches math this way?</p>
<p>See [this</a> thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/492744-schools-use-harkness-method.html]this”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/492744-schools-use-harkness-method.html) for more info on which schools use the Harkness method.</p>
<p>But be aware of the general tendency to confuse the use of an oval table with actual school-wide implementation of the Harkness method. Use of the Harkness method means more than merely discussing things around an oval table. It means putting significant responsibility on the students’ shoulders to take the initiative - both in learning the material and in leading classroom discussions.</p>
<p>The only school other than Exeter that I’m aware of that implemented the Harkness method in all classes - regardless of subject matter - was the Memphis Jewish High School in the town of the same name. Unfortunately, this school closed at the end of last year.</p>
<p>It all sounds great. I am a little uncertain though abut how students who are not “math/science type” are doing with this approach. Regardless what level math one is placed in, the method itself takes a great deal of effort and puts pressure on the individual. There is no option for an “ordinary” math track.</p>
<p>Goodness, I would think - from my experience with my own kids - that the ones who are not “math/science types” would do much better! </p>
<p>My math/science kids really like rules. Give them a rule, they’ll follow it. To the letter. Without rules, they’re lost. My artsy kid can’t make heads or tails of a world like that and would much rather make up the rules herself as she goes along. She’d probably thrive in an Exeter math class!</p>
<p>I’m not sure that Exeter’s Harkness math really puts any more pressure on an individual than “conventional” math at other top-rated prep schools. Starting out, I suppose there is some new pressure simply because the teaching/learning style is entirely new. But it’s entirely new for just about every Exeter kid, so it’s a shared and collaborative experience which can have some strongly positive and uplifting aspects too. From the small amount we’ve seen thus far, I think there might be some major advantages that go well beyond the math pedagogy itself. It seems to me that collaboration on logical thinking and collaboratively learning just how to frame a problem (i.e. prior to actually solving it) is a set of learned skills that might benefit these kids immensely in many endeavors later in life.</p>
<p>^^Good to know! When I expressed my doubt, I had no proof except I was guessing the “complaints” may come from those not that “into math”. Exeter has been teaching this way for these many years and established itself as a leader in math/science education, so it must be working! Who am I to cast doubt on its validity?</p>
<p>If math harkness way is such good to help kids, why no other bs will use this method ?
Some kids are just not good to solve a problem without giving a hint or been taught definition/theory/samples first.
Put this way, doing 12 math problems as homework before you learn the new sunject will be instroduced could be double/triple time that you learn the new subject from teacher first. Some time conventional way do give kids a systematic approach for each math subject. I am not saying “conventional” way is better than math harkness way. but I just think kids need to have extra efforts to “fit” into this reverse thinking. This probably just what Exeter want their students to have this skill. It actually a good thing.</p>
<p>However, This is also probably why CCers either love Exeter or hate it.</p>
<p>just my two cents.</p>
<p>Exeter math sort of frustrates me, and many other new students (especially those who are not freshmen) hate it. I am just glad that I have a few years of high school math under my belt. That way, I have the concepts and formulas under my belt, and when we have to form those concepts on our own in Exeter math, I have some clue what I’m aiming for. (Exeter’s math books have a tendency to give you like 50 problems leading up to a concept or formula or something before they actually tell you what the concept is. I don’t know if that is a good system or not because in “transition math”, I have so far just learned what I have already learned from a new approach.)</p>
<p>My advice for prospective Exeter students who are strong in math is to take a class from Art of Problem Solving, or at least to check out their books. That will teach them a problem-solving approach to math in a way that I think is more interesting and straight-forward than Exeter math. Also, make sure your child gets placed in the correct level of math if he/she gets into Exeter!</p>
<p>As a teacher of science and math. Exeter’s math is taught in a way that is strange to most parents but loved my most educators. </p>
<p>The reason that so few school use this method is that is the most difficult way to teach and you have to have committed, typically gifted, students involved for it to work. </p>
<p>I homeschooled my d and taught many of her courses that way. It creates an environment of higher order thinking skills. </p>
<p>My d is in physics at Deerfield and she was not happy, at first and complained, but now she is understanding and is during extremely well, and really loving physics on a much deeper level. She reads more about physics and talks to others about physics since she doesnt have a book.</p>
<p>If this method of instruction is not what you want or approve of then these schools are not the right place for your child.</p>
