A quotation taken directly my mathematics methods book, which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty:
"Before we can discuss what problem solving is, we must first come to grips with what is meant by a problem."
Yes, this book, in discussing how to teach problem solving, spends about a quarter of page (and a couple hundred words) to define what a problem is in mathematics. This bothers me for two reasons. First, given that it is a college-level textbook, is it really necessary to define a problem? Second, if defining problem is necessary, is it worth spending a quarter of a page to define what could have been handled in two sentences?
And teachers wonder why they aren't treated with the same level of respect as engineers and doctors...
No comments:
Post a Comment