ഒരു കോടി പേജ് ഹിറ്റുകള്‍. കേരളത്തിന്റെ വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ മന്ത്രിയുടെ ആശംസ പോലെ തന്നെ വളരെ പെട്ടന്ന് മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗ് ആ നേട്ടത്തിലേക്കെത്തി. മലയാളം ബ്ലോഗ് ചരിത്രത്തിലെ നാഴികക്കല്ലെന്ന് വിശേഷിപ്പിക്കാവുന്ന ഈ അത്യപൂര്‍വ സന്ദര്‍ഭത്തില്‍ മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗ് കുടുംബം ഏറെ സന്തോഷിക്കുന്നു. മലയാളത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതല്‍ സന്ദര്‍ശകരുള്ള ബ്ലോഗുകളിലൊന്നാണ് നമ്മുടേത്. ദിനംപ്രതി ശരാശരി 30,000 സന്ദര്‍ശനങ്ങള്‍. ഈ നേട്ടത്തില്‍ മലയാളം ബ്ലോഗേഴ്സ് അടക്കം നമ്മുടെ സന്ദര്‍ശകര്‍ ഒന്നടങ്കം ഈ സന്തോഷിക്കുകയാണെന്നു ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കറിയാം. ഇന്ന് ജൂലായ് 31. മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗിന് തുടക്കമിട്ടത് 2009 ജനുവരി 31. കൃത്യം മൂന്നര വര്‍ഷങ്ങള്‍. വിവര വിനിമയ സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യ ഏറെ പുരോഗമിച്ചിട്ടും നമ്മുടെ അധ്യാപകര്‍ വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ മേഖലയിലെ വിവരങ്ങളറിയാതെ ഉഴറുന്നത് കണ്ടാണ് മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗ് ആരംഭിക്കുന്നത്. കേരളത്തിലെ അധ്യാപകരുടെ വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ സംബന്ധിയായ ചര്‍ച്ചകളാണ് ഇതിലൂടെ പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചത്. ആ സംരംഭം കേരളത്തിലെ അധ്യാപകരും കുട്ടികളും രക്ഷാകര്‍ത്താക്കളും കൈ നീട്ടി സ്വീകരിച്ചുവെന്ന് കാണുമ്പോള്‍ ഏറെ അഭിമാനവും അതിലുപരി സന്തോഷവും തോന്നുന്നു. അറിവിന്റെ കുത്തകവല്‍ക്കരണത്തിനെതിരെയുള്ള യാത്ര പാഠപുസ്തകങ്ങളില്‍ മാത്രമൊതുങ്ങുന്ന കാലഘട്ടത്തിലാണ് മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗ് രംഗത്തെത്തുന്നത്. ഏതറിവുകളും ചില വ്യക്തികളിലൂടെ മാത്രം എന്ന ചിന്താഗതിക്കെതിരായിരുന്നു മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗിന്റെ യാത്ര. അതിനു പിന്നില്‍ ആയിരങ്ങളും പതിനായിരങ്ങളും പ്രോത്സാഹനവുമായി ഒത്തു ചേര്‍ന്നതോടെ ആവേശം അലതല്ലി. ഈ അവസരത്തില്‍ ഒരുപാടു പേരെ ഓര്‍ക്കാനുണ്ട്. പക്ഷേ വിസ്താരഭയം നിമിത്തം അതിനു മുതിരുന്നില്ല. മാത്സ് ബ്ലോഗിനോട് സഹകരിച്ച എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും ഒരു കോടി പ്രണാമം. തുടര്‍ന്നും സഹകരണം പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നു. ഈ പോസ്റ്റിന്റെ കമന്റില്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നത് കേവലം ആശംസകള്‍ മാത്രമല്ല. എന്തായിരിക്കണം നമ്മുടെ ഭാവി പരിപാടികള്‍? 30000 നു മീതേയുള്ള പ്രതിദിന സന്ദര്‍ശനങ്ങള്‍ കൊണ്ട് സായൂജ്യമടയണോ..? ഇതോടൊപ്പം ബ്ലോഗിന്റെ ഒരു ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് വേര്‍ഷന്‍ എന്ന ആശയം എത്രത്തോളം നന്ന്? അതില്‍ സഹകരിക്കുവാന്‍ ആരൊക്കെയുണ്ട്? കമന്റ് ബോക്സുകള്‍ കൂടുതല്‍ സജീവമാക്കാന്‍ ഇപ്പോഴുള്ള തടസ്സങ്ങളെന്താണ്? ഈ ബ്ലോഗുമായി താങ്കള്‍ ആദ്യമായി ബന്ധപ്പെടുന്നതെങ്ങിനെ? ഈ ബ്ലോഗ് സന്തോഷവും സന്താപവും തന്നതെപ്പോള്‍?........കാത്തിരിക്കുന്നു, ഉറക്കമിളച്ച് ബ്ലോഗ് ടീം മൊത്തം!
