Comments on: The secret to being good at Science: Take more Math classes http://edutechation.com/2007/07/29/the-secret-to-being-good-at-science-take-more-math-classes/ Proper Technology for the Proper Education Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:01:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: <![CDATA[TeacherJay]]> http://edutechation.com/2007/07/29/the-secret-to-being-good-at-science-take-more-math-classes/comment-page-1/#comment-64 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:54:46 +0000 http://edutechation.com/?p=34#comment-64 Ray, I would teach the calculator as a tool just as I would any other shortcut method in math. It is not appropriate until the student has demonstrated an ability to do it on her/his own, but once that happens why shouldn't we use technology? I don't think we should plan for when "the power is out" - though my memories of Florida is that it happens quite often ;-) I'm a big fan of teaching the kids the concepts before even teaching them how to arrive at the answer. Most of the math students are taught is a shortcut, and they don't know why it works - like writing a zero in the ones place when multiplying by a two-digit number. We spent years helping them to grasp place value, and then it all gets negated by a shortcut. I once flabbergasted a statistics professor when I asked how to find a standard deviation... he showed me the formula. I asked him where the formula came from and he told me the book, with a puzzled look. He couldn't explain to me what the formula did and why it worked... he just told me to plug in the numbers. Courses like Conceptual Physics usually require math that a third grader could do, but the topics covered are difficult to grasp - it's not concerned with the exact answer, but rather how events are related - unfortunately for our students, that knowledge is difficult to assess and therefore makes it difficult to reduce our students to a single score that can be analyzed. My point: what good is it if a kid can plug numbers into a formula or follow a set of directions to calculate an answer, but gets flustered by real-world problems and can't apply the concepts correctly? He needs to understand the concepts - if he does, then why shouldn't he use a calculator?! Ray,
I would teach the calculator as a tool just as I would any other shortcut method in math. It is not appropriate until the student has demonstrated an ability to do it on her/his own, but once that happens why shouldn’t we use technology? I don’t think we should plan for when “the power is out” – though my memories of Florida is that it happens quite often Wink

I’m a big fan of teaching the kids the concepts before even teaching them how to arrive at the answer. Most of the math students are taught is a shortcut, and they don’t know why it works – like writing a zero in the ones place when multiplying by a two-digit number. We spent years helping them to grasp place value, and then it all gets negated by a shortcut. I once flabbergasted a statistics professor when I asked how to find a standard deviation… he showed me the formula. I asked him where the formula came from and he told me the book, with a puzzled look. He couldn’t explain to me what the formula did and why it worked… he just told me to plug in the numbers. Courses like Conceptual Physics usually require math that a third grader could do, but the topics covered are difficult to grasp – it’s not concerned with the exact answer, but rather how events are related – unfortunately for our students, that knowledge is difficult to assess and therefore makes it difficult to reduce our students to a single score that can be analyzed.

My point: what good is it if a kid can plug numbers into a formula or follow a set of directions to calculate an answer, but gets flustered by real-world problems and can’t apply the concepts correctly? He needs to understand the concepts – if he does, then why shouldn’t he use a calculator?!

]]> By: <![CDATA[Ray]]> http://edutechation.com/2007/07/29/the-secret-to-being-good-at-science-take-more-math-classes/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:59:53 +0000 http://edutechation.com/?p=34#comment-63 Jay, I don't think it's finding the correct answer that's important (except on the FCAT). As you say it's in problem solving skills, which is what math is all about. As for the technology, as a technology support person, I agree that we need to let the kids use the technology. But, they also need the old fashioned understanding to figure out the answer (our society depends on answers unfortunately). If we let them use a calculator, then they miss out on some of the problem solving skills that it takes to get to the end of a situation or problem. I believe they should use both their minds and technology or we will lose the ability to do it when "the power is out" and we have to do it on our own. Thanks for the thoughtful discussion... Ray Jay,

I don’t think it’s finding the correct answer that’s important (except on the FCAT). As you say it’s in problem solving skills, which is what math is all about.

As for the technology, as a technology support person, I agree that we need to let the kids use the technology. But, they also need the old fashioned understanding to figure out the answer (our society depends on answers unfortunately). If we let them use a calculator, then they miss out on some of the problem solving skills that it takes to get to the end of a situation or problem.

I believe they should use both their minds and technology or we will lose the ability to do it when “the power is out” and we have to do it on our own.

Thanks for the thoughtful discussion…

Ray

]]> By: <![CDATA[TeacherJay]]> http://edutechation.com/2007/07/29/the-secret-to-being-good-at-science-take-more-math-classes/comment-page-1/#comment-62 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:59:02 +0000 http://edutechation.com/?p=34#comment-62 Taking more courses in math may help performance in science courses, probably has more to do with the way that the subjects are taught - relying on basic problem solving skills. True, there are connections between the subjects and in order to solve many problems in physics you would need to know some calculus, but do we really need to be concerned with the exact answer? I am a fan of giving kids calculators and teaching them how to use graphing software, AFTER they demonstrate an understanding of the basics. My point is that the concepts BEHIND the science and the math is so much more important. With the rise in technology there is no need to solve complicated math problems by hand any more - we should be using the tools for what they were designed for and teaching our kids what the concepts are. Unfortunately, our society seems driven to get only the one correct answer, rather than see the connections between concepts. Taking more courses in math may help performance in science courses, probably has more to do with the way that the subjects are taught – relying on basic problem solving skills. True, there are connections between the subjects and in order to solve many problems in physics you would need to know some calculus, but do we really need to be concerned with the exact answer? I am a fan of giving kids calculators and teaching them how to use graphing software, AFTER they demonstrate an understanding of the basics.

My point is that the concepts BEHIND the science and the math is so much more important. With the rise in technology there is no need to solve complicated math problems by hand any more – we should be using the tools for what they were designed for and teaching our kids what the concepts are. Unfortunately, our society seems driven to get only the one correct answer, rather than see the connections between concepts.

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