GostHacked Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Those things are known at the time they are needed and the big picture is retained simply by being immersed in the material. However, what is the point of drilling and testing memorized facts? Think of all the multiple choice, data based questions that we had to answer... Now think about what those questions tell you about a students knowledge of the big ideas for that course. Nothing. If an answer can be Googled in a few seconds it shouldn't be tested. Almost everything can be searched and looked up on the Internet, why do we need school at all then? I could look things up on the net, but they could be wrong depending on the source. How do you propose we tackle that? Only using 'approved' sites? Do you remember all the math equations used in high school? Me neither. I can and do look them up as needed though. If you force students to memorize equations, they will soon be forgotten and you won't be able to tell if a student couldn't solve the problem or simply couldn't remember the formula. Since, it's the actual problem solving skills we care about, it makes sense to allow students to look them up on a formula list. I never did well in math. I could not wrap my head around the formulas for the most part. Finite and Calculus were quite difficult for me. I have no problem with looking up complex formulas as they are complex, and with math, you want to use the right formula for the problem at hand. If you are interested in any subject you are going to memorize a lot of information which makes it easier in the long run. Not everyone has the mental capacity to understand advanced math. I am one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty AC Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Almost everything can be searched and looked up on the Internet, why do we need school at all then? I could look things up on the net, but they could be wrong depending on the source. How do you propose we tackle that? Only using 'approved' sites?How do you vet your sources? I expect you ask yourself some questions. Is the author an expert? Can the information be verified? Does the author or site have an agenda? Are other sources reporting a similar story or findings? Does the information presented fit with my established knowledge of the topic? If not, do I need to reevaluate my understanding of the topic or is this point an outlier/fabricated? The list of questions can go on and on, but basically you learned to question information in a manner like this. Students are now developing their skeptical questioning skills much earlier and a far greater emphasis is placed on honing them. If you are interested in any subject you are going to memorize a lot of information which makes it easier in the long run. Not everyone has the mental capacity to understand advanced math. I am one of them.It depends. Understanding is always preferable to memorization, but if we spend time in any area some skills will become memorized. Times tables are a good example. They are frequently used and become ingrained which helps with mental math performance. However, memorizing formulas that will be used infrequently is a complete waste of time. They will not be retained, but the ability to use and understand formulas to solve problems based on given information will. Hence, it makes more sense to emphasize the skill set and understanding the process than memorizing a formula for rotational motion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guy Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 If taught properly, formulas are the template for solving problems - BUT - the process of the identification used to be taught as well. Even in the old days of trigonometry, while you were expected to have memorized the theorem and/or corollary you were also expected to be able to prove the theorem. Memorizing a formula was the short cut but if you did not understand the relationships between the unknowns then you had difficulty knowing which numbers to plug in. But I agree that the memorization was important at the time. In my first year of post secondary education in the 1960's I remember a class where the prof asked "What is the sine of 2A". I rhymed it off immediately proud of my achievement. After the class the prof quietly took me aside and suggested that the answer had been on the formula reference page that we were using and that I should focus more on application of the formula than memorizing the formula - since the formula itself was readily available. An early lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitops Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) I don't know one single teacher that became a teacher for benefits, pay, or summers off. Obviously you would have no idea if you did. It's not like they would tell you. Edited November 25, 2014 by hitops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitops Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Nice anecdotes. Too bad they are meaningless. Being in the profession, I'd say his anecdote is pretty much bang on. I can't think of a single exception to it in my experience. I've never met a single colleague or resident who went into it believing it was easy. I do however know many people who tried to get in an failed, and went on to get science education degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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