Posted on 03/28/2016 5:07:09 PM PDT by Olog-hai
Who needs algebra?
That question muttered by many a frustrated student over the years has become a vigorous debate among American educators, sparked by a provocative new book that argues required algebra has become an unnecessary stumbling block that forces millions to drop out of high school or college.
“One out of 5 young Americans does not graduate from high school. This is one of the worst records in the developed world. Why? The chief academic reason is they failed ninth-grade algebra,” said political scientist Andrew Hacker, author of “The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions.”
Hacker, a professor emeritus at Queens College, argues that, at most, only 5 percent of jobs make use of algebra and other advanced math courses. He favors a curriculum that focuses more on statistics and basic numbers sense and less on (y – 3)2 = 4y – 12.
“Will algebra help you understand the federal budget?” he asked. …
(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...
Veni Vidi VicI
So therefore we just forget algebra. This world has gone totally mad.
Back in the early ‘70s, I was reaching 7th and 8th grade math to military kids on a post in Germany. The kids were mainly those working at a hospital. It was the math curriculum introduced during the reforms of the previous ten years. Many kids were able to understand the same algebra that I had not rencountered until my first year in college. Once a kid gets the “it” of algebra, and he is brought enough, he/she can glide right into calculus if he has a reasonable amount of smarts. The trouble is that because of political pressure, because so many elementary teachers were never trained in college to teach math, never understand what they were doing, the subject began to be dumbed down.
1. Teaching Math In 1950s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
2. Teaching Math In 1960s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Math In 1980s
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.
5. Teaching Math In 1990s
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, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok. )
6. Teaching Math In 2009
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?
7. Teaching Math In 2013
Who cares, just steal the lumber from your rich neighbor’s property. He won’t have a gun to stop you, and the President says it’s OK anyway cuz it’s redistributing the wealth.
Probably not a country full of 3rd worlders with 80 IQs.
Because, in an effort to avoid bad performance reviews from class standardized testing scores, some of today's teachers are willing to do all in their power to get the kids they don't want to take the time and effort to teach to drop out of school entirely to make the standardized test scores look better.
I know kids who have practically begged teachers to help them with problem areas who were stuck in another room with a few books and worksheets and left there. One had gone through Chemo and missed days, and the teacher told her she should just quit.
“I got “the new Math” whoo boy.”
You have my sympathy:)
Good point.
I was blessed with the greatest math teacher. I had him for every semester in high school. He understood math. I could be drawing a picture and listening to him and I just got everything that he said. I got up to calculus in high school and scored very well on SATs. The problem is that they have ‘professional’ teachers, who are not made to demonstrate their proficiency in math. I don’t know why it is considered so hard. It’s very forthright and logical. There are really only 9 numbers. What is the big deal? ! but you can be sure that all these people who cry about how hard math is, have no problem writing and spelling, which have so many more variations that they had to understand.
The slide rule is only accurate to a couple decimal places unless there is some trick like multiplying by 1,000, calculating, then dividing. I'm not sure that would work.
But I never liked the imprecision of decimals compared to working them by hand. My father used his all the way through college and beyond, so maybe there is a trick.
My slide rule, I went out one night in college and got rip roaring drunk. I came back to the dorm, and my slide rule fell in the toilet while I was throwing up.
“Well - if it makes you feel any better dad, the class average on the test was an F.”
Yes - she has a tudor now in that class as well.
I remember the enthusiasm my high school teachers brought to the classroom. I think it is the “discovery” method that they are trying to use is the problem today. They pass out worksheets and then browse the internet shopping while the kids “discover” and “investigate” how the math works. (No lectures anymore).
I have to look on the internet if I want to help her. “All I want is the frikken’ formula! I'll know it when I see it - but I can't find it in this stupid math book!!??”
Might explain why it ends up being spaghetti code and impossible to follow. Understanding complex concepts such as OOP follow an algebraic structure.
bkmk
I learned first year algebra at age 11. It wasn’t that difficult. But then, my teacher wasn’t dishing it out to twenty or thirty kids all at once.
But all these other countries require Algebra as well. So, what the article argues is that we should graduate student with inferior educations compared to foreign students.
Algebra is easy. It’s geometry I could never fully grasp.
I use algebra literally (classically defined) everyday.
“You might say only a certain percentage of kids will go on to use algebra, but we don’t know which kids those are,” he said.”
I think we know which ones WONT be using it.
“In New York City, home to the nation’s largest public school system with 1.1 million pupils, just 52 percent of the students who took last year’s statewide Regents test in Algebra I passed, mirroring statistics elsewhere in the country.”
I strongly suspect the suggestion to eliminate algebra is mainly designed to benefit certain minority groups, the rationale being “they can’t do it so it’s racist”. Once again some nitwit is lowering the standards rather than dealing with the reason the kids can’t/won’t learn the hard subjects. It’s not for lack of trying over the past 50 years, its just that everything they tried failed. That’s because they have actively avoided the real problem which is cultural.
They are related. I hold an Extra class license with Element 1. Morse/binary style systems go back nearly to the time of Jesus.
That’s not a benefit to minorities. It’s a bigoted attack on them. Bad enough these same leftists have destroyed the family so thoroughly among such minority enclaves.
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