Problem solving skills and math

[8filltheheart]

Kathy in Richmond posted a link on the gifted board to a lecture by Richard Rusczyk, the author of the Art of Problem Solving texts (which are fabulous). Great lecture on the importance of problem solving and practical suggestions for helping gifted math students thrive.

 

I agree whole-heartedly with the comment someone made on the gifted board about how he advocates problem solving skills for elementary level kids through reading and playing (of course I love it b/c it affirms my philosophy!!!:lol:)

 

Keys to Developing Strong Problem Solving Skills

in the Early Years

•Read

•Play

 

After all the discussions lately about helping kids develop the skills to understand math conceptually, PLAY and have fun. They have a book geared for the younger crowd called Kitchen Table Math. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/AoPS_B_Item.php?item_id=901

 

Here's a link to Kathy's post http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167715

Edited April 9, 2010 by 8FillTheHeart

[8filltheheart]

FWIW.....this is the part of his lecture that I found the most disturbing. They had applied for a grant from the dept of education and this is the response they received:

 

"While challenging and improving the mathematical problemsolving

skills of high-performing students are surely every-day

objectives of those who teach such students, it is not a problem,

relatively speaking, of major import in American education.â€

-Department of Education Grant Reviewer

[Jen in PA]

FWIW.....this is the part of his lecture that I found the most disturbing. They had applied for a grant from the dept of education and this is the response they received:

 

"While challenging and improving the mathematical problemsolving

skills of high-performing students are surely every-day

objectives of those who teach such students, it is not a problem,

relatively speaking, of major import in American education.â€

-Department of Education Grant Reviewer

 

And the TIMMS results always reflect the fact that the U.S. doesn't think this is a priority!

[fractalgal]

Kathy in Richmond posted a link on the gifted board to a lecture by Richard Rusczyk, the author of the Art of Problem Solving texts (which are fabulous). Great lecture on the importance of problem solving and practical suggestions for helping gifted math students thrive.

 

I agree whole-heartedly with the comment someone made on the gifted board about how he advocates problem solving skills for elementary level kids through reading and playing (of course I love it b/c it affirms my philosophy!!!:lol:)

 

Keys to Developing Strong Problem Solving Skills

in the Early Years

•Read

•Play

 

After all the discussions lately about helping kids develop the skills to understand math conceptually, PLAY and have fun. They have a book geared for the younger crowd called Kitchen Table Math. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/AoPS_B_Item.php?item_id=901

 

Here's a link to Kathy's post http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167715

 

Thank you. That was helpful. :)

[Capt_Uhura]

8Fillstheheart - you should have given me some warning...I almost upchucked my breakfast after reading what the reviewer said. That simple statement has epitomized what is wrong in America.

[Ali in OR]

FWIW.....this is the part of his lecture that I found the most disturbing. They had applied for a grant from the dept of education and this is the response they received:

 

"While challenging and improving the mathematical problemsolving

skills of high-performing students are surely every-day

objectives of those who teach such students, it is not a problem,

relatively speaking, of major import in American education.â€

-Department of Education Grant Reviewer

 

I believe this is a dominant view in public education based on my experience this week. My oldest (severely disabled) dd is in a public school life skills class, so I get invited to the PTO meetings. I went to my first this week because they were talking about math education from middle school through high school and new hs graduation requirements in our state which now will require 3 years of math with nothing lower than Alg. 1. The focus and energy is clearly on how to bring up lower-performing kids. Gifted kids are really an afterthought because they turn out fine. They don't drop out and they'll have no trouble passing three years of math. The schools really want to close the achievement gap between the lowest performing and highest performing kids. They are focused on bringing up the low end, and raising the upper end is actually counter-productive to their goal as it would create a bigger achievement gap.

[8filltheheart]

I believe this is a dominant view in public education based on my experience this week. My oldest (severely disabled) dd is in a public school life skills class, so I get invited to the PTO meetings. I went to my first this week because they were talking about math education from middle school through high school and new hs graduation requirements in our state which now will require 3 years of math with nothing lower than Alg. 1. The focus and energy is clearly on how to bring up lower-performing kids. Gifted kids are really an afterthought because they turn out fine. They don't drop out and they'll have no trouble passing three years of math. The schools really want to close the achievement gap between the lowest performing and highest performing kids. They are focused on bringing up the low end, and raising the upper end is actually counter-productive to their goal as it would create a bigger achievement gap.

 

While I understand your perspective and agree with your argument, I don't actually believe that is the essence of the quote that disturbs me the most. I think it that problem solving itself is not a goal strictly for advanced students.

 

Critical thinking is at the heart of my homeschool philosophy and it is also the essence of the goals of classical education. Knowledge about topics x,y, and z are secondary. We live in the information age. Facts can be found in a click and a second. Can they think?

 

Being able to think independently, follow logical arguments and detect fallacies, etc.....those are my educational objectives. Problem solving skills require independent thought vs. rote. The quote from the dept of ed solidifies my view that government schools are more about creating worker ants/drones than about highly educated individuals.

 

Problem solving SHOULD be one of the highest priorities across the full educational spectrum. It is where innovation and creativity thrive. If the educational focus was on actually learning vs. teaching to the test, all students would be better off.

 

Now, I am an ardent unapologetic Catholic, so the philosophy of Ignatius sums up my view......that only through interior mental freedom can man fulfill the objective for which he was created. People that cannot think for themselves but can only embrace what they are told......they are not free in the highest sense of humanity.

[jeri]

because what Richard talk about it so true! And coincidentally, my 6th grader was working at the kitchen table on a banal math project (design a game to teach other students in the class how to multiply fractions) and couldn't do it with the direction she'd been given! Placing math as such a low priority for US students is going to hurt our country in the long run. Nice that they'll know about Nolan Ryan, but sad that the Asians and so many other countries are going to eat our lunch!

 

Jeri