On May 13, 11:48=A0am, kev...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Beth Kevles) wrote:
> Citing "The Bell Curve" makes me suspect everything else in those
> posts... "The Bell Curve" is really NOT good science. =A0It's based on
> ideas that lost respect after World War II (and for good reason)!
You do not want to base opposition to genocide or racial oppression on
the idea that all groups have equal capabilities on average. What if
they turn out not to?
> My guess would be that, with the advent of the algebra requirement,
> schools are pu****ng kids faster than they can learn. =A0Kids who don't
> develop a deep sense of numeracy, who move from math unit to math unit
> at too quick a pace, never develop the basic mathematical foundations
> upon which algebra is built. =A0And honestly, there are a lot of
excellent=
> teachers out there who have the same problem, and so don't teach math
> verhy well at the elementary level (where teachers are expected to teach
> ALL subjects, not just the ones they understand well).
>
> I see no evidence that kids are innately too dumb or unmotivated to
> learn algebra. =A0
The question is what *fraction* of kids are smart enough to learn
algebra. If you think everyone can master algebra, where do you think
differentiation sets in? Can everyone learn single-variable calculus?
Multivariable calculus and partial differential equations?
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