So when Dave and I filmed the first episode, we actually filmed two. Given where the whole thing has gone, more episodes seem unlikely from us. (Unless we could do something meta with it...)
Of course, this also means whatever you disliked about the first one you will also dislike at least as much in this one. Audio quality, snark, the guy on the left...
Editing this it struck me that really Sal Khan is a tutor. He's like the strong student in the class that is willing to share with other students how he sees it. So his mathematical viewpoint is a bit procedural, and his understanding of the ideas comes across as a novice. A skilled novice, but without depth. It was his discussion of matrices that really sealed this for me. Undoubtedly there are a lot of teachers who see a matrix as just a table of numbers, but there is so much more. It may be a teaching decision to not share that 'much more' in an introduction, or it may be he's just sharing his viewpoint.
If this is your first exposure to MTT2K, there's still time to look away. If you don't, you might want to read Dave's two posts on how it came to be (one and two) or watch the first episode. I have a (first crack at a) storify with some of the brouhaha surrounding the first.
I'll just say here, I'm not against Khan Aademy, I'm not jealous, and I'm not against flipped classrooms. I am for quality materials, intentional teaching and learning, and open discussion of ideas. I do believe satire is an appropriate response to exaggerated publicity and overhype. If I could sing, I'd explore a Tom Lehrer style song on the matter. It's gratifying that the first episode started a big discussion, but at some level this is two guys goofing around to make a point about good use of resources.
In contrast to many places discussing Khan Academy, the comments are open. I'll ask you to be as civil as you can, though, please. Snark, satire and sarcasm are strictly permitted.
University of Utah mathematician Christopher Hacon has been named a Simons Foundation investigator for the inaugural year of a program aimed at supporting fundamental science.
The New York City-based charity, founded by philanthropists Jim and Marilyn Simons to advance research in mathematics and basic science, chose Hacon as one of 21 mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists — all hailing from world-class U.S. universities — for the honor. It comes with $1.3 million spread over the next five years.
"I plan to use these funds mainly to support graduate students, post-docs and visiting experts in algebraic geometry," Hacon said.
His research explores how polynomial equations can help scientists describe objects in multiple dimensions.
Hacon also is interested in "the minimal model program" or understanding higher dimensional surfaces.
THE Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the National Mathematical Center, NMC, has lined up activities to celebrate the study of mathematics as a subject by students.
This was disclosed by the Director-General, NMC, Mr Adewale Sholarin, who stated that government is resolved to demystify mathematics in secondary schools by making it more appealing to students.
"Mathematics is part of our daily lives and its knowledge helps in solving some of the deepest puzzles in life. Unfortunately, many students still have phobia for the subject which has brought about their dismal performance in public examinations.
Level of failure
"The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the NMC, had declared 2012 a Mathematical year because of the worrisome level of failure in the subject. Making 2012 a Mathematical year would not only popularize the subject among primary and secondary school students, but would go a long way in stressing that mathematics is the foundation of science and technology, and the pillar of development."
Sholarin listed the activities lined up to celebrate mathematics to include: tertiary institutions' competition designed to produce future mathematicians and scientists, and the best teams would represent Nigeria at the International Mathematics Competition.
This coming September the Carl H. Kumpf School in Clark will be implementing the new cutting edge Progressive Mathematics Initiative (PMI) as the vehicle to deliver the middle school mathematics program. The initiative was developed by New Jersey’s 2006 Teacher of the Year, Dr. Robert Goodman, and has realized a good deal of success in places it has been implemented. The program is technology based, and is taught from a Smartboard, with students collaborating on problems and communicating their responses through responders.
As part of the implementation of the program, Carl H. Kumpf School Principal Jennifer Feeley has been outfitting each of the rooms designated for progressive mathematics instruction with Smartboards and responders and arranging for all middle school mathematics teachers to receive three-day training on PMI.
