[Blindmath] Blindmath Digest, Vol 101, Issue 4
Mary Woodyard
marywoodyard at comcast.net
Tue Dec 9 13:09:57 UTC 2014
There have been a lot of great comments already - and all spot on! The only
thing I would add is that when I hear this comment from my high school
student - it is rare these days. Thankfully, he did outgrow some of this in
middle school and he had some great Math teachers which as a previous writer
commented did get him excited about Math.
However, I also relate it back the fact that this Math standard is part of
his overall curriculum which is required by our state in order for him to
graduate. Then I further explain that there are plenty of things in my life
I don't like (folding and putting away laundry and vacuuming the stairs are
two great examples), but I still have to do them. High School students
tend to think in the adult world nobody will tell them what to do so they
only have to do things they like. By commiserating and showing him I do
things I don't like also - it helps him understand it's part of life.
Because I have had this discussion with my son many times, I use building
and designing a garden, cooking, hanging a picture or spacing out
pictures, designing a room or house, and personal finance all as skills that
require some Math in everyday living. He seems to get that although he
assures me he will never build a garden. The fact is that as the Math gets
harder and he/she feels less confident they will struggle with something and
say they don't need it. Teaching them resilience to go in for extra help
and figure out that missing concept is a big part of their maturity.
Good luck!
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
blindmath-request at nfbnet.org
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2014 7:00 AM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Subject: Blindmath Digest, Vol 101, Issue 4
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Today's Topics:
1. Math for everyday use (Wilson_KC)
2. Re: Math for everyday use (Bente)
3. Re: Math for everyday use (Joseph C. Lininger)
4. Re: Math for everyday use (Jonathon Yaggie)
5. Re: Math for everyday use (Sabra Ewing)
6. Re: Math for everyday use (Sabra Ewing)
7. Re: Math for everyday use (Sabra Ewing)
8. Re: Math for everyday use (George Bell)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:57:31 +0000
From: Wilson_KC <Wilson_KC at asdk12.org>
To: "blindmath at nfbnet.org" <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID:
<C1DE6D985FB14245A104EB909D81A47097948DBA at ITEXCH01.asdk12.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I have an 8th grade blind student in pre-algebra. She constantly asks the
question, "When will I ever use this?" or "Why do I need to learn this?"
I'm going to have her do some of her own research on practical applications
for math, I have some of my own ideas, but I wanted to ask you all for some
"come back" answers. I realize many of you are math geeks, but this student
is not, at least at this point in time. So can you let me know how you, as
a blind person, use math in your every day life?
Thanks.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 12:46:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Bente <bente at casilenc.com>
To: Wilson_KC <Wilson_KC at asdk12.org>, Blind Math list for those
interested in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID:
<174242915.2462342.1418060798154.open-xchange at oxweb02.eigbox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Well if I had a penny for every time a student asked me that ... well you
know.
The truth is, not every concept will be used by every student in their
adult life. However, the idea of thinking both critically and logically is
essential
to everyone. I taught in middle school for quite a few years and I
understand
their mindset, scary but true. They want to know if the task is worth the
effort. We live in a society of instant gratification. The key here is to
get them to understand that the ability to "problem solve" is a life long
skill.
Being able to look at a particular situation and ask questions like, 1/what
did they give me 2/ what do they want 3/ what do I already know in my head
and from past experiences that can help me with this particular problem,
well that is life skills!! We are, or should be teaching them how to think
and reason. So to sum it up: you may not use this particular concept
depending upon what you choose to do as an adult, but there are many other
things that may depend on previous knowledge Education, especially in math,
is like a brick house, if you build a weak foundation by leaving out blocks
in the beginning, the higher you build the walls, the weaker they get, until
they eventually fail and crumble.
Education is power and strength. No expert (insert name here...Michael
Jordan,
etc) got where they are today by going right to their end game. They
practiced skills in isolation and then put them together and developed
strategies based on skills and knowledge. All this being said, just
remember, we are talking to an 8th grade child and they do live in an
alternate universe LOL, so as sponge bob would say... "Good luck with that"
!!
