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Re: Textbook Analysis
Posted:
Jun 25, 2009 5:52 PM
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> Michael, I'm with you on the textbook analysis. But
> there is no way we can get a formal proof on this
> one, I think everyone will agree to that.:)
>
> I propose that before we try to tackle the textbook
> that we first come up with a several sets of
> questions such that we agree that a test consisting
> of questions taken from these sets would constitute a
> solid algebra test. And that if a student passes this
> test that they have "very likely" been successful at
> learning algebra.
>
I know you'll think this irrelevant (at first) but in our
neck of the woods parents are banding together to make
acceptance of wood pulp textbooks an "opt in" process i.e.
the default is to get media in electronic format with
printing costs an end user expense.
Parents have the right to refuse complicity in tax funded
"corruption" (as they see it) i.e. might decline a "dead
tree" version of said Seattle math textbook on a per
household basis, perhaps with a credit to their in-school
account (a kind of in-kind scrip) for saving the school
district from having to order too many truck loads of
such dead weight.
The connection to math in particular is through geography
(geometry) and energy usage story problems. For example:
"If math teachers were smart, they wouldn't force us to
kill trees to learn their skills." (a proposition). The
fact that we *do* feel forced in that way doesn't mean
math teachers are stupid (doesn't follow). It could mean
a lot of other things, like the school districts were in
the pockets of dead tree publishers and "math teachers"
were actually more cowardly than stupid, didn't wanna
rock the boat (especially in a recession), were herd
animals by nature, so shouldn't be counted on to really
walk their talk (why their geometry was piss poor?).
In any case, I think any curriculum worth beans comes with
lots of DVDs worth of video clips, stuff you can't just
find on YouTube i.e. you've got that "saw it here first"
edge that any artist craves. Having a private sector big
into animation is what'll put PPS on the map as having a
better math curriculum than Seattle's I'm thinking.
We know in the real world that it's usually considered
best practice to consult a number of sources on any topic,
so this factory-style one size sits all only one textbook
per course approach, a holdover from Taylorism, other
conformist ideologies, flies in the face of our liberal
arts values.
Given the affordability of accessing multiple sources
in light of the electronic infrastructure we're
increasingly taking for granted, this "heads down,
blinders on" approach, of grinding your face into a
single tome for an entire semester, is really bad role
modeling, not considered professional practice in perhaps
any discipline besides school teaching and Bible preaching
("make it easy for farmers, they don't really know
anything" was how that got started -- meaning teachers
to this day have little to no power over what they teach,
especially in mathematics -- a really dark ages mindset
(our DM track PR suggests brighter times are near, light
at the end of the tunnel (cite OS Bridge slides **))).
> I think this is necessary before looking at the
> books. I have a question about calculators, but this
> will be an algebra 2 test and this test will contain
> enough questions, undoable by a calculator (i.e.
> symbolic) that if the kid is able to use the damn
> thing on it, they probably know a bit more algebra
> than we were targeting.
Warning sign: use of a calculator instead of a computer.
I doubt Seattle will settle for such an approach for
much longer, given the proximity of Microsoft, other
high tech Chambers of Commerce. Using high school math
as a dumping ground for calculators has really gone on
for too long, deprived an entire generation of marketable
skills they could have been getting, career paths they
could have been choosing. Enough is enough.
>
> How about something like that?
>
As I mentioned to my OS Bridge group, many of these
reforms will occur on the Pacific Rim (e.g. Seattle)
before they penetrate to the rest of the Lower48. The
east coast lags by several years, and Californians aren't
nearly as bright as Oregonians, but might catch up one
of these days, we shall see. In the meantime, I expect
more from Canada. Our Python in Education initiative
is headquartered there, in one of the greenest campuses
(energy-wise), which is why we think we're walking the
talk.
And yes, lots of paper pulp books on Python out there,
I don't deny it. I'm not being hypocritical in saying
I'm OK with the printed book industry. I just don't like
to see it perverted by selfish minorities who don't really
know enough to break out of their routines. We need to
help them with reality checks, given them some feedback.
That's why I'm supportive of parents telling junior to
refuse these BDTs (big dummy textbooks). That's not what
we want our taxes going for in mass quantities, no ifs
ands or buts. We have more pride in ourselves, in our
way of life, than to want to give in to bad habits from
the past (smoking cigs and killing trees unnecessarily
go together in a lot of ways).
Kirby
** http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/06/show-time.html
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