tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post5009616981839627547..comments2024-02-26T19:11:08.879-05:00Comments on A Little Stats: The Wrong Way to Target Math (Part II)Amy Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16977577345624584601noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-2061447091998780022016-05-19T14:18:33.537-04:002016-05-19T14:18:33.537-04:00I agree with you! We teachers often feel weighed d...I agree with you! We teachers often feel weighed down by that very mumbo-jumbo that's been rammed down our throats. That stuff is enacted via public policies and federal/state mandates. Those mandates are too influenced by non-educators, people who are not teachers, people who are so far removed from a classroom. I would love a system with flexibility so that students and parents and teachers had more choice, especially in how we are assessing our students. Imagine my surprise when I had to fight to get a project instead of a test, for example, as a final assessment in my own classroom.<br /><br />There are no clear answers. But that very conversation amongst teachers is happening, all around the country. Parents can support teachers in this conversation. Our opinions are often disregarded or, worse, used against us in retaliation. Start by asking your son's school how you can help.Amy Hoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16977577345624584601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-4192030579430781402016-05-19T12:27:27.445-04:002016-05-19T12:27:27.445-04:00Then what would be your suggestion? If Mr. Hacker...Then what would be your suggestion? If Mr. Hacker is so off base, what would the real math professionals do to fix it? I am aware that basic math percentages are usually covered in the MS curriculum....that is exactly my point. What about the students who didn't keep up? What are the options for them? I am not advocating that he shouldn't learn math. Obviously, if we all learned only what we enjoyed, we would regularly shortchange the educational process. I guess I am just not hearing the real conversation that you say you are advocating toward. I am hearing a lot of name calling, a lot of picky criticisms while ignoring the main point, a lot of academic mumbo-jumbo that makes parents very skeptical of the "professionals" in the first place. Real dialogue, real conversations, real solutions would be a huge step forward.Math Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18389445981065329609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-86214138779017449092016-05-19T12:19:20.207-04:002016-05-19T12:19:20.207-04:00And yes, I am aware that my sample size (n=1) is t...And yes, I am aware that my sample size (n=1) is too small to matter much in statistics. He just happens to matter to me a great deal. Math Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18389445981065329609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-43860565849539653462016-05-19T12:08:59.726-04:002016-05-19T12:08:59.726-04:00Math Mom, I agree with your sentiment. The meme in...Math Mom, I agree with your sentiment. The meme in my previous post is alluding to the fact that Andrew Hacker's comments suggest that people in female-dominated occupations don't need math. I guess you didn't get the parody there. You are saying your son is unable to calculate a basic percentage? For us in New York, that standard happens in middle school. So it's not directly relevant to what we're discussing as standards for HS math. <br /><br />When you say, "not every student will fit into the very, very tiny box that we have created in the US Educational system in terms of math curriculum?" Yes, most of us math teachers would absolutely agree with you on that. That's precisely why it's so important for this conversation not to be in the hands of someone like Andrew Hacker. It should be with math education professionals who have worked with students just like your son and understand how to best education young people. The need to help kids who struggle is exactly why we need to have a real conversation about the standards and expectations of students. I would like to point out, students who have difficulties in a certain subject still can benefit from learning it. Amy Hoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16977577345624584601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-75755580109505653152016-05-19T10:55:58.930-04:002016-05-19T10:55:58.930-04:00No, but a meme that depicts shopping as opposed to...No, but a meme that depicts shopping as opposed to doing something hard surely points in that direction, Ms. Hogan. Do I sound emotional? I am. I have a child that struggles every day to keep up with an advanced math curriculum in his high school while at the same time is unable to calculate a basic percentage off an item he would like to purchase. Why not get him the help to reinforce his basic math knowledge? Not possible if he wants to graduate from high school. No basic math classes count toward graduation in our state so every high school simply doesn't offer them anymore. It is sink, swim, or fake it if you want a high school diploma. No opportunity to reinforce basic skills that would perhaps allow him to master higher level math at some point. No opportunity to slow down and try to learn these concepts at different pace. How does that help our kids? No one is arguing for eliminating higher level math...I think most well-informed people understand that we need graduates with those skills. And in fact, I have other children that have benefited greatly from advanced math curriculums. But can we at least talk about options to help kids that struggle? Can we at least acknowledge that not every student will fit into the very, very tiny box that we have created in the US Educational system in terms of math curriculum? It is difficult to read posts such as this without feeling as if professional turf wars have become a higher priority than figuring out ways to best educate our young people. While we banter about credentials, educational expertise, and academic elitism, many of our kids are struggling and missing out. I know....I see it lived out every single day. Math Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18389445981065329609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-52948128084719954672016-05-12T09:57:30.042-04:002016-05-12T09:57:30.042-04:00I never said students who struggle are not smart. ...I never said students who struggle are not smart. Ever.Amy Hoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16977577345624584601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-31910020293512078642016-05-10T23:26:37.564-04:002016-05-10T23:26:37.564-04:00This is EXACTLY the point. Why does math curriculu...This is EXACTLY the point. Why does math curriculum alienate so many people, so much more than other subjects? Why do so many students fail? Why do high school math classes leave so many people discouraged? The sheer number of students that either can't pass or painfully scrape by high school math requirements should be a red flag that perhaps standards are too high. Otherwise, who do we blame for high failure and dropout rates? Students? Teachers? Holding the attitude--as Ms. Hogan seems to--that students who struggle with math are just not as smart as you, is pretentious and ignorant. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-12167144787114505382016-04-18T10:47:41.988-04:002016-04-18T10:47:41.988-04:00I think what Ms. Hogan is implying is exactly what...I think what Ms. Hogan is implying is exactly what you are alluding to. If I were to walk up to the English professor in a class and say, "I hope you'll work with me because I have English anxiety. I always made straight A's in reading, but when we got to literature, I had a bad teacher so I just don't understand it," I would be laughed out to the classroom. It has become fashionable to denigrate and belittle the importance of mathematics to society as a whole with comments that would be outright insulting when said about another discipline. To say that a political science major needs only "basic citizen mathematics" classes is equivalent to saying an engineer needs only "basic citizen civics" classes that teach how to read a ballot and how to know which politician they like best. It's a ludicrous argument, but one that's accepted because people are proud to be "bad at math". (If you think I'm being dramatic using "proud", I think about the number of times you've heard people say "I can't do math" vs "I can't read".)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733501979836121952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-20119805594429205262016-02-29T17:33:58.614-05:002016-02-29T17:33:58.614-05:00I am not dismissing these other disciplines at all...I am not dismissing these other disciplines at all. That's kind of my point. Don't you find it even remotely a bit odd that a person with such a prestigious education and as many degrees as Andrew has, that he would somehow believe that the things we teach in AP Stats is dissertation material?Amy Hoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16977577345624584601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875495717243167933.post-45301789716435375302016-02-29T17:22:22.797-05:002016-02-29T17:22:22.797-05:00For all that I appreciate reading these -- and yes...For all that I appreciate reading these -- and yes, it's both useful and cathartic to rebut such silliness -- I could do without the constant dismissal of other disciplines. One political scientist being a jerk doesn't mean anything about political science.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953379525158961847noreply@blogger.com