On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 3:18 PM, Edward Cherlin echerlin@gmail.com wrote:

We have the offer of a calculus book for elementary grades. Please take a look at Don's Web site,

http://mathman.biz/

Math Myths: Don and Jerry have come up with a number of "Math Myths" - things that are NOT true - but ideas people, because of ignorance, expedience and/or things they were taught, try to shove down their students' throats: 1. You can't take 7 from 3. 2. When you multiply, the answer is bigger. 3. You have to add from right to left. 4. When you subtract the result is smaller. 5. Fractions are small numbers. 6. There's only one way to do something. 7. When you add the result is bigger. 8. When you divide the result is smaller. 9. I can't do it unless someone tells me how to do it. 10. Math is hard and only a few people can do it. 11. You have to know everything about whole numbers before you can do fractions. 12. You have to know algebra before you can learn about calculus.

This is a fun list... but I couldn't find any examples of his work/method on his site.

-walter

and let us discuss what it would take to get this done up in a series of Etoys projects. If others think it worthwhile, I will invite Don here.

I am also proposing that FLOSS Manuals publish the book, and will ask on the Sugar list whether anybody would like to work on this as a regular Sugar activity in Python.

...

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Don Cohen- The Mathman doncohenmathman@gmail.com Date: Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 16:33 Subject: Re: ? To: Edward Cherlin echerlin@gmail.com

Hi Edward, To begin with, I would like to contribute my book Calculus By and for Young People-Worksheets (in ebook form, which is being done by a former student, and will be ready by May). The book is in Socratic format, asking questions leading to the different ideas, with an answer section in each chapter. I have it on a CD now, in pdf form but wanted to make minor changes-like my new email address, new website address..Would anyone there like a copy of this CD? There is a list of materials that would help, in the appendix.

I'd be willing to talk to anyone interested in seeing what can come from this.

Don

-- Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation. The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination. http://www.earthtreasury.org/ _______________________________________________ etoys-dev mailing list etoys-dev@squeakland.org http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/etoys-dev

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 8:18 PM, Edward Cherlin wrote:

We have the offer of a calculus book for elementary grades.

http://lists.squeakland.org/pipermail/etoys-dev/2011-January/006025.html ...

http://mathman.biz/html/chapters.html

Existing Etoys projects probably cover some of Don Cohen's ground. I can't help recalling the well-known drive-a-car project already in Etoys and Sugar http://dobbse.net/thinair/2008/12/drive-a-car.html Alan Kay's approach to differential equations with a simple geometric series also strikes me as similar: http://dobbse.net/thinair/2008/12/growth-and-polygons.html

At a brief (and all too cursory) first impression, Don Cohen's approach seems to be based on what a student can discover with pencil and paper. These are good things. Yet, to me, one strong appeal of calculus is its dynamic applications, which can be revealed (numerically if not analytically) to students who build their own animated Etoys.

Don Cohen's 'map to calculus' examples could surely be translated into Etoys, either as simple e-books or slideshows or in a more interactive fashion. There may be more value in a hybrid approach, that brings in existing or novel etoys projects and lesson plans along the journey.

(I have copied this to the squeakland mailing list http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland )

On Thursday 27 Jan 2011 7:02:37 am David Corking wrote:

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 8:18 PM, Edward Cherlin wrote:

...

We have the offer of a calculus book for elementary grades.

.... At a brief (and all too cursory) first impression, Don Cohen's approach seems to be based on what a student can discover with pencil and paper. These are good things. Yet, to me, one strong appeal of calculus is its dynamic applications, which can be revealed (numerically if not analytically) to students who build their own animated Etoys.

Just a note of caution. Elementary grades are where students pickup fluency in writing and reading. I hear teachers, even in USA, face students who are yet to become fluent in reading/writing to use programs like Etoys meaningfully. Try using Etoys with dingbat fonts for a week to understand how it feels to a elementary grader.

Elementary grade students are intensely physical. They learn more through movements, touch and sounds than through sight. If "teaching" means 'reaching out to >80% of learners' then abstract models like Etoys or Pen/Paper can only supplement more concrete learning aids.

Subbu