Re: Prolems in Mathematics Education
- From: "porky_pig_jr@xxxxxxxxxxx" <porky_pig_jr@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:24:11 -0700
On Aug 28, 10:44 pm, Tim Norfolk <timsn...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
1. A significant number of freshmen come to us with high GPA's,
including in
mathematics courses, and claim to have taken a calculus course in high
school,
yet place into our Intermediate Algebra (basically an Algebra I
course), on
several measures, including ACT, SAT, COMPASS test, and our old
department
placement test.
Yes, this is like a chain reaction. First it's a school which says
that kids don't really need to know math (or give them the inflated
grades so they can graduate), so the colleges are on the receiving
end. Then it's a college which says that students don't really need to
know math, unless they are doing some engineering or like. What's
next? Students engineers who don't really need to know math? Yes, I
already saw something of that kind.
As far as school cirriculum, I would have it consolidated with the
emphasis on solid high-school algebra, geometry and trigonometry. With
that type of background, you can start the college right with Calculus
1. That was in my case, by the way. Pre-calculus is sort of a 'grey
area'. You can learn this staff as you go along learning Calculus. I
think in case of exceptionally bright students, they probably can
attend pre-calculus, so in college they start with something like
'Honor Calculus' or 'Calculus with Theory', like they have in few
schools (normally, using Apostol's Calculus as a textbook). Other than
that, the path 'Solid algebra, geometry, trigonometry in school ->
Calculus in College' is the most practical. It's a shame nowdays
colleges have to waste their time teaching the students what they were
supposed to learn in high school (and never did).
.
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