Dims say math is racist.
It used to be, at the turn of the century, a grade 12 education meant getting the equivalent of 2 years of college.
Teach to ANYONE who can learn it — even to a 1st grader. It doesn’t matter who cannot learn it.
Teaching Math In 1950
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
Teaching Math In 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. Whatis his profit?
Teaching Math In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
Teaching Math In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20 Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
Teaching Math In 1990
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)
Teaching Math In 2005
Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera para $100. El cuesto de la produccion era $80. Cuantos tortillas
se puede comprar?
My daughter’s school started teaching her elementary Algebra in 3rd grade, and I was very pleased. Same was with me when I was a kid. Huge disservice to kids today if schools are not even teaching the basics in 8th grade!
We started algebra in 6th grade as I recall....70 some years ago and that was in Chicago public schools. Now, high school grads there can’t even spell algebra.
Children are much smarter and academically capable than our coddled and corrupt society gives them credit for.
In nearly all countries, certainly the advanced ones (and especially the ones we consider our “enemies”), ALL kids are learning algebra by 8th grade.
I want algebra taught to students with IQ 90 or above.
There’s probably not enough competent teachers to teach it.
Fine. First make sure kids can do: +,-,×,÷, decimals, fractions, and %.
Then worry about algebra. If kids struggle with algebra, but can do the others listed, that’s good.
My opinion is to not force algebra on kids that don’t ‘get it’, because they will likely never use it. The kids that ‘get it’ will more likely enter careers that use it.
When I was introduced to algebra in 8th grade I thought, “what??!!... we are using the alphabet to do math??” I struggled with it, (my parents didn’t have a clue, even though my dad, besides being a farmer was a commercial pilot), my teachers just passed me anyway, apparently know this farm kid wasn’t going to need it.
Why is the little mermaid underwater? Because she forgot her...
The Leftists out there removed it because they are leftists, but in reality I’m guessing that there was no need to teach algebra because the students still hadn’t become proficient in simple math — addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. So, it was useless.
When doing math, I like word problems, because every math problem in real life is a word problem. If you think you have the answer, just ‘reverse engineer’ the problem to check your work.
If taught well it can help youngsters for the rest of there life.
Your average college student these days is still grappling with basic algebra.
There are 11 members on the San Francisco city council. If 100% of them are Democrats, how many tons of s*** are on the streets?
That was the year of a new immersive textbook.
No explanations. No helpful guidance.
Just, here is an Algebra problem. And, here is what you do to solve it.
Completely worthless waste of time.
Five years later, I would have exactly the same experience with French One in college.
The entire text book was in French, and the Professor never spoke a word of English in class.
Completely worthless waste of time.
I retired from teaching 11 years ago. At that time about half the students were taking pre algebra or algebra in 8th grade. All were at least introduced to it by the end of the school year. I heard that our local high school offers Geometry to their freshmen, algebra is taken in sophomore and junior year.