Bente J. Casile
Math Learning Specialist
Disability Support Services
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh NC
bjcasile at waketech.edu
> On December 8, 2014 at 11:57 AM Wilson_KC via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>
> I have an 8th grade blind student in pre-algebra. She constantly asks
> the question, "When will I ever use this?" or "Why do I need to learn
> this?" I'm going to have her do some of her own research on practical
> applications for math, I have some of my own ideas, but I wanted to
> ask you all for some "come back" answers. I realize many of you are
> math geeks, but this student is not, at least at this point in time.
> So can you let me know how you, as a blind person, use math in your every
day life?
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blindmath mailing list
> Blindmath at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Blindmath:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/bente%40casilen
> c.com
> BlindMath Gems can be found at
> <http://www.blindscience.org/blindmath-gems-home>
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 12:18:11 -0700
From: "Joseph C. Lininger" <devnull-blindmath at pcdesk.net>
To: Wilson_KC <Wilson_KC at asdk12.org>, Blind Math list for those
interested in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID: <5485F973.1060908 at pcdesk.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
I think Bente already answered the question pretty well from a direct answer
point of view, but let me share an experience with you which provides
another answer. Feel free to share this experience with your student.
All through middle school and high school, I was basically a bad student. I
didn't like studying, and I especially didn't like doing homework. I was
more interested in studying things I did find of interest, such as girls and
computers. (Yes I know those two aren't often seen paired, but I digress) I
knew grades mattered, and I even believed people when they told me that
later in life I'd be sorry I approached school the way I did. Unfortunately,
I didn't care much.
That came back to haunt me in college. I was interested in a degree in
Computer Science, which required a lot of mathematics. Unfortunately, I
hadn't built the mathematical foundation properly. I ended up having to go
back and take several remedial math courses. I also had to do a math
learning group for at least one of the courses.
I have completed several more advanced math courses now, including some in
more abstract areas. I would not call myself a math expert, however.
I've always felt my math is a bit more shaky than it could have been had I
learned it when I was younger. Yes, I can do math now. I even use my math
skills for day to day things for work sometimes, and for my graduate level
studies. I'm not nearly as confident in my mathematical abilities as a
person at my level should be, however, and I feel this is a direct result of
how I behaved in middle and high school.
Hope this helps
Joe
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 13:33:07 -0600
From: Jonathon Yaggie <jyaggi2 at uic.edu>
To: Wilson_KC <Wilson_KC at asdk12.org>, Blind Math list for those
interested in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID:
<CAJ5uLU2vpcsfkq-roRDdyYS7csf3LK41Yk2USiaZt5oJfrMA_Q at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
I am a woman and I hated math in school also. While it is a bit ironic, I
had many similar questions in high school as your student. My advice is
find something she does like and relate math to that. The other way rarely
works. Accomplishing this takes some effort and comfort with math. To my
students displeasure, I see math in everything.
In my case, another underlying issue was that I was stuck on a conceptual
leap that seems trivial now, but was very important. I really misunderstood
what a variable was. While many students just ignore the fact that they do
not understand a basic concept, and simply manipulate values as instructed,
I could not. I do not view this as a weakness. In fact it shows that a
student want to learn the subject, not just pass it.
This is a good thing. But is difficult to identify. If you suspect your
student falls in such a category, the best answer in my opinion is step back
find the concept she is stuck on and address it. You cannot convince some
one of the value of things that they do not understand.
Finally, if possible find a good teacher/role model. I think we
underestimate how essential exposure to a person who loves the subject is.
Too many teachers dislike math, and students know it. All students benefit
from meeting some one who loves their subject and is a "normal" person
("normal" here means not the stereotype, what ever that may be for someone
who does math).
Jon Yaggie
EYH Chicago Coordinator
UIC Mathematics
On Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 10:57 AM, Wilson_KC via Blindmath <
blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I have an 8th grade blind student in pre-algebra. She constantly asks
> the question, "When will I ever use this?" or "Why do I need to learn
this?"