In addition to the new Progressive Mathematics Initiative Program, Principal Feeley has implemented block scheduling where each student at Kumpf Middle School will receive 80 minutes of instruction each day in mathematics and language arts. Along with this, all three grades in the middle school will now be teamed, allowing for common teacher planning time and further creating the concept of a student-centered middle school.
The number-placement puzzle, Sudoku, consists of a 9 x 9 grid which must be filled using the digits 1 to 9.
However, there are several additional constraints. Each digit can only appear once in each column, once in each row and once in each of the nine 3 x 3 blocks that make up the grid. A Soduko solution grid is shown below. Players are given a number of digits from the solution to get the game started.
Today, Yue Wu at Tufts University in Medford and a couple of buddies use Sudoku to tackle a different problem--how to encrypt images before sending them.
These guys say that the special properties of Sudoku grids lead to an entirely new type of matrix mathematics that they've exploited to scramble images.
First, a little background about matrices. A matrix is simply a rectangular array of numbers. Each element in the array is uniquely identified by a grid reference--its column and row number.
But Wu and co say it is possible to identify elements in an array in other ways if you think of it as a Sudoku grid. In that case, each element contains a digit from 1 to 9 that satisfies the rules of Sudoku. In other words, in addition to the row and column, each element also has a digit.
Here is a new critique of the Khan Academy, the subject of a widely read post I published Monday about the hype and reality of the academy.You can find that post here. And you can find a response to that post from the founder of the Khan Academy, Sal Khan, by clicking here.
The following was written by Christopher Danielson and Michael Paul GHoldenberg. Danielson holds a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Michigan State University. He teaches math at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN. He maintains the blog “Overthinking My Teaching” and has written for Connected Mathematics. As of this writing, he has three badges and 11,041 energy points on Khan Academy. Goldenberg holds a master’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Michigan, as well as master’s degrees in English and psychological foundations of education from the University of Florida. He writes the blog “Rational Mathematics Education” and was a co-founder of the group Mathematically Sane. He currently coaches high school mathematics teachers in Detroit.
By Christopher Danielson and Michael Paul Goldenberg
Nearly everyone believes that K-12 mathematics education in the United States is in desperate need of improvement. One person whom many feel has built a definitively better math teaching mousetrap is Salman Khan, whose free on-line library of short instructional videos has had millions of hits (170,000,000 as of this writing) and drawn heaps of praise and capital from such luminaries as Bill Gates. Gates has called Khan, "the best teacher I've ever seen." But we contend that, rather than revolutionizing mathematics teaching and learning, Khan’s work adds a technological patina to a moribund notion of teaching and learning mathematics. What is more, his videos reveal an ignorance of how we know students learn mathematics.
So pervasive and fawning is the current media rhetoric surrounding Khan Academy that when Newsweek ran a cover story recently about the top 100 digital innovators, the question was not whether Sal Khan would be on the list, but whether revolutionary would be used to describe him. Sure enough Newsweek gushed, “Khan Academy offers an innovative portal that could revolutionize the American educational system.”
We have great respect for the stated goal of Khan Academy — “A free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” Yet, we have some serious concerns about the quality of the instruction providing this education. Indeed, if either of us were supervising Khan’s instruction, we would point to some concrete and important gaps in his practice.
What do you need to know to teach?
Our view is that content knowledge alone is inadequate for quality instruction. While knowing mathematics is of course necessary and contributes to making good decisions in a math lesson, it is not sufficient. Many mathematics educators stress another kind of knowledge necessary to design and deliver quality instruction: pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). PCK refers to knowledge of content as it relates to teaching.
Author Lynda Page’s “Caley’s Secret Garden” is a captivating tale that reveals how a little girl’s dislike for mathematics turns into a fun and exciting learning experience
Victoria, Australia (PRWEB) July 27, 2012
It is not surprising that many children hate mathematics. For many different reasons, they find it a dilemma they need to overcome in school. Like these kids, Caley also hates learning mathematics until she meets a new friend who needs her help—a kind of help that requires her ability to do mathematics. Will she learn to love mathematics to be able to help her new friend? Readers can find out in between the covers of author Lynda Page’s Caley’s Secret Garden.
