Haim
Posts:
8,453
Registered:
12/6/04
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Re: MIT Math Diagnostic for Physics Placement
Posted:
Oct 23, 2012 6:13 PM
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Robert Hansen Posted: Oct 23, 2012 6:48 AM
>As a researcher, I would survey a random sample of 100
>students at MIT (or Caltech) and determine what their
>preparation in mathematics actually was. This would
>include the schools they went to, the classes they
>attended, the textbooks that were used and the exams
>that were taken. I would also retest this sample of
>students in arithmetic, It is pretty obvious at this
>point that mathematics has become superficial in most
>U.S. schools, not just in high school, but all the way
>back to elementary school. Real and developmentally
>appropriate skills like adding and multiplying are being
>replaced by pretend skills, like estimating and solving.
>All in the name of algebra. Yet the performance by
>students (as a whole) in algebra is virtually
>unmeasurable. Too low to distinguish from noise. The
>performance in arithmetic is at least measurable, but
>very low.
To what end? All this stuff has been done.
"Mathematically Correct"
http://mathematicallycorrect.com/programs.htm
began as a reaction to "rain forrest math" and they, like HOLD and NYCHOLD
http://www.nychold.com/
extensively reviewed textbooks, curricula, and tests. NYCHOLD documented the sad and dramatic degradation of the once excellent NY State Regents Exams. One could go on and on and on and...
We know there is no "there" there. We know we have a system of public education in which teachers are required to teach mathematics but they are not required to know mathematics. At this point, Bob, your desire to do yet another study is no longer constructive. Rather, it only lets the Education Mafia off the hook. The Titanic is sinking fast, and you want to assemble a panel of experts to examine the problem.
Bob, if you want to be part of the solution, the study part is over. We know all we need to know about the sorry state of American public education and who are responsible. It is time to start talking about how we get the jack boot of the Education Mafia off the throats of American school children.
Haim
No representation without taxation.
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