May « 2009 « MGTutoring.com. A Rational Perspective on Education.

May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day!

Filed under: Holidays & Greetings — Administrator @ 1:38 pm

Picture from Wikipedia.

Thanks to all the soldiers, past, present and future. We owe you a debt of gratitude.

Thanks to our American soldiers. Thanks to the Greek soldiers who stood against the Persians.

And thanks to the intellectuals and philosophers — soldiers of the mind — who developed the ideas of man’s nature, reason, free will, self-sovereignty, political freedom, individual rights, and constitutional republic on which our lives depend, and without which our soldiers would not be fighting for our freedom, but for our enslavement (by king, dictator, or conquering nation). The intellectuals and philosophers get no to little thanks from most everyone, but yet risked and sometimes suffered ostracism, injury, being hung, drawn and quartered, or death for standing up for the truth.

Picture from Wikipedia.

Update (2:25 PM): Added “soldiers of the mind;” specified “freedom” as “political freedom;” clarified “enslavement” by adding the parenthetical; specified that some get no thanks “from most everyone.”

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Reason: Taking Association To a Higher Level

Filed under: Education,Logic — Administrator @ 1:37 pm

It is fascinating to read Ms. Montessori’s observation and summation of what happened when students worked with rods and beads in learning arithmetic.

The “bead work” became at once an established element in our method, scientifically determined as a conquest brought to maturity by the child in the very act of making it. Our success in amplifying and making more complex the early exercises with the rods has made the child’s mental calculation more rapid, more certain, and more comprehensive. Mental calculation develops spontaneously, as if by a law of conservation tending to realize the “minimum of effort.” Indeed, little by little the child ceases counting the beads and recognizes the numbers by their color: the dark blue he knows is 9, the yellow 4, etc. Almost without realizing it he comes now to count by colors instead of by quantities of beads, and thus performs actual operations in mental arithmetic. As soon as the child becomes conscious of this power, he joyfully announces his transition to the higher plane, exclaiming, “I can count in my head and I can do it more quickly!” This declaration indicates that he has conquered the first bead material.

Our rational form of consciousness allowed the students to associate a concept (e.g., “four”) with a color, as it allows us to associate a concept (again, “four”) with a sound or visual shape: “four.” This association made it possible for the students’ minds to work more efficiently — to “realize the ‘minimum of effort’ “. And this association and efficiency allowed the students to go on to counting and adding.

Our rational form of consciousness allows us to leverage our perceptual, subconscious ability to form mental associations and to identify similarities and differences.

Forming concepts and forming principles are methods of cognitive integration. Integration takes the joint work of conscious awareness and subconscious processing.

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May 22, 2009

Montessori: In Praise of Independence

Filed under: Child Development,Education,Parenting — Administrator @ 3:25 pm

“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” –Thomas Jefferson (from a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush of September 23, 1800. ME 10:173 — according to the Electronic Text Center of the Library of the University of Virginia)

Independence. It is the American way. More fundamentally and more importantly, it is an aspect of human nature and human reason. I’d say — looking through human history and at our everyday experience — “tyranny over the mind of man” is tyranny against independence. And vice versa. (Consider, for example, the American Revolution. Or WWII. Or a thief saying “give me your money.” Or slavery.)

I think independence is an important idea to consider in raising our children and teaching our students. And so does Elizabeth G. Hainstock, author of Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years, a short how-to book on using Montessori methods and materials in your home (for children pre-5 years old). The book is primarily a collection of educational and practical exercises: dusting, folding a napkin, tying laces, building a tower of blocks, using “cylinder blocks”, tracing sandpaper letters. Ms. Hainstock lists the steps to go through in each exercise, the goal to achieve, how “error” (doing the exercise wrong) is controlled, what materials you need for an exercise. She has an appendix in the book that tells how to construct some materials. I recommend the book. The exercises all teach the child to do for self, and that he/she can do for self. And they teach the child how to think.

I like that in the introductory section, Ms. Hainstock takes a position and writes strongly. She is not wishy-washy. She clearly puts a high value on children, on human independence, and on human thought. These things are important to her and she does not want to see them attacked or degraded. (Update (4:40 PM): Parenting and child rearing are things that we are sensitive about and that are personal. Don’t take what Mr. Hainstock says as an insult or criticism, but rather as good advice and a reminder of something we can all forget at times.)

Regarding independence, Ms. Hainstock says:

Let your child have the practical training that is so necessary to his physical independence. The child must be taught independence, and you, the parent, must resist the temptation to always “help” if you care about his future well-being and development. One of the cruelest and most selfish things a parent can do is to make his child completely dependent on him. [This is a misconception of "selfish." See below. --MG] Parents too often do this because they want to feel needed; by the time they realize their mistake irrevocable damage has been done. A parent who is able to raise a child well and then let him go is a far better parent than one who raises a dependent, clinging creature who cannot lead a life of his own.

