2 Mar
2013
2 Mar
'13
3:07 p.m.
On 3/2/13 10:54 AM, "James Gessling" <jgessling at yahoo.com> wrote:
This leads me to my belief that I was the last slide
rule teacher. In
1975, in Ghana, I was teaching A level math as a Peace Corps teacher. We
had a whole section on slide rule calculations. Thanks to some agency, I
think UNICEF, we had one of those 6 foot long rules that mounted at the
front of the class. The kids really caught on quick and it was a lot of
fun. Especially as the students figured out other things they could do.
Regards, James
In 1977, I graduated from high school as the last class to use slide rules
instead of calculators. They were throwing away the six foot slide rules
used for teaching, and I was gifted with one. Unfortunately, in the
subsequent nomadic years of my youth I left it behind at some point.
IMHO a slide rule gives one a visual sense of math you just don't get from
a calculator, especially if you graduate to one of the more complex
models. It's exciting that your Ghana students "figured out other things
they could do" - now that's learning. -- Ian