Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 591 guests, and 14 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    streble, DeliciousPizza, prominentdigitiz, parentologyco, Smartlady60
    11,413 Registered Users
    March
    S M T W T F S
    1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Page 6 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,296
    Val Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,296
    It has always bothered me --- considerably --- that people who are math-phobic (let's face it and say they don't understand math) are allowed to teach it. I mean, it's one thing to not understand vectors in three dimensions, but basic stuff like percentiles? Imagine hiring a skating or gymnastics teacher who had never done a one-foot glide or a cartwheel. It wouldn't happen. It's appalling.

    Along the lines of IQ and executive function, I remember a meeting with a math teacher who didn't understand how I could claim that my grade-skipped daughter was "so smart" (I never used that term; it was her phrase), when she would forget to bring her book to class or have a messy backpack.

    I said, "Oh, that's a difference in the development of executive function and cognitive ability," and gave a basic explanation. She listened, and then said, "I still don't believe it." That was in October, and it was a year that scarred both my kids.

    I think that some people don't get it and don't want to. When you encounter one of them, I'm not sure there's much that can be done apart from a tactic of avoidance wherever possible. frown

    Last edited by Val; 05/16/16 08:39 AM. Reason: Typo
    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posts: 206
    T
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    T
    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posts: 206
    Unfortunately elementary school teachers are generally bad at math. My DS7's teacher has written in the weekly more than once this year they are working on a difficult concept, once for doubles and once for making tens in subtractions. I was really afraid that some kids may indeed internalize that and think of math as "so hard". Luckily my son and his friends are more likely to claim math is "so easy" than not.

    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posts: 639
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posts: 639
    Originally Posted by Val
    It has always bothered me --- considerably --- that people who are math-phobic (let's face it and say they don't understand math) are allowed to teach it. I mean, it's one thing to not understand vectors in three dimensions, but basic stuff like percentiles?
    You have no idea what kind of "science" and "computer science" teachers my local school district hires (BA in Recreation and BA in Physical Education - I looked them up on Linkedin)! I admit that these people teach elementary school where subject matter is not very advanced, but, what if a child had a relevant question that is not covered in the syllabus? Would these people shut the kid down or give wrong answers or worse still, ignore the child? I shudder to think about it.

    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 146
    _
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    _
    Joined: Mar 2014
    Posts: 146
    I just give up on school math. frown Now to work on my attitude so my kid doesn't pick up on it.

    Page 6 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

    Moderated by  M-Moderator, Mark D. 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Testing with accommodations
    by aeh - 03/27/24 01:58 PM
    Quotations that resonate with gifted people
    by indigo - 03/27/24 12:38 PM
    For those interested in astronomy, eclipses...
    by indigo - 03/23/24 06:11 PM
    California Tries to Close the Gap in Math
    by thx1138 - 03/22/24 03:43 AM
    Gifted kids in Illinois. Recommendations?
    by indigo - 03/20/24 05:41 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5