UPA
University Pediatric Association
1328 Memorial Dr. • Bryan
Full Range of Medical Service
for College Students
including
Gynecological Services
(Dr Kathleen Rollins)
Page 6/The Battalion/Wednesday, February 3, 1988
VISA'
Call for appointment 776-4440 7 a.m.-7 p. m. (MortKCom;
extended hours for illnesses only
William S. Conkling, M.D.,F.A.A.P.
Kenneth E. Matthews, M.D.,F.A.A.P.
Jesse W. Parr, M. D.,F. A.A.P.
Kathleen H. Rollins, M.E>.,F.A.A.P.
Robert H. Moore, M.D.,F.A.A.P.
A 2-HOUR TREK ★ A ★ THON!
STRR TREK
★ STAR TREK BLOOPERS ★
All Three Outrageous Reels In Color)
★ Animated Star Trek ★ Special Three-Season Retrospective
★ Previews &. Behind-the-Scenes ★ 2nd Pilot Outakes—Never Shown on T.V.
★ The Making of Star Trek IV "The Voyage Home'' ★ Phis—Official Star Trek Trivia Quiz
— ONE NIGHT ONLY —
SAT. FEBRUARY 6
COLLEGE STATION HILTON
801 UNIVERSITY DRIVE EAST
SHOWS 7 & 9:30 p.m.
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Department says students need
to apply mathematics to real life
By Pam Mooman
Reporter
Word problems, with their appli
cation of theoretical knowledge to
practical situations, often conjure up
nightmarish images for many peo
ple.
“In high school, everyone avoided
word problems because they were
harder than computing numbers,”
Jamie Minderhout, a junior finance
major, says. “Anybody could go
home and use a calculator.”
The concept of applying math
ematical theory to practical situa
tions is at the heart of a debate cen
tering around the benefits of
conceptual knowledge as opposed to
those of procedural knowledge.
Dr. Vincent Schielack, assistant
mathematics department head, ex
plains the basic differences between
the two methods of approaching and
solving math problems.
“I don’t like that word ‘procedu
ral,’ ” he says. Schielack says that in
a broad sense, “procedural” could
describe the entire practice of prob
lem solving.
Dr. H.E. Lacey, mathematics de
partment head, agreed, saying he
preferred the term “computational”
to “procedural.”
“Conceptual, taken to the ex
treme, is new math,” he says.
New math was a program that
placed an emphasis on abstraction
and application.
Actually, conceptual mathematics
is recognizing how one thing is re
lated to something else that has been
solved, Schielack says.
“This is not a new math type
movement,” he says.
Dr. Clarence Dockweiler, profes
sor of mathematics education at
Texas A&M and a specialist on math
anxiety, says he has strong feelings
that the math curriculum should
move in the direction of conceptual
math.
“Our understanding of math
ematical concepts is pretty lousy,” he
says.
Dockweiler says children should
be taught the basic math operations
in elementary school — addition,
subtraction, multiplication and divi
sion.
“In high school, everyone avoided word problems be
cause they were harder than computing numbers.
Anybody could go home and use a calculator. ”
—Jamie Minderhout,
junior finance major
“Kids need to have an under
standing of these concepts,” he says.
"After kids learn the basic concepts,
they should be given a calculator.”
Dockweiler says that would proba
bly be the main curriculum change
he would make.
“Changes in that level come about
in a couple of ways,” he savs.
First, there are in-service educa
tion programs to retrain teachers in
their teaching methods, he says.
Minderhout agreed that the pro
grams were needed, saying that tea
chers as well as students seemed to
shy away from word problems and
practical applications.
Secondly, Dockweiler says the
state already is requesting new math
textbooks. If it is state mandated,
then the new textbooks will em
phasize conceptual mathematics, he
explains.
“But if teachers don’t know how
to teach it, it still won’t help,” he
adds.
“1 think a lot of people will argue
this point,” he says. “The qualitv of
public-school teachers lias declined.”
Schielack explains that he feels this
decline is due to low salaries for tea
chers. .
Some elementary teachers never
liked math, he adds. And if a student
got a bad start in the first and second
grades, even if he had good instruc
tion in the third and fourth grades,
he still cannot catch up, Schielack
says.
Lacey says teachers may not em
phasize conceptual math because it’s
easier to teac h computational skills.
Schielack says the Linited States
has a spiral curriculum. That is,
something is taught, then in a couple
of years is returned to and taught
again.
