Survival of the fittest pdf download

As expected, the males have consistently scored higher on such tests. Contrary to popular belief, attitude measures toward mathematics do not indicate significant differences between the attitudes of males and females toward mathematics. In fact, females tend to score slightly higher although not statistically different in their attitudes toward mathematics. The data appear to consistently indicate that the difference in mathematics achievement favoring males is not the consequence of culturally influenced attitudes toward mathematics.

The story is not much different in science. The results of a recent nationwide assessment of general science achievement among students in grades on the Concepts of Science Test indicate the following: Grade Sex N Concepts of Science Test M p 7 M 1, Such achievement differences also consistently exist at the high school level, as reported by comprehensive data on the Nelson Biology Test, American Chemical Society Achievement Test, and New York State Regents Examinations in biology, chemistry, physics, and general science.

Males tended to have slightly more positive attitudes although not statisti- cally significant at each of the grade levels. The differences in achievement between males and females in mathematics and science has often been attrib- uted to differential course selection. However, extensive analysis of data collected during the Talent Search Project indicates that differences between male and female course selection and participation are virtually nonexistent.

Whether politically correct or not, it appears that males achieve at higher levels than females in mathematics and science at both high school and junior high school levels. Furthermore, these differences cannot be attributed to either attitude differ- ences or course selection and participation differences. Given the added expense and difficulty in teaching mathematics and science, it is our opinion that time and money is best spent on those most capable in mathematics and science.

Continued efforts to promote scientific and mathematics literacy "for all" are ill-conceived and run contrary to the volumes of empirical research. The problem of course, as is the case with all educational research, is how to implement what we have learned.

It seems clear that most of our efforts in mathematics and science instruction should be directed toward males, because research data indicates they have the greatest likelihood for success in these areas. Unfortunately, K classrooms are currently heterogeneous with respect to gender. Indeed, it appears that heterogeneous classes are mandated by law, a point that has been made abundantly clear by several recent legal cases involving schools that have attempted to segre- gate males and females.

It would be rather difficult to teach mathematics and science to half the class while the other half pursues other academic areas. It seems, as was argued by the schools attempting to segregate males and females, that gender segregation can be supported by an argument connected to academic achievement. The aforementioned schools supported the idea that females leam better without the presence of males.

How- ever, these schools made the mistake of advocating that a full school be dedicated to a single gender. In this case, we are arguing that the only way to focus science and mathematics instruction on those most capable i.

In this way, males could benefit from instruction in mathematics and science, while females could benefit from instruction in, for example, language arts and home econom- ics areas in which they are more predisposed. Certainly such an approach would be the most efficient way to compen- sate for the increased difficulty and expense associated with mathematics and science instruction.

An interesting peripheral benefit would also result from homogeneous grouping of classes by gender. Middle school teachers have long noted the problems existing within small groups of gender-mixed students.

In particular, at the middle school ages, males tend to dominate the activities ofheterogeneously mixed groups to the detriment of females. This appears to occur even when males are in the minority. The benefits of keeping student groups homogeneous with respect to gender have already been recognized.

All we are advocating is that the homogeneous grouping be extended to the class level. There may be one small problem with our plan and we guess that you have already noticed. After all, a major goal during the elementary years is the development of social and interpersonal skills. Consequently, it seems to us that a more modest version of our proposal would retain heterogeneous grouping in elementary schools.

In such a situation, however, how would mathematics and science instruction be addressed? Years of research and the emerging TIMSS results support the notion that mathematics and science need not be addressed at all during the elementary grades. It has been recognized for almost a century that elementary teachers have inadequate backgrounds in both mathematics and science.

Furthermore, and justifiably so, they have little confidence in their ability to successfully teach mathematics or science. And, as we all know too well, instruction and student learning in mathematics and science during the elementary grades have left much to be desired for several decades. This is a problem that has consistently vexed those interested in science and mathematics teacher education.

In short, the woefully inadequate results of mathematics instruction and learning only serves to support the idea that mathematics can be withheld to the middle school grades without any detriment to students. Has the inadequate mathematics instruction during the elementary years harmed any of us? Let the elementary teachers focus on those areas they know best and feel most confident teaching. This is in spite of the fact that elementary teachers continue to possess inadequate science backgrounds and are not confident in their ability to teach science.

