Matt Damon's Clear-headed Speech to Teachers Rally

Here is the speech that actor Matt Damon gave today to thousands of teachers, parents and others who attended the Save Our Schools march on the Ellipse near the White House to protest the Obama administration’s education policies that are centered on standardized tests.

Click here to see the rest of the article about his speech.

"If you think dogs can't count, 

try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket 

and then giving Fido only two of them." 

~ Phil Pastoret ~

High School Homework: Are American Teenagers Overworked?

This morning I read an interesting teen-written article about homework:

High School Homework: Are American Teenagers Overworked?

The article is fairly well-written, and at the very least gives some good insight into the mind of a seventh grader.  But the teen also makes some good points.  Among them:

• According to guidelines endorsed by the National Education Association (NEA), a student should be assigned no more than 10 minutes per grade level per night.
• A student who receives excessive homework "will miss out on active playtime, essential for learning social skills, proper brain development, and warding off childhood obesity," according to Harris Cooper, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.
• A Duke University review of a number of studies found almost no correlation between homework and long-term achievements in elementary school and only a moderate correlation in middle school. "More is not better," concluded Cooper, who conducted the review.
• In countries like the Czech Republic, Japan, and Denmark, which have higher-scoring students, teachers give little homework. The United States is among the most homework-intensive countries in the world for seventh and eighth grade, so more homework clearly does not mean a higher test score.
• Practicing dozens of homework problems incorrectly only cements the wrong method.
• Teachers who assign less homework will be able to check it thoroughly. In addition, it allows a teacher time to focus on more important things. "I had more time for planning when I wasn't grading thousands of problems a night," says math teacher Joel Wazac at a middle school in Missouri. "And when a student didn't understand something, instead of a parent trying to puzzle it out, I was there to help them." 

However, in response to the author's question, "Is homework really necessary?," the answer is yes.  The following information about homework can be found in Chapter 3 of Robert J. Marzano's "The Art and Science of Teaching:"

• Schooling occupies only about 13 percent of the waking hours of the first 18 years of life, which is less than the amount of time spent watching television.  Thus, homework is valuable because it extends learning opportunities beyond the school day.
• Homework has less effect at the lower grade levels, but homework for young children helps them develop good study habits, fosters positive attitudes toward school, and communicates to students the idea that learning takes work at home as well as school.
• Homework has a positive effect across all grade levels when student achievement is measured by unit tests covering the content actually taught.
• It is not time, per se that has a positive effect on student achievement.  Rather, it is the proportion of homework completed that appears to produce the strongest achievement gains.  By inference, small amounts of well-structured homework may be beneficial.

In summary, students SHOULD be given homework.  However, homework should be limited to 10 minutes per grade level per night, and should be carefully checked over.  Practice may not make perfect, but it does make permanent, and teachers should ensure that students are practicing the correct way.

Prime Numbers

“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.” 

― Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Math Tip!

A Letter to Students Everywhere

Dear students,

Have you ever heard the expression "first impressions are lasting impressions"?  If not, then allow me to introduce you to the incredibly accurate concept that the first impression you make on a person will remain with him or her, no matter what interactions you have in the future.  For example, if I catch you cheating on the first test you ever take in my presence, I will forever think of you as a cheater.  You may change your ways and become a student of the utmost integrity, and in the back of my mind I'll still forever wonder if you are cheating again.  So, please, think about the person you want to be, and make sure that you act accordingly.  And please, please, please don't cheat.  It won't get you anywhere in life, and it certainly won't get you anywhere in my classroom.

Love,
Miss Math

To err is human.

Two common misunderstandings for some important ideas, and understandings that reflect the overcoming of them (from "Understanding by Design 2nd Edition," page 54-55):

1.  When you multiply two numbers, the answer is bigger.  Multiplication is not repeated addition.  Fractions when multiplied yield a smaller answer, and when divided, a larger answer.  How can that be?  Students often see fractions and decimals as separate number systems; learning to see them as alternative means of representing the "same" qualities is the understanding.

2.  Negative and imaginary numbers are unreal.  Negative and imaginary numbers are no less and no more real than ordinary numbers.  They exist to provide the symmetry and continuity needed for essential arithmetic and algebraic laws.*

* I recently had a discussion with a friend about imaginary numbers, and she expressed her confusion about the purpose of numbers that aren't real.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Stay tuned for more info on the importance and purpose of imaginary numbers!