Re: Interesting thread!(TI-89 virtue email)
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Re: Interesting thread!(TI-89 virtue email)
Adam Davis wrote:
> I just thought I'd give my calc 1 teacher's viewpoint on math and
> technology:
>
> Basicly, it has been shown that a large portion of americans do not use
> algebra, though they were taughtit. An even larger portion does not use
> calculus.
>
> So why is it taught? Why not only require it for those areas that
> people will be using it in?
>
> His response, which I now agree with, is that it teaches problem solving
> skills.
>
<snip for brevity>
Isn't this the same argument that used to be used by English public schools
for their mostly Greek and Latin instruction? You might find it useful to
look at a book on cognitive science (Anderson is good) about cognitive
transfer. Learning about logic or math, helps to learn more logic or math,
but it seems to have no effect on other learning, and doesn't seem to
improve one's ability to solve problems in other fields.
--
Bob Wheeler --- (Reply to: bwheeler@echip.com)
ECHIP, Inc.
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