Skip to content
pmcouteaux

pmcouteaux

For edication buffs

Primary Menu
  • Medical Research
  • Homeschooling
  • Crypto Edu
  • Real Estate
  • Edu News
  • About Us
    • Advertise Here
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Sitemap
  • Home
  • The Fate of Algebra 2: Euclid, Cicero, or Boaler?
  • Science Journal

The Fate of Algebra 2: Euclid, Cicero, or Boaler?

By Sara J. Wheeler 1 year ago

[ad_1]

“The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God.” Euclid, in Euclid’s Elements.

“We have established as the limit of this art [mathematics] its usefulness in measuring and counting.” Cicero, as quoted by Leonard Mlodinow.

“The powerful thinkers are those who make connections, think logically, and use space, data, and numbers creatively.” Jo Boaler, author of Mathematical Mindsets

If Az House Bill 2278 passes, students will no longer be required to take Algebra 2 to graduate high school. But they will still need to take four years of math.

As reported in the media, opponents to the law argue that we lose our competitive edge if American students don’t take as much advanced math as possible. In Algebra 2, at my school, we focus on conceptual understanding, analysis, and process, leaving concrete applications to a final unit in the last few weeks of the year.  Once in a while a student will see the beauty in the subject and say something like, “That’s crazy!!” This approximates, without quite bringing God into it, Euclid’s point.

Advocates for eliminating the Algebra 2 requirement line up behind Cicero and would like to see more practical math, like personal finance, taught instead of more advanced abstract math. Seriously, I bet it’s been awhile since you analyzed something like f(x) = -10log(4) (x + 2), like my students did on Friday’s quiz (and which after the final exam in May, most never will again).

And so the battle lines are drawn. As in most issues, different parties represent competing interests, and the choice is all of one or all of the other. Both sides could argue that students do become the powerful thinkers that Boaler describes. As proof, they could point to all of the posters we have on our walls illustrating the Standard Mathematical Practices, like “Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.”

But what if powerful thinking became the goal of math, instead of a hit or miss effect? My students did well on Friday’s quiz because we did tons of sample problems. Not many cared about the math or found it interesting. You can fairly put that on me. But I can fairly put their annoyance at math on a system that demands we rush through more learning goals than ever. Granted, most students pass, but then all is forgotten in an adulthood where it is perfectly acceptable to declare, “I’m not a math person.”

So, what about something like this? First, eliminate Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement. Then, expand Algebra and Geometry curricula to to three semesters each.  The expanded courses would not add more content but would go deeper into the content than before. And here’s where competing interests could be accommodated and the Jo Boaler quote becomes relevant. Each topic could include multiple tasks, both abstract and concrete, that require creativity, number-sense, logic, and the like that would develop powerful thinking skills. Ideally, the stamina to work longer on hard problems would follow. And, my greatest wish, opportunities for Oh Wow! moments and individual expression would abound. The extra semester would also allow for more real practical examples taken from all fields. (Want to know a secret? Although the concepts in many math books are well explained, their attempts to make content relevant to students and their “real world examples” are pathetic.)

Now, none of these ideas is original. They represent a mash-up of ideas from Paul Lockhart in Mathematician’s Lament: How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form, Andrew Hacker in The Math Myth and other STEM Delusions,  Joan Boaler’s book, of course, and many others.

Abundant free online material exists to ease the transition to any such change to math requirements. For example, Open Up Resources and Boeler’s Week of Inspirational Math on her YouCubed page offer excellent activities to expand understanding without adding more topics. Similarly, the Math Assessment Project offers tons of applied tasks for students. So, everything proposed here is happening somewhere, although inconsistently and not as the foundation of math curriculum.

Which brings us to a high school student’s last required math class. Algebra 2, Calculus, Business Math, and so forth should certainly be offered for students who know they’re going to major in a field that demands advanced math knowledge. But most students would take a class with a catchy and original title like MATH 4.

With no new math per se, the class would advance the powerful thinking developed in the three semester algebra and geometry classes. One unit might take a deep dive into Numbers in the News. Another might cover case histories about when the pros get it wrong, like in the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse. (Spoiler  alert – people usually die.) Check out Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World, by Matt Parker for more examples. Another unit might cover rational risk assessment; still another might cover Math Without Numbers, and on and on.

A friend, who’s a math professor at a university in Texas, read my last post and said, “Many people want change, but it can be hard to sift through what would be a meaningful and beneficial change. But better math for everyone would be a great thing!”

And therein lie the questions the Arizona Legislature should be grappling with: What is the nature of better math for everyone; what are the features of the best math requirements; and, finally, is Algebra 2 the best path to those ends?