This book follows the story of Caley who, like many children, hates Mathematics and refuses to do it in class. To make sure that Caley completes her work, Mrs. Grumble, her teacher, sends it home so that Caley’s mother Lisa can help. However, she really hates the subject even at home because she doesn’t find it important to her dream of becoming a movie star. When her mother leaves her alone in the room, she escapes to her secret garden where magical things happen. She makes friends with a talking frog, who teaches her a valuable lesson in life and changes her attitude toward learning Mathematics. How? The next thing that happens is quite a surprise.
Lynda has woven not only a delightful story that will entice children to read, but has created a medium to help children understand the importance of mathematics in their everyday life. Amusement, life lessons and inspiration are rolled into one motivational instrument in Caley’s Secret Garden.
Lynda Page grew up in Southwest Victoria, Australia, on a large dairy farm. She learned how to be a very good cook, which allowed her to escape milking cows. She and her two sisters all left school at the age of 15. They decided to start their own business from the farm and became quite successful clothing manufacturers in the early 1970s. She has designed and made many wedding gowns over the years. She now also has an online business where she makes to order jumpsuit pyjamas, or Onesie’s as they are called by many. Lynda’s husband Peter, children and grandchildren are the centre of her world and also her inspiration to write educational, fun books that teach life’s morals.
Author Lynda Page’s “Caley’s Secret Garden” is a captivating tale that reveals how a little girl’s dislike for mathematics turns into a fun and exciting learning experience
Victoria, Australia (PRWEB) July 27, 2012
It is not surprising that many children hate mathematics. For many different reasons, they find it a dilemma they need to overcome in school. Like these kids, Caley also hates learning mathematics until she meets a new friend who needs her help—a kind of help that requires her ability to do mathematics. Will she learn to love mathematics to be able to help her new friend? Readers can find out in between the covers of author Lynda Page’s Caley’s Secret Garden.
This book follows the story of Caley who, like many children, hates Mathematics and refuses to do it in class. To make sure that Caley completes her work, Mrs. Grumble, her teacher, sends it home so that Caley’s mother Lisa can help. However, she really hates the subject even at home because she doesn’t find it important to her dream of becoming a movie star. When her mother leaves her alone in the room, she escapes to her secret garden where magical things happen. She makes friends with a talking frog, who teaches her a valuable lesson in life and changes her attitude toward learning Mathematics. How? The next thing that happens is quite a surprise.
Lynda has woven not only a delightful story that will entice children to read, but has created a medium to help children understand the importance of mathematics in their everyday life. Amusement, life lessons and inspiration are rolled into one motivational instrument in Caley’s Secret Garden.
New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) To remove fear of mathematics from the minds of students, there is need to integrate Vedic system in NCERT textbooks as it is easier to learn and can help develop competence among students, experts said today. "Vedic Mathematics method is easier in solving problems as compared to modern mathematics. There is a need for integrating Vedic Mathematics with modern mathematics which NCERT follows to develop competence among students to solve mathematical problems faster than computers and calculators," Atul Kothari, National Secretary of Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas told reporters. He said states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Gujarat have adopted vedic mathematics system. Some colleges of Delhi University and IIT's have also adopted it. Countries like Canada and Germany are following the Vedic Mathematics method as it is easier to solve problems with it as compared to modern mathematics. "Even NASA, and global universities like Standford and Barkley are using it," he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has declared the Year 2012 as "National Year Of Mathematics" as it is the 125th birth anniversary of noted mathematician Srinivas Ramanujam. "But government has not undertaken a single workshop to promote 'Vedic Mathematics'," Kothari said. To remove fear of mathematics from the student's mind and evolve effective methods of teaching mathematics, the Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, is organising an three-day workshop called 'Mathematical Movement'. "More than 60 schools from Delhi and NCR region would be participating in the workshop," said Prabhakar Mishra, State Coordinator, Vedic Mathematics. The Nyas would be establishing 'Vedic Mathematics Research Centre' in Ujjain, he said. more read here
The report states, ``The NGA Center and CCSSO, as part of the CCSSI, convened a 25-member Validation Committee (VC) composed of leading figures in the education standards community. The committee was charged with providing independent, expert validation of the process of identifying the Common Core State Standards as part of the CCSSI.’’ (p.1)
Guru sebagai ujung tombak pelaksanaan pendidikan menjadikan peran yang sangat penting dalam mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa. Tuntutan peran guru tersebut menjadi semakin besar dengan telah dicanangkannya guru sebagai profesional oleh Presiden pada tanggal 4 Desember 2004. Sehingga pada tahun 2005 terbitlah Undang-undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 14 Tahun 2005 tentang Guru dan Dosen. Sehubungan dengan hal tersebut, kebijakan Pemerintah dalam pembinaan dan pengembangan profesi guru telah dilakukan melalui berbagai upaya.
