GS Chandy
Posts:
4,437
From:
Hyderabad, Mumbai/Bangalore, India
Registered:
9/29/05
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Re: Please help me with the following question
Posted:
Feb 28, 2013 11:57 PM
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Responding to the first sentence of Professor Wayne Bishop's rejoinder to James Elander:
QUOTE
> Elander's response represents (one of) the problems
> associated with
> the New New Math focus on mathematics through
> applications rather
> than traditional (cookbook if you like) applications
> of mathematics
> having been developed (lots more of mixed variety are
> usually needed
> - - see Singapore or Saxon) with the emphasis on the
> general
> applicability of the mathematics having been
> presented.
UNQUOTE
(The whole of Wayne Bishop's post is pasted below my signature, for ready reference).
I do gather that Professor Bishop disapproves of James Elander's approach, but that's about it.
After having struggled with (and having failed to understand) that astounding first sentence quoted above, I decided it would be more profitable for me to try to re-read "Finnegan's Wake", by James Joyce, as representing something more readily accessible, and certainly more enjoyable. (I have not tried to read anything beyond that first sentence).
Suggestion: BEFORE we do any math (or criticisms of math approaches), we should try to learn to write clearly and understandably.
GSC
Wayne Bishop posted Feb 27, 2013 12:51 PM:
> Elander's response represents (one of) the problems
> associated with
> the New New Math focus on mathematics through
> applications rather
> than traditional (cookbook if you like) applications
> of mathematics
> having been developed (lots more of mixed variety are
> usually needed
> - - see Singapore or Saxon) with the emphasis on the
> general
> applicability of the mathematics having been
> presented. Often, they
> are ill-posed, a no-no in mathematics. In the real
> world,
> applications are usually such that at least 3/4 of
> the problem is
> getting enough communication out of those with the
> problem to
> formulate some kind of mathematical model that
> approximates being
> good enough but that is an inappropriate setting for
> the learning of
> mathematics. In fact, coming to such problems with a
> broad knowledge
> of mathematics (not necessarily deep; if one knows
> where to look,
> that part is not hard) is necessary to be a real
> world mathematics
> problem solver. Since school is a zero-sum game,
> learning the
> appropriate mathematics to be prepared to learn
> enough more
> mathematics to have that broad knowledge is essential
> for being a
> good real-world problem solver and there is not
> enough time to waste
> on the "real world" problems done there. Not nearly
> enough
> mathematics is known to address anything but the most
> mathematically
> trivial of problems; a common one is:
> "You have n-dollars to spend. Plan a
> . Plan a three-week trip to Europe."
> "Your group" is supposed to find routes, use the
> Internet to locate
> and price places to stay, not-to-miss restaurants,
> and the
> like. Lots of time wasted on 5th or 6th grade
> mathematics at the
> expense of moving forward competently. It is a time
> trade-off from
> which only students with exceptional mathematics
> potential will ever
> escape and even most of them never do.
>
> Wayne
>
> At 10:10 AM 2/25/2013, James Elander wrote:
> >Depends on how you define winners, could be 5 races
> and top three times
> >Yes to the assumption stated.
> >On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 7:46 PM, Richard Strausz
> ><Richard.Strausz@farmington.k12.mi.us> wrote:
> > >> There are 25 bicyclists and just 5 bicycles. Of
> all
> > >> these we need to find best 3 cyclists. How many
> races
> > >> should be held to determine top three winners
> and
> > >> why?
> > >> http://www.basiccalculator.org
> > >
> > > Do we assume that all the bicycles are
> equivalent?
> >
> >
> >
> >- --
> >Jim
> >
> >Jim has 5 new CDs on the market.
> > CD1:TGIF MATH (A 100+ activities to make a hectic
> math
> > period on days like prior to homecoming
> into an rewarding
> > learning day.)
> > CD2: EVERYDAY DECISION MAKING VIA GEOMETRY
> > ESSENTIALS (A Logical development of
> the essentials
> > of PL. & Solid Geometry and applying it
> to decision
> > making.)
> > CD3: EVERYDAY DECISION MAKING VIA MATHEMATICAL
> > BRIDGES FOR A BETTER FUTURE (Liberal Art
> > "bridges" emphasizing critical
> thinking.)
> > CD4: EVERYDAY DECISION MAKING FOR A BETTER
> > CAREER (Mathematical topics needed for
> skills and for
> > better decisions)
> > CD5: BASIC HIGH SCHOOL MATH REVIEW (Review for
> SAT,
> > ACT or other tests with Dec ision
> Making skills)
> > For more info:
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> http://sites.google.com/site/mathfordecisionmaking/
Message was edited by: GS Chandy
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