RE: [seul-edu] Math teachers...

[Chris Hedemark <hedemark@bops.com>]

I wish my school had been better about teach practical applications of math.

Most of the higher math I learned in school was a true waste of time.  Most
of what I do day to day is basic math, or algebra, applied to a practical
situation.  Kids would probably not be so bored with math if more of it was
taught in such a practical context.  That eliminates the ubiquitous question
"When are we ever going to use this?"

Chris Hedemark
System Administrator
Billions of Operations Per Second, Inc.
6340 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 210
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
email: hedemark@bops.com <mailto:hedemark@bops.com>
"It is better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a
fool!" - Ecclesiastes 7 


-----Original Message-----
From: Douglas Loss [mailto:dloss@suscom.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2000 6:24 PM
To: seul-edu@seul.org
Subject: Re: [seul-edu] Math teachers...



On Thu, 20 Jul 2000, Chris Hobbs wrote:
> Anyway, I received the list
> of what
> was purchased already wrt math software. Surprisingly, none of
> it is
> what I expected - it's all "simulation" software, designed (I
> suppose)
> to teach real world skills. They have, as of yet, no "pure"
> math
> packages. 

Not to be mean-spirited or anything, but don't your math
teachers teach any math to these kids?  I mean, This is all life
skills stuff that requires little more than basic arithmetic. 
No trig, no algebra, no calculus?  I suppose you could teach
some basic statistics with some of those things, but they don't
appear to be designed for it.

-- 
Doug Loss           The art of medicine consists of amusing the
dloss@suscom.net    patient while nature cures the disease.
(570) 326-3987             Voltaire