No no no. Give students formulae, students will remember for a day. Run through and require students to know proofs, student will remember formulae for life.
Out of interest, I teach at Government High School, and I’m just teaching a year 10 trig class, and introducing the sin and cos rules. I was told not to bother with the proofs (which are kind of pretty imho), but just tell em the formulae. Sigh. I will try to do the proofs somehow, but the kids won’t care. Sigh.
I can’t quite work out, Marty, whether you are being witty or snarky in response to Greg Ashman’s posts. Or maybe, as is often the case, both.
And not that you’re polling, but How To Improve A School? Get rid of the f*&^&ing phones and computers and CASculators.
Thanks, LD. I’m sniping at Greg, but not because he is an idiot, but rather because he’s one of the few non-idiots.
I think your Year 10 example says it all. Who gives a toss whether the lesson is planned, or anything, if what is demanded be served is rubbish? And unless the school makes the conscious decision to declare “Bugger ACARA, bugger VCAA”, there is nothing a teacher can do about it. And even *if* the school declares BABV, the teacher is likely screwed, because they’re dealing with kids who, in the main, have been trained on nothing but rubbish for the previous N years. The kids, except for the one with big tutors or Chinese mothers, have little or no conception of proper mathematical thought and therefore they can have no desire for it.
Greg is a teaching and school guy. He writes about what interests him and what he knows well, about teaching and schools, and he writes clearly and sensibly. Even if I might disagree on the appropriate level of planning/scripting, I appreciate Greg’s solid good sense.
But, for God’s sake, *someone* has to talk about mathematical content and no one does. Greg doesn’t. Grattan doesn’t. AMSI doesn’t. The education reporters don’t. And of course AAMT and AAS and MAV and all the other clown groups don’t. So, I’m having fun with Greg but I’m also deadly serious.
That one line: teach some mathematics. No one ever says it.
Don’t forget the Grattan maths guarantee! But also teach reading/writing properly or you won’t be able to understand the mathematics. Precise definitions/axioms/proofs/etc require clarity of reading.
If “pretty” by all means offer them to students. There should always be some hungry for more mathematics. They generally are good material for extended mathematics, comps challenges etc. Award them with sweets if needed.
Guy Rundle described the Andrew’s government (which seems hardly different from the current Allen government) as a bulldozer covered by a rainbow. Very apt. Like the education state logo on number plates in relation to the lowest funding in the country.
Give a student a formula, she thinks for a day. Give a student a proof, she thinks for a lifetime.
No no no. Give students formulae, students will remember for a day. Run through and require students to know proofs, student will remember formulae for life.
Out of interest, I teach at Government High School, and I’m just teaching a year 10 trig class, and introducing the sin and cos rules. I was told not to bother with the proofs (which are kind of pretty imho), but just tell em the formulae. Sigh. I will try to do the proofs somehow, but the kids won’t care. Sigh.
I can’t quite work out, Marty, whether you are being witty or snarky in response to Greg Ashman’s posts. Or maybe, as is often the case, both.
And not that you’re polling, but How To Improve A School? Get rid of the f*&^&ing phones and computers and CASculators.
I could not agree more!
Thanks, LD. I’m sniping at Greg, but not because he is an idiot, but rather because he’s one of the few non-idiots.
I think your Year 10 example says it all. Who gives a toss whether the lesson is planned, or anything, if what is demanded be served is rubbish? And unless the school makes the conscious decision to declare “Bugger ACARA, bugger VCAA”, there is nothing a teacher can do about it. And even *if* the school declares BABV, the teacher is likely screwed, because they’re dealing with kids who, in the main, have been trained on nothing but rubbish for the previous N years. The kids, except for the one with big tutors or Chinese mothers, have little or no conception of proper mathematical thought and therefore they can have no desire for it.
Greg is a teaching and school guy. He writes about what interests him and what he knows well, about teaching and schools, and he writes clearly and sensibly. Even if I might disagree on the appropriate level of planning/scripting, I appreciate Greg’s solid good sense.
But, for God’s sake, *someone* has to talk about mathematical content and no one does. Greg doesn’t. Grattan doesn’t. AMSI doesn’t. The education reporters don’t. And of course AAMT and AAS and MAV and all the other clown groups don’t. So, I’m having fun with Greg but I’m also deadly serious.
That one line: teach some mathematics. No one ever says it.
Don’t forget the Grattan maths guarantee! But also teach reading/writing properly or you won’t be able to understand the mathematics. Precise definitions/axioms/proofs/etc require clarity of reading.
AAGHHH!
The Maths Guarantee is exactly the kind of misdirected nonsense I had in mind.
I like Grattan. I kind of liked TMG. But Grattan is fundamentally ducking the big fights. And they damn well know it.
Do you know what we never talk about at the math department meetings at my school? Mathematics. 🙁
Indeed.
If “pretty” by all means offer them to students. There should always be some hungry for more mathematics. They generally are good material for extended mathematics, comps challenges etc. Award them with sweets if needed.
Yes, you always try to offer something to the kids with big tutors or Chinese mothers. But it can be pretty exhausting.
Give a student a CAS, she thinks “Where’s the button?” and that’s it.
I’ve found she doesn’t even think that a lot of the time…
https://www.resourceaholic.com/2024/08/digitising-old-textbook-exercises.html?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKaVpZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrpeBnUaBYQdVydapY11gxvfNd7zuMyB2UEyoO-6q7wcHsXxlEf9h2LWfA9H_aem_hvBa25EqTcgJyGdAszxzqA&m=1. Finally an excellent use for AI in maths education.
Very nice.
Surely you just employ a few maths ambassadors across Victoria with limited maths background? – problem solved
https://www.vic.gov.au/victorian-mathematics-ambassadors
Very funny.
Thanks, CG. I saw the ambassador nonsense. I was thinking to maybe write on it but decided it was too weightless to bother.
Guy Rundle described the Andrew’s government (which seems hardly different from the current Allen government) as a bulldozer covered by a rainbow. Very apt. Like the education state logo on number plates in relation to the lowest funding in the country.
I liked a lot of Andrews’ bulldozering, if not the education part.