In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
p s upadrashta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Herman:
>> If a 20 month old can do that, this is strong evidence
>> of giftedness right there, and that child should be
>> considered for much faster and more rigorous education.
>I'm not an instructor of any sort; however, my 2 cents on this last
>statement based on my own experiences with the educational system...
>Just because someone is "smart" doesn't imply they should be educated
>"faster". I think "fast" education is just the problem -- far too much
>unrelated "stuff" at the expense of a detailed understanding of just a few
>important concepts is the problem.
This MAY be the case if the the unrelated stuff consists of
memorization and routine. As for understanding concepts,
essentially none are now being taught. Facts and manipulations
have little to do with concepts and structure.
>IMO, understanding can't be rushed, no matter how smart one is.
Agreed. But if understanding is taught from the beginning,
it becomes quicker. Concepts are not learned a little at
a time. Learn a concept, and solidify it by USING it, not
by supposedly learning in in "more depth". I am not even
sure that that exists at the research level.
I would have
>been much "smarter" or "well-informed" if we spent more time in school
>reading good books, writing book reports, and doing math, rather than
>splitting up our days into 5-10 different subjects that all demanded an
>entirely different set of skills.
There are different skills, but are they that different?
The closest area to good mathematics I can think of is
grammar. Development of concepts does not need repetition
after the concepts are learned.
Reading "good books"? Is this at all academic? There
is lots to learn about the universe; this does not mean
that SOME time should not be spent on literature. As for
writing book reports, after a couple of reasonable ones
have been written, MAYBE there should be another one
occasionally. Busy work may have some uses for those
whose mental abilities are not too great, but not for
the ones who can think. As for doing math, see my
comment on your next paragraph.
This not only makes it hard to keep up,
>but I suspect promotes ADD (attention deficit disorder).
Wrong. Those with ADD have the genetic makeup which keeps
them from tolerating lengthy periods on any subject. Also,
bright, and especially gifted, children are bored by slow
presentations and busy work. They do not need, and should
not have to do, "easy problems".
I would have, for
>example, preferred having just two subjects -- one that is directed towards
>"grammar/reading", and one devoted to "arithmetic" skills -- like in the
>early days of education.
I do not object to SOME time devoted to arithmetic skills,
AFTER the concepts are understood. How many really good
mathematicians do we lose by teaching those skills, and
telling children that they do not have mathematical ability
if they cannot calculate rapidly and accurately?
This would give us a solid 3-4 hour block of time
>per subject per day and I think that makes a huge difference (compared to 1
>hour of each subject, with no time to really think or ask questions that may
>come up after prolonged thinking).
I still believe that any prolonged period of study should
be by the student at his or her convenience. I do not
approve even of 75 minute classes, and I do not think that
a conceptual class should meet more than 3 times per week.
In that respect, I think homeschooling
>offers many advantages -- you can learn what you want to learn when you want
>to (or are ready to) learn it.
The typical experience with homeschooling is that the total
time spent on "classwork" is about 2-3 hours per day for
all subjects.
--
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
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.
.
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