🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4efpj7$pd3@csnews.cs.colorado.edu>,
GAUSS <egauss@alumni.cs.colorado.edu> wrote:
>In article <4e8ggo$eav@csnews.cs.colorado.edu>,
>ALPERT ETHAN  <alpert@alumni.cs.colorado.edu> wrote:
>>I spent 3 hours last night helping a student do his first calculus homework
>>and was absolutely shocked that this student was allowed into the class. 
>
>As you gain experience in the tutoring profession, you will realize that
>the bright and qualified ones, do not require tutoring.  The dummies are
>what you will get, and therein lies the teaching challenge.  As a successful
>tutor you may be able to overcome this.  Blaming the student, the math
>module, or the CU faculty is counter productive.  It is that missmatch
>that created your job.  And it is your job to help the student within
>that mileau.


First let me say I am not a tutor! I was merely helping a friend out. Second,
you say "It is that missmatch that created your job". This sounds like
tutors could have a conflict of interest to me. If they mention the problem
(Math modules don't teach math) and something is done about it then they 
lose buisiness.


>
>
>>I don't know what's going on at CU but when a student passes an algebra class
>>and doesn't know to distribute a %$#@%#@ negative, you've got a problem!
>
>That may be your first challenge as a tutor, to get your pupil up to speed.
>It sounds like the challenge is a bit greater than you expected.  If your
>pupil knows what a negative is, that is a start.  Work from there.  Most
>tutoring is repairing defects in prior learning, or in the pupils learning
                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>process.

Shouldn't this also be the goal of remedial college algrebra courses? Instead
CU perpatuates these defects by not taking enough time to assure that people 
who pass the basic math modules actually understand the material. There is
simply not enough supervision of students by people whose vested interest
is in making sure they learn the basics. Instead tutors keep quiet and
collect a lot of money. 

>                            (Prof.)   Ed Gauss,  U/Alaska, retired


It is my feeling that only the brightest most motivated students be allowed
to study on their own, freeing up instructor time to work on bringing less
knowledgeable students up to par.

Unfortunately the CU math modules attract the less knowledgeable students,
the students  that are scared of math, the students that know they can
pay a tutor and get by with out investing the time needed to really learn
what they're required to .

At this point I'm wondering why no one from CU has responded to this thread.
It makes me wonder if they even give a $%#@. They proabably sit arround and
point their fingers at the high schools that failed to teach adaquately or
more likely they'd rather ignore the problem because they know they need to
spend more time working with students and less time in their ivory towers. 


-ethan