> I'm going to have her do some of her own research on practical
> applications for math, I have some of my own ideas, but I wanted to
> ask you all for some "come back" answers. I realize many of you are
> math geeks, but this student is not, at least at this point in time.
> So can you let me know how you, as a blind person, use math in your every
day life?
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blindmath mailing list
> Blindmath at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Blindmath:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/jyaggi2%40uic.e
> du
> BlindMath Gems can be found at <
> http://www.blindscience.org/blindmath-gems-home>
>
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 14:42:30 -0600
From: Sabra Ewing <sabra1023 at gmail.com>
To: Bente <bente at casilenc.com>, Blind Math list for those interested
in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID: <771B3667-7F32-409A-AC80-4380CAFE7279 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I am majoring in computer science, and I'm actually using it quite a bit
now.let's say for example that you were asked to write a program for a
business.first, you will have to set up an array that contains employee
names and salaries.then, the people giving you the assignment want you to
find the average salary.after that, they want certain information to make
sure they are treating all of their employees fairly including the ones that
belong to my Nordie groups.for example, they want to know what percent of
males and what percent of femalesmake below the average salary.they also
want to know who makes the minimum salary in their company and they want to
know what percentage of males and females makewith in $200 of that celery.or
maybe they have decided that the company is too big and it will be too
time-consuming to get the salary for everyone, so they pick a sample.it
might be your job to make sure that the sample is a sufficient size to
represent the population and that the sample was taken randomly so that not
too many people in a certain group are represented.or maybe you have a dog
who has allergies. It is safe to give Benadryl to dogs, you can't just read
the bottle because it was made for humans. You have to figure out what your
dogs wait is,and then gave your dog the correct dosage based on that
weight.it's true that you could ask a veterinarian, but those services are
expensive and if you can just figure it out yourself, you don't have to pay
for it.or maybe you are preparing some sugar free snacks for party. You need
three times the amount that the recipe calls for, but you were also
replacing the sugar in the recipe with Splenda, so you know for every 2 cups
of sugar, you only need one cup of Splenda.or maybe you were in an
unfamiliar state. You don't know what the tax rate is and it would take a
while to look it up. All you know is the cost of your item and what you were
charged. You are running low on funds, do you want to know what the tax rate
is to know if you can make another purchase.or maybe you are losing weight.
You know what you waited a month ago, and what you weigh now. You want to
figure out on average how much you were losing each week because there are
some deals on clothes. You want to be able to predict what your wait will be
next month to know what size to get. If you wait until next month, the deals
will be gone and you will have to pay twice as much.or maybe you were
filling out the flower bed.your flower bed is basically in the shape of a
cube. You know how long it is and how high it is, but need to figure out the
volume. After that, you need to figure out how many bags of soil you have to
buy at the store to fill it up.or maybe you have a pond with some fish that
you really like,and they get everything they need from your pond because
they eat algae or something like that.but the population is growing. You
need to predict how quickly the population is growing every month to make
sure it isn't growing too fast. If it is, your fish might kill each other
off because they are fighting over resources or they might starve to
death.what if you were actually using these fish to eat because it's a
community pond or something. If you are eating to many fish at once, the
population won't be growing fast enough and you run out of fish. The people
in your community could starve if that's all they had to eat.I know that in
America that might not be the case, but what if you are helping some people
out in another country. If you mess up, their pondwon't be able to maintain
the proper fish population they need to survive.maybe you're helping out
another country as far as the flower bed too, and you were having this soil
imported. If you don't do your math correctly and figure out how much soil
you need, thenthey either won't have enough soil to grow vegetables, or you
waste a lot of money importing too much soil that you don't need. Soil is
very heavy, so the cost could add up. Especially if your project is being
funded by a grant, they will not be happy about this. won't
Sabra Ewing
> On Dec 8, 2014, at 11:46 AM, Bente via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
>
> Well if I had a penny for every time a student asked me that ... well you
know.
