Re: ok, the big question
[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: ok, the big question
> Speaking for myself (and not all teachers LOL) I've been doingsymbol
> manipulation since MathCAD and through Derive, Maple, etc.
> It's great for doing grant manipulation - but it's not great for
> learning
> the concepts behind basic skills and students who want to substitute
> button pushing for understanding (and there are surprisingly many)
> only get confused about what it is they are supposed to be doing.
> It's like trying to learn mountain climbing by taking a helicopter to
> the top.
This letter should be sent to teachers (which few of us are). Teachers should
be using a happy medium. Teach the long math way (climbing the mountain)
first, make them use it for a couple problems so they get the concept, and
then pull out the helicopter. That way, they understand what they're doing,
which makes them more likely to remember how, and they have the helicopter
when they need to get to the top again.