“The problem is not with the spi
ral currriculum, but the bands aren’t
very f ar apart,” Schielack says.
“I don’t think any moves are sud
den,” he says. "I think it's been
building gradually over a long pe
riod of time. Mainly, it’s due to the
difference in test scores between the
United States and Japan."
The United States is trying to be
more competitive with nations re-
ceiving high test scores, Schielack
says.
Lacey says that as many as 50 per
cent of students going into science
and engineering aren’t prepared to
take calculus.
“In the fall, there will he substan
tial upgrading of courses they can
take for credit,” lie says.
Schielack says students lack esti
mation skills. They are unable to de
termine when a number is incorrect,
he says.
Dockweiler says that even in the
basic or primary grades children < an
gain knowledge from ted
Me would like to free up the i
curriculum, thereby prod tiring (i
ter educated students whoarebenj
equipped to function in society.
Dockweiler explains that
anxiety cannot be separated [J
other types of anxiety — forew
pie, test anxiety. It is the samethi
simply applied to math concepts,J
says.
“There are an awful lot of thi
that contribute to math anxiety."
says.
First of all, he savs a basicklj
understanding might makestude]
anxious.
"If students don't imtlerstantij
concept, and they are confrotml
with the concept, then thatisa
ety," he says.
“With a capital A, he adds,si
ing.
Mi nderhout sans her busts
math course at A&M implements;
conceptual math theory.
“It was definitely geared tot
life situations," she savs. "YouIt
to know the theories and concrj
and how to apply them . ..’
"I now fee! that if word pfoWd
ol real-life situations had M
stressed more in high school
would have made college math;
easier."
Weather Watch
Board takes first step
to approve proposal
for genetics degree
The Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board in Austin took
the first step Friday in approving a
request by Texas A&M University to
add a bachelor of science degree
program in genetics.
Ross Hise, director of program in
ventories, said the proposal will have
to be approved at the board’s April
22 meeting before Texas A&M can
offer the program to students.
“This approval is unique,” Hise
explained, “in that it carries the stip
ulation that the board will review the
success of A&M’s bachelor’s degree
program before it will approve the
same degree for any other public
school.”
This stipulation was made because
genetics has been approved for a
doctorate degree but not for a bacca
laureate degree.
The coordinating board’s commit
tees met Thursday to discuss each
agenda item before the 18 members
voted Friday.
Hise said there were no dissenting
votes on the A&M proposal.
If the board approves A&M’s pro
posal at its next meeting, it could be
at least two years before students
who have completed the basic re
quirements of the science degree
plan can begin specializing in genet
ics.
“It usually takes a couple of years
after a plan is approved by the board
for the University to organize the
curriculum, hire faculty and offer
the courses for registration,” Hise
said.
Key:
£ m Lightning
~ . Fog
• • - Rain
*★ - Snow
- Ice Pellets
•
^7 - Rain Shower
ft “
Thunderstorms i
J ? - Drizzle H I
anc
• - Freezing Rain ■ mo
Sunset Today: 6:02 p
m.
Sunrise Thursday: 7:14 a m.
Map Discussion:
The arctic high will move into the Canadian maritimes while another is pushing
yet a new arctic air mass southward through the Northern Plains. The cold Irani
from western Kentucky to southern Texas will slowly move eastward. Arcticair* |
cover much of the country Thursday through Saturday with prospects of a
significant winter storm affecting much of the Eastern U.S. over the weekend.
Forecast:
Today. Overcast and cool with a high of 47, winds northeast at seven to 12mpii
with light drizzle possible through mid-afternoon.
Tonight Mostly cloudy with a low of 34 and light easterly winds.
Thursday. Cloudy early morning becoming partly cloudy with a high of 56 and
northeast winds near 10 mph.
Weather Fact. Winter - The coldest season of the year; the season during *1111/
the sun is over the opposite hemisphere: the “hibernal” season. Popularlyandloj
most meteorological purposes, winter is taken to include December, January,ais|
February in the Northern hemisphere; and, in the Southern hemisphere, June,
July, and August; the reverse of summer.
Prepared by: Charlie Bre
Staff Meteoroloyl
A&M Department of MeteoroKl
HEALTH CAREER
OPPORTUNITY DAY
FEB. 9, 1988
MSC 9
ANYONE INTERESTED IN A HEALTH CAREER IS WELCOME TO ATTEND’
— ANY MAJOR —
— ANY LEVEL-
COMPANIES, SCHOOLS, AND HOSPITALS WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE
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