One embarrassing conclusion, if one examines the middle school and high school data, is that those teachers with the least background in science are doing the best job teaching science. Clearly, this cannot be the case. A more informed conclusion is that our elementary students are learning science despite the poor instruction they receive, if they receive any at all. Conse- quently, we are confident that withholding science instruction until the middle school years, as we have recommended for mathematics, would do little to harm the education of our students.

Again, we should let elementary teachers focus on instruction in those areas that they know best. School Science and Mathematics. Before my trip to the reindeer herders' camp, I talked chatka's State Hunting Management Agency and hunted in to Boris Yakovlevich, the recently appointed director of this area, they hire me as a guide.

Sitting in a tually get to visit different parts of the park. They plained the situation. This is a big park, over the value of the park. I am trying to set it up so that the herders 4, square miles, but I have no equipment, transportation, can also make some money from the hunts, to learn that it is or assistance to monitor what is going on there.

Slowly working his way through the herd right , Petya looks for "patients. An Even youngster tries his hand with a lasso below. The Even culture and economy are historically based on hunting and reindeer herding. At a time when local people were trying to re-evaluate the "achievements" of the Soviet regime, he told of young Even who were unable to master traditional herding practices because they spent most of the year in boarding schools, away from their parents and traditions, coming to the herd only in summer.

State-mandated peninsula before finally settling in Esso in the late '70s. There ro get quite a bit of help from the state. There was hope. I try to help them when I can with says Vladimir Petrovich Kleimenov, a Russian director of the gas or spare partS for their snow machines in the winter.

We can't compete with the price of Bush's pound reindeer thrashing around, its antlers caught in the Legs turkey legs imported from America. Petya runs toward mand for anything made of reindeer skins. Whatever little him from the opposite side to throw his maut around the money is made is spent on food and transportation. Many bull's feet and bring the animal down. Kopytka, as foot rot is herders abandon all hope and live only for vodka," he adds. Kiryak's zveno is the best we've got.

He lived, worked, and hunted all over the herder, treats the swollen hoof. We eat the summer, we see sheep dig for grass on the windblown slopes meat and dry what we can't finish. But when it is as bad as in winter, and we keep an eye on wolves when they circle this year, many will have to be killed and go to waste, because around our herd. Yes, we may kill a bear to protect the herd we can't use all the meat.

Nobody from the villages will come and to feed our dogs. We also like the sheep meat and may this far out to pick it up.

It also means that in the winter we shoot one or twO in a given year. But this is all we take, and we will not be able to sell as much meat as we could. Not like trophy hunters who often just take It is well past midnight when we return to the base camp. And who knows how Inside the chum a large teepee-like tent used for cooking and many they actually kill before they get a trophy to their liking.

Why don't they ask us to keep track of what we see during "Yesterday, when I was moving the herd from one valley our travels and report to them? I have kept a journal for the to the next, I saw snow sheep on the slope," says Valera past four years myself. It's not that difficult and it lets me see Chuprin, the last of the herders of this zveno. It would be a lot cheaper than In his late twenties, Valera, his wife Masha, and their two helicopter flights. He worked in has made from the finest reindeer suede.

I don't even know how the We are sitting outside the chum, waiting for Kiryak's boys wildlife managers decide on the number of snow sheep tags to return with pack horses. As the horses are being loaded to sell to hunters today. Helicopters are so expensive there with supplies to be taken to a new camp site, Lyuba comes out have been no sheep counts in these mountains for years. Reindeer skins are traditionally used to make clothing articles and ornaments above , and the bone marrow is a highly nutritious delicacy below.

It is all these 'new Russians' that want to make a lot of money while they can. But what about later? How are we going to survive? They have already spent too many days in one place because of our visit. It is time to move the herd to new pastures, away from the road. Yet, the Even have managed to prevail in this beautiful but not always hospitable land. I think of Kiryak leading his herd to better pastures and hope that the people and the wildlife are fit to survive and continue their timeless trek over this land.