Re: Learning binary numbers
Hi Marty, thanks a lot for your reply. I was really interested in whether the lesson would work with you. I had the pleasure to teach the binary arithmetic to kids in summer school camps, in the grammar school and to university students as well. Some kids/students got it quite easily some did not. And then, recently, I have read that socratic article. Since I really like and enjoy teaching, I spent some time analyzing the article and one of the points I realized is that there was always some sort of satisfaction and accomplishment at each step taken. And you said you was missing these feelings during the introduction to the set theory. So if you have said that you got hooked-up to math by that socratic method... Bruno would definitely took the hint in his seveth step serii. Cheers, Mirek m.a. wrote: Mirek, My previous answer to your question was glib and evasive, I apologize for that, but I think your question was misleading as well. In an attempt to be kind, you asked my opinion, from a pedagogical POV, of a lesson designed to make binary arithmetic simple enough for third-grade students. I think that what you really wondered was whether the lesson would work with a math-challenged adult like me. So, because I believe you to be genuinely and unmaliciously curious and in the interest of science, I'll try to describe my experience of this lesson. Did it teach me about binary numbers? The answer must be Yes and No. As I studied the lesson step by step, I understood each point and felt at the end, that I had a solid grasp of the topic. Will it become part of my general knowledge? /No/. Will I remember it tomorrow? /No/. Why not? Because my sorry excuse for a brain won't try to absorb it; in fact it will try strenuously to forget it. I can think of several reasons for this. 1) I won't leave the safety and familiarity of base ten. After a lifetime of base-ten, base-two is disorienting and disturbing. If I were forced to live in a house with pyramidal rooms, I could do it; but as soon as I was released, I would return to a cubical house. Someone who is shaky in math to begin with, clings to the part that he finds to be solid and doesn't venture into the whirlwind of incomprehensible artifacts outside. 2) The space in my head set aside for mathematics is entirely occupied by base-ten. I use it constantly and value it as a trusty tool. I can see no way, since I don't design computers, that binary can be useful in my everyday life. 3) This is purely subjective, but perhaps worth mentioning. Binary arithmetic seems to me like a language of ants. I am not an entomologist or even a biologist. I don't want to know what the ants are saying. I /do/ want to know what the Russians and Italians and Spanish are saying and I study their literatures. My mind accepts and always finds more room for information about these languages even as it refuses/ /to accommodate binary. I know that computers and the modern world could not exist without the ants and I am grateful for all of it. But I am resigned to the sad fact that their language will always be inaccessible to me. Hope this helps, marty a . - Original Message - From: Mirek Dobsicek m.dobsi...@gmail.com mailto:m.dobsi...@gmail.com To: everything-list@googlegroups.com mailto:everything-list@googlegroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2009 11:05 AM Subject: Re: The seven step series m.a. wrote: a towel into the ring. I simply don't have the sort of mind that takes to juggling letters, numbers and symbols in increasingly fine-grained, complex arrangements. [...] Marty, If I can ask, I'd be really interested what do you think of this socratic experiment http://www.garlikov.com/Soc_Meth.html http://www.garlikov.com/Soc_Meth.html Cheers, mirek --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Everything List group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Learning binary numbers
Hello Mirek, Let us recall that Socrates was famous for setting up straw men who usually agreed to every step of his proof and were finally forced by logic, against their previous judgments, to accept his conclusions. I would dearly love to see an unedited video of the Binary lesson you cite. As a former teacher, I suspect there would be a lot more noise of every variety than is communicated by the clear, short questions and even shorter answers of this lesson. To his credit, Bruno has definitely tried to supply interesting situations to illustrate his points, but either they weren't interesting enough or the problem was too complex to master no matter how imaginative the presentation. I may never reach the seventh step but from here, the mountain top looks magnificent with the sun rising behind it. Best, marty a. - Original Message - From: Mirek Dobsicek m.dobsi...@gmail.com To: everything-list@googlegroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 7:10 AM Subject: Re: Learning binary numbers Hi Marty, thanks a lot for your reply. I was really interested in whether the lesson would work with you. I had the pleasure to teach the binary arithmetic to kids in summer school camps, in the grammar school and to university students as well. Some kids/students got it quite easily some did not. And then, recently, I have read that socratic article. Since I really like and enjoy teaching, I spent some time analyzing the article and one of the points I realized is that there was always some sort of satisfaction and accomplishment at each step taken. And you said you was missing these feelings during the introduction to the set theory. So if you have said that you got hooked-up to math by that socratic method... Bruno would definitely took the hint in his seveth step serii. Cheers, Mirek --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Everything List group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Learning binary numbers
