1) Of two or more equivalent theories or explanations, all other things being equal, then the simpler one is preferred. [Also referred to as Occam's Razor.]
2) If a theory or explanation is not the simplest according to Belief 1 but has been used historically up until now then it will be noted for historical purposes only and will not be given preference over the simpler one. [Preference based on historical usage is called Tradition.]
3) If a 'new' theory or explanation depends on other theories or explanations to have been already established then this 'new' theory or explanation will be considered to be 'contructed' on the pre-established ones.
Ellie is a constructionist. She believes ideas are built from other ideas and that sometimes it is critical to the understanding of some ideas that other foundational ideas must be completely mastered.
Ellie believes that mathematics is the foundational idea of thinking. As such, any failure to fully understand the mathematical concepts taught through high school can have a profound impact on the student's ability to think.
Ellie believes that the current mathematical textbooks and thus the education system are failing to provide teachers with the tools necessary to teach students how to think.
To schedule tutoring you will need to provide the following information on the student:
1) name
2) age
3) current or entering class
4) school
5) math teacher (if possible)
6) math courses and grades
7) subject matter that you want tutoring
8) paragraph on why you feel your child will benefit from having tutoring.
Enclose this in an email and send to:
[email protected]
Reasearch is constantly being done. To promote useful communication below are some short topics and papers that will be released this year.
Mathematics as the foundation for thought: Mathematical implications on language, history, science and the arts are discussed.
Distorted thoughts: This is a collection of distorted thoughts including examples. These are used in Cognitive Behavior Theory and it seems appropriate to include them here as a reference.
FOIL is a four letter word: There is a short-cut in mathematics used with the product of two binomials. This paper presents why it is a bad idea and should be stricten from all Algebra texts.
Tutoring groups: This is a brief report on the theory of using groups in the education process. You will learn why they work and how they are implemented at Ellie's Read Education Institute.