Comments on: We’re taking our math and going home in a huff http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/ Entomology. Gardening. Ranting. Nerdery. Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:45:31 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Sorting Out Science » Blog Archive » Casual Friday — math quiz! http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9675 Sorting Out Science » Blog Archive » Casual Friday — math quiz! Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:32:32 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9675 [...] Science magazine (sorry, subscriber link), Newsweek, and a number of blogs have pointed out, the powers-that-be in Washington D.C. have responded to the U.S.’ abysmal [...] [...] Science magazine (sorry, subscriber link), Newsweek, and a number of blogs have pointed out, the powers-that-be in Washington D.C. have responded to the U.S.’ abysmal [...]

]]> By: Carnival of Math #18 « JD2718 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9524 Carnival of Math #18 « JD2718 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:01:47 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9524 [...] Girl’s Blog We’re taking our math and going home in a huff Secondary Mathematics (Global) The US is bowing out of the next TIMSSA, and Bug Girl says [...] [...] Girl’s Blog We’re taking our math and going home in a huff Secondary Mathematics (Global) The US is bowing out of the next TIMSSA, and Bug Girl says [...]

]]> By: Math and Science, Bass-Ackwards « Andrea’s Buzzing About: http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9459 Math and Science, Bass-Ackwards « Andrea’s Buzzing About: Wed, 03 Oct 2007 02:10:49 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9459 [...] Girl has a nice little piece, “We’re taking our math and going home in a huff” about the Bush administration not wanting to participate in the next global test of advanced math [...] [...] Girl has a nice little piece, “We’re taking our math and going home in a huff” about the Bush administration not wanting to participate in the next global test of advanced math [...]

]]> By: Entire nation left behind on math « Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9442 Entire nation left behind on math « Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:20:15 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9442 [...] Bug Girl has the story:  The U.S. has pulled out of the international testing for math and science,....  Surely the Bush administration did not fail to budget for their big test showing.   Is that the real reason?  Or do they fear that the test comparisons will show that NCLB has not worked? [...] [...] Bug Girl has the story:  The U.S. has pulled out of the international testing for math and science,….  Surely the Bush administration did not fail to budget for their big test showing.   Is that the real reason?  Or do they fear that the test comparisons will show that NCLB has not worked? [...]

]]> By: raj http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9384 raj Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:15:23 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9384 Some people have actually suggested starting with physics. Physics at the high school level is actually the simplist of sciences--one can actually learn a lot of basic principles without having to know calculus. Algebra does help, though. Some people have actually suggested starting with physics. Physics at the high school level is actually the simplist of sciences–one can actually learn a lot of basic principles without having to know calculus. Algebra does help, though.

]]> By: Bug Girl http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9349 Bug Girl Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:18:31 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9349 completely unrelated, but amusing in juxtaposition: excel announces math calculation bug http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2007/09/25/calculation-issue-update.aspx completely unrelated, but amusing in juxtaposition:

excel announces math calculation bug
http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2007/09/25/calculation-issue-update.aspx

]]> By: Bug Girl http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9348 Bug Girl Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:11:13 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9348 Just wait until you see what happens when the "no child left behind" science stuff comes online this year. Teaching science by rote and drill--yeah, that will improve things. ::sigh:: indeed! Just wait until you see what happens when the “no child left behind” science stuff comes online this year.

Teaching science by rote and drill–yeah, that will improve things.

::sigh:: indeed!

]]> By: Blake Stacey http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9345 Blake Stacey Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:12:08 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9345 Math and science education seems more and more screwed-up the more I think about it. I like the "physics-first" idea (maybe that's just professional vanity speaking), but I'm also pretty sure that more changes will be required, beyond simply reordering the existing classes. The complaint that ninth-graders don't have the math knowledge to do physics is true, but it's not as if we teach math very well either. I wonder if one could combine physics, algebra, geometry and trigonometry into one class. Of course, you wouldn't be able to do as much of each subject, but you'd be able to <i>apply</i> every math concept taught (and I recall a good bit of wasted time in all those classes). Teach the math <i>alongside</i> the science, and you might cut down the number of students asking, "But what is it <i>good</i> for?" Then, in following years, they take Algebra II, Chemistry, Biology and so forth. Math and science education seems more and more screwed-up the more I think about it. I like the “physics-first” idea (maybe that’s just professional vanity speaking), but I’m also pretty sure that more changes will be required, beyond simply reordering the existing classes. The complaint that ninth-graders don’t have the math knowledge to do physics is true, but it’s not as if we teach math very well either.

I wonder if one could combine physics, algebra, geometry and trigonometry into one class. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to do as much of each subject, but you’d be able to apply every math concept taught (and I recall a good bit of wasted time in all those classes). Teach the math alongside the science, and you might cut down the number of students asking, “But what is it good for?” Then, in following years, they take Algebra II, Chemistry, Biology and so forth.

]]> By: Bug Girl http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9338 Bug Girl Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:42:15 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9338 I think I can send you a PDF of the pharmacology article andrea--email me and remind me on monday :) I think I can send you a PDF of the pharmacology article andrea–email me and remind me on monday :)

]]> By: andrea http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9316 andrea Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:45:31 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/were-taking-our-math-and-going-home-in-a-huff/#comment-9316 ... and those of us without a subscription to Science cannot read the articles! In one of my jobs, I'm a paraprofessional in a high school science classroom. This week in Biology we're in the unit on carbohydrates, lipids and proteins as polymers. Of course, the students have been struggling because we're touching on biochemistry concepts, and they've not had chemistry. So I asked the teacher, "If biology depends upon chemistry, and chemistry depends upon physics, then WHY don't we start with physics, and then go to chemistry and then biology?" (I mean like, duh!) And he replied, "Because most of these students don't have the math background for physics; they're only in geometry." That's Geometry as the class that for some reason is inserted between Algebra 1 and Algebra 2, before they get to Trigonometry. ::sigh:: … and those of us without a subscription to Science cannot read the articles!

In one of my jobs, I’m a paraprofessional in a high school science classroom. This week in Biology we’re in the unit on carbohydrates, lipids and proteins as polymers. Of course, the students have been struggling because we’re touching on biochemistry concepts, and they’ve not had chemistry.

So I asked the teacher, “If biology depends upon chemistry, and chemistry depends upon physics, then WHY don’t we start with physics, and then go to chemistry and then biology?”

(I mean like, duh!)

And he replied, “Because most of these students don’t have the math background for physics; they’re only in geometry.”

That’s Geometry as the class that for some reason is inserted between Algebra 1 and Algebra 2, before they get to Trigonometry.

::sigh::

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