Posted on 07/30/2012 10:56:30 PM PDT by grundle
Getting rid of algebra and beyond in our public schools is equivalent to an average American failing algebra because they just didn’t care. If we throw in the towel instead of emphasizing the fact that hard work and self-responsibility aren’t essential qualities in a person, what kind of example are we setting? Furthermore, how can we truly prepare students to go into the workforce if they think they can just drop out of something too difficult instead of putting in the hours and hours of work that is required?? It doesn’t make sense.
(Excerpt) Read more at simplepolitiks.wordpress.com ...
I’m surprised some Freepers don’t want to ban Algebra, since they think it’s, “Islamic.”
You don’t need math when you have a cash register and say “would you like fries with that?”..
Algebraic thinking should be introduced right after basic numbers. In first and second grade we learned 1 + 1 = 2, 3 + 3 = 6 and similar simple math. It wasn’t until 7th grade that Algebra was introduced with the idea of adding positive and negative numbers. It was really hard to get my brain around that idea and I was not a stupid person. If we had been introduced to ideas like 2 + (-3) = -1 (I think), it would have been much easier to learn more advanced Algebra at a later age.
They already gutted geometry by throwing out the logical proofs and keeping recognition of shapes!
The Arabic derivation of the word raises an interesting point. In fact, the Arabs by no means practiced algebra as we know and love, or hate it. The word itself means “the reduction” and refers to a rote prescription for eliminating negative numbers from an equation ... the prototypical algebraic operation. Of course, there were other prescriptions, but these were all written out in words, so their “algebra” was a sort of catalog of these prescriptions, or “algorithms” ( which term derives from the name of an authority in these matters.)
So, give credit where credit is due, but these Arab practices were transmitted into Europe, and it is there that they flowered into Mathematics as we know it, and Physics and Facebook, and everything else.
Abolish all teachers’ unions. Employ experienced and retired non-unionized mathematicians and scientists and technicians to teach algebra and other math and science courses. Use real accountants and bookkeepers to teach business and accounting. Stop making education of our young the employer of last resort.
The way algebra was taught in school made it impossible to understand; the math had no point to it, no context.
It wasn’t until I was drafting electrical designs and had to determine voltage drop across circuits that algebra finally made sense. I became so involved in mathematics I taught myslef trig.
Too many schools are removing the types of classes, such as wood and machine shop, that gave ‘context’ to math class. That is a very great shame.
Here’s an example of Congressional math:
You have 700 billion dollars, and spend 900 billion. How many people could be provided for, from the remaining 1,600 billion, if we assume that each person needs 20,000 a month which adds up to 2 million a year?
ditto. As an ADD kid I struggled with algebra until I completed 8 hours of College Physics. After that Integral and Deferential Calculus wasn’t as difficult as I had anticipated.
The Elitists want to keep ypu docile and stupid. Willing to accept their “solutions”, or in the absence of your acceptance, they will take your groveing acquiescence with delight.
As a machinist, I too taught myself to do trig. I now can solve any math problem the machine shop can throw at me. I never applied myself to any math ed in school because I just didn't see the context or much need of it at the time.
I struggled for a long time but finally overcame my lack of a good math education by cracking some books and using good old fashioned determination. If I never had the need of trig, I never would have bothered or cared about it one bit.
Maybe we can find out how the South Koreans do it??
Algebra is a system of rules that once learned, enable a huge body of problem solving skills. The problem is, no one wants to learn the rules in a culture that only wants to steal from those who have.
I can only add that I love trigonometry and its ne plus ultra, spherical trigonometry, and I pride myself in remembering the various formulas, even if I am due for a review!
“Truth is just truth, you can’t have opinions about truth.” - Peter Schickele
Algebra teaches logic. We don’t need no stinking logic!
I was in High School in 1952 to 56 in a small town, Oklahoma school, and they began reducing math requirements when I was in 10th grade. They also began the process of destroying neighborhood schools through consolidation, a process not unlike the Feds consolidating power.
The arabs stole it from the Indians.
knowledge is power
this is why they’re doing everything they can to keep our kids in the dark
a capitalist society assumes you have the mental tools with which to compete. without them, it all seems ‘unfair’ (the chanted mantra of the occu-tards)
“Here’s an example of Congressional math:...”
Exactly.
Its quite fashionable to blast teachers, but I can tell you, that, in many cases, its the PARENTS who don’t want their children “pushed” or “pressured”. Its the wussification of America that’s partially responsible for killing education in the United States. As was mentioned, Algebra should be taught early, in the second grade. Add Latin to that as well. At age 7, your brain is like a sponge. Parents, stop making excuses. Your children can do the work.
I do not see the point of this post. Please elaborate.