Profesionalisme guru diselenggarakan melalui pengembangan diri yang dilakukan secara demokratis, berkeadilan, tidak diskriminatif, dan berkelanjutan dengan menjunjung tinggi hak asasi manusia dan kode etik profesi. Pengembangan keprofesian berkelanjutan melalui upaya peningkatan kompetensi guru yang dilaksanakan dan diperuntukan bagi semua guru baik yang sudah bersertifikat maupun belum bersertifikat. Sehubungan dengan itu, uji kompetensi guru (UKG) dilakukan untuk pemetaan kompetensi, pengembangan keprofesian berkelanjutan (PKB) dan sebagai entry point penilaian kinerja guru (PKG). Dengan demikian UKG bukan merupakan resertifikasi atau uji kompetensi ulang maupun untuk memutus tunjangan profesi.
Berikut Informasi Kaitannya dengan Uji Kompetensi Guru (UKG)
Those that can’t do, teach – or so goes the famous saying. But what of those who want to do teaching. What of those who domaths teaching? Can we be sure the job they are doing is the best one for our children, or the training they are getting as teachers is adequate? Sadly, we cannot.
We, the present authors (Jon, from Australia, and David, from the USA) are research mathematicians and computer scientists. We are also the proud fathers of seven adult daughters, and a gamut of grandchildren of whom the the oldest is starting school.
Together with our spouses, we have attended a multitude of PTA meetings, sports games, concerts and science fairs. We have read almost as many report cards (and not all of them have been glowing). But, at the end of the day, our daughters include PhDs, veterinary doctors, lawyers, teachers, web designers, postgraduate students and one senior undergraduate. We have also acquired four sons-in-law.
We have firm opinions, both as professionals and as parents. So what have we learned about teaching – and specifically about maths teaching?
Teacher preparation
This article was stimulated in part by a recent book on preparation of mathematics teachers for the classroom. While the book – Inequality for All: The Challenge of Unequal Opportunity in American Schools – deals with schools in North America, its message of uneven educational quality and uneven preparation rings true worldwide, albeit to differing degrees.
The authors of the book, William H. Schmidt and Curtis C. McKnight, approached the issue of teachers' knowledge of mathematics by asking a sample of 4,000 teachers in Michigan and Ohio the following question:
How well prepared academically do you feel you are – that is, you feel you have the necessary disciplinary coursework and understanding – to teach each of the following?
Teachers in primary school (grades 1-3) judged themselves to be well qualified only in mathematics topics they routinely taught their pupils. For even moderately more sophisticated topics, such as geometry, proportionality, and the beginnings of algebra, only 50% to 60% felt well-prepared.
What’s more, the coverage was surprisingly uneven. For basic geometry topics in one district, only a quarter of the teachers felt well-prepared, but in another 90% felt well-prepared.
confidence, comely
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In upper elementary school (grades 4-5), where topics such as decimals, percentages and geometry, variability across districts was even more pronounced. Only a quarter of the teachers in one district felt well-prepared to teach decimals, compared with virtually all teachers in another district.
In middle school (6-8 grade), the situation was even grimmer. The topics the authors chose (most of which are in the Michigan and Ohio standards for these grades) included negative numbers, rationals and reals, exponents, roots and radicals, elementary number theory, polygons and circles, congruences, proportionality, simple equations, linear equalities and inequalities. Here, only 50% of the teachers questioned felt well-prepared.
Fortunately, high school teachers are relatively better prepared, although there are concerns here too, particularly in more specialised areas such as 3-D geometry, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, probability and calculus.
Many US states are pressing to include probability and statistics in high school, yet less than half of the teachers surveyed regarded themselves as adequately prepared to teach the topic.
So why is teacher preparation lacking? The authors found that in grades 1-4, fewer than 10% of teachers have a major or minor degree in mathematics. This might be understandable, given the basic nature of the material. But this ratio remains even among 6th grade teachers! Even for 7th and 8th grade, only 35% to 40% had a major or minor in mathematics.
