After re-reading the entry below I decided I should do something about this situation. So I sent the following email to Professor Larry Gray, the head of the math department at the U.: (Larry writes publicly about the k-12 math education dilemma, which prompted the digression about my son Sam in this message)
Hi. I am a 56 year old undergraduate at the U taking Calculus 1271. I am an Urban Studies major who is interested in quasi-formal and formal models for solving urban problems. In fact, I am interested in the entire spectrum of modeling issues in public policy and planning. My background is enriched by having worked for 24 years as an information writer for Hennepin County, a full time position I continue to hold.
I am writing you for two reasons. One, my recent experience with intensive precalculus and calculus instruction at the U motivates me to make a few observations about this process. Two, I would like to open a dialog with someone interested in these things in an exploratory mode. Having read some of your writing, I believe you are both committed to the main issues and open minded enough to explore the problems without being defensive or one-dimensional.
I do not represent any camp or ideological point in the spectrum of math education. I am not a member of any group. I have seen two sons go through the gyrations of math curriculum over the last 15 years, and have experienced some of the painful conundrums of the shifting environment. Last year my son was put in Algebra II without experiencing Algebra I. This was justified because South High used a different curriculum than Field School, where Sam was taught until 8th Grade, and the counselor felt that Sam was able to go right into Algebra II. His distress was interpreted as a behavior problem by the teacher and counselor. After an intensive month of investigation and dialog, we got Sam transferred to an Algebra I class, where he proceeded to earn A+ and was considered an exemplary student. The deep human and organizational complexity of these situations humbles me, and despite some of the obvious absurdities that might arise I always proceed from a position of great respect for both the discipline and the persons involved in any conflict situation.
To put it as simply as possible, I believe we could benefit from a return to mastery approaches to basic skills that include drills, memorization, emphasis on mental calculations, development of estimation and judgment, etc, but I also believe that the disparity created by gender and social status in classroom settings is real and can be addressed by curriculum design. I believe that as a society we suffer greatly from the mathematical illiteracy of the voting members of society, but I also believe that there is a culture of technical education that needs to be integrated with an increasingly complicated society. I don't believe that forcing IT people to take dance classes will make them more sensitive to real social problems, and I don't believe that forcing CLA students to sit through what I am experiencing in Calc 1271 is going to be the resolution of a widespread cultural innumeracy that will plague this nation in the coming decades.
If you are interested in corresponding on these issues, I wrote a short essay about my calculus experience which is on my blog at http://www.zeitguy.blogspot.com. I invite a reply. If you prefer a briefer statement I would be happy to condense this for you. I don't expect to change the rules or requirements for getting through this class this semester, but I believe I have something to say and something to offer in effecting change in this process that will benefit others over time.
I was surprised and pleased to see Larry responded immediately:
Dear Jeff,
I read your essay about your experience in calculus class(es). I am
sorry to hear that it is such a struggle, and I am not sure what the
solution might be. In my years of experience working with students, I
find that there are many different reasons why some students struggle
with the class, ranging from a lack of preparation on their part to bad
teaching on the part of the professor or TA. The best way to get to the
bottom of this would be for you to come into our office and talk with
someone so we can evaluate the situation. The best person to talk to
would be our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. David Frank. He
is in charge of all undergraduate math classes. Call his secretary
to make an appoint with him. I'll notify him about your
experiences so he will be expecting to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Larry Gray
Well, I wasn't very clear about my point in writing him, apparently. But it was nice to hear from him in such a friendly manner. Very impressive. Stay tuned for further adventures.
When Sara heard about this, her first question was "Are you going to get your teacher in trouble?" I hope the hell not. That isn't what this is about.
It's about me.
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