> The truth is, not every concept will be used by every student in their
> adult life. However, the idea of thinking both critically and logically
is essential
> to everyone. I taught in middle school for quite a few years and I
understand
> their mindset, scary but true. They want to know if the task is worth
> the effort. We live in a society of instant gratification. The key
> here is to get them to understand that the ability to "problem solve" is a
life long skill.
> Being able to look at a particular situation and ask questions like,
> 1/what did they give me 2/ what do they want 3/ what do I already know
> in my head and from past experiences that can help me with this
> particular problem, well that is life skills!! We are, or should be
> teaching them how to think and reason. So to sum it up: you may not
> use this particular concept depending upon what you choose to do as an
> adult, but there are many other things that may depend on previous
> knowledge Education, especially in math, is like a brick house, if you
> build a weak foundation by leaving out blocks in the beginning, the higher
you build the walls, the weaker they get, until they eventually fail and
crumble.
> Education is power and strength. No expert (insert name
> here...Michael Jordan,
> etc) got where they are today by going right to their end game. They
> practiced skills in isolation and then put them together and developed
> strategies based on skills and knowledge. All this being said, just
> remember, we are talking to an 8th grade child and they do live in an
> alternate universe LOL, so as sponge bob would say... "Good luck with
that" !!
>
> Bente J. Casile
> Math Learning Specialist
> Disability Support Services
> Wake Technical Community College
> Raleigh NC
> bjcasile at waketech.edu
>
>
>> On December 8, 2014 at 11:57 AM Wilson_KC via Blindmath
>> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I have an 8th grade blind student in pre-algebra. She constantly asks
>> the question, "When will I ever use this?" or "Why do I need to learn
>> this?" I'm going to have her do some of her own research on practical
>> applications for math, I have some of my own ideas, but I wanted to
>> ask you all for some "come back" answers. I realize many of you are
>> math geeks, but this student is not, at least at this point in time.
>> So can you let me know how you, as a blind person, use math in your every
day life?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Blindmath mailing list
>> Blindmath at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Blindmath:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/bente%40casile
>> nc.com
>> BlindMath Gems can be found at
>> <http://www.blindscience.org/blindmath-gems-home>
> _______________________________________________
> Blindmath mailing list
> Blindmath at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/sabra1023%40gma
> il.com BlindMath Gems can be found at
> <http://www.blindscience.org/blindmath-gems-home>
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 15:57:42 -0600
From: Sabra Ewing <sabra1023 at gmail.com>
To: "Joseph C. Lininger" <devnull-blindmath at pcdesk.net>, Blind Math
list for those interested in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID: <168E0988-6694-4593-8AED-57F77A9437A8 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Or what if you are on a certain diet where you have to get a special amount
of a certain vitamins most people don't need.you can find on the Internet
how much of certain vitamins certain foods have, but you will have to figure
out on your own how much of a certain food or how much of certain mixtures
of foods you will need in order to get the right amount of this special
vitamin.for example, you might be at risk for cancer, so you might be
prescribed a special diet that has a certain amount of antioxidants. You
don't want to have to be calling your doctor all the time about everything
you're eating to make sure you're getting the right amounts, see you have to
figure it out yourself.Also ask your student to think about the questions he
or she asks supposed experts every day. Like asking a banker how long you
will need to have money in an account before you will have the desired
amount.or asking a veterinarian how much you will need to feed your dog when
switching to a new food.or asking the doctor how many antibiotics you should
take.for asking a travel agent how much it will cost you to get
somewhere.what if one day your student decides that he or she wants to be
that person?in addition to programming, you would also use math and computer
science when making robots. Everything having to do with the robot is based
on circuits and electrical currents.you will have to use specific formulas
to know how much of a current to use at a specific time. Solving the unknown
variables in these formulas will be very similar to solving algebraic
equations. And gaming,you will have to use coordinates similar to those on a
graph as well as geometry to make your character move around the screen in
the correct way and end up at certain spots. Especially if you can't see
