[Linux-aus] Re: High school computing texts

[Glen Turner]

Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote:

> I stated my opinion, gave examples, and now I return your mailing list
> to its regularly scheduled program.

Hi Jon,

Your input is, as always, vastly appreciated.

To be clear, I'm not putting binary numbers into the "misguided"
category (although when I re-read my mail I can see that it could
be read that way).  The real problem is that it is taught over
and over, poorly each time, in a number of subjects. Even
repeated between computing subjects. And teachers take too long
teaching it (since it is something they understand) and it is
tested too much (since it is easy to test).

I probably mis-described the number of students taught algebra
and to the stage of understanding polynomials, it's probably
more like 80%. Equally so for trig. Calculus is almost entirely
left to the advanced classes.

Australian states have a long history of "streamed" classes for math,
so there are some major deficiencies in the teaching of math
in Australia. One of the things ICE-EM is trying to do is to
raise the overall level of math across all students.  Much as
was very successfully done with science in the US in the 1960s.

Best wishes, Glen