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RE: Calculus in 9th grade and such, was Re: Algebra Tiles
Posted:
Feb 9, 2002 6:47 PM
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Mea culpa, mea culpa.
I have unsuscribed.
Have a good day.
David
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mathedcc@mathforum.org
[mailto://owner-mathedcc@mathforum.org]On Behalf Of Lillie Crowley
Sent: 09 February 2002 18:12
To: mrobison@voyager.net
Cc: raypublk@san.rr.com; mathedcc@mathforum.com
Subject: Re: Calculus in 9th grade and such, was Re: Algebra Tiles
Mike's first point (the one about this being a community college mathematics list) is one that all readers herein should note. The list was conceived as a forum for discussion of matters that concern community college mathematics instruction; some seem to have lost sight of this. All the peripheral issues are interrelated and many are interesting. However, we at community colleges cannot be held responsible for what happens to students before they get to us; our job is to deal with what we've got, which in many cases means we deal with un-motivated, ill-prepared and "damaged", students. (Not all, mind you, but lots of them)
Lillie
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Robison <mrobison@voyager.net>
To: raypublk@san.rr.com
Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 11:14:15 -0500
Subject: Calculus in 9th grade and such, was Re: Algebra Tiles
RayM wrote:
> Anyway, I'm left with a sense that too much of the problem definition on
> this list is how to band aid situations that never should have come to be
> and far too little about how to change the system to do it right in the
> first place.
I can think of two valid reasons for that:
First, the focus of this list is teaching mathematics in community
colleges, not restructuring k-12 education in the United States. While
I have considerable interest in the second topic, it is not the main
purpose of the list, nor is it within any of our authority.
Second, while I strongly believe that the teacher and the curriculum are
important, no matter what teachers do, relatively few students are going
to be ready for study of calculus, as currently conceived, by 9th
grade. Even in the 1950's, that didn't happen, to say the least. Some
kids, apparently including yours, simply learn faster.
Tying the two points together, I would like to ask, as I do
periodically, that all of you, particularly in Community colleges, be
receptive to the highly capable and very young student who wants to be
in your class. Even remedial college classes tend to have a faster pace
than the k-12 presentation of the same material. Since the standard
k-12 presentation may be stifling for highly capable students, college
is an important option for some of them.
Mike
--
Mike Robison
MA, Teaching Mathematics, Secondary Mathematics Teacher
Ph.D. Candidate in Mathematics Education
Michigan State University mrobison@voyager.net
http://www.msu.edu/user/robiso12/Teacher.htm
"Expecting all children the same age to learn from the
same materials is like expecting all children the same
age to wear the same size clothing." M. Hunter
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Lillie R.F. Crowley, Ph.D.
138 Moloney Building
Lexington Community College
Lexington, KY 40506-0235
(859) 257-4872 x 4115
www.uky.edu/LCC/MATH/Crowley
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