Re: education

From: k wallace (wallace.k_at_comNOSPAMcast.net)
Date: 09/23/04 

Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 19:22:11 -0700

"Tron99" <drstrangeglove99@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:5751a31e.0409220846.47d98795@posting.google.com...
> (1) To become knowledgeable in mathematics areas one must spend a lot
> of time on one's own learning and thinking about math.
>
> (2) Sitting before a teacher being lectured at whether it is a math
> teacher or a history teacher is interferring with the alone time
> needed to learn the math.
>
> (3) What the math teacher presents is a small part of the total
> necessary to attain a deep understanding of the subject. The
> different math classes one takes at the same time are not unifying in
> the sense that the student solves the fundamental problems from a
> whole. Only personal research across several areas of math attains
> the whole view from which one can progress.
>
> (4) Different books and paper lectures as well as written guidance are
> sufficient for the beginning student to attain mathematical maturity.
>
> (5) Those books are not free in the sense that the public education
> provides for them. Access to libraries is limited for the majority of
> people. There are some online free material such as the online
> cornell that can provide some measure of guidance sufficient to attain
> mathematical maturity.
>
> (6) Math education is essential for understanding the quantitative
> nature of the world as opposed to a "special-case" intuitive
> understanding.
>
> (7) There comes a point where the education of english, literature,
> history, and the social sciences simply interfere with a genuine
> quantitative understanding of things. These classes do not teach the
> fundamental understanding of things. They are discordant with
> mathematical thinking as they are presented.
>
> (8) The internet exists as a medium for the placement of mathematical
> texts and for mathematical discussion such as this board.
>
> (9) The internet is the obvious choice for future education. Students
> come at different abilities and no teacher can cater to a set of
> students. The internet is the obvious choice to allow students to
> gain access to mathematical understanding at his/her pace.
>
> (10) The teacher is wasting his time by teaching students every day
> year after year. There are people who at their inspiration could
> provide video lectures or even one-to-one attention if the teacher is
> in the presence of someone. One can if required present the material
> that he/she knows at one time at their inspiration over video, where
> it can then be stored/rated/catalogued by the viewers. This solves
> the problem of poor teachers and it solves the problem of students who
> wish to learn and research math from books as opposed to daily
> coddling or tyrannical lecturing by teachers.
>
> (11) Applied subjects can be presented in the same manner. However,
> the applied subject is always the result of mathematical thought.
> Many times that applied subject is not complete, but a mathematical
> maturity is needed to progress in the applied subject.
>
> (12) The forces necessary to gain this in fruition are in my opinion
> going to happen naturally. The more efficient way generally always
> wins.
>
> (13) This type of obsession with the fundamentals and sharing of
> knowledge will lead to corporations and technical data to be more
> freely shared amongst people.
>
> (14) Obsession with mathematics is in my opinion natural and superior
> to any other endeavor. This obsession is what can make people truly
> gifted and lead them to be able to solve problems in the world.
>
> (15) Math research takes time like I said above, and the sooner this
> sort of thing is enacted the better for mankind.

two comments.
#1, Obsession with *anything* is unhealthy, even something as cool as math.
Concentration, fascination, ok. Obsession? Nah. Not using the clinical
definition of obsession, anyway.

#2, I don't think there is any substitute for a good teacher taking time to
answer a student's question and assisting with the learning process until
the student understands it. That can not be gotten from a book, and there
are times when ALL of us have questions. These forums are great, but I
certainly appreciate the good math teachers I've had over the years.
                                       -k wallace

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