tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post4943727227381262337..comments2024-02-16T06:29:33.587-08:00Comments on Welcome to " The Math UnderGround " -- Seattle & Washington State: Sub-Prime Math Melt Down to Continue?dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-92046360608483864412008-02-03T21:20:00.000-08:002008-02-03T21:20:00.000-08:00Oh yes, the Show Me Center in Missouri another gro...Oh yes, the Show Me Center in Missouri another group of freebooters and swash.<BR/><BR/>What do they do with all their free time? Write form letters?<BR/><BR/>http://lsc-net.terc.edu/do.cfm/conference_material/11098/show/use_set-c_pub_eng/page-2<BR/><BR/>Perhaps your district has received letters from parents or organized advocacy groups attacking standards-based, progressive curricula. It is not always easy for teachers and administrators to answer such "attacks" in a timely fashion. Joe Merlino has asked colleagues for input in answering one such letter that was received from parents criticizing CMP curriculum in the North Penn school district of Pennsylvania. We provide the letter that was received as well as carefully crafted responses by Judy Anderson, Diane Briars, Jim Fey, Steve Kramer, Joe Merlino, and Lucy West. This document will be of great value to all LSCs as they address the increasingly important subject of public engagement in order to keep parents on board with an LSC's vision.<BR/><BR/>Thank you to Joe Merlino (Greater Philadelphia Secondary Mathematics Project) who, through this effort, drew on the strengths and resources available within the LSC community to address such an important topic and who then realized the importance of sharing such a document with the entire LSC community through LSC-Net.<BR/><BR/><BR/>SHOW-ME CENTER STAFF<BR/>University of Missouri, Columbia<BR/><BR/>DIRECTOR<BR/>Barbara Reys<BR/>reysb@missouri.edu <BR/><BR/>CO-DIRECTORS<BR/>Fran Arbaugh <BR/>Ira Papick<BR/>Robert Reys<BR/>James Tarr<BR/><BR/> ADVISORY BOARD<BR/><BR/>Hyman Bass, University of Michigan<BR/>Diane Briars, Pittsburgh Public Schools<BR/>Mary Lindquist, Columbus State University<BR/>Sid Rachlin, East Carolina University <BR/>Linda Rosen, Consultant<BR/>Ed Silver, University of Pittsburgh <BR/>Jane Swafford, Illinois State University<BR/><BR/>PROJECT EVALUATORS<BR/><BR/>Cindy Langrall and Edward Mooney<BR/>Illinois State University <BR/><BR/>REGIONAL ASSOCIATES<BR/><BR/>Robert Bates, MA<BR/>Jenny Bay-Williams, KS <BR/>Peg Bondorew, MA<BR/>Murrel Brewer-Hoover, WV<BR/>Judd Freeman, CO<BR/>Rebecca McGraw, AZ<BR/>Nancy Mumaw, OH<BR/>Ron Preston, NC<BR/>Gay Ragan, MO<BR/>Linda Selwood, DE<BR/>Sharon Stenglein, MN<BR/>Linda Tetley, MO<BR/> SATELLITE STAFF<BR/><BR/>Connected Mathematics Project Satellite<BR/>Betty Phillips, Director<BR/> <BR/>They want to let the public know that they did their best and they deserve their royalties. <BR/><BR/>Its the teachers fault that their students can't divide or multiply. And if its not that then it was kids fault. Fidelity of curriculum - why don't we start preaching reform instead of teaching. <BR/><BR/>After all, reformers like Calvin regarded creeds and traditions as ways to protect fidelity to the Bible rather than subvert it. What is your creed? <BR/><BR/>That's it, kids just don't want to learn. It couldn't be anything else but that. May your dreams be filled always with millions of burning textbooks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-659892009121310942008-01-29T08:14:00.000-08:002008-01-29T08:14:00.000-08:00A week ago at Roosevelt HS, Dr. Bergeson said "We'...A week ago at Roosevelt HS, Dr. Bergeson said "We've done our very best.... to avoid pedagogy" in the writing of the standards.<BR/>I think a more accurate description would be that they've done their very best to obscure the pedagogy embedded in the standards, so that it is not visible at all to a parent, a legislator, or other casual reader, but still clear to those able to glean the code from the text.<BR/>Another, less cynical interpretation might be that they wrote the standards in such a way as to allow currently popular pedagogically intense curricula to survive in place, while opening the door a crack to allow others. I'd like to believe that this one is more accurate, but I'm from Missouri, and you have to <I>Show Me</I>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-39065551959109881982008-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:002008-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:00"coaching" is NOT more help, it is just imposition..."coaching" is NOT more help, it is just imposition of failed pedagogy with more work based on failed pedagogy<BR/><BR/>oh! I was redundant!<BR/><BR/>Many Washington residents work in technical jobs with people from all around the country and all over the globe. <BR/><BR/>In non English speaking countries, people in science / math / engineering programs learn English so that they can speak MATH English with the rest of the world.<BR/><BR/>PERIOD.<BR/><BR/>Because of Ms. Bergeson and her cohort of math phobes, the State of Washington has non standard Math English for its kids, <BR/><BR/>and, <BR/><BR/>it is so poorly implemented that most 10 graders can barely do what they were supposed to have learned by 8th grade, so they spend the last 2 years of high school taking more and more middle school math. <BR/><BR/>Ms. Bergeson's ideas and implementations have had over a decade to prove themselves, and they have failed - worse, they have failed kids who don't even know what they don't know, or what they should know to have a chance of competing. <BR/><BR/>When I took math as a youngster decades ago there was a lot wrong with what they did back then. In the earnest and noble desire to make things better, we've thrown away what worked and we've adopted psycho-babble, BUT<BR/><BR/>we have what we had 3 decades ago!<BR/><BR/>The affluent just buy their away around the system's failures with money that buys tutoring, supplements, ... <BR/><BR/>and everyone get ????????<BR/><BR/>jabber-anon-o-wockyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com