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Math Wars Paul Hickman from CESAME found these recent online articles: The November 2001 "Phi Delta Kappan" features three different articles on "The Math Wars".
I'm Proud To Be a Teacher "Where are the heroes of today?" a radio talk show host thundered. He blames society's shortcomings on public education. Too many people are looking for heroes in all the wrong places. Movie stars and rock musicians, athletes and models aren't heroes, they're celebrities. Heroes abound in public schools, a fact that doesn't make the news. There is no precedent for the level of violence, drugs, broken homes, child abuse, and crime in today's America. Public education didn't create these problems but deals with them every day. You want heroes? Consider Dave Sanders, the school teacher shot to death while trying to shield his students from two Neo-Nazi youth on a bombing and shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Sanders gave his life, along with 12 students, and other less heralded heroes survived the Colorado blood bath. You want heroes? Jane Smith, a Fayetteville, N.C., teacher, was moved by the plight of one of her students, a boy dying for want of a kidney transplant. So this pretty white woman told the family of a 14-year old black boy that she would give him one of her kidneys. And she did. When they subsequently appeared together hugging on the Today Show, even tough little Katie Couric was near tears. You want heroes? Doris Dillon dreamed all her life of being a teacher. She not only made it, she was one of those wondrous teachers who could wring the best out of every single child. One of her fellow teachers in San Jose, Calif., said "she could teach a rock to read." Suddenly she was stricken with Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is always fatal, usually within five years. She asked to stay on the job-and did. When her voice was affected she communicated by computer. Did she go home? Absolutely not! She is running two elementary school libraries When the disease was diagnosed, she wrote the staff and all the families that she had one last lesson to teach -- that dying is part of living. Her colleagues named her Teacher of the Year. You want heroes? Bob House, a teacher in Gay, Georgia, tried out for Who Wants to be a Millionaire. After he won the million dollars, a network film crew wanted to follow up to see how it had impacted his life. New cars? Big new house? Instead, they found both Bob House and his wife still teaching. They explained that it was what they had always wanted to do with their lives and that would not change. The community was both stunned and gratified. You want heroes? Last year the average public school teacher spent $468 of their own money for student necessities -- work books, pencils -- supplies kids had to have but could not afford. That's a lot of money from the pockets of the most poorly paid teachers in the industrial world. Public schools don't teach values? The critics are dead wrong. Public education provides more Sunday School teachers than any other profession. The average teacher works more hours in nine months than the average 40-hour employee does in a year. You want heroes? For millions of kids, the hug they get from a teacher is the only hug they will get that day because the nation is living through the worst parenting in history. An Argyle, Texas kindergarten teacher hugs her little 5 and 6 year-olds so much that both the boys and the girls run up and hug her when they see her in the hall, at the football games, or in the malls years later. A Michigan principal moved me to tears with the story of her attempt to rescue a badly abused little boy who doted on a stuffed animal on her desk -- one that said "I love you!" He said he'd never been told that at home. This is a constant in today's society - - - two million unwanted, unloved, abused children in the public schools, the only institution that takes them all in. You want heroes? Visit any special education class and watch the miracle of personal interaction, a job so difficult that fellow teachers are awed by the dedication they witness. There is a sentence from an unnamed source which says, "We have been so anxious to give our children what we didn't have that we have neglected to give them what we did have." What is it that our kids really need? What do they really want? Math, science, history and social studies are important, but children need love, confidence, encouragement, someone to talk to, someone to listen, standards to live by. Teachers provide upright examples, the faith and assurance of responsible people. You want heroes? Then go down to your local public school and see our real live heroes -- the ones changing lives for the better each and every day! Now, pass this on to someone you know who's a teacher, or to someone who should thank a teacher today! Videoconferencing Opportunities for Educators
NCTM News and Hot Topics
For the Health of It
Mars and Other Stuff
The Web Takes a Negative View of Arithmetic and Related Matters
Math 4 Test Tips Here we go again! In May, teachers from NY State got together to edit the Math 4 test questions. With this new contract, no teachers wrote the test quests, so we had to edit the questions from a test bank of questions. None of the test questions for the next three tests will be written by teachers of New York State. We are encouraging the state to revert to the past practice of using our own teachers as test writers, like we do for the Regents. Early in September, students took the tests in the field. Last week, the Range scoring for the 4th grade tests was done. Range scoring is where teachers analyze the field tested questions and score them as the anchor papers for the scoring training in May. Though I cannot give specific examples, there were error patterns that were very pronounced. I was very suprised to see the the concept of COUNTING is still a problem. In a question that asks students to create a GRAPH, students still have to label all the parts. Students still do not label the axis with the number intervals of the graph. Students are not sure about putting the numbers on the line or in the spaces. Many students are told to start with ZERO. Students do not seem to know that ZERO is a starting point. If students do not know about zero they do not know where to start counting. Too often students ended up with one more than was necessary because ZERO was used as the first counting place or as ONE. This can be seen when children play board games and roll a number. The start by using the place they are on as ONE or the first place in the count. The problem is really complicated because zero is not a counting number, but if students do not understand the concept of ZERO, misperceptions and errors occur. Therefore: Tips for GRAPHING: *Label ALL the necessary pars of the graph *Place the numbers on the lines OR the spaces. Both are acceptable. *Use number intervals that will answer the question. *Zero has four functions: -As a statrting point, in a game, race, on a ruler... -As a separation point-like on a thermometer, number line... -As a breakeven point -like in gambling, in trading, debt... -As a place holder - place value -204 *Play board games to reinforce the concept of zero as a starting point. When we play a board game there is no zero on the die or the board, so students need authentic experiences with zero to understand its functions and use. Have fun with zero. Play board games and start counting!
