Why would misunderstanding the relationship of skills and knowledge lead to trouble? If you believe that skills and knowledge are separate, you are likely to draw two incorrect conclusions. First, because content is readily available in many locations but thinking skills reside in the learner's brain, it would seem clear that if we must choose between them, skills are essential, whereas content is merely desirable. Second, if skills are independent of content, we could reasonably conclude that we can develop these skills through the use of any content. For example, if students can learn how to think critically about science in the context of any scientific material, a teacher should select content that will engage students (for instance, the chemistry of candy), even if that content is not central to the field. But all content is not equally important to mathematics, or to science, or to literature. To think critically, students need the knowledge that is central to the domain.
Jason Christiansen on 11 May 10"At Mathalicious, we believe that math isn't something to learn, but a tool to learn about other things. Our mission is to help transform the way math is taught by providing you with the best, most meaningful and most relevant math content available. Our lessons are aligned to traditional state standards but, unlike most content, emphasize conceptual understanding through engaging real-world applications." A nod towards developing number sense in a relevant way is useful for our students who nowadays struggle with certain basic concepts. Develop a homework assignment for the Calc student that struggles with graphing the equation of a line.
