Hi--
Just a quick question. I tutor math (generally high school, as well as SAT/ACT) and I find that there's an obscene number of students who have no faith in their own math ability--although in actuality they're often pretty good at it.
These are the students who--for whatever reason--were allowed to resort entirely to calculators in 7th grade, and have consequently forgotten all of their core numerancy skills. Often, they have the ability to pick up some of the advanced concepts in Alg. II, pre-Cal and Calc, but they only retain them for the test. Because they often lack number sense, and are rarely given the chance to apply the abstract mathematical concepts to real-world situations, they find that they are unable to relate.
I'm looking into ways of improving this situation--even if it's only for the students I work with. More to come below...
I've heard a lot lately about Danica McKellar's approach (Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years). She was featured on NPR last week--she's written a whole series of math books sort of in the style of 17 magazine and Diary of a Wimpy Kid combined. The target audience is teenage girls, so as a guy in my 30s it's probably a bit inappropriate for me to use as a primary text book. But it may be a good resource--anyone had any experience with her approach?
There is also an interesting manga-like series (forget the titles) I"ve only seen it for statistics and calculus--but found it pretty engaging.
Ultimately, what I would like to see (or maybe develop?) is a book, or set of books, that basically tells a story--an engaging story, but one that draws on all of the math concepts as it goes along. An integrated approach that involves reading and learning at the same time. Anyone have any ideas?
Thoughts would be welcome--I swear these kids know a hell of a lot more than they think they do--but it's not always easy to convey that to them.
Also, upcoming: the evils of calculator (and computer) obsession in school. i started writing this last week but got side tracked.