What you can't see in the picture is her incredible collection of shoes. In a full semester, I never saw the same pair twice: all of them spike-heeled and pointy-toed... that, and she's TALL-tall.
Alas that she's also too agressively opinionated to effectively manage a discussion session.
Still, a good class overall. Orientalism is thought-provoking stuff.
The first question in the "math" section of the Georgia High School Graduation Test was:
Which of the following could be a zipcode?
The choices listed included a 123-45-6789 ss#, a 456-7890 phone number, a (321) area code, an actual five-digit zip code, and - I don't know - a six-character license plate combination.
At this point, the Honors students were actually snorting from laughing so hard... but yes, students failed this exam. Some more than three times, so that they couldn't graduate.
Testing might not be the solution after all. Alas, common sense can't be taught.
I spent this summer tutoring a student who needed "a little math help," according to her mom, in order to score high enough on a standardized test to get into the weakest of our state's universities.
Well, no. What she needed was to retake math, beginning in about 6th grade. Not that she was dumb, but it is almost impossible to do well on a timed test if you're using your calculator to divide by two. All the basic tools the above post talks about were completely foreign to her, although - to her credit - she could FOIL up a storm. Unfortunately, I don't think she knew what factoring actually meant. Forget deriving formulas by common sense or making intelligent guesses to narrow the range of choices. She was convinced that math was difficult and "other", something to be crammed before tests... but nothing she would ever understand. And understanding should be the goal of instruction in any subject (says a future teacher, with her fingers crossed).
Personally, I'm in favor of combining math with anything - science, as above, or music (as one of y'all suggested) - that will help students like mine think of algebra as a helpful tool, or even a "fun puzzle" (our local slang for calc), as opposed to some kind of senseless ordeal.
To be fair, I got an excellent education in public schools (please, Lord, may there be no typos in this boast... err, post), but then, I watch "Square One" and _Donald in Mathmagic Land_ for fun. A good nerdy environment will do wonders.
My university was worried about this issue: some students regarded 'science' as little more than a core curriculum requirement. Those who felt uncomfortable with religious/psuedo-scientific claims were unable to articulate their doubts without seeming to attack the person expressing them.
So some concerned psych professors now offer a class called "Systems of Belief," a seminar that looks at kinds of knowledge, and explains how to separate scientific claims from others. While neither viewpoint is superior, you can't argue across systems of belief; speaking specifically about science and religion, Gould called them "non-overlapping magisteria."
Anyway, a great guide to separating beliefs into scientifically valid and invalid - NOT right and wrong - is FiLCHeRS. It stands for Falsifiability, Logic, Comprehensiveness, Honesty, Replicability, and Sufficiency. Check out Lett's Field Guide to Critical Thinking for explanations of the terms and examples of how to employ them... http://www.csicop.org/si/9012/critical-thinking.ht ml
So when the price of storing, shipping, and using standard fuels becomes prohibitive, 'solar power' is suddenly an option. Granted, using light for propulsion and converting it to electricity are different processes, but the lesson is a good one. The technology is there; all that's needed is the desire for a cheaper, renewable energy source... and a tax of about $20 a gallon on gas should get the ball rolling.
And before you ask: public transportation and my own two feet.
Slashdot Mirror
Alas that she's also too agressively opinionated to effectively manage a discussion session.
Still, a good class overall. Orientalism is thought-provoking stuff.
Which of the following could be a zipcode?
The choices listed included a 123-45-6789 ss#, a 456-7890 phone number, a (321) area code, an actual five-digit zip code, and - I don't know - a six-character license plate combination.
At this point, the Honors students were actually snorting from laughing so hard... but yes, students failed this exam. Some more than three times, so that they couldn't graduate.
Testing might not be the solution after all. Alas, common sense can't be taught.
Well, no. What she needed was to retake math, beginning in about 6th grade. Not that she was dumb, but it is almost impossible to do well on a timed test if you're using your calculator to divide by two. All the basic tools the above post talks about were completely foreign to her, although - to her credit - she could FOIL up a storm. Unfortunately, I don't think she knew what factoring actually meant. Forget deriving formulas by common sense or making intelligent guesses to narrow the range of choices. She was convinced that math was difficult and "other", something to be crammed before tests... but nothing she would ever understand. And understanding should be the goal of instruction in any subject (says a future teacher, with her fingers crossed).
Personally, I'm in favor of combining math with anything - science, as above, or music (as one of y'all suggested) - that will help students like mine think of algebra as a helpful tool, or even a "fun puzzle" (our local slang for calc), as opposed to some kind of senseless ordeal.
To be fair, I got an excellent education in public schools (please, Lord, may there be no typos in this boast... err, post), but then, I watch "Square One" and _Donald in Mathmagic Land_ for fun. A good nerdy environment will do wonders.
So some concerned psych professors now offer a class called "Systems of Belief," a seminar that looks at kinds of knowledge, and explains how to separate scientific claims from others. While neither viewpoint is superior, you can't argue across systems of belief; speaking specifically about science and religion, Gould called them "non-overlapping magisteria."
Anyway, a great guide to separating beliefs into scientifically valid and invalid - NOT right and wrong - is FiLCHeRS. It stands for Falsifiability, Logic, Comprehensiveness, Honesty, Replicability, and Sufficiency. Check out Lett's Field Guide to Critical Thinking for explanations of the terms and examples of how to employ them... http://www.csicop.org/si/9012/critical-thinking.ht ml
And before you ask: public transportation and my own two feet.