[Blindmath] intro

[qubit]

Hi -- yes, teachers can really make the difference. I tutored several 
teachers, with and without charge.  One teacher friend came to ask me some 
basic algebra questions so she could pass her upcoming math proficience 
exam.  She taught children 2nd grade and under and didn't think she should 
have to know algebra. I didn't give her the math is beautiful lecture, as 
she was a dear person and genuinely scared to take the test. She was down at 
the math lab working with the tutors there and struggling.
She was sighted.
How could I say I agreed with the system on that one?  I think a teacher 
should have good grasp of material several years above what he/she is 
teaching, as this gives her the opportunity to guide a child's thinking so 
the math classes will be familiar when they get up to the next level. And of 
course, givted kids ought to be able to work on advanced problems if they 
want to try.
Cheers.
--le

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jason White" <jason at jasonjgw.net>
To: <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2009 8:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] intro


Susan Mooney <slemooney at msn.com> wrote:
> I think "le" hit the nail on the head with math anxiety and I think a lot 
> of
> math anxiety is caused by the teachers themselves not having a firm grasp 
> of
> the subject and/or not knowing how to teach period.

This is probably true, and it's one reason why David Santos' notes on
elementary algebra, for example, are so good: they were written by a
mathematician. I'm sure they were accompanied by excellent classroom
exposition, examples and discussion.

I know my secondary school mathematics experience would have been better if
the teachers had actually stated the definitions, stated the theorems and
given proofs - or at least explanations where the proofs would have required
background that I didn't have.

For example, the proof that the square root of 2 is an irrational number 
isn't
particularly complicated, yet it's exactly the kind of result that would
awaken interest in a curious secondary school student.


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