Write and RROARR! Answering the questions with words-writing in the math content area. When students are asked to "Explain your answer" they will need to do more than to tell how they did the problem. That will probably be shown in the work. What really needs to be done to get the maximum credit is to answer the question with "I did this...because ...." or "I did this ...and give a reason." I did get to see a repeat of my favorite answer "I gust gistd," but that won't get any credit! Students must read the problems with the same EAL skills for comprehension. NY State Math Mentor, Peggy Golden, Oneota , NY has been using her RROARR proceedures in her district: R - READ the problem R- RESTATE the problem in your own words about what you have to do O - ORGANIZE Choose a strategy:
A - Answer Show yur work R - READ the question again R -REVIEW -Does what I did make sense? Check the math. Did you explain the answer clearly? Of all the papers we checked, very few students use PICTURES or DRAWINGS to answer the questions. This is such an easy way to solve problems. Let's give drawing a chance! America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 1999 AMERICA'S CHILDREN 1999 is the third annual report to the Nation on the condition of our most precious resource, our children. Included are six contextual measures that describe the changing population and family context in which children are living, and 23 indicators of well-being in the areas of economic security, health,behavior and social environment, and education. This year, a special feature is presented on Children Who Have Difficulty Performing Everyday Activities. 10.8.99 NYS Standards and Assessment UPDATE ON NYS STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENT From NYSUT's Briefing Bulletin 99-15, August 1999. Includes updates test dates. The Math Forum Funded in part by the National Science Foundation in Washington and hosted by Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, the Math Forum Web site compiles information about software and Web sites for K-12 and college-level math teachers. Arranged by subject, such as algebra or geometry, the free site includes online lesson plans, public forums, and projects. Established in 1993 for geometry teachers and expanded to serve all math teachers three years later, the site was one of the first to make it easier for teachers to find relevant Web resources. See forum.swarthmore.edu. MarcoPolo Created by the nonprofit MCI WorldCom Foundation, based in Arlington, VA., the MarcoPolo site brings together five Web sites created for K-12 teachers by six national organizations; The National council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Council of the Great City Schools, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Council on Economic Education, the National Endowment for the Humanieties, and the National Geographic Society. The partnership is an attempt to compile online education content that has been reviewed and recommended by experts in particular subject areas.See www.wcom.com/marcopolo. ThinkQuest and ThinkQuest Junior Teams of students in grades 4 and above compete with teams nationwide to build the best educational Web sites in these annual free contests run by Advanced Network and Services, a nonprofit company based in Armonk, N.Y. The winning sites, which can be found under "library of entries" on the ThinkQuest Web site, are remarkably sophisticated. See www.thinkquest.org. NASA Education Program The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been a leader among federal government agencies in packaging Web content for K-12 education. The NASA is My Playground Web page links students in grades K-8 to information from the space agency. On the Aeronautics K-8 internet Textbook site, for example, children can select their reading level and learn about the principles of flying, which are illustrated with graphics. Other pages are designed for students in upper grades. See education.nasa.gov. Other Math Web Sites Primary Mathematics Enrichment offers mathematics classroom activities for grades K-6. www.nrich.maths.org.uk/primary/index.html Web Math is a collection of interactive programs and links that help the useer find solutions to a wide range of mathematics problems. www.webmath.com The Geometry Center, from the University of Minnesota, features references and video and animated solutions. www.geom.umn.edu Math Tips for Parents, from Sylvan Learning Systems, the American School Counselors' Association, and the National Association for Gifted Children, is a collection of activities parents can use to strengthen their children's mathematics skills during the summer. www.educate.com/learningcenters |