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Bah..STEM is just another name for a program that has been going on for years..getting minorities into math and science.
As a female engineer I got to go around to colleges and schools talking about engineering as a job, giving out cool toys, doing hands on demonstrations, taking resumes for internships and just plain Q&A sessions with students ranging from 6th grade through college sophomores.
People think you can just push students in that direction but it couldn't be further from the truth. The kids with the aptitude are the ones you need to go after. The kids that find math easy, enjoy science are the ones you should be talking to.
Instead in K-12 they had us talking to the "remedial" kids..the ones that failed math/science consistently.
I don't know what the brainiacs who design these programs are thinking about when they structure them.
The remedial kids need to be segregated and taught in smaller classes for more one on one and at a slower pace and don't even consider them as aspiring mathematicians or engineers or scientists; the focus should be on basic skills to get themselves through life.
The smart kids need to be challenged and taken to these career fairs and open houses that the high tech firms have for minorities. There's even separate programs to entice girls into the field.
But we're going about it the wrong way
And I gave my honest feedback to the ones running these programs but they didn't want to hear it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan
It's not just Blacks in Math/Science anymore..it's AMERICANS in Math/Science.
STEM is not an affirmative action program people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan
You nailed it.
Math has been reduced to pictures, blocks, coloring and multiple choice scantron tests armed with formula sheets and calculators. Rote memorization and homework are relics of the past.
During my student teaching I commented to my mentor teacher that I felt I was running an arts and crafts class on some days.
Her answer..."I retire in 5 years."
ITA with everything HappyTexan has said.
This is an American problem and as a black American I am concerned about our math and science education for all of our American children.
On the bold, does your school follow the Common Core curriculum? Our state has fallen into line with Common Core and I was told there would be a lot of changes academically due to that and I wonder if the scantron/formula sheets/calculators are a part of Common Core. My son is in 5th grade and doesn't yet use a calculator and he is doing exponents and radicals right now - fun stuff for me who was a liberal arts major and that is the truth. I always loved math too and excelled at it but liked the arts better.
I do agree educators should seek out the students who really enjoy and are good at math and science. My own son is good at both, moreso interested in science than math but he is above average in math and is proficient for grade level. A few kids in his grade are in the 7th grade math book already and one is black and one is white, both should be sought after by "special" programs IMO
This is an American problem and as a black American I am concerned about our math and science education for all of our American children.
On the bold, does your school follow the Common Core curriculum? Our state has fallen into line with Common Core and I was told there would be a lot of changes academically due to that and I wonder if the scantron/formula sheets/calculators are a part of Common Core. My son is in 5th grade and doesn't yet use a calculator and he is doing exponents and radicals right now - fun stuff for me who was a liberal arts major and that is the truth. I always loved math too and excelled at it but liked the arts better.
I do agree educators should seek out the students who really enjoy and are good at math and science. My own son is good at both, moreso interested in science than math but he is above average in math and is proficient for grade level. A few kids in his grade are in the 7th grade math book already and one is black and one is white, both should be sought after by "special" programs IMO
No, not yet. Texas did have to apply for the NCLB waiver though so next year.
By next year every state will be doing RTT and Common Core because none can get 100% passing for NCLB.
RTT though is worse for standardized testing as it requires even more than NCLB had and that's all scantron based.
Definitely try to get your son into an IB program or GT program or honors math/science.
I'm at a small rural school. They have minimal GT but there are 8th graders taking both 8th grade math and 9th grade algebra as an elective. Once they get to HS more opportunity opens up for them with more electives.
This is an American problem and as a black American I am concerned about our math and science education for all of our American children.
On the bold, does your school follow the Common Core curriculum? Our state has fallen into line with Common Core and I was told there would be a lot of changes academically due to that and I wonder if the scantron/formula sheets/calculators are a part of Common Core. My son is in 5th grade and doesn't yet use a calculator and he is doing exponents and radicals right now - fun stuff for me who was a liberal arts major and that is the truth. I always loved math too and excelled at it but liked the arts better.
I do agree educators should seek out the students who really enjoy and are good at math and science. My own son is good at both, moreso interested in science than math but he is above average in math and is proficient for grade level. A few kids in his grade are in the 7th grade math book already and one is black and one is white, both should be sought after by "special" programs IMO
I also agree with HappyTexan, as well as you. Both math and science have always been my son's favorite subjects. He excelled from K-12, and is now excelling in college. And, he does it so effortlessly. He loves it, and tutors students in his spare time. When he was in the 7th grade, he started writing computer programs and designing video games for his friends to play. I actually didn't realize how advanced he was until my brother, who was a computer geek, told me my son knew language being taught at the college level. I was shocked.
When he had to take a math entrance exam for college computer science courses, we were unavoidably late and arrived with only 30 minutes remaining for a 2-hour exam. I told him to reschedule, but he insisted on taking it. I waited for him in the car, and about 20 minutes later he came out. I thought they told him he was too late to take the test, but he told me he was finished. He aced it.
On the other hand, I had to take algebra, geometry, statistics and science. While science was okay, I hated the others, but studied hard and passed because I knew I had to. Some people are born with a love and aptitude for math and science, while others have no interest. We need to encourage and help those who actually enjoy it.
Well you guys remember the random interviews before the election....remember the one where they ran into the female teachers on a school night lined up at a bar to get sloshed and slugged....I tell yuh...youngsters are not stupid and get it, when a flake is in front of them...not to mention the flakes running the show....to say a Dean of Discipline is needed for the whole system is an understatement. Money never had anything to do with great education and never will....and both those floppy candidates sucked up to the crybabies forever looking for more money and time off ....and yes the Asians are way ahead....prob because they are interested in something other then their comp crap and whatever brainwashing...Education will spend and look for more no matter how much you give them...they will all exhaust the budget purposely to ask for more and keep from being reduced. If you gave Ed and research...a zillion dollars they would spend it all and ask for more. Because its such a mess....I would get rid of the comp up to 17 and most def seperate gender from 14-17 nation wide immediately...to get a little respect and dicipline going and other matters.
Last edited by stargazzer; 01-04-2013 at 05:18 PM..
Well you guys remember the random interviews before the election....remember the one where they ran into the female teachers on a school night lined up at a bar to get sloshed and slugged....I tell yu...youngsters are not stupid and get it, when a flake is in front of them...not to mention the flakes running the show....to say a Dean of Discipline is needed for the whole system is an understatement. Money never had anything to do with great education and never will....and both those floppy candidates sucked up to the crybabies forever looking for more money and time off ....and yes the Asians are way ahead....prob because they are interested in something other then their comp crap and whatever brainwashing...Education will spend and look for more no matter how much you give them...they will all exhaust the budget purposely to ask for more and keep from being reduced. If you gave Ed and research...1000000000000000000000000000000000 they would spend it all and ask for more.
This has always held true with any federally funded program.
My daughter is in 7th, she's in Pre-AP math at an I.B. school and is on her way to taking to Algebra I in 8th. Our plan is to have her take Geometry before 9th and Trig or Algebra II her Freshman year.
She is by no means a math genius, but she's bright enough. And for us, this path is a non-negotiable.
It should be a non-negotiable in all households, as far as I'm concerned. Find how strong your child is at math, get tutoring if needed (it's offered for free at most schools) and follow this path as closely as possible.
There is no subject more important for a child to learn than math. Not even a contest.
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