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May 21, 2009

On Montessori

Filed under: Child Development,Education,Parenting — Administrator @ 12:51 pm

Montessori has some really good educational methods and materials. But you need to be careful you are getting the real thing: a real Montessori school or real Montessori method. See what is sanctioned by the American Montessori Society or the Association Montessori Internationale or the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association.

Here are some videos on YouTube about Montessori:

general introduction to Montessori and information about the Albert Lea Montessori School (time 6 min, 23 sec)

an excerpt from the AMS’s “Imagine a School: Montessori for Elementary Age Children.” (time 8 min, 18 sec)

a video (part 1) by a mother on how she uses Montessori at home (time 6 min, 32 sec)

a video (part 2) by a mother on how she uses Montessori at home (time 8 min, 12 sec)

children 0-3 in Montessori schools (time 5 min, 54 sec)

I picked these randomly; they are not necessarily the best. You can watch hours and hours of “related videos”…

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May 20, 2009

Modern Language Instruction Against Reason

Filed under: Culture,Education — Administrator @ 3:41 pm

We need to pay more attention to grammar and to teaching grammar — our means of making intelligible and communicating our thoughts — especially in this day and age when it is attacked and corrupted, and when we could be inadvertently “conditioned” by the bad grammar all around us. We could easily fall prey to some anti-grammar influences via cultural or “sense of life” factors, if we are not careful and aware. Heck, look around us: movies; modern music lyrics; politicians; newspapers. I’ve seen some pretty bad examples of writing from high school principals and teachers.

Some college professors and PhDs won’t help; that is, we cannot go to them for correction — they are the ones corrupting language, as those PhDs and professors in the NCTE do. It seems like the anti-literacy/anti-grammar crowd have control of the NCTE, and by implication primary/secondary schools, colleges, and teacher’s colleges.

I feel sorry for the teachers in school who need to keep their jobs, but are pressured into following modern anti-thinking, anti-reasoning methods of teaching language. Or for the teachers who try to fight for the sanctity of good grammar, but are censured or ostracized or attacked and vilified for their stance. Or the teachers who support good grammar but who leave the profession to get away from the anti-literacy crowd.

The corrupting influence goes into our schools and colleges, and students suffer for it. (We did, too, I’d think.) Instead of using instructional time wisely, instead of properly training students in spelling and grammar, students are subject to things like this, which the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) praises in one of their idealistic educational “vignettes”:

Each group prepares a presentation for the whole class, and these include a family dinner with dramatized flashbacks, a reconstructed television newscast, and a reenactment of a trip to a 1950s drive-in, complete with a cardboard Chevy and movie screen. (p. 42, Standards for the English Language Arts, by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), (c) 1996.)

Instead of reading and writing, students are cutting out cardboard cars and playing make-believe. And this was a high school “vignette”!!! A good education would be like that I heard about in an anecdote: someone I know had a friend who went to school in Europe. The person in Europe, in high school, had to write a five-paragraph paper every day in class. The teacher would have the papers graded and returned the next day. The person learned how to churn out good writing like it was nothing, like it was automatic.

The contempt for the written language– for true literacy — can be seen in one of the NCTE’s descriptions of literacy:

Being literate in contemporary society means being active, critical, and creative users not only of print and spoken language but also of the visual language of film and television, commercial and political advertising, photography, and more. Teaching students how to interpret and create visual texts such as illustrations, charts, graphs, electronic displays, photographs, film, and video is another essential component of the English language arts curriculum. Visual communication is part of the fabric of contemporary life. Although many parents and teachers worry that television, film, and video have displaced reading and encouraged students to be passive, unreflective, and uninvolved, we cannot erase visual texts from modern life even if we want to. (p. 5, the Standards.)

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The Next Dance Show Starts…Tomorrow!!

Filed under: Announcements,Art — Administrator @ 2:53 pm

The first episode of this season’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” is tomorrow night, at 7 PM Central Time!

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May 19, 2009

Simple Pleasures

Filed under: Animals — Administrator @ 9:29 pm

Love that towel!! The video: Kaitlin Enjoying the Comfort of a Towel.

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May 18, 2009

Summer Math Workshops: Houston, TX Area

Filed under: Announcements,Mathematics,MGTutoring — Administrator @ 3:17 pm

Does your child need review in particular areas of mathematics?

Would you like to give your child a better understanding of mathematical concepts and how they relate to real-life situations?

Are you wondering if your children really grasp what they’ve learned in their math courses this year?

If so, my Summer Math Workshops are just what you and your children need. (For information on my credentials and background, for testimonials, or for my teaching philosophy, see my Website.)

These workshops will cover specific areas of mathematics, giving students the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of particular concepts and to lay the foundation for future academic success. A workshop will consist of four classes meeting on four separate days over a two-week period. Each workshop will be offered in three summer sessions: one in June, one in July, and one in August. Students may sign up for individual workshops or attend the entire day.

