LETTERS: MORE ON ALGEBRA TEXT

To the editor:

In two recent writings in Kinder's Commentary, Peter Kinder has quoted Marrianne Moody Jennings, a law professor at Arizona State University, regarding the nature of the algebra textbook her daughter was using in an algebra class in Mesa, Ariz. The textbook was reported to have been published by Addison-Wesley under the title, "Secondary Math: An Integrated Approach: Focus on Algebra."

In a thorough examination of this textbook, I find glaring discrepancies between the mathematics content in this textbook and Ms. Jennings' statements as reported by Mr. Kinder. Ms. Jennings deplores the inclusion of the following excerpt in an algebra book: "Each year the Oilfield Chili Appreciation Society holds a chili cook-off. The chili raises money for charity. Describe some ways the organizers could raise money in the cook-off" (p. 217). Then Ms. Jennings is quoted by Mr. Kinder as stating, "I found three discussions alerting students to the devil's handiwork in fossil fuels ... , a picture of President Clinton and some Maya Angelou poetry. What I couldn't find were algebra problems, numbers, equations ... ." Had Ms. Jennings turned the page containing the information about the chili cook-off and examined the following 15 pages she would have found plenty of algebra problems, numbers, equations -- at least 105 equations, 30 problems and numbers too numerous to mention -- and more related, interesting mathematics. The textbook, so outrageously misrepresented by Ms. Jennings, contains the same standard mathematics content found in algebra textbooks used all across the United States over the past 50 years.

The excerpt about the chili cook-off was from a scenario posed on a unit title page, "Solving Linear Equations." Throughout the unit there are math problems related to the chili cook-off. For example, "Define two variables -- one for the average number of cups of chili bought per attendee and one for the average amount of money spent per attendee. For each plan, write an equation that relates the variables, and graph the equation" (p. 230). Likewise, the other two excerpts -- about zoos and endangered species -- are from scenarios on title pages around which problems have been constructed and posed as exercises. The three excerpts reported in Mr. Kinder's column were never intended to be written (algebra) exercises, but suggested discussion questions intended to stimulate student thinking about the mathematics used by those who plan, work, and participate in such contemporary, human-interest activities.

Ms. Jennings continues her attempt to build a case against this textbook by dropping the name of a mathematics professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Richard Askey, who reportedly wrote a review of this text. She states, "His first comment is that (this textbook) is 812 pages." Then, by innuendo, she attempts to establish an inverse relationship between thickness of Japanese and U.S. algebra books and those nations' student test scores in math. She states, "Most Japanese textbooks are only 200 pages. This would explain why the average standardized test score is 80 in Japan and 53 here." One cultural difference that Ms. Jennings failed to tell her readers is that in Japan students study from government-approved textbooks. The math textbooks contain very few exercises. In Japanese bookstores there are large sections that contain practice books on all grade levels. Parents purchase these books and assume responsibility for assigning practice exercises for their children to do at home. Japanese teachers devote the major portion of their classroom time teaching mathematics rather than assigning and checking homework. Occasionally, homework may be discussed in class. Thus, in Japanese culture, homework is the parents' responsibility, not the teachers'.

Mr. Kinder reports that Ms. Jennings ran into a brick wall in her effort to get the school to "offer alternatives: Set up a traditional section of algebra." It appears that Ms. Jennings yearns for the days of algebra textbooks in which each lesson was neatly packaged with a single lesson objective, two or three sample problems worked out and 30 or more exercises that could all be worked like the sample problems. Those were the days that, in Detroit, an automotive worker in an assigned workstation put on lug bolts all day. The trend in today's workplaces is that workers no longer toil all day on the same mindless, repetitious tasks. They work as members of teams in which all team members are expected to know how to perform all the tasks assigned to the team. Likewise, the content in mathematics textbooks has been reorganized so that learning reflects contemporary, work expectations. In a given algebra lesson, students are expected to use not only the mathematics in the lesson's primary objective but a wide range of mathematics from previous lessons and experiences. More thinking is required in today's algebra lessons than in those found in traditional algebra books from "the good old days."

As a parent of secondary school mathematics students, I am relieved to know that Ms. Jennings "ran into a brick wall" with her concerns about this textbook, as reported by Mr. Kinder. I find it refreshing that the Mesa school officials did not buckle under to this self-acclaimed mathematics curriculum specialist who thoroughly exposed her lack of knowledge and understanding of the nature and content of both contemporary and traditional algebra--if there is a difference.

J. WENDELL WYATT

Cape Girardeau