Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:51:23 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>, WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Great Con Redux...(DMZ Version)
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

At 11:41 AM 10/18/2005 -0400, Madeleine Yeh wrote:
>On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 01:38:59 -0400
>  "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com> wrote:
>
>> the results.  I decided that my Calculus teacher didn't
>>*know* how do do Calculus...he just did it.
>    Second time around -- I think my previous reply got
>truncated

Yep, it did.

>    Mike you are being so unfair to your Calculus teacher.
> "how" to do a math problem is very individualistic.  He
>could explain "how" he does it but it might not be of any
>use to you.

I don't think I'm being unfair at all.  If you are going to work as a
teacher, you should be able to explain how to do whatever it is you are
teaching.  He couldn't do that.

He could *do* the problems, and did so in class many times.  When asked
*how* he did the problems, he couldn't explain it.  His explanations of the
basic idea behind calculus were clear enough, but the actual working of the
problems was not.  All he could say was, "I just look at it and it becomes
obvious."  When I responded that it didn't become obvious to me he said,
"After you've done a couple thousand of them, it gets easier.", which I'm
sure is true, but how do you do 2000 if you can't do 1?

>Some people think in pictures, some linearly,
>and some with formulas. The method that serves you best
>might be completely useless to the person sitting next to
>you.

Very true.  If you are going to teach, you need to have several methods, or
restrict your student base to those who think as you do.  I think I'd have
had a much easier time in Calculus class with an engineer teaching the
class, rather than a mathematician.  Both times.

-- Mike B.