Re: [eddra] Algebra

["Allen Flanigan." <Allen.Flanigan@USPTO.GOV>]

Well, Rick, if you want to be a real *academic* father, you must figure out
how she came by her deduction about "no time".  Was it visual pattern
recognition (having never seen the particular angular relationship of
overlapping hands at the 6) or does she implicitly understand the fact that
one rotation of the big hand ( 360 degrees, 12 to 12) corresponds to one
tick of the small hand between numbers (30 degrees), and that the fractional
representations of these angular dispositions must correspond exactly (e.g.
a quarter of the way from 12 corresponds to a quarter of the way from 6,
etc.)?

The answer to this question will go a long way towards determining whether
your daughter is merely observant or a bona fide genius ; > )

No Lite Te Bastardes Carborundum

-----Original Message-----
From: rparkany@BORG.COM [mailto:rparkany@BORG.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 5:51 PM
To: ARN-L@listsrva.CUA.EDU
Subject: Re: [eddra] Algebra


Notes From the Crypt: Ruminations of a Harried Math Teacher under SBE
stress...

wrt: NYS MST Standard 3.5.C


...my Rachael Margaret (just 8yrs. old, Sunday) came home from school today
w/some homework from a *workbook* that showed various clock faces and she
was to indicate the time. She was toddling along wiggling all over the place
w/one foot on her chair, standing on the other w/her tongue hangin' out
humming when she suddenly exclaimed: *Hey! that's no time!* Theresa & I
popped over and behold! she points to the clock face w/BOTH hands on the six
and spouts out: *The small hand needs to be half way to the 7! THAT's no
time!*


How did we handle this? of course we praised her. We then wrote a smiley
faced memo to her teacher relating our story. Theresa goes up tomorrow for
the *February Birthdays* w/cookies and she'll probably share some small talk
about this w/the teacher. No problem--we all know the resources stink for
the price ya pay, but...Go figure (aka *You do the math...*, *You do the
textbook marketing*)


I've got a poor young soul in one of my AIS Math sections in the HS. He was
out sick one week for his GrandPa's funeral, wake and all; he was out a week
w/the strep. BOTH times he came back, there was a unit test from his Math
teacher, the head of the Department, Mr. *Drill & Kill*. Now this fellow is
failing the Math A. He tries real hard and does well w/help. He's a mild
mannered fellow, docile, and easy going, and is struggling with perceptual
problems (taking notes in class during lecture--9th grader).


Now, I happen to be untenured. I'm gonna call the mother when I get through
here and cite the student handbook that says he is entitled to two weeks to
make up excused work and instigate her to call and get what is his by right.
Here goes one more career option...I can see it comin' down Highway 61 w/the
brights on...


...this teacher and folks like him remind me of that Laurel & Hardy routine
where they've just aggravated the ex-con and he glares at Stan and says: *If
ya do that again, I'll hit ya so hard HE'LL feel it*, pointing to Ollie.
Then, of course, it happens again, he hits Stan, and Ollie falls to the
floor in pain. The teachers rant and complain about the problems that
*non-standard* behaviors bring to their desks--and sometimes, it's warranted
in the extreme (e.g., gross, illegal absences from school)--but not in most
cases. These folks just don't want to be bothered making up an *equivalent
form* and try to *go over the test* in class as soon as possible, yet feel
that will give these folks and *additional advantage*...


...the nice thing about loosing your job is the prospects the next one
brings.    ;-} rap.


"Dr. Leo Casey" wrote:


In his book _Radical Equations_, Bob Moses makes a telling point about the
different intellectual structures of arithmetic and algebra to explain why
some students have a difficulty making the transition from the former to the
latter.

...SNIP...
--
"Dein Wachstum sei feste und lache vor Lust!
Deines Herzens Trefflichkeit
Hat dir selbst das Feld bereit',
Auf dem du bluehen musst." JS Bach: Bauern Kantata
Richard A. Parkany: SUNY@Albany
Prometheus Educational Services
http://www.borg.com/~rparkany/ <http://www.borg.com/~rparkany/>
Upper Hudson & Mohawk Valleys; New York State, USA