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Re: INNUMERACY, was Re: Use of Calculators




On Tue, 25 Feb 1997, Leigh Palmer wrote:

Mental
arithmetic is no longer an admired skill, and it is not encouraged in our
schools.

My "fossil" comment yesterday was trying to show the perception that most
students have about the need to be "numerate". By the flames I received
this morning it is apparent that it was taken as a personal affront by
many physics teachers.
If as a student, I understand the need to acquire a particular skill and
see that it is a skill that will be used in many different
disciplines/situations then I will be more inclined to work on that skill.
Most of our students consider the ability to do mental arithmetic an
archaic skill. They do not see the need in their workplace (the fast food
joints, checkers at the grocery store etc.) and they feel
comfortable with the current state of affairs. They consider the ability
of most physics teachers to do quick calculations/estimates to be similar
to a good side show act. Wow, so you can balance 6 spinning plates at
once that's cool (insert appropriate current synonym for cool).
So how do we show them that this type of skill is worth developing.
o We show by example. We are smug. The students see this skill as a
remnant of a bygone era. They do not make a connection.
o We require the student to develop the skill. We take away their
calculator. We require quick estimates in class. We require every
student to be able to drop insignificant terms to zero (as in the right
triangle problem mentioned the other day).
The student sees this as an artificial environment. The physics teacher
says to drop the very small side in the right triangle and estimate the
hypotenuse while the math teacher next door marks off if the term is
dropped. They see it as a game played by physics teachers to cause them
pain.
We need to develop a strategy which shows the student the benefits of
being able to do this type of mental work. Many of us learned it to
survive. The time involved in looking it up in the CRC tables when
compared to developing this ability was enough reason for most of us to
start to develop the skill. Our students do not have this incentive.

Bruce Esser
Physics Teacher Something witty
Marian High School Should go here
http://marian.creighton.edu