what your character is doing as you are designing, knowing the correct math
to make it work out the first or second time would it be helpful.also,
making programs involves some of the logical decisions you learn about in
math. A lot of times, when you make a program, you don't know what the
outcome will be. You just have to put in the correct formulas so the
computer can do the right calculations and find out what the outcome will
be. For example, a simplified version would be that if you don't know what
the average salary will be, you don't know if it will fall below or above a
certain number or percentage. See you have totell the computer how to
calculate the average, ask the computer if the calculation falls below or
above the number or percentage, tell the computer what to do if it falls
below, tell the computer what to do if it's equal to, or tell the computer
to do something else if it falls above.touchscreen phones and computers use
electrical currents as well. When you touch a certain part of the screen,
you close a circuit and send a certain amount of electrical current to the
computer. The computer knows based on the electrical current that you send
what to do. That's why when you tap on something on the iPhone, it opens
up.if you don't know how much current the computer is receiving at a certain
time, then you won't know how to program it so that when you tap twice, it
opens up an app or when you swipe up or down, it scrolls up and down the
page.if you become an architect, which there are blind architects by the
way,you have to build things at very specific angles to make sure that the
building is safe, complies with all relevant building codes, and that it
will stay up for a long time.different materials are different weights too,
so you have to make sure that one part of the building isn't too heavy or it
will collapse. For instance, if you make a building out of wood, but then
you have an elaborate roof on top with towers and hurts that is made of
marble, that building my collapse because the roof will be too heavy. In
that situation, it's obvious, but in other situations it might not be and
you have to use math to figure it outdid
Sabra Ewing
> On Dec 8, 2014, at 1:18 PM, Joseph C. Lininger via Blindmath
<blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> I think Bente already answered the question pretty well from a direct
answer point of view, but let me share an experience with you which provides
another answer. Feel free to share this experience with your student.
>
> All through middle school and high school, I was basically a bad student.
I didn't like studying, and I especially didn't like doing homework. I was
more interested in studying things I did find of interest, such as girls and
computers. (Yes I know those two aren't often seen paired, but I digress) I
knew grades mattered, and I even believed people when they told me that
later in life I'd be sorry I approached school the way I did. Unfortunately,
I didn't care much.
>
> That came back to haunt me in college. I was interested in a degree in
Computer Science, which required a lot of mathematics. Unfortunately, I
hadn't built the mathematical foundation properly. I ended up having to go
back and take several remedial math courses. I also had to do a math
learning group for at least one of the courses.
>
> I have completed several more advanced math courses now, including some in
more abstract areas. I would not call myself a math expert, however. I've
always felt my math is a bit more shaky than it could have been had I
learned it when I was younger. Yes, I can do math now. I even use my math
skills for day to day things for work sometimes, and for my graduate level
studies. I'm not nearly as confident in my mathematical abilities as a
person at my level should be, however, and I feel this is a direct result of
how I behaved in middle and high school.
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Joe
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blindmath mailing list
> Blindmath at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/sabra1023%40gma
> il.com BlindMath Gems can be found at
> <http://www.blindscience.org/blindmath-gems-home>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 15:58:22 -0600
From: Sabra Ewing <sabra1023 at gmail.com>
To: "Joseph C. Lininger" <devnull-blindmath at pcdesk.net>, Blind Math
list for those interested in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID: <359D5BAC-7947-4697-AE2D-CA9A5BDEEF54 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I think the blind student would actually use math in the same ways a cited
student would.
Sabra Ewing
> On Dec 8, 2014, at 1:18 PM, Joseph C. Lininger via Blindmath
<blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> I think Bente already answered the question pretty well from a direct
answer point of view, but let me share an experience with you which provides
another answer. Feel free to share this experience with your student.
>
> All through middle school and high school, I was basically a bad student.