And in high school, only about half of 9th and 10th grade teachers had a specialisation in mathematics — only at 11th and 12th grade does the ratio rise to a more respectable 71%. Additional details about the Inequality for All study is given in thisScientific American blog.
torres21
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Your present authors have been rather fortunate in living in school districts that, for the most part, offered relatively high-quality education, including high-quality mathematics education. But even here there have been lapses, and we question whether some of the material currently being taught is truly relevant in the 21st century economy.
From our experience, unevenness in quality is definitely an issue. One of us – Jon – lived briefly in a large US city, and was greatly disappointed in the quality and indeed safety of the state schools.
By comparison, the state schools he experienced in five Canadian cities were all of reliable if not always outstanding quality.
The other one of us – David – found it necessary to study rankings of schools, based for example on published SAT scores for California high schools, in considerable detail before choosing an area to select a home when he moved a few years ago.
Top California schools, such as Mission San Jose High in Fremont, Palo Alto High in Palo Alto, and Lynbrook High in San Jose, achieved far greater scores than schools at the other end of the list, such as Thomas Riley High in Los Angeles and Mandela High in Oakland. Few first world nations have such a wide disparity in educational quality.
Pedagogy and mathematics
It is undeniably important that mathematics teachers have mastered the topics they need to teach. The new Australian national curriculum is misguidedly increasing the amount of “statistics” of the school mathematics curriculum from less that 10% to as much as 40%. Many teachers are far from ready for the change.
But more often than not, the problem is not the mathematical expertise of the teachers. Pedagogical narrowness is a greater problem. Telling that there is a correct idea in a wrong solution to a problem on fractions requires unpacking of elementary concepts in a way that even an expert mathematician is not usually trained to do.
One of us – Jon – learned this only too well when he first taught future elementary school teachers their final university mathematics course.
Sue Peacock
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Australian teachers at an elite private school could not understand one of Jon’s daughter’s Canadian long-division method nor her solution techniques for many advanced school topics. She got mediocre marks during the year because of this.
The school also scheduled advanced mathematics at 7:30am and 4:30pm. Despite, or perhaps because of this, she was the only female at the school to complete state-wide advanced mathematics school leaving exams, and did so with distinction.
One of Jon’s grandsons, who had learned to read by the whole word route, was classified as “slow” by a phonics-based teacher in his new country. The experience demolished the confidence of a previously robust little boy.
It’s crucial that mathematics teachers are pedagogically sophisticated enough to encourage creativity rather than kill it. This was emphasised by the scholar and speaker Yong Zhao in his keynote speech at the 2012 ISTE conference – which you can see in the video below.
Yong Zhao showed data indicating a negative correlation between countries’ mathematics test scores and their entrepreneurialness. Indeed, Asian countries that top PISA and TIMSS ratings are beginning to discover that training good test takers does not assure creative citizens.
He asks where the Asian innovators like Steve Jobs are – a question that sounds less xenophobic when posed by a Chinese expatriate.
None of the crises in mathematical or other education have easy solutions. Even phonics needs some rote whole-word learning, and advanced mathematical knowledge does not remove the need for pedagogical skills.
There is a growing body of serious opinion that some appropriate form of mathematics instruction should be compulsory throughout school.
But, for certain, no two kids are the same and no one teacher can cope with everything that is thrown at him or her.
One thing seems clear: more, better trained, better paid, and better respected teachers are a big part of the solution. As is the time and freedom to experiment.
A version of this article first appeared on Math Drudge.
THE MATHEMATICS subject has been dubbed by our youngsters as a VERY DIFFICULT one. They have their own stories for such serious feeling. Let us try to look into the following scenarios.
In a household where an older child exclaims his hate towards the subject will definitely affect the perceptions of the younger ones especially if no adult would check these remarks. The young ones would already have this reserved feeling of hate towards the subject. If they reach school, this perception will definitely affect their attitude in learning Mathematics concepts. They would become judgmental thus, would not participate in activities given by the Math teacher. Soon enough, if the teacher does not check again, this attitude will be engraved until the child gets older.
In another scene, a guest speaker during a graduation day said before hundreds of students how he disliked Mathematics. He said he was embarrassed being unable to answer a question given by a teacher. Because of this, he started to dislike the subject forever. Imagine the number of students, who should be inspired by his words, coming out to be disoriented.
