| What should they teach in schools? What should schools teach? What should schools teach? |
| READ the responses... What should we teach in schools? 1 2 3 4 5 6 This is an extended survey What is your opinion about these subjects? If you don’t want to write your answers, read the responses to 954 463-0310 or to the person who gave you this page. Results: www.teacherstoteachers.com, click on “Why Should Students Learn?” It’s okay to work in pairs. Use the back side or another sheet. If you want a free “word a day” sent to your cell phone, see below. Your opinion is requested. I’m compiling anonymous answers to these questions. This exercise is a form of writing practice. 1. Why is math important? What parts of math are disconnected to you? What did you learn in math that you will find useful ten or 20 years from now? 2. What is the main lesson from algebra? The most important thing that algebra taught me was: (x - 5) (x + 2) 3. What is the main idea of geometry? The most important thing that I learned in geometry was: __________________ 4. The most important principle about number sense is: _______________ (Number sense is knowing that this room needs more than 40 square feet but less than ______ square feet. Number sense means that you know that a typical household refrigerator in the U.S. is bigger than ___ cubic feet.) 5. Data analysis (mean, mode, median) is an important thing to learn because: ______ 6. Probability is an important subject to study because: _______________________ Put these in order of likely to happen to your neighbor: Win the Florida Lotto (6 numbers out of 51), get killed in a car accident (40,000 accidents per year in the USA), get elected to the Senate, get hit by lightning, get bitten by a shark, meet someone who speaks Spanish in the next week. Estimate the probability of each. (Example: one chance in 1000) Assume that the US population is ____ million, Florida’s population is ___ million. (Suggested answers are below)... 7. Why do people study calculus? What is the purpose of studying integration, infinite series and differentiation? What is an important principle of calculus? (Hint: words like infinite or change or analysis) 8. Why study trigonometry? ________________________________ If you took trigonometry, then answer >>>> The most useful principle that I learned from trig is that: __________________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9. A SUBJECT THAT YOU ENJOY (other than math) Why is ________________ part of the school curriculum? (put your favorite subject other than Math into this blank) What is the main question that teachers of _____________ want you to answer? What is an important reason for studying ___________ ? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10. A SUBJECT THAT YOU DON’T ENJOY (other than math) Why is ________________ part of the school curriculum? (put a boring subject other than Math into this blank) What is the main question that teachers of _____________ want you to answer? What is an important reason for studying ___________ ? Recommended Reading Everything You Pretend to Know and Are Afraid Someone Will Ask by Lynette Padwa Ideas for ambitious students: "Everything I know" (Write down the main points). Cultural Literacy... what is important to know to function in society? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **** If you want more tips of if you want challenging words sent to your cell phone or email account, put your email address here: ________________________, or write to me at mistermath@comcast.net SAT Tips: A Visual and Active Approach www.teachersTOteachers.com Mr. McCrea EXAMPLE -- This example is given so you have an idea about what the survey expects… in parts 9 and 10 of the survey. A subject that you don’t enjoy Example: English Literature a) Why is 19th Century English Literature part of the school curriculum? (put a boring subject other than Math into this blank) I have no idea. It is so difficult to read Dickens. I wish the guy would write more concisely. b) What is the main question that teachers of 19th Century English Literature want you to answer? Who was Hamlet and why was he so moody? (Oh, yeah, wrong century). “Which author puts students to sleep more quickly?” Seriously: What can we learn from fiction? What does fiction teach us about real life? How does studying a book help prepare me for the crises that I will face in the future? c) What is an important reason for studying 19th Century English Literature? I really dig the study of U.S. Civil War and the history of British wars like the war in the Crimea. Literature helped me connect the Charge of the Light Brigade with an actual event. The poem made the battle stick in my mind. The literature helped me see the historical event in a new way. Message to the student: Thank you for your time and for contributing to an improvement in education. Please return this sample page to the teacher. Steve McCrea, Substitute Teacher If you want to see the results of this survey, please write your email address here: _____________ and I’ll send you a message when the material is on the web. Or just go to www.teacherstoteachers.com in about three weeks and click on WHAT SHOULD STUDENTS LEARN. What should schools teach? www.teachersTOteachers.com >> “WHAT” Put your answers on the other side of this sheet. What does ATTRIBUTED mean? 1. What is a skill that you found useful or that you think will be useful in your life? 2. Have you heard of a special way of teaching that you recommend? (Example: negative numbers can be taught by using money or by using golf, such as two under par or three over par). 3. What do you wish you did not need to learn? What was minimally useful to you? What was not interesting? What made you ask, “Why do we have to study this?” 4. What do you wish you could learn in school? (Rock climbing, scuba diving, how to make a web site, get a teaching certificate so you can teach something in another state or country, boating) Your responses will be used to help other students prioritize their time. Your comments might even influence teachers to stray from the “standard curriculum” to include something more useful. Your answers are anonymous unless you want them to be attributed to you. ADVANTAGE: If you want to receive comments from other students about your opinion, put your email address on this page. Assumptions for the survey Assume that the US population is 275 million, Florida’s population is 13 million. |
| This survey was created by a teacher who wants to know "What should I be teaching in addition to the curriculum? What are schools failing to place between the ears of students?" Your comments are welcomed... SAT WORDS Visit Math Tips |
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