A good math teacher embraces technology for its good points and uses it when appropriate, not constantly. When the College Board chose to allow the use of calculators on the AP test, it was because the colleges saw the need for it and requested it. The test is specifically designed to be half calculator, half non-calculator, in order to put all testers on an even playing field. All of the other good Calculus teachers I know construct their tests the same way.
Math cannot be made applicable without the use of technology (ie. "life does not come out even"), but it cannot completely depend on technology either. I was a AP Calculus student BC (before calculators), and I am now teaching with them. The application problems are so much better now because we do not have to work with contrived problems that have pretty answers because we do not want to become bogged down in the number crunching. Find a happy medium, folks! Banning then outright is not the solution; neither is full-scale usage. There is a balance - teachers just need to find it.
As a high school math teacher and a mom, I know this subject all too well. I teach in the second fastest growing district in the state of Texas, and I am very proud of the education I am able to give and that my kids are receiving.
Our administration is looking towards the future, and our faculty has been watching some videos by the foremost authority on the future of education, Dr. Willard Daggett. He is consulted by big names in both the business sector and in Washington for his research and findings in the future of education and its relationship to society, and he has a lot of fascinating things to say. (BTW - he has been doing this for several years and has an almost perfect record in his predictions of trends.)
A few things I have gleaned from this man:
1. Science IS the future of education. The fastest growing arena for jobs in the next 10 years will be biotechnology. We have seen a taste of this in the areas of gene mapping, cloning, and the like. Anyone who majors in this field in the next few years can write their ticket to any job they wish.
2. A college degree used to guarantee a good job after graduation. But more and more college graduates are having to move home after graduation because they can't find a job. Why? Because the universities are not changing to meet the needs of the business sector. Big businesses are now even beginning to create their own schools because they are not getting properly trained employees.
3. If public schools are not careful, they are next. We in the public schools must listen to the needs of the business sector and make changes accordingly. That means more emphasis on science and math at all levels.
The problem? If the colleges don't change, they won't be producing the educators with the proper skills needed to teach the subject. Contrary to many opinions on this board, teachers are not supposed to only teach the content, they are supposed to teach the students to be lifelong learners. We need to convince our kids that learning doesn't end when school ends. No matter what field you enter, you will always be learning. Yes, higher pay would help attract more qualified people, but unless those people know how to spark interest and teach learning skills, it will be all for naught. The US Education system needs to stop training our kids the same way we always have been and realize that the world is changing, and education MUST change along with it.
Slashdot Mirror
As a current Calculus teacher, I say "bravo."
A good math teacher embraces technology for its good points and uses it when appropriate, not constantly. When the College Board chose to allow the use of calculators on the AP test, it was because the colleges saw the need for it and requested it. The test is specifically designed to be half calculator, half non-calculator, in order to put all testers on an even playing field. All of the other good Calculus teachers I know construct their tests the same way.
Math cannot be made applicable without the use of technology (ie. "life does not come out even"), but it cannot completely depend on technology either. I was a AP Calculus student BC (before calculators), and I am now teaching with them. The application problems are so much better now because we do not have to work with contrived problems that have pretty answers because we do not want to become bogged down in the number crunching. Find a happy medium, folks! Banning then outright is not the solution; neither is full-scale usage. There is a balance - teachers just need to find it.
As a high school math teacher and a mom, I know this subject all too well. I teach in the second fastest growing district in the state of Texas, and I am very proud of the education I am able to give and that my kids are receiving.
Our administration is looking towards the future, and our faculty has been watching some videos by the foremost authority on the future of education, Dr. Willard Daggett. He is consulted by big names in both the business sector and in Washington for his research and findings in the future of education and its relationship to society, and he has a lot of fascinating things to say. (BTW - he has been doing this for several years and has an almost perfect record in his predictions of trends.)
A few things I have gleaned from this man:
1. Science IS the future of education. The fastest growing arena for jobs in the next 10 years will be biotechnology. We have seen a taste of this in the areas of gene mapping, cloning, and the like. Anyone who majors in this field in the next few years can write their ticket to any job they wish.
2. A college degree used to guarantee a good job after graduation. But more and more college graduates are having to move home after graduation because they can't find a job. Why? Because the universities are not changing to meet the needs of the business sector. Big businesses are now even beginning to create their own schools because they are not getting properly trained employees.
3. If public schools are not careful, they are next. We in the public schools must listen to the needs of the business sector and make changes accordingly. That means more emphasis on science and math at all levels.
The problem? If the colleges don't change, they won't be producing the educators with the proper skills needed to teach the subject. Contrary to many opinions on this board, teachers are not supposed to only teach the content, they are supposed to teach the students to be lifelong learners. We need to convince our kids that learning doesn't end when school ends. No matter what field you enter, you will always be learning. Yes, higher pay would help attract more qualified people, but unless those people know how to spark interest and teach learning skills, it will be all for naught. The US Education system needs to stop training our kids the same way we always have been and realize that the world is changing, and education MUST change along with it.