But what is the value of my methods and classes? Mrs. Helene Galloway says: “My son, Ryan, has participated in Mr. Gold’s algebra class this past year and has thoroughly enjoyed learning not just the mechanics of problem solving, but also why concepts are applied and how they relate to everyday life. He has been learning a great deal from Mr. Gold in private geometry classes, too — the mechanics, the ‘why,’ the ‘how,’ the applications.”

In order to better serve the needs of the community, four different workshops at two levels, (1) upper elementary/lower junior high, and (2) upper junior high/high school, will be offered each session. A minimum number of 8 students is needed for a workshop to “make”. If the minimum number is not met, arrangements can be made for holding the desired workshop — cost would be on a sliding pay schedule depending on the number of students.

I. Workshops to be offered include:

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Critique: Dancing With The Stars Semi Finals

Filed under: Art — Administrator @ 2:32 pm

The very informative Mr. Phillip Stephens, a co-owner of The Dance Place, has his latest newsletter out with his critique of the recent DWTS.

Hello to All:

Welcome Aboard
As always, we want to welcome all new subscribers. If you have comments or suggestions for our e-newsletter or the studio, let us hear from you. Please send all correspondence to philtex44@aol.com and please do not just “reply” to this email.

The Quiz
We’re still waiting for answers to our “Educated Dancer” quiz submitted by Michael Gold. The instructions say to not use Google or anything like that to come up with the answers, but I say: Go for it! Answer those questions by any means available!

…

For the Future
We plan to update our websites in the near future. Might change the colors and the overall “look” where possible, but mostly just want to get info on there in a more timely fashion. You could help us out by letting us know what you’d like to see more of on our web sites, which are www.the-dance-place.com and www.theplace2dance.com. Check them out and then let us know in what areas you think we could improve either the content or the layout. Send any suggestions to phillip@theplace2dance.com.

…

Dancing With The Stars Semi Finals
Commentary about this show is provided by Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Fellow and Examiner and Championship Certified Adjudicator Phillip Stephens with occasional inclusion of comments from others. The opinions expressed in this commentary do not reflect the views and opinions of The Dance Place or the people who teach there.

Who picked the guys’ tops for the Pros in the opening Latin performance? They looked a bit like the jumpsuits we used to wear back in the 70s & early 80s and the “manly” spaghetti straps did not – in my opinion – enhance the look of their physiques. A good and lively routine to “Should They Stay or Should they Go?” choreographed by Louis Van Amstel

All the contestant s looked pretty tired standing in the line-up at the first of the show. The trot down memory lane was almost tedious, but it was also a bit educational.

I didn’t care much for Shawn’s makeup and “look” for her Argentine Tango.

Ty’s best dance was the Lindy Hop. He was most relaxed and danced in his most “abandoned” fashion.

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May 16, 2009

Teaching Geometry

Filed under: Education,Mathematics,MGTutoring — Administrator @ 1:38 pm

Proof should be taught in geometry — I highly recommend it. But today, unfortunately, there is too much of a trend — pushed by the NCTM and others — to take proof out of geometry and to use geometry as time to review algebra 1. Students miss a great deal of cognitive training that way, training (in how to reason and construct arguments) important for law, philosophy, writing, mathematics, and science. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato is purported to have had a sign above his school, the Academy, saying “Let no one who is not a geometer enter here ” — meaning, he wanted only people in his school who knew geometry or were capable of learning it, since the ancient Greeks knew that geometry taught reasoning, and thus could be used to prepare people for the higher rigors of philosophy.

I’d recommend you find a geometry text that has proofs in it. Students should have to learn a number of proofs, memorize some proofs, and do a plethora of proofs.

It would be a good idea to spread geometry over several years, too. Students — from even the elementary years — need a good introduction to shapes and their interrelationships before the students even get to the proofs, i.e., before they get to systematically organizing and structuring geometry. You can get some ideas from Montessori methods; here are some videos:

Circles (39 sec)

Triangles, polygons and other shapes (57 sec)

Prisms and cylinders (1 min 20 sec)

Triangles and polygons (2 min 28 sec)

Cylinders (1 min 6 sec)

Arithmetic (prep for algebra), mostly (3 min, 40 sec)

Child with cylinder blocks (1 min, 24 sec)

Excerpt from “Nurturing the Love of Learning” produced by the American Montessori Society (10 min, 5 sec)

Montessori School in Phuket (13 min, 21 sec)

In view of the value we get out of geometry, it would be highly beneficial to study formal geometry (that is, study geometry as a science using proofs) over two years or three instead of cramming it in one year and then running from it.

You can read how I generally run my geometry classes and tutoring sessions in my prior post “A Typical Geometry Class at MGTutoring“, where I wrote up some highlights and commentary from a recent tutoring session.

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