A professional leader kiddingly said to Mathematics teacher-audiences that he doesn’t even want to look at the plus or minus signs. The teachers were surely taken aback.
A child in the grade level would definitely pass even though he fails the Math subject because of averaging and mass promotion.
Looking into a brighter side of it, some have already suggested the promotion in the grade levels to be per subject. Unfortunately they were told by the K-12 trainers, “Your suggestions are well taken. We’ll bring it to the attention of the DepEd Central Office.” Another failure.
Things are really like that. They happen for valid reasons, I believe. But there is always something that parents can do especially those whose children have reached the K-12 program. I suggest the use of the CARD which stands for: Check the report card. The progress, the attendance, the character, the teacher’s comments exclusively for your child. This is a communication between parents and teachers. If we saw something wrong, we have to extend patience to correct it as early. Attend parent-teacher conferences. Here, you can have a follow-up on your child’s academic standing and character status. Restore your child’s confidence. Tutor him on his weak points. We tell them the importance of Math in their daily lives. Support him every time. This will protect your child from wrong perceptions and beliefs that can affect his lifetime achievements. Develop your child’s study habits. Know his class schedules and remind him of his to-dos. Make sure that he understands why he is going to school so that you can easily guide him in the attainment of his goals. Let us again prove that the best education starts at home. The earlier we guide our children on their academic goals, proper mindsets on academic subjects, the earlier we help them battle future anxieties.
Luanda - The Angolan Government considered imperative to continue with training project for teachers in maths and science subjects, with a view to ensure the strengthening and enhancement of skills, abilities and attitudes of teachers.
This was said by the deputy minister of Education, Narciso Benedito in his speech delivered at the formal ceremony to deliver the textbooks of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Pedagogy prepared by the Angolan teachers who attended a training in Kenya.
According to Narciso Benedito, the assessment of the results of the implementation of the first phase of the project, assisted by Japanese aid agency JICA, indicates the need of regular implementation with the support of the various relevant services of the Ministry of Education, at central and provincial level as a way to ensure its expansion across the country.
To this purpose, the official said that MED approved the use of the referred manuals in all secondary education schools in Angola, with the material of support to the teacher, in order to improve the teaching practices in class rooms.
Acccording to Japanese ambassador to Angola, Ryozo Myoi, the human resources are indispensable tools for development, having considered a great honour to be in the ceremony of hand over of textbooks, which will contribute to the future of the education sector in Angola.
World-renowned Nobel-laureate mathematician John Nash, whose story inspired the Hollywood film “A Beautiful Mind,” said children can sometimes be more successful than adults at solving mathematical problems. “Maybe all schools should be closed,” he said, speaking at the world congress of the Game Theory Society in Istanbul.
Nash talked to students about mathematics education on the first day of the conference held atIstanbul Bilgi University.
“Mathematics is directly related to not only honesty, but also justice. If you look at the ancient Roman texts, you will see mathematics in each of them,” Nash said.
Told that Turkey had a very low rating in mathematics education among the OECD countries, and that many students scored zero on the last university entrance exam, “Zero is not that terrible in terms of mathematics theory,” Nash said smilingly.
Nash said the U.S. is near 20th place worldwide in terms of mathematics education, adding that education is a political matter.
“In the period of Bush, the president said ‘We will equalize education in the U.S., no child will be left behind.’ Do you think this is possible? Of course not. The president was talking about a paradise, but such a paradise does not exist,” Nash said. “If you look at the subject in terms of mathematics education, everyone cannot be a mathematician, and such a thing should not be expected. Instead of [a lot of] useless crap taught to children in primary schools, it would be better to teach more mathematics and science. However, children should be educated according to their tendencies and skills.”
Asked if there is a difference in mathematics learning between men and women, Nash said: “This is a highly disputed subject. Harvard University Rector Larry Summers, who worked as a consultant for the Clinton government, made a similar statement in a speech he made in 2005, implying that men are better-equipped than women [in the] scientific field. He lost his job. He had to resign and left the university. A woman, Drew Gilpin Faust, took over his position. Even though scientific data show that [there is a difference], I don’t think any data imply such a thing; making such a statement about women is completely wrong.”
“Maybe educating children at home is best. Education at home is legal and free in the U.S. A woman educated at home has become one of the most important academics in mathematics at Princeton University. Maybe all schools should be closed,” Nash said, commenting on research showing that children are more successful at solving mathematics problems than adults.
