Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!labrea!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!bbn!gatech!mcnc!ecsvax!hes
From: hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Learning arithmetic
Message-ID: <4673@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: 26 Feb 88 14:20:34 GMT
References: <4643@ecsvax.UUCP> <3482@killer.UUCP>
Organization: NC State Univ.
Lines: 41
Summary: achievement problems -  ability vs. motivation

In article <3482@killer.UUCP>, elg@killer.UUCP (Eric Green) writes:
 ...  [lots of good discussion omitted - to get to the point I want to discuss]
 
> In my experience with low-achievers, their biggest problem is that they really
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^(1)                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(2)
> don't believe they can do it. That is, somewhere in their past, something
> important passed right over their head, and their teacher didn't notice it. So
> now, the subject seems mysterious, cryptic, and totally beyond their feeble
> abilities, because they've tried and tried and they just don't "get it". So
> they give up. At this point, even filling in the blank spot that gave them the
> problem won't help, because they truly believe that they are incapable of
> doing it -- and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. The only way to break this
> vicious cycle is to show them that the subject isn't mysterious and cryptic,
> isn't difficult, and is really very simple... and that even they can do it.
                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(3)
> For example, giving an intuitive description of the counting process, and
> showing them how that relates to addition and subtraction, and so forth and so
> on until they have the self-confidence to sally forth & conquer it.

  While elg is making very good points, with which I generally agree, there 
still may be something with which I can't agree.  (2) and (3) together imply
that difficult subjects aren't really difficult, and that the probem is really
in the presentation.  Of course this is in the context of (1) and arithmetic -
but let me generalize.

  There seems to be the widespread idea that anybody can learn anything - and if
they don't it is because it hasn't been presented properly.  While this might be
less wrong than the older idea that lack of learning is the fault of the studentI suggest that there are subjects which are difficult and which are generally
beyond the grasp of a significant portion of the population.  This goes against
the egalitarian spirit, or at least seems to, and may even seem to be 
wrong when observing the overall college educated crowd that many people tend 
mix with.

> ...
> Eric Lee Green  elg@usl.CSNET     Asimov Cocktail,n., A verbal bomb

  Perhaps the real question in my mind - is how does one distinguish between
the two types of situations?  (inadequacy of the teacher vs. incapacity of
the learner)

--henry schaffer  n c state univ