Re: Question about PhD math programs reworded

From: Van Jacques (calccurve-test23_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 07/22/04 

Date: 22 Jul 2004 02:16:20 -0700

William Elliot wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Jul 2004, Herman Rubin wrote:
>
> > It starts even earlier, and the faculties of the
> > universities seem unable to resist the educationist
> > monstrosity that you have to teach a course to what
> > the students want and still call it the same.
>
> Low and behold, the US monstrosity:
> high school kids who can't do fractions.
> I about fainted when tutoring an adult about polynomial fractions, to
> hear, upon my suggestion to work with them like fractions, that he
didn't
> know fractions.
>
> Oh yes, social promotion producing illerate kids.
> I was totally shocked, to hear how a kid could pass grade school and
not
> know how to read.
>
> > We no longer require a good "Euclid" course in high
> > school, and many cannot even get one, nor do we
> > expect those graduating high school to be able to
> > understand an argument by induction. There is very
> > little, if any, attempt to remedy this until the
> > third year of college, if then, and it even continues
> > to the end. Being able to manipulate in calculus,
> > including vector calculus, and linear algebra gives
> > no understanding of anything.
>
> Indeed, put learning back in education, get rid of education
theorists
> The lost of Euclid is a great grevious loss. Yet ne'er you fear, the
> prefontal lobotomy was necessary to make room for those know it all
> graphic calculators.
>
> As a tutor my temper tantrum mantum was:
> No, turn that $#@%@^$ machine off until you understand the math and
know
> what to do.

This reminds me of the use of calculators (and now I suppose they use
computers) in math classrooms. Thats fine if you are learning how
to use calculators and computers, but learning math involves more
than that.

I am not suggesting that students be required to do lots of
arithmetic, although a little arithmetic never hurt anyone.
I think there is value in learning to do arithmetic without
making mistakes, and checking your answers, etc.

Van

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