When asked whether mathematics is related to honesty, Nash said, “Of course it is related, because mathematics aims to find the truth. This is a very important aspect. There are no lies in math.”
Coweta County School System high school End-of-Course Test results for spring 2012 compare favorably in most areas with those of surrounding school systems, newly-released scores show.
System-level results have been released by the Georgia Department of Education.
Average test scores for Coweta students were 85 or higher in five areas: U.S. History - 86, Economics - 85, Ninth Grade Literature and Composition - 87, American Literature - 86 and Physical Science - 85.
The average scores were somewhat lower in three areas: Biology - 80, Mathematics I - 76, and Mathematics II - 73.
Scores for area school systems for Biologyinclude: Coweta - 80, Carroll - 79, Carrollton City - 82, Fayette - 88, Fulton - 86, Heard - 86, Meriwether - 72, and Griffin-Spalding - 76.
For Mathematics I the average scores for area school systems were: Coweta - 76, Carroll - 74, Carrollton City - 75, Fayette - 87, Fulton - 68, Heard - 71, Meriwether - 71, and Griffin-Spalding - 73.
For Mathematics II average scores for area school systems were: Coweta - 73, Carroll - 73, Carrollton City - 80, Fayette - 83, Fulton - 68, Heard - 73, Meriwether - 65, and Griffin-Spalding - 72.
Coweta students had the highest average score in Ninth Grade Literature and Composition. Area school system average scores for that course topic were: Coweta - 87, Carroll - 82, Carrollton City - 83, Fayette - 90, Fulton - 89, Heard - 82, Meriwether - 78, and Griffin-Spalding - 81.
Statewide, results of the spring 2012 Georgia End-of-Course Tests show student improvement in seven of eight comparable tests. Those statewide observations were released by the Georgia Department of Education July 3.
In comparing the statewide results to Spring 2011, students demonstrated improvement in U.S. History, Economics, Biology, Physical Science, Ninth Grade Literature, American Literature, and Mathematics I. The percentage of students who met or exceeded standards for Mathematics II decreased by one percentage point.
In April 2011, the State Board of Education approved a plan to phase out the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, beginning with students who entered ninth grade for the first time in the 2011-2012 school year. For these students, the EOCT counts as 20 percent of the final grade, an increase from the previous 15 percent level.
“It is encouraging to me to see student performance increase in the large majority of the End-of-Course Tests,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “End-of-Course Tests are more rigorous than the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, so increases are further testament to the great job our teachers are doing delivering the Georgia Performance Standards to students in a way that they are grasping.”
Beginning this school year, End-of-Course Tests will be used as a factor of high school success for accountability purposes on the new College and Career Ready Performance Index.
Details from the EOCT Report:
• 68 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for U.S. History. This is an increase of two percentage points when compared to spring 2011.
• 77 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Economics/ Business/ Free Enterprise. This is an increase of five percentage points when compared to spring 2011.
• 73 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Biology. This is an increase of three percentage points when compared to spring 2011.
• 77 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Physical Science. This is an increase of one percentage point when compared to spring 2011.
• 84 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Ninth Grade Literature & Composition. This is an increase of two percentage points when compared to spring 2011.
• 89 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for American Literature & Composition. This is an increase of one percentage point when compared to spring 2011.
• 65 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Mathematics I. This is an increase of four percentage points when compared to spring 2011.
• 54 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Mathematics II. This is a decrease of one percentage point when compared to spring 2011.
• 63 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for GPS Algebra. This test is new and was not administered last year.
• 74 percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for GPS Geometry. This test is new and was not administered last year.
Any student receiving credit for a course that requires an EOCT must participate. The test serves as the final exam for the course and contributes 15 or 20 percent to each student’s final course grade as provided for in State Board Rule 160-4-2-.13.
The EOCTs assess student achievement of the Georgia Performance Standards in the designated core courses and provide data to assist in the improvement of instruction and learning. The EOCTs also provide data to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction at the school, system, and state levels.
EOCTs assess a sample of the knowledge and skills that educators agree comprise a complete curriculum for each course. Georgia students have opportunities to learn – and are expected to master – much more than the tests address.
The Georgia Performance Standards are the source of the knowledge and skills assessed on the End-of-Course Tests in:
• English Language Arts - Ninth Grade Literature and Composition and American Literature and Composition.
