Monday, September 12, 2005
!! September 12, 2005 link to the
Taos Discussion [36]
and strategy
for mathematics education renewal !!
Send comments to
psp**@ontologystream.com (remove the “*” to get a valid email
address)
Communication to the NMHU Board à
bead game thread on educational renewal
This letter is a second
letter to President of New Mexico Highlands University. The first letter is at [8].
President Aragon and NMHU faculty,
This is an Open Letter and may be published in the press
(Edited and Extended - Tuesday, September 13, 2005)
My foundation is working on a strategy to address the situation at NMHU in the mathematics area. This may be done by offering free tutoring and alternative classes (over the same curriculum) in a store front. The Foundation may decide to acquire a building close to the campus and develop the mission of the Foundation from Las Vegas.
This mission has the following aspects
1) The development of advanced information and computer technology supporting the creative arts, including the Virtual Museum System ™ and virtualTaos.
2) The development of prototype rural farming or ranching models leading into the Hydrogen Economy
3) The development of teaching learning methodology based on a combination of the so called R. L. Moore graduate teaching of mathematics (used at University of Texas and University of North Texas), the so called exploration teaching used in several of the local area community colleges and high schools.
4) The study of remediation techniques designed to challenge the perception, by students, that learning mathematics is too difficult for normal people to learn.
This mission is relevant to the potential that NMHU has to lead the New Mexican communities into the middle of this century. The opportunity is defined by some failures of the Academy, reflected in specifics – these specifics have touched my life.
At NMHU the computer science group is perceived as having set aside their responsibilities to teach the freshman classes. This perception can be contrasted with the vision the former head of the Mathematics Department, Dr Gregg Turner, had; and which is shared by community leaders in Las Vegas. Those responsible for this failure are from various backgrounds and have complex reasons for participating in the failure. Their failure effected Dr Turner, leading to his removal from the faculty, and effected myself, leading to my not being hired for an advertised position starting in the Fall 2004.
As a first issue, mathematics should not be dominated by computer science. The faculty at NMHU has effectively allowed the math department to disappear. We could have a thoughtful and enlightened department dedicated to scholarship and service to the community.
I make the observation that a narrow vision of several computer scientists has set aside the needs of the university and the communities. The mathematics department has been replaced by people who are pushing an industry that has serious problems related to honesty (the Information Technology sector). (see [10] ) This MIGHT be a controversial statement, but a statement like this can be objectively evaluated. It is worthy to have a professional debate regarding the value of training young minds within the current computer science curriculum. First, India will be able to out compete us in computer programming, and second the foundations of the profession is not consistent with the foundations of mathematics and science. A scholarly discussion about these issues is at {*}.
Mathematics education has far too many problems to have a compromised discipline control the mathematics faculty. A simple investigation shows that this control is done in a way the violates the essence of the concept of academic freedom.
It is simply not acceptable anywhere in the Academy for faculty to fear for their job, while doing their job. I am sure you agree? As I discuss in my publications, computer science is a discipline which may have left the barn, academically.
see: http://www.bcngroup.org/area3/pprueitt/kmbook/Chapter2.htm
One reference into our planning is the link at
http://www.bcngroup.org/beadgames/renewal/8.htm
I would like to talk about a series of open seminars on mathematics, its history and the crisis that the mathematics education community has been in for the past number of years, well... at least since 1950s.
I have asked that the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics sponsor these seminars. I ask Professors Tahani and Sollohub, again, for this professional courtesy.
I would appreciate very much a meeting with President Aragon to see if he is aware of Professor Jeffery's concerns and my concerns, regarding this matter. I will let Professor Jeffery speak for himself, but I am disturbed to hear any university professor express opinions about academic freedom and job security. I know how Professor Turner feels.
Other faculty have voiced an opinion about Dr Gregg Turner's firing after he advocated my hiring last August, after my interview on campus for an advertised position, and because he objected to a series of measures being made (by someone) to reduce the responsibility that the faculty in computer science has in teaching the freshman mathematics classes. I do not know if the move to outsource the freshman classes to the community college is the NMHU computer scientists' intention, or if this is coming from the (past) Provost's office. In any case, it should be a matter for the Faculty Senate.
It is my understanding that much of the responsibility has been moved to adjuncts or to the community college. But the Foundation will need to develop some polling instruments to measure precisely what is occurring here.
My sense is that my joining the faculty would have assisted Dr. Turner in his noble efforts to fund mathematics education activities. The development of computational science could still move forward, but with priorities established.
I have had contracts with federal agencies in the development of leading intelligence technology, and I have professional contacts within extended scientific communities. However, my purpose in coming to Las Vegas was to be close to the family businesses in Taos, during a time in which my father requires some assistance... www.virtualTaos.net
I am considering teaching freshman mathematics for free in a storefront, just so that I can finish the two books on Acquired Learning Disability
http://www.ontologystream.com/beads/QuestionOfAccess/AQA.htm
It would have been a simple thing to do, given collaboration between Dr Turner and I last year.
I am also motivated by what appears to me to be injustice done to Dr Turner and to the students and community in Las Vegas. I have not obtained all of the information and understand that Dr Turner may have filled a lawsuit and so will be unavailable for comment.
I also expect that the area newspapers should cover this discussion.
Dr Paul Stephen Prueitt
Director BCNGroup Inc, OntologyStream Inc