On 26 Aug 2009, at 13:10, Mirek Dobsicek wrote: So if you have said that you got hooked-up to math by that socratic method... Bruno would definitely took the hint in his seveth step serii. I appreciate very much the Socratic method, and I apply it as much as possible. The UDA itself is a sequence of questions, and I teach students mainly by asking questions. But this really can work only if the students ask themselves questions too. For some reason some people does not dare to ask question. I think they could be afraid to slow me down, but it does not matter, given that there is no deadline. I try to encourage to ask questions, even out-of-line, but without too much success. I guess a question of taste is involved, and personal history with math, lack of thrust in oneself, and I can't force anybody to take the time to study, prepare questions, etc. Of course, I don't think I could use a pure socratic method, like in your example, because there is much more material involved. Another difficulty comes from the fact that the level and background of those participating are very different, and it is hard, especially with so few feedback to satisfy everybody. It is already very different according to the fact that you have or not get some modern math in high school or not ... I am preparing, slowly (I'm rather busy), the next seven step serie. Please ask question if anything is unclear. Any question or remark can help, you, me, and some others. Bruno http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/ --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Everything List group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Learning binary numbers
Mirek, My previous answer to your question was glib and evasive, I apologize for that, but I think your question was misleading as well. In an attempt to be kind, you asked my opinion, from a pedagogical POV, of a lesson designed to make binary arithmetic simple enough for third-grade students. I think that what you really wondered was whether the lesson would work with a math-challenged adult like me. So, because I believe you to be genuinely and unmaliciously curious and in the interest of science, I'll try to describe my experience of this lesson. Did it teach me about binary numbers? The answer must be Yes and No. As I studied the lesson step by step, I understood each point and felt at the end, that I had a solid grasp of the topic. Will it become part of my general knowledge? No. Will I remember it tomorrow? No. Why not? Because my sorry excuse for a brain won't try to absorb it; in fact it will try strenuously to forget it. I can think of several reasons for this. 1) I won't leave the safety and familiarity of base ten. After a lifetime of base-ten, base-two is disorienting and disturbing. If I were forced to live in a house with pyramidal rooms, I could do it; but as soon as I was released, I would return to a cubical house. Someone who is shaky in math to begin with, clings to the part that he finds to be solid and doesn't venture into the whirlwind of incomprehensible artifacts outside. 2) The space in my head set aside for mathematics is entirely occupied by base-ten. I use it constantly and value it as a trusty tool. I can see no way, since I don't design computers, that binary can be useful in my everyday life. 3) This is purely subjective, but perhaps worth mentioning. Binary arithmetic seems to me like a language of ants. I am not an entomologist or even a biologist. I don't want to know what the ants are saying. I do want to know what the Russians and Italians and Spanish are saying and I study their literatures. My mind accepts and always finds more room for information about these languages even as it refuses to accommodate binary. I know that computers and the modern world could not exist without the ants and I am grateful for all of it. But I am resigned to the sad fact that their language will always be inaccessible to me. Hope this helps, marty a. - Original Message - From: Mirek Dobsicek m.dobsi...@gmail.com To: everything-list@googlegroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2009 11:05 AM Subject: Re: The seven step series m.a. wrote: a towel into the ring. I simply don't have the sort of mind that takes to juggling letters, numbers and symbols in increasingly fine-grained, complex arrangements. [...] Marty, If I can ask, I'd be really interested what do you think of this socratic experiment http://www.garlikov.com/Soc_Meth.html Cheers, mirek --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Everything List group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
