|
|
Re: Test Preparation materials
Posted:
Apr 9, 1999 10:21 AM
|
|
Funny thing.
In the AP calc course I teach, I get a lot of students who have learned
Algebra, trig and geometry that way. They are cocky and have learned the
material in a rote manner and think algebra is a bunch of algorithms. come
to think of it, I get a few of those kinds of students in my high school
freshman class as well. Perhaps I should send them back to middle school so
they can do more arithmetic and this time really learn it well before they
ge tto me so I can teach them math the real way.
Reform is a funny thing.
>
> Jerry Uhl <juhl@NCSA.UIUC.EDU>
>wrote about Re: Test Preparation materials:
>
>:
>:It happens all too often.
>
>Sheila King
>And what reason do you have to believe that a high school course that
>was not part of the AP program would be any better? Or are you
>suggesting that high school students not take calculus at all?
>
>
>
>***********************************
>
>In some cases (maybe most) I would say, "yes" - it would have been
>better if they had not taken Calculus. From your discussion, it
>sounds like you help students to "think" about Calculus, and do not
>make robots out of them who can only do well on a test - I would
>love to inherit one of your students. However, I also receive the
>cocky AP student who has been programmed to do well on a test, and
>thinks that Calculus is a bunch of algorithms. They don't know *why*
>they are doing anything (and don't want to know why), and get upset
>when they have to really think about solving a different type of
>problem. I would rather that this student spent time in High School
>sharpening some of their algebra, trig., problem solving, and
>thinking skills, and came to me ready to start Calculus.
>
>As Jerry said, "The style of the course (exam prep) is the question."
>
>========================================
>
>Patrice Conrath
>Dept. of Mathematics
>Bethel College
>3900 Bethel Drive
>St. Paul, MN 55112
>
>(651) 638-6348
>e-mail: conrath@bethel.edu
>========================================
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>
>-HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE
>
> To UNSUBSCRIBE from the calc-reform mailing list,
> send mail to:
>
> majordomo@ams.org
>
> with the following in the message body:
>
> unsubscribe calc-reform your_email_address
>
>
>-Information on the subject line is disregarded.
>
>
John Benson (School) (Home)
Evanston Township High School 715 South Boulevard
Evanston Illinois 60204 Evanston IL 60202-2907
(847) 492-5848 Phone (847) 328-8019 Phone
(847) 492-3872 Fax (847) 328-8920 Fax
------------------------------------------------------------
-HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the calc-reform mailing list,
send mail to:
majordomo@ams.org
with the following in the message body:
unsubscribe calc-reform your_email_address
-Information on the subject line is disregarded.
|
|