Liberals must think they’ve “evolved” beyond a need to learn Algebra. They seem to believe that they’ve evolved beyond a lot of things including common sense and logic.
All they need is a smart phone with one button that plugs into their smart car.
The way algebra was taught in school made it impossible to understand; the math had no point to it, no context.
I agree 100%
I learned almost nothing in my high school Math class. It didn’t help that the teacher would have been lost without her teachers guide. I had no problem with the math in Chemistry and Physics. Those classes were where I learned math.
Kids can’t do algebra because they don’t know their addition and subtraction fact families or their multiplication tables!!!!!! All they do in the elementary grades is teach math concepts. No emphasis on solving problems. All that is considered “kill and drill”.
“You didn’t solve that!”
I think the reason we do so poorly in math is because not enough mothers are breast feeding their babies. At least that is what Mayor (Nanny) Bloomberg is saying. I think... :-))
When you have this kind of crap going on in the schools claiming to be arithmetic, it’s no wonder they don’t even want to try Algebra anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y29XL99qM6s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI&feature=related
It just ASTOUNDS me that any parent would trust THE ENTIRE future of their kids to these menaces...but they do, I guess because they feel like they have some control over it? LOL.
I think you’re right. Kids are given calculators far too early in the learning process and those eliminate the need to understand simple atithmetic. I taught basic algebra to adults in the Army and I always started out with a simple question that everyone could answer, such as “If a two-pack of batteries cost $1.00, how much does each one cost?.” They all said “$.50, they had learned to do simple mental math to the nearest quarter of a dollar” I would ask the same people “If a six-pack of beer costs $3.60, how much does one cost?” They couldn’t answer and didn’t even know how to find the answer if you gave them a calculator. I always had to teach basic arithmetic before I could even begin to ask those same questions in algebraic form such as “ If 2x=1, what is x?”
“Its quite fashionable to blast teachers, but I can tell you, that, in many cases, its the PARENTS who don’t want their children “pushed” or “pressured”. Its the wussification of America that’s partially responsible for killing education in the United States. As was mentioned, Algebra should be taught early, in the second grade. Add Latin to that as well. At age 7, your brain is like a sponge. Parents, stop making excuses. Your children can do the work.”
They are more interested in competitive sports leagues than competitive math leagues. Someone who is good in math is also considered to be ‘not normal’ or ‘nerdy.’ People are worried they’ll be like a ‘Sheldon’ from the Big Bang Theory show. There’s an entire culture to deal with.
Algebra teaches you to work hard and be responsible? Is algebra the only way to teach someone to work hard and be responsible? Is algebra the best way to teach someone to work hard and be responsible?
What are the opportunity costs of forcing people to study algebra?
That is utter madness. That “lattice method” may well work (in the sense of getting the correct product) but it completely obscures the reason for the placement of the numerals (1s, 10s, 100s etc place) and it introduces needless complication.
When I was a kid (I’m 53) we took Algebra in 9th grade. Now they are teaching it to 8th graders. Why was this change made?
“That is utter madness. That “lattice method” may well work (in the sense of getting the correct product) but it completely obscures the reason for the placement of the numerals (1s, 10s, 100s etc place) and it introduces needless complication.”
“utter madness”, the British term. I never liked that term because it implies that the people doing it are idiots that have no clue regarding what they do.
While I can’t claim to be an expert on Britain, I will say that our enemies are FAR from mad. They are BRILLIANT and, I think, smarter than us. They know EXACTLY what they’re doing and continue to succeed at it, regardless of who we elect or what we want.
Once in a while we try to call them out, and we get CLOBBERED. An example here in Texas is when our state school board tries to turn the clock back a few decades with regard to math and history teaching - to get math back to where kids learned it the right way, and get history back to where it was unbiased. You’d think that the school board members came right out Nazi Germany, given the media coverage - and many, many, conservatives thought that too.
This is why:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Math
This is why:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Math
I love algebra. I didn’t when I was in high school, but when I was home-schooling my son, I had a great Algebra book that had the answers in the back, so I would try the equations first, then see if I was correct before teaching them to my son. I had so much fun working the problems because, to me, they were like puzzles. Changing the minuses to plusses and vice-versa, doing ratios, I just had a ball. Unfortunately, I couldn’t transfer my enthusiasm to my son. It may be an age thing.
But I see a use for Algebra in some occupations, such as engineering. It also teaches you to think and to use logic. It’s good for the brain.
“...in many cases, its the PARENTS who don’t want their children “pushed” or “pressured”.”...”
What does that have to do with whether a teacher fails a student for repeating the grade in order to make the grade?
Agreed. These people are encouraging non-hackers.
“..we took Algebra in 9th grade. Now they are teaching it to 8th graders.”
My daughter is taking Algebra 1 (Saxon) in 6th Grade.
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