alt.education

In article ,
toto wrote:
>On Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:53:15 GMT, "Jerry Beeler"
> wrote:

>>I remember attending a session, much later, and they spent a freakin' hour
>>about the use of Algebra Tiles in Algebra II !!!

>Jerry, I am not talking about using manipulatives in high school.
>Hopefully, teenagers can think more abstractly than that.

We have plenty of evidence that children can think
abstractly, if the abstract ideas are clearly presented,
and the teacher understands them.

However, this ability seems to decline for most
people. It seems they get the idea that if they
understand manipulations they do not need to know
what is behind them.

>The Singapore Math books, however, are used in the schools in
>Singapore which beat us on the TIMSS tests. Singapore students (and
>Japanese and Chinese students are taught from similar texts).

>Once again, have you ever looked at them and what do you think of them
>if you have investigated them?

>I found the article again

>http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-math9mar09,0,1449785.story
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@stat.purdue.edu Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558