A Blog From the Math Side...

I am happy to report that John Benson and P.J. Karafiol,two of the great math educators in the country, have a blog up and running at http://www.anglesofreflection.blogspot.com/. Check it out for numerous bits of advice, anecdotes, and interesting problems to work on. I highly recommend it for all teachers and those who enjoy mathematics!

Teaching Kids Real Math with Computers

Thanks to Oliver:
Conrad Wolfram: Teaching Kids Real Math with Computers

In this video, Conrad Wolfram talks about education reform in mathematics. He believes that the way math is commonly taught in elementary and secondary school, focusing on calculation by hand, is obsolete and misguided. Advocating for a compete shift in curriculum and subject matter, Wolfram suggests that students are learning only a small part of what mathematics truly is--and that most of this work could be replaced by technology. My initial reaction, and the response I would expect from many upper-level math students, was skepticism. In my math education, teachers have always maintained that while technology can be an invaluable tool, relying on it detracts from a true understanding of mathematics. Despite my stubborness, however, I find Wolfram's point to be both intriguing and well-argued. He defends his proposal by methodically addressing each of the fallacies (in his opinion) used to justify the modern system, citing evidence from his own experiences and research in the world of business and technology. I am not sure whether I agree completely with his idea, but I found the talk extremely interesting and it offers a perspective on math education that seems to be very deliberately left out of the ETHS math curriculum.

Teaching Math via Computers and Computer Programming: What Do You Think?

Conrad Wolfram has a presentation about what he feels is a weak, antiquated way of teaching math in school. Instead of all hand-written work on paper, use computers to get students thinking about everyday problems. He argues that problems are dumbed-down in school, and that real-world calculations are not done that would better engage students, as well as lead to better math skills that are necessary in today's world. Because math is done on computers in research and the workplace, this would allow students to build the knowledge, tools and skills that are relevant in today's world, rather than the knowledge, tools and skills that were necessary 50 years ago in an age of agricultural and manufacturing jobs.

Personally I think he has a good point. However, I am convinced that doing just about anything one-way is not a good idea. Variety is necessary. There is something to be said for doing things by hand to learn process and the nuts and bolts of a computation. But I do think technology can be and should be used more frequently than is presently done, as this is a student's future. Also, not everyone will likely learn more if done on a computer. Some students do in fact enjoy pencil and paper problems, and can learn a great deal with this technique. I also think that many learn, or at least gain greater insights, interest and relevance of math through applications in something like physics. I know I finally got a grip on what calculus was all about after using it in physics, and many students have told me the same thing.

I am interested in your take on this as students...what do you think?