<p>Warning: this is not based on a scientific analysis and I take no credit of authorship. </p>
<p>Teaching Math In 1950
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit? </p>
<p>Teaching Math In 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit? </p>
<p>Teaching Math In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit? </p>
<p>Teaching Math In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment:
Underline the number 20. </p>
<p>Teaching Math In 1990
By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the
logger makes $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down the trees. (There are no wrong answers.) </p>
<p>Teaching Math In 2005
El hachero vende un camion de madera por $100. El costo de fabricacion es.............</p>
<p>LOL. A couple of my kids went through a math curriculum similar to the 1990 example for a couple of years in elementary school. One problem a week, which they illustrated. And wrote a paragraph about. And the writing was more important then whether or not the answer was correct. </p>
<p>But the funny thing is they are both very good at math. I believe it is in spite of, not because of their elementary school curriculum, though. The boy child I put in Kumon for a few months, because I thought it might help. He did not do well, never got past a really basic level because he never got 100% accuracy, so gave up on that. Never did figure out how to help him (didn't know about college confidential then, or maybe it did not exist yet). Let him do his own thing, read the "Cartoonists guide to physics" and things like that. He finally got what he needed in high school.</p>
<p>The reason the chasm grows larger is precisely the opposite of the joke. Texas' version of NCLB has meant nothing but drill and kill, and has now been that way for almost 7 years.</p>
<p>Ms Tee: *
But the funny thing is they are both very good at math. I believe it is in spite of, not because of their elementary school curriculum, though. ... Let him do his own thing, read the "Cartoonists guide to physics" and things like that. He finally got what he needed in high school.*</p>
<p>I've heard this kind of experience a surprising number of times. Some kids have a natural interest in the subject and have a wonderful time learning math in an outside-the-box kind of way (Martin Gardner's recreational math books, Raymond Smullyan's mathematical logic puzzles, the Cartoon Guides to physics and statistics, etc.)</p>
<p>There is a school of thought that believes that formal math instruction is actually counterproductive.</p>
<p>The following article recounts a classic experiment undertaken in the 1930s by a school superintendent who wanted to test this hypothesis.</p>
<p>Yeah, I kind of wonder if they benefitted from being left alone, and not being turned off by the drills, which they got very little of pre-middle school. Out of the five kids, those two enjoy math the most (though the girl child says she does not like math, just mathletes and logic problems, LOL), and have the highest test scores. 'Course, it is a little early to tell with the 6 year old. But she gets work sheets for homework, probably because of the "standards based curriculum" and it is a chore to get her to do them. I can't really say it is a better approach for her. The danger of being turned off is high . . .</p>
<p>I've seen the TAKS (texas assesment of Knowledge and Skills) and it is not basic. The elementary math is complex and multi-step - problems often involve estimating, rounding, and more than one step of computation. No easy-peasy stuff. That said, we drill and kill to PASS the test. (just finished up a major chunk of testing today with 3rd-grade reading) I think last year's TAK test may be available online, if anyone is interested in googling it and trying themselves. I know parents at our school are always amazed at how difficult the test is!</p>
<p>My third grader was so nervous about this TAKS test. The schools here put a great deal of emphasis on these tests and the kids definitely feel the pressure to do well.</p>
<p>When I picked her up today and asked about her day she said the test seemed very easy, she finished quickly, made herself look over her answers and then still had lots of time to wait until time was up. So does this mean that the test is easy or they are teaching all the TAKS material very thoroughly, or that she's overconfident? I don't know. Maybe I'll find out when we get the results.</p>
<p>Is teaching for the test bad? Maybe. But it seems that by studying for this test they are learning a lot of the basic stuff they need to know anyway. Okay, flame on.</p>
<p>Ah Xiggi, I feel you must know the folks in our local ISD that set up the middle school math curriculum. It was supposed to make TAKS a snap. It didn't work. Their scores were the worst in the district. Problem is with their method, you can't work a problem backwards to proof your answer. You always get a different answer. Needless to say, when D got to hs, the teacher told them to forget everything they learned in their pre-ap Algebra I class because it was wrong. She's now in regulars, learning what she didn't in middle school and honestly has learned more in the two six weeks since we moved her out than she did in over three years. They'll learn the stupid TAKS test and nothing else if it kills us all. Every child left behind. Not to mention how the non-stop benchmarking has cut severely into instruction time in AP classes.</p>