I've been listening with interest, and I've got a couple of
questions and (possible) provocations.
1. would learning calculus as a "powerful idea"
(rather than through the duller algebraic approach) be counted as
"using discovery or inquiry based learning as a substitute for
hard facts"?
2. What IS a "powerful idea", and how does
it become powerful? I'm particularly interested in asking
whether ideas get their power from abstraction (finding similarity in
structure), or generalization (finding similarity in features) - or
from both.
Bob
On 8/17/07, David Corking <lists@dcorking.com> wrote:
> But what if the
> secondary math teachers complained loudly? I don't think they are
in
> any decision process that I can find.
I don't know the US systems very well. I would like to
think that
school boards and education departments consult professionals
first.
Are there countries where that does happen?
hi David,
Curriculum statements have become contentious and politicised beasts
because they are the main instrument of attempted control over
teachers work. Many stakeholders fighting over problematic
ideologies.
As long ago as 1994 two Australian academics - rather than describing
them as academics I should say two of the most notable educational
maths researchers in Australia - wrote a book ('The National
Curriculum Debacle' by Nerida Ellerton and Ken Clements) complaining
bitterly that the leading maths educational research group in
Australia had not been listened to in the development of the then
national profiles. This book is really a blow by blow description of
the farcical process as well as a critique of outcomes based
education
In more recent times in Western Australia (Australian education system
is a State responsibility) there has been outrage at attempts at
curriculum reform. One perception has been that outcomes based
education has led to a watering down and socialisation of the maths /
science curriculum. To quote retired Associate Professor Steve
Kessell, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, Curtin University,
letter to The Sunday Times 21/5/2006: "Learning about the
sociology of the cosmetics industry is not real chemistry, discussing
whether air bags should be mandatory is not real physics ... A
'culturally sensitive curriculum' borders on nonsense ..." This
is but one small sample of a flood of complaint. See the PLATO (People
Lobbying Against Teaching Outcomes) website for a lot more detail http://www.platowa.com/ btw I'm not
endorsing their approach just pointing out how contested this area has
become
My understanding is that this trend is world wide:
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/06/physics-teacher-begs-for-his-subject.html
"Wellington Grey, a physics teachers in the UK, has written an open letter about the conversion of physics in his
country from a science of precise measurement and calculation into
"... something else, something nebulous and ill defined"
To critique it thoroughly would require a hard look at outcomes based
education.
Summarising some of the issues:
- watering down, diluting, trivializing science and maths
curriculum
- converting science / maths content into sociological
content
- using discovery or inquiry based
learning as a substitute for hard facts
This appears to be occurring systematically in western education
systems. (Not in developing countries who are serious about catching
up to the west and actively promote the importance of maths, science
and computing science).
This is a big topic. Science and maths education seems to be
polarising between a back to basics movement and soft sociological
reform, often ineffectual "discovery learning". I believe
there is a third way, that traditional science education can be
reformed and still remain real science. Student designed computer
simulations using software such as Etoys / Squeak could play an
important role here.
--
Bill Kerr
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/
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