<p>My son is a first year lower at PEA and we have found the math program very accommodating. He was placed based on what he should have covered in his public school classes and quickly learned that he was not at that level. It was easy to move him to a different class and he earned a B in his first trimester. He says that it did take some getting used to but also finds it easier to discuss the problems with his peers until all understand the concept.</p>
<p>I’m an Exeter grad (not long ago), and I am NOT a math/science type. Initially, I personally didn’t like the way the math was taught at Exeter, but that was only because it was DIFFICULT. Eventually, I came to realize that this was a good thing, and that I was actually learning material much more deeply than I would have been by memorizing material by rote. Sure, it’s tough, but everything at Exeter is. You get used to it. I noticed that someone posted earlier on this thread that “it is [should be] the teachers job to teach,” but at Exeter, that’s almost false. At Exeter, it’s the teachers job to guide, and it is the job of every member of the class to solve problems together, to ask questions, to dig deeper and deeper until they find the answer. It works really well. If your son/daughter has any trouble with math/science at Exeter, the teachers are extremely accessible, and dorm life makes it easy to get help from peers. </p>
<p>One thing I feel that I should mention though, is that sometimes it’s difficult to judge what level of math a student should be placed in. For example, students coming in as new uppers should beware…if they were going to be in pre-calculus in the 11th grade at their high school, they probably won’t be during their first term at Exeter. A lot of the material is repeated. If a student wants to move ahead so that they make it to calculus by their senior year (as they would have done at their old high school), they are required do extra work over the break, proving to their teachers that they know the material already and can move ahead.</p>
<p>I am a student attending Exeter and yes, we do not use text books and no formulas are given to us. However, because we are forced to derive and solve these problems and formulas ourselves, we gain a in depth knowledge in math. We don’t just know how to solve it, we know how it works inside and out. The teaching system teaches elegance, understanding, and efficiency when solving problems.</p>
<p>For example. I was able to solve this problem in 10 seconds after Exeter math. This is math 2 which is the equivalent to geometry and algebra 2.</p>
<p>You have a 6 by 16 rectangle ABCD where AB and CD are 6, and AD and BC are 16. N is the midpoint of AB and M is the midpoint of BC. Where they intersect is P. What is the length of AP?</p>
<p>Looks a little tricky no? Many students will probably try to graph it and use distance formula. Works, but very inefficient. If you draw a diagonal from A to C, you will notice you have a right triangle. This means that P is actually the centroid of triangle ABC. Given that, we know AB is 6, BM is 8, and therefore, by pythagorium or plain right triangles, we know AM 10. Given properties of centroids, we know that AP = 2/3 AM, which is 20/3. </p>
<p>Elegence is one thing, but what about deriving the methods you use? Do you know how to prove that the centroid makes it so that AP = 2/3 AM? Or even the proof for the distance formula or pythagorium theorum?</p>
<p>Or if you are more advanced
Why is the limit as x->infinity of (1+1/x)^x = e and not 1? Can you prove that it has to be bigger than 2 using just algebra? (bionomial expansion with x = infinity will give the first two terms as 1 + 1)</p>
<p>Draw a sin graph and an arcsin graph in radians. Does your two graphs intersect with each other other than at the origin? What is the proof that they cannot interesct anywhere other than at the origin?</p>
<p>Like the wise saying, “You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or you can teach him how to fish and feed him for life.” Exeter teaches us how to “fish” in math! When we encounter new problems, we can solve it and we do it efficiently. Just knowing how to solve the problem or using the formula is not enough. We are taught to know it inside out and all its tricks and puzzles and understand exactly how each and every part works. </p>
<p>There is a reason why we sent 5 people to USAMO this year our of the 12 qualifers in the nation. The system teaches brilliantly.</p>
<p>XXR… my son, who just finished his prep (9th grade) year at Exeter, completely agrees with you and also estimated that probably well over 90% of his class grew to love Harkness math. He struggled with it for 5-6 weeks before becoming comfortable with it, partly due to having been placed something like half a level too high in his first term of math - but it was a rewarding struggle too. (He earned only a B- his first term but went on to earn straight A’s in his second and third term math.)</p>
<p>I don’t know whether the Harkness math pedagogy would work well for students that were not of the earnest, highly talented type that populates Exeter. And I have no reason to believe that the Harkness math pedagogy stands alone as the best of all math pedagogies. However, I do believe that there is particular value to employing Harkness uniformly throughout all of the subject areas at Exeter. Just my $0.02</p>
<p>By the way, Exeter math SAT average scores are almost always #1, so its Harkness math pedagogy must be doing something very right!</p>