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ERIC Number: ED409942
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1997-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An English Professor Considers Mathematics.
Duncan, Noreen L.
There is a common belief that people have limited mental capabilities in that they are either good at English or mathematics, but not both. There is also a myth that men are naturally good at math, while women are not. But there are many good mathematicians who also write well. Also, good students appear to be good students, regardless of the subject matter. Most people who consider themselves non-mathematicians think mathematically, without knowing that they do. One of the common themes used by teachers of English is that learning to compose helps students learn to think. In producing good written language, they can, therefore, become logical thinkers since it is not sufficient in either English or mathematics to merely reproduce patterns of formal symbols or words. There is general agreement in the academic community today that good writing and mathematical ability are produced by students not when they are drilled with rules, but when they are engaged in the processes and practices of writing and mathematics. Teachers must both excite students to learn to love learning and take risks to learn new things outside of their disciplines. (HAA)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Princeton Univ., NJ. Mid-Career Fellowship Program.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: In its: Issues of Education at Community Colleges: Essays by Fellows in the Mid-Career Fellowship Program at Princeton University; see JC 970 402.