Math...

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

In dealing with math this is so true.

I do have to bring up the point though, is it really the student's fault they don't want to do their homework? I am going to quote from a paper I was reading when I clicked into this thread (isn't random coincidence funny?).



By sheer chance I was reading that paper yesterday (I am really taking my time to digest it) when a friend mentioned they were struggling with their math course. Their main sticking point was they did not understand what they were finding, when asked what a derivative was they rattled off some equation they had been told to memorize. Figuring I had just asked the question in a bad manner I tried again by asking what it represented. They merely shrugged and said they didn't know.

I guess, in my mind, students not wanting to do homework is a symptom of something far more disturbing. Math education seems to be so focused on wrote memorization instead of passionate exploration.

Differential equations are covered in two classes at Cal Poly; one professor taught how most teachers would, the other strictly taught using practical examples (even on the first day! So we're making this circuit, which you guys know nothing about, but pretend you do.... Or, An engineer is analyzing the vibration of this beam...). It made quite a difference, and was a heck of a lot more interesting.