I have been resisting responding to this thread for a number of
reasons including my experiences may be considered outdated (my kids
are through with their degree getting days and mine are even further
back) but there are some things that seem to be coming through that
have changed my mind.
1. The idea of fun. At one point I was involved in putting on a
program of teaching kids math activities so that they could then
teach their classmates. The kids enjoyed it but parents felt if
they were having fun they couldn't be learning math.
As to Girl Scouts, when I commented on some activities that I
thought scouts might enjoy and help to interest them in science my
sister who has a degree in engineering came back with the idea that
scouting was supposed to be fun.
2. Studies. There have been studies showing that girls can do math but
at about Junior High they turn off. If my experience is any guide
to why that is about when the subtle and sometimes not so subtle
things come into play when choices of what courses to take are made.
Along the same lines there was a study on the critical filter role
of math suggesting that not taking sufficient math closed doors to
all but traditionally feminine fields.
3. Who or what is responsible. In reading there is something called
the literate environment - kids whose parents enjoy reading and
read to them have the easiest time learning to read. I tried to
find something like that for math. As part of my studies I tested
kids on math and asked their parents some questions. There was a
correlation between the kids achievement and the parents enjoyment
of math. There were also a few surprises in the parents answers
about the need for math and how easy it was preceived to be - easy
for girls but they had no need for it. I still don't have a good
handle on this but the no need if subtled conveyed can turn girls
from math and shut them out of things requiring the math.
I saw and still see a lot of teaching for tests which to me is a
way to turn kids off. If they really understand the test shouldn't
be a problem but if they have to do the same thing over and over
until they and all of their classmates are conditioned to respond
just as the test maker expected they will get bored and turn off.
I could go on but just on more thing to get a little more on topic. In
a database class when I said that relational databases made sense to
me the responses was "you're a mathematician, aren't you?"
Pat
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Author: Pat Hildebrand
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