Posted on 11/10/2008 6:59:12 AM PST by Cronos
The New York Times recently reported on a study that found, once again, that the United States is failing to develop the math skills of its students, particularly girls, especially compared to other countries where math education is more highly valued. -- Snip---
Bob Compton, an Indianapolis-based venture capitalist and entrepreneur who co-founded Indian Math Online, hatched the idea when he was producing “Two Million Minutes”, a documentary comparing high school education in India, China and the United States. He realized that Indian teenagers who were the same age as his daughters were three years ahead of them in math.
(Excerpt) Read more at bits.blogs.nytimes.com ...
thank you, teachers unions.
People always complain that teachers are underpaid, but my response is always that most teachers aren’t any good at teaching, so why should they be paid more?
Public education in this country, with a small number of exceptions, is a joke.
Obama turned down funding for algebra and instead supported funding “Juneteenth” studies when he was chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge providing programs in the Chicago public schools.
It seems the goal is to turn Americans into a Third World level workforce.
I almost tried to post a Casino joke, but then I caught myself.
I’ve always thought that kids could go so much further in math than they do in our public schools. I’ve been homeschooling for 18 years and my kids have always been way ahead in math. But it has never felt like they were being pushed. I typically have kids in calculus by 9th grade. Yes, my kids are smart, but I don’t think they’re brilliant. They are just normal kids with no learning disabilities and they’ve been taught math in a way that they can understand from an early age. When my kids get big heads about their skills I tell them that they aren’t ahead—everyone else is behind. And I really believe that.
bfltr
http://www.indianmathonline.com/
Looks interesting and reasonably priced - something I’ll consider for a couple of my children if they’re still behind at the end of this year.
Good job with the kids! Probably pushing them more right now is the right thing — since in tomorrow’s global job marketplace, only the best will survive. You’re doing a good job as a parent.
I agree. We homeschooled, just went as fast as was needed, vs ‘one topic for every year.’ Our son took college math when he was 15, he was just ready. You can move so much faster than the schools move.
When I tutor kids, I always give them more advanced math if I sense they can handle it. What? Is it some sort of secret that you have to be a certain age to have? I don’t think so.
Also, the textbooks are so heavy in math theory and application/ a lot of which is really elementary physics. For what purpose? Many kids are lost in the concepts, but they can learn and apply the computations. Skip all the theory, teach them the computations. They will apply it to ‘reality’ for the rest of their lives.
This is done ‘to make math relevant’ I think, vs ‘boring memorization.’ The kids I tutor seem to be math-illiterate because of it, and most have not had to memorize the basics.
(don’t get me started)
NCLB and other efforts that focus on getting every child to the same level have the effect of causing the best and brightest to be ignored. Those kids will pass the test regardless so schools focus on those who might not because so much is dependent on test percentages.
I think we need more tracking. More vocational options (we need plumbers too!) for the kids who clearly aren’t academically inclined and more higher level options for the kids who we can identify as being the best and brightest.
Preach it, bboop! Everyday Math is also known as "chicago math." I am beginning to think that Chicago is just a cess pool for liberal communist ideas.
The libs running our local rural schools are so impressed with higher academia, that they cannot fathom why a student should learn basic multiplication facts. I am beginning to wonder if they subconsiously want to keep a welfare child circling through welfare, for a lifetime.
The kids with parents who care(or are educated, or have time to help) are the only ones who learn real math at home, after school. The high poverty kids here in rural Georgia don't have a chance at a decent paying math job/career.
We do not have influential teachers' unions in Georgia. But we do have liberal educrats who hated math as students. They "feel" that the best way to learn math (if it MUST be learned, at all), is through 'reform math' curricula (Everyday Math, TERC, Connected Math, Integrated Math). However, 'reform math' is not true math. Arithmetic is discouraged as students are encouraged by the 'facilitators' to 'discover' math concepts within their groups. Math tests are in essay form, with no problems to solve, and are often "group tests." I AM NOT KIDDING!!! I have 3 kids in public schools and I have an engineering degree. I am about to lose my mind over this ridiculous excuse for math!
I think vocational schools are the best option for a whole bunch of kids. Most kids end up going to a state school, getting a degree in a meaningless liberal arts field, and then going on to do a job that wouldn’t even require a college degree. As someone currently in college (business school), I think that higher education is one of the biggest frauds in the country.
if you think the math is bad, you should hear the history classes! My junior year in high school, the required history text was People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. If you’re familiar with the book or its author, you understand what I mean...
” think vocational schools are the best option for a whole bunch of kids. “
The universal college prep model makes no sense and is not followed by most countries. Every student deserves a shot at higher education but we are much better served if we make sure that the students who clearly aren’t cut out for that or interested in that learn a trade. I’d rather produce an average kid who doesn’t have the desire or skill to go college but who knows how to be an electrician than an average kid who lacks college ability but comes out with no useful skill. Sadly politicians would never go for it because they’d then have to admit that not everyone is equal.
Sounds like you are a math teacher? Phooey, I have never seen such bunkum as is taught in ‘math’ these days. Where in rural Georgia? We lived in Athens for a year a while back.... Not too awfully rural, except for if you were from Los Angeles.
Oh uck, Howard Zinn? yegad.
I bet the ‘discover math concepts’ IS put out by people who hated math. Sit in a group and ‘discover math concepts.’ Oh barf! I have a 6th grader who was in Gifted Math through elementary school but takes about ten minutes to do his Times Tables (through 10. The 12s totally stump him).
I don’t even think its people who hated math. I hate math but I certainly understand the importance of learning it in middle and high school. I think its people who think that it might hurt a child’s “self-esteem” to have to learn all those pesky rules and such. Why bother learning facts when we can all just sit around and talk about our feelings?
In fact, that just about defines liberalism as a whole, yes?
the problem is that in US schools, to be the best and the brightest means to be classified as a “nerd” and considered “un-cool”. That’s reinforced by the media — right from the scientist in Simpsons to any number of smart people on sitcoms — all are universally considered unter-menschen while the jocks are considered “cool”.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.