[Textbook-l] Introduction - California Open Source Textbook Project

[Sanford Forte]

Toby Bartels writes:
> Despite that they define "mathematics" as
> "using abstract symbols to describe, order, explain, and predict",
> I think that we could do this.
-------
Absolutely! Really, most publishers now publish 'by committee'. Often, they
will hire several writers and content experts to create the book, and then
slap a well known person's name on it. They will also take books written by
single authors. The bottom line is that the talent available to Wickipedia
via the open source world is far, far, more capable on the whole than some
several authors hired by a commercial publisher.

>
> The introduction says that the framework is about "content"
> as opposed to "pedagog[y]" -- which means that it won't tell us
> what sort of pedagogical approaches that they're looking for.
> So we may have to copy from existing textbooks at first,
> if we want to ensure that we're acceptable to State bureaucracy.
> (Naturally, we should avoid paranoia along these lines too. ^_^)
>
> Mathematics divides into grades K-7 and grades 8-12 (beginning with
algebra),
> not into grades K-8 (Sanford says avoid) and grades 9-12 (Sanford says
do).
> To maximise our applicability while minimising the K-8 conflicts,
> we might start with Mathematical Analysis (aka Precalculus),
> last in the main sequence that most students are made to take,
> and work our way both down and up from there.
-----------
I'm going to make a call on Monday, to the state education frameworks
people, and see if I can rustle up some suggestions. Failing that - even
including that - your idea seems sound.

San
>
> -- Toby
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