As we move toward the new Common Core State Standards, the issue of how to incorporate the all-important Standards of Practice tends to elicit lots of discussion and differing opinions, especially when it comes to assessment.
I found this interesting new post by Dan Meyer about the role of computers in mathematics assessment: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong about Math Education Again and Again. Here’s a quote:
‘Explain whether 4/3 or 3/4 is closer to 1, and how you know.’
It's simple enough to write down an explanation. It's also simple to speak that explanation out loud so that somebody can assess its meaning. In 2012, it is impossible for a computer to assess that argument at anywhere near the same level of meaning. Those meaningful problems are then defined out of ‘mathematics.’
This is a good read to follow Conrad Wolfram’s talk I mentioned earlier in this blog.
I like the Roman mosaic question Dan includes in his post. This would be fun to give to students. I, personally, would need plenty of time to come up with a coherent answer.
