MathGroup Archive 2010

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Re: Re: More /.{I->-1} craziness

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg106789] Re: [mg106735] Re: More /.{I->-1} craziness
  • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
  • Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 07:35:24 -0500 (EST)
  • Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
  • References: <200912300915.EAA17299@smc.vnet.net> <hhhmn8$o9t$1@smc.vnet.net> <hhpl28$9lf$1@smc.vnet.net> <hip8gf$t4d$1@smc.vnet.net> <8304354.1263643340634.JavaMail.root@n11> <hiuur1$919$1@smc.vnet.net> <hj130e$bcn$1@smc.vnet.net> <201001191014.FAA29127@smc.vnet.net> <hj6qf0$8qo$1@smc.vnet.net> <hj981f$fo3$1@smc.vnet.net> <201001221038.FAA02792@smc.vnet.net>
  • Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

Many pedagogical innovation disappear because those not part of the
original innovating group don't want to bother to put in the time or
effort to learn new ways of doing things (especially when they have
other priorities).  Or because grant funding dries up.

One thing seems invariant across a number of different pedagogical
innovations: students' active involvement increases learning.

There are many different ways of facilitating active involvement. Using
Mathematica or, more generally, a lab-based course is just one of them.
Others are the now-popular use of "clickers" in lecture classrooms.
Another, around for a while and, I think, growing, is on-line homework
systems.

On 1/22/2010 5:38 AM, AES wrote:
> In article<hj981f$fo3$1 at smc.vnet.net>,
>   Richard Fateman<fateman at cs.berkeley.edu>  wrote:
>
>
>> The success of such courses obviously depend on the enthusiasm, energy=
,
>> and charisma of the teachers. To what extent does it depend on the
>> computing aspect?
>>
>> In the absence of a controlled experiment, it is hard to convince
>> skeptics.  Even the experiments that might be tried would probably be
>> flawed -- e.g. two sections of the same course -- may be defective if
>> the better students self-select to come to the "experimental
>> computer-based" course.
>
> Old (and well-tested) maxim:  "All educational experiments are big
> successes for the first two or three years =AD=AD then they disappear
> forever".
>
> [Anyone on this group remember (or use) the Keller Plan for
> student-paced learning
>
> <http://www.mcmaster.ca/cll/posped/pastissues/volume.1.no.1/the.keller.=
pl
> an.htm>
>
>   =AD=AD and the hype it got at MIT in the 1970s?]
>

--
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305



  • Prev by Date: Can't solve :(
  • Next by Date: Re: Finding and changing strings in a matrix
  • Previous by thread: Re: More /.{I->-1} craziness
  • Next by thread: Re: More /.{I->-1} craziness