Posted on 07/29/2012 6:05:38 AM PDT by reaganaut1
A TYPICAL American school day finds some six million high school students and two million college freshmen struggling with algebra. In both high school and college, all too many students are expected to fail. Why do we subject American students to this ordeal? I’ve found myself moving toward the strong view that we shouldn’t.
My question extends beyond algebra and applies more broadly to the usual mathematics sequence, from geometry through calculus. State regents and legislators — and much of the public — take it as self-evident that every young person should be made to master polynomial functions and parametric equations.
There are many defenses of algebra and the virtue of learning it. Most of them sound reasonable on first hearing; many of them I once accepted. But the more I examine them, the clearer it seems that they are largely or wholly wrong — unsupported by research or evidence, or based on wishful logic. (I’m not talking about quantitative skills, critical for informed citizenship and personal finance, but a very different ballgame.)
This debate matters. Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent. In the interest of maintaining rigor, we’re actually depleting our pool of brainpower. I say this as a writer and social scientist whose work relies heavily on the use of numbers. My aim is not to spare students from a difficult subject, but to call attention to the real problems we are causing by misdirecting precious resources.
The toll mathematics takes begins early. To our nation’s shame, one in four ninth graders fail to finish high school. In South Carolina, 34 percent fell away in 2008-9, according to national data released last year; for Nevada, it was 45 percent. Most of the educators I’ve talked with cite algebra as the major academic reason.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
How about a history test from 10,000 BC? :-)
Don’t need math at all by your reasoning.
Just use a calculator.
someone had to know how to make the calculator function properly. Besides, how do you know the calculator is correct if you don’t know basic math and algebra.
from geometry through calculus.
Do they even teach geometry in high school any more? I learned more about rational thinking than I did about math from plane geometry and doing the damned proofs
“+6 is pretty high, that would put the seventh grader in calculus. What did you do for eighth grade? We have a Saxon calculus book for the 9th grader but I don’t see much point in going beyond that - might as well branch out into physics, computational theory, and other modern disciplines.”
Yea, we used Saxon too (the old Saxon, that is). Worked great - and it was fast, because we didn’t take off much time (i.e., no summer break, some work on weekends - that was the key to getting way ahead).
I took them through pre-Calc (i.e., “Advanced Mathematics”), and then enrolled them in our community college starting with Calculus (we wanted them to have Calculus documented on a transcript). They didn’t have a minimum age, but they did require 500 SAT on Math and Verbal (using the old test). Math was a blow-out, as one would expect from the Saxon prep - Verbal was closer, but they squeaked through. With that, they were allowed to enroll. We ramped up, starting with one class the first semester, then two the second (while still in Christian school), then full-time after that. I suspect the SAT requirement is to show that the kid doesn’t need remedial - which, at that age, would mean that the kid had no business being in college courses.
I took Algebra I through IV and I can’t think of an instance that I used it since then. Of course, I am not a scientist or a math teacher. Do Engineers use it?
LOL!
Look Bob, if you read all of the thread, you would see that I threw in the towel and took my youngest to a very pricy private school so she wouldn’t have to deal with the teachers on dope and the administrators who don’t like children and the police in the hall. It was a journey, when we started out, the schools were fine, the deterioration came in about 5th grade.
But now, of course we are dealing with the wealthy Nancy Pelosi types.......
If the attitude is ‘you deserve to win a medal of something, for just showing up’, then everything else is ‘hard’.
We have to change that, no more cuddling from school and parents. The real hard life lessons these kids eventually will have to learn anyway.
They “can’t” do algebra because they are diddling with their idiotic iPhones and sexting one another their Weiner’s instead of, you know, cracking a book and learning to do something difficult.
Algebra and geometry is still a good way to identify people with self discipline, the ability to concentrate and actually learn. In Germany as late as the 1970’s only about 6% of all students went on the academic high school, the balance went to trade schools. I’m all for not requiring adolescents to learn algebra, just don’t call the process high school, call it what it is, vocational training.
Algebra is difficult without knowing basic math facts .
It’s a lot easier to factor x^2 + 5x + 6 when you can rapidly figure out what numbers will multiply to 6 yet add up to 5
(x + 2)(x + 3)
IMHO, they need to drop the calculators and bring back rote & drill for the basics.
That being said, algebra is like excercise for your mind muscle. You may not ever use it per se, but it helps you in other cognitive tasks.
Here was my first problem with the article.
The word “social” placed in front of the word “scientist” negates scientist! You know that the author is anything but a scientist!
My HS auto mech was pretty good and you could start only in 10th grade. I maxed all three years. I use some of it nowadays still.
One big perk I had was that my mom worked at the HS and I could get a pass to be the shop gofer and lunch getter.
“you would see that I threw in the towel and took my youngest to a very pricy private school so she wouldn’t have to deal with the teachers on dope and the administrators who don’t like children and the police in the hall. It was a journey, when we started out, the schools were fine, the deterioration came in about 5th grade.”
Yes, I did see that, and I agree with Wintertime that you took control and DEFINITELY deserved to be congratulated for that. It just kills me how many parents are like you in that they have to discover that nightmare for themselves...rather than, somehow, know it going in. I’m sure you’d agree that your life (and junior’s) would have been much smoother if you knew what those schools were about early on.
But again, you acted in time, and still saved them from a (possible) nightmare life - so GREAT WORK!!
I had Algebra I, II, Geometry, Physics, and something some called “Senior Math”, “Pre-Calculus”, and some others called it “Trigonometry”. I had to have “College Algebra” when I was in college and I pretty much slept through that and got an A. It was just a review of what I had already had in high school.
I had a teacher who was a "genius" who couldn't comprehend that we didn't comprehend what she was saying. NOT teaching.
We cheated (she didn't comprehend cheating, either) on the final and I failed. I had to take it again on my own and "passed." I never did believe that!
We also had a science teacher whose C & D students tutored when they got to college.
Grades are relative, I guess.
BTW, the Algebra teacher was a dear, sweet soul who really tried. The Science teacher was a tyrant but any time school is mentioned in my hometown, the conversation always turns to him and everybody who ever took a class under him has a tale to tell. My dentist said that those HS science classes got him through dental school.
I took a 9th grade General Science test 5 times and never did pass it. He finally quit giving it. We had the answers. One Q was, "Explain how a mercury light works; a doorbell; the difference between dry & wet cell batteries."
One of his good students went on to become the foremost authority on lightening in the country, a physics prof at Rice, and a consultant to NASA...among other important things.
All this happened 50 years ago when public schools were good. We could diagram sentences by 6th grade. I think they have done away with that, also.
“Geeez, we had algebra I-II-III starting in 6th grade 50s Jr HS (6-7-8); then geometry, trig and calc in 60s HS (9-10-11-12)”
I had all of that too, plus some more in college. I have never used it since. My work does not require it. Was it necessary? Helpful? Make me a “more rounded” person? I think not, and would tend to agree with the author. Teach basic math well, and let higher math be an option for the future engineers, scientists, etc.
When I learned Algebra, it was 90% regurgitation of formulas and proofs you were expected to memorize. If you had a bad memory, you