(Image “Math Matters” by Simona)

 

 

 

Sandy Merz

I grew up in Silver City, New Mexico and went the University of New Mexico, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. After working for the U.S. Geological Survey in remote regions of western New Mexico, I moved to Tucson to attend graduate school at the University of Arizona, earning a Master of Science degree in Hydrogeology. While working as an intern hydrologist for a local county agency, I started doing volunteer work that involved making presentations in schools. At that moment I knew teaching was the path to follow. It must have been a good decision because I’m still on the path after thirty-two years. My teaching certificates are in math and science and I am a National Board Certified Teacher in Career and Technical Education. After teaching engineering and math and elective classes at the same school in downtown Tucson my whole career, I’ve moved to a different middle school and district on the edge of town to teach math. In addition to full time teaching, I am actively involved in the teacher leadership movement by facilitating National Board candidates, blogging for Stories from School Arizona, and serving on the Arizona K12 Center’s TeacherSolutions team. In January 2017, Raytheon Missile System named me a Leader in Education and I’m a former Arizona Hope Street Fellow.

[ad_2]

Source link

Tags: Arizona Education Pay Bill, Best County For Education, Definition Of Consumer Health Education, Distance Education Kerala University, Elementary Education Games Apps, Elementary Education Terms, Elementary Education Uri Advisor, Female Education In 17th Century, Galaxy Erp Construction Education, Gcep Online Education, Gear And Mechanics Education Kit, Higher Education Council Oman, Jacob Lawrence Education Paintings, Jay Inslee On Education, Legal Education Logo, Macro Planning In Education, Masters In Education In Italy, Miles Bridges Education, Minor In Education Cornell, Minor In Education Ohio University, Minority Predoctoral Fellowship Education, Mission House Museum Education, Mn Dnr Advanced Hunter Education, National Institute Of Education Logo, Nc Center For Biotechnology Education, Neuroscience Education Researchers, Non-Education Field, Outdoor Toddler Education, Riverside Office Of Education Calendar, Room Scheduling Software Education, School Lunch Program Education, Site:Cherylkagan.Org Education Resources, Special Education Severe Sc5, The Importance Of Arts Education, Theoretical Framework Example Education, Timeline Of Gt Education, Title Ix In College Education, Training And Continuing Education Systems, Transportation Education Project, True Education Manga 11, Uiuc Science Education Faculty, Unesco Internships Newyork Education, University Of Oregon Education Job, Urban Education Franco, Us Labour College Education Employed, Utah Alternaive Education Conference, Utep Scholarship For Elementary Education, What Was Bruce Lee'S Education, Withdrawing Money From Education Ira, Zenith Education Chicago

Continue Reading

Previous A global warming pause that didn’t happen hampered climate science
Next Blackstone Picks Boulder to Expand Its Life Science Portfolio
September 2023
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Aug    

Archives

Recent Posts

  • 5 Questions To Ask An Instructional Designer
  • Using Improv to Boost Narrative Writing with Students – Pernille Ripp
  • 11 Things I Learned Asking Teachers About Cafeteria Food
  • Top 7 Marketing Tools to Help You Better Understand the Market – EDTECH 4 BEGINNERS
  • National Civics Day: Civics in the Classroom

BL

Tags

6 Tratits Of Character Education Acbsp General Education Requirement Bilingual Education Is A Failure Blue Education Background Board Of Education 89th Street Board Of Education ???? Bonner Springs Kansas Special Education Brad Baker Edience Education Career Objective For Higher Education Coates Education In The Street Confessional Education Focuault Country Education Rankings 2017 Cre Education Credits Crime Levels Based On Education Dallas Education Nibs Does Brazil Have Compulsory Education Education Expense Credit Ga Education For Psychiatrists Education Images To Color Eec1200 Syllebus Early Childhood Education Electrician Education Fullerton Enteral Feeding Client Education Example Intro To Education Rubric Fairfax Education Association Linked In Fixes To Higher Education Funding For Science Education High Income Students Education High Level Special Education History Of Education In Iraq How Improved Education Affects Society Hssu College Of Education Program Hunters Education Instructors Association Hunting Education Nj international Jeff Saks Berkeley Education Kurt Vonnegut Education Quotes Mexican Experience With Bilingual Education Michael Education System Mission Education Center Excell Olympics Education Activities Papers On Economics Of Education Poverty And Education Paper Topics Public Education Uganda Guardian Sandy Harvey Special Education Illinois students
pmcouteaux.org | Magazine 7 by AF themes.

WhatsApp us