I didn't like studying, and I especially didn't like doing homework. I was
more interested in studying things I did find of interest, such as girls and
computers. (Yes I know those two aren't often seen paired, but I digress) I
knew grades mattered, and I even believed people when they told me that
later in life I'd be sorry I approached school the way I did. Unfortunately,
I didn't care much.
>
> That came back to haunt me in college. I was interested in a degree in
Computer Science, which required a lot of mathematics. Unfortunately, I
hadn't built the mathematical foundation properly. I ended up having to go
back and take several remedial math courses. I also had to do a math
learning group for at least one of the courses.
>
> I have completed several more advanced math courses now, including some in
more abstract areas. I would not call myself a math expert, however. I've
always felt my math is a bit more shaky than it could have been had I
learned it when I was younger. Yes, I can do math now. I even use my math
skills for day to day things for work sometimes, and for my graduate level
studies. I'm not nearly as confident in my mathematical abilities as a
person at my level should be, however, and I feel this is a direct result of
how I behaved in middle and high school.
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Joe
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blindmath mailing list
> Blindmath at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/sabra1023%40gma
> il.com BlindMath Gems can be found at
> <http://www.blindscience.org/blindmath-gems-home>
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2014 10:05:34 +0000
From: George Bell <george at techno-vision.co.uk>
To: Bente <bente at casilenc.com>, "Blind Math list for those interested
in mathematics" <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Message-ID:
<CB5A63C3B62C434280AA0E884CB6041610A119B2 at TECHNO.tvs.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Like many, I hated pure math at school.
But when I left to become an apprentice mining mechanical engineer, what we
called "Day Release" to college was compulsory.
It was there that "Applied Mathematics" was also a compulsory subject. Now
suddenly the math theory was taught as it applied in working life. I
suddenly began to see a practical application for what they had been trying
to teach me at school. Not only did I now enjoy the subject, but I also
passed the exams.
You would have thought after all this time that teachers of pure math would
realise that for many pupils, they would understand things better if real
life examples were used in explanations.
George.
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bente via
Blindmath
Sent: 08 December 2014 17:47
To: Wilson_KC; Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Math for everyday use
Well if I had a penny for every time a student asked me that ... well you
know.
The truth is, not every concept will be used by every student in their
adult life. However, the idea of thinking both critically and logically is
essential
to everyone. I taught in middle school for quite a few years and I
understand
their mindset, scary but true. They want to know if the task is worth the
effort. We live in a society of instant gratification. The key here is to
get them to understand that the ability to "problem solve" is a life long
skill.
Being able to look at a particular situation and ask questions like, 1/what
did they give me 2/ what do they want 3/ what do I already know in my head
and from past experiences that can help me with this particular problem,
well that is life skills!! We are, or should be teaching them how to think
and reason. So to sum it up: you may not use this particular concept
depending upon what you choose to do as an adult, but there are many other
things that may depend on previous knowledge Education, especially in math,
is like a brick house, if you build a weak foundation by leaving out blocks
in the beginning, the higher you build the walls, the weaker they get, until
they eventually fail and crumble.
Education is power and strength. No expert (insert name here...Michael
Jordan,
etc) got where they are today by going right to their end game. They
practiced skills in isolation and then put them together and developed
strategies based on skills and knowledge. All this being said, just
remember, we are talking to an 8th grade child and they do live in an
alternate universe LOL, so as sponge bob would say... "Good luck with that"
!!
Bente J. Casile
Math Learning Specialist
Disability Support Services
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh NC
bjcasile at waketech.edu
> On December 8, 2014 at 11:57 AM Wilson_KC via Blindmath
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>
> I have an 8th grade blind student in pre-algebra. She constantly asks
> the question, "When will I ever use this?" or "Why do I need to learn
> this?" I'm going to have her do some of her own research on practical
> applications for math, I have some of my own ideas, but I wanted to
> ask you all for some "come back" answers. I realize many of you are
> math geeks, but this student is not, at least at this point in time.
> So can you let me know how you, as a blind person, use math in your every
day life?
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
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