Posted on 03/15/2008 1:58:58 AM PDT by neverdem
American students’ math achievement is “at a mediocre level” compared with that of their peers worldwide, according to a new report by a federal panel, which recommended that schools focus on key skills that prepare students to learn algebra.
“The sharp falloff in mathematics achievement in the U.S. begins as students reach late middle school, where, for more and more students, algebra course work begins,” said the report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, appointed two years ago by President Bush. “Students who complete Algebra II are more than twice as likely to graduate from college compared to students with less mathematical preparation.”
The report, adopted unanimously by the panel on Thursday and presented to Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, said that prekindergarten-to-eighth-grade math curriculums should be streamlined and put focused attention on skills like the handling of whole numbers and fractions and certain aspects of geometry and measurement.
It offers specific goals for students in different grades. For example, it said that by the end of the third grade, students should be proficient in adding and subtracting whole numbers. Two years later, they should be proficient in multiplying and dividing them. By the end of the sixth grade, the report said, students should have mastered the multiplication and division of fractions and decimals.
The report tries to put to rest the long, heated debate over math teaching methods. Parents and teachers have fought passionately in school districts around the country over the relative merits of traditional, or teacher-directed, instruction, in which students are told how to do problems and then drilled on them, versus reform or child-centered instruction, emphasizing student exploration and conceptual understanding. It said both methods had a role.
“There is no basis in research for favoring teacher-based or student-centered instruction,” Dr..
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
How do you multiply 62 X 70 if you don’t remember what 6 X 7 equals?
“We wouldn’t be in the mess in this country that we are in if people could do math.”
I disagree.
It take more than just knowing the mathematics; someone has to be interested in what the results mean.
People have gone so hog wild on spending and debt because they are immature and they just want what they want NOW, not because they don’t know math, (although I agree that they absolutely don’t know any math, either).
“Saxon Math, anyone?”
Saxon is good.
Math-U-See is good, too.
I think the main problem here is not algebra in the 9th grade but the foundation that allows students to move on to algebra. .
That’s why the private school and homeschool curricula are so great. They get the foundation established early on through concepts, repetition, and review.
How do you multiply 62 X 70 if you donÂ’t remember what 6 X 7 equals?Work it out, if necessary:
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
| • | • | • | • | • | • |
Or perhaps you remember that 3*7 is 21, so 6 * 7 = (3+3) * 7 = 3*7 + 3*7 = 21 + 21 = 42 etc.
Amen! Not only are my math wires crossed, some of them aren’t even there! Not only that, I was holding the door for everyone else—I must have held the door for a long, long time!
Sure, you can work it out.
But I’ve never seen anyone proficient in math who had to use a calculator to multiply two numbers which were both less than 12.
Who wants to sit around waiting for a person who understands HOW to multiply two numbers to find some clever way to actually DO it? I’d rather work with someone who understands the concept but wasn’t too lazy to memorize the basic multiplication tables.
ROFLMAO
This list is for intellectual discussion of articles and issues related to public education (including charter schools) from the preschool to university level. Items more appropriately placed on the “Naughty Teacher” list, “Another reason to Homeschool” list, or of a general public-school-bashing nature will not be pinged.
If you would like to be on or off this list, please ping Amelia, Gabz, or SoftballMominVa
Saxon may work for some, but it did not work where my grandchildren go to school. Many kids in hs are still counting on their fingers. Saxon does not teach THINKING.
Does this mean that correct answers will mean more than making students “feel good”.
i guess taking the math program and its text books from the country with the best math scores in the world, and xlating it into english and using THAT...> would be out of the question. 2. no calculators till geometry/trig
3. LEARN THE DAMN TIMES TABLES TO 100!!!
ping
Why stop at 100???
Who wants to sit around waiting for a person who understands HOW to multiply two numbers to find some clever way to actually DO it?I do. Because that's precisely the person who is going to find some clever way to do the less trivial stuff.
Well, it worked great before. Now we have a bunch of kids that can't tell you what 5 x 5 equals without a calculator.
Almost anyone who graduated from a public school, prior to the late 60’s, are able to preform the basic math functions necessary for everyday life. That is not true now.
In fact, if you can take a second grade standardized math test and get 100% on it you are better than 50% of our current high school graduates.
I also wonder how you came to your conclusion that memorization has no place in mathematics???
today...it is about the teachers & unions....screw the kids.
most students can no longer read, write, or do simple math vis a vis make change behind a cash register!
but they all know who is the leading candidate on american idol...all have great manual dexterity texting jibberish on cell phones!!!!
Without instant recall of math facts (addition and subtraction to 20, multiplication and division to 12x12) all other upper level arithmetic is a very slow and tedious process for the child.
They also must have the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division algorithms down COLD!
It took about 2 years to teach my children the above. They were about 8 or 9.
All three of my homeschooled children finished college Calculus III and all college general course requirements by age 15. Two earned B.S. degrees in math by the age of 18. One earned a masters in math at the age of 20. The oldest is a highly ranked athlete, and choose to attend a business program at night. He will finish a masters in business administration ( accounting) and will graduate at the same age as his contemporaries.
My children are normally bright children, and not any smarter than the children of the posters on this board.
We used Saxon Math.
Yes, The books can be purchased from Amazon.com. and many Internet homeschool supply sites.
Excellent books. Completely self explanatory.
****Or perhaps you remember that 3*7 is 21, so 6 * 7 = (3+3) * 7 = 3*7 + 3*7 = 21 + 21 = 42 etc.******
OMG, do you really think people would do problems that way, and be proficient?
Just like you do not have to understand the working of an internal combustion engine to drive a car, you do not need to understand all the concepts to be proficient in math for everyday life. However, you do need to know the basic procedures, which are easily learned by rote.
I agree that calculators are a tool of the devil when it comes to teaching mathematics. Mathematics is the art of pure thinking. All you need is pencil and paper, and most of the time not even that. Using a calculator is like using a pallet jack for weight lifting instead of doing it yourself. So, children should not be allowed to use a calculator to compute 5*5, or the sine of π/2.*****Memorization has absolutely no place at all in mathematics.****Well, it worked great before. Now we have a bunch of kids that can't tell you what 5 x 5 equals without a calculator.
That doesn't mean, though, that they should actively memorize 5*5, or what the sine of π/2 is. Your teacher should simply make sure that you need the result so often, working it out yourself if necessary, that you memorize it automatically. If you forget a formula, derive it yourself again. Without looking it up. Of course, one could argue that this is also a way of memorizing.
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.