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2007-08-18 Home Front: Culture Wars

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Posted by Fred 2007-08-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top

#1 Of 62 million U.S. school-age children, about 62,000 have IQs above 145

Journalists aren't known for their math skillz.

Posted by ed 2007-08-18 01:37|| 2007-08-18 01:37|| Front Page Top

#2 "And the trees are all kept equal
by hatchet, axe, and saw."

-N. Peart

Posted by no mo uro 2007-08-18 06:05|| 2007-08-18 06:05|| Front Page Top

#3 This is quite true. There are school districts that do an outstanding job with their gifted students -- some of whom also have ADD/ADHD or dyslexia, compounding the problem -- but most assume that gifted students will respond, at best, to extra homework. I know a number of parents in that situation who choose to home school the children; private schools are even worse at distinguishing normal bright children from gifted, who may not be any brighter, but think differently.

On the other hand, from what I've read and heard about the education systems of countries cited, I suspect they don't address the needs of the gifted any better; it's just that there's so much homework that everyone is too exhausted to notice. Trailing daughter #2 is friends with a lovely Korean exchange student who so enjoyed her first year here that she finagled a second year at a nearby school; back home kids are accustomed to getting no more than four hours of sleep a night -- they catch up as best they can during class time when they're supposed to be reading. Under such conditions thinking differently is a liability, even as the brightest normals thrive.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-08-18 06:53|| 2007-08-18 06:53|| Front Page Top

#4 One thing that is true:

The level of math and science skills in our high school grads, including their ability to think in an analytic, logical way, formulating and testing hypotheses, has declined measurably in the last 20 years.

The 'New Math' was supposed to teach concepts to kids who would pick up the tactical skills along the way as they needed them. It's clear that for many, neither concepts nor tools are learned. I've seen more than I want of undergrads in universities here who cannot do basic algebra, who don't grasp basic concepts in statistics and who just aren't comfortable putting together a linear proof.

These kids aren't about to major in engineering, computer science or the natural sciences. They do 'qualitative research' in the social sciences because complex analyses using structural equation models are beyond them - and they don't have the confidence or the core skills to learn how to do them.

We're now into our 2nd generation of such students - i.e. some of our faculty fall into this boat and therefore think the skills aren't needed.

Meanwhile, Chinese and other foreign students here may be iffy on the concepts, but they can differentiate equations and manipulate numbers with fluency. Which is one main reason they make up such a high proportion of grad students in our engineering programs.

And then they take those skills home.

Posted by lotp 2007-08-18 08:12|| 2007-08-18 08:12|| Front Page Top

#5 Not just yours, lotp.

Posted by gromgoru 2007-08-18 09:44|| 2007-08-18 09:44|| Front Page Top

#6 I took a GED at 16 and escaped the tyrany of leveled window blinds regardless of sun, desks in dead straight rows, and "New Knowledge" around ten to fifteen yers old.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2007-08-18 11:28|| 2007-08-18 11:28|| Front Page Top

#7 Teachers unions, government schools, lack of challenge, and laziness. Romans spoiled rotten.

Posted by newc">newc 2007-08-18 11:33|| 2007-08-18 11:33|| Front Page Top

#8 Our local community schools have done a great job, as many have brilliant parents with skills in math and science required for the regional engineering and high tech jobs, and do not put limits on gifted students. They identify bright kids early on and tend to group students according to learning styles, as all are not rote learners. If the subject or level the student is capable of is not offered, they may take the desired class through local colleges at state expense. We have had middle school kids taking college level calculus and go on to graduate with dual degrees from MIT in four years. We also have a high proportion of dual-parent homes supportive of education as compared to the many single- parent poverty-stricken barrios and ghettos. Also, some believe kids with ADHD and other disorders often self-medicate with illegal drugs, contributing to the drop-out rate of otherwise intelligent kids. Educators and policy makers are too often comparing apples and oranges and falsely blame the teachers for a societal problem.

Posted by Danielle 2007-08-18 13:29|| 2007-08-18 13:29|| Front Page Top

#9 Let's try more tenure.

Posted by jds 2007-08-18 21:22|| 2007-08-18 21:22|| Front Page Top

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