Subject: Innovation: A Golden Teaching Moment

Posted by Sharon Villines on 12/1/2010
In Reply To:Innovation: A Golden Teaching Moment Posted by George Richardson on 12/1/2010

Message:

On 1 Dec 2010, at 10:47 AM, George Richardson wrote:

> I think I still believe that understanding helps performance, but I'm forced to acknowledge that in arithmetic at least, and maybe algebra and some computational aspects of calculus, it may not.

Some people seem to be motivated to compute with no concern for comprehension or meaning in a larger context. Others need comprehension and meaning before they care to compute. The testing situation may not be a good indicator of success in contexts other than math tests.

In the 1970s, I consulted a mathematician at SUNY/Albany about my daughter who had taught herself to add, subtract, and "solve for X" by the time she was 4. I can't remember why it came up but the mathematician (forget her name) explained to me that the ability to comprehend and apply was a separate skill than computation. That she had no interest in computation was not unusual.

My daughter chose to attend RPI to major in math but changed her major the first year because none of the math she was studying at that level had any practical application. She said, "I think it must be a guy thing, numbers with no meaning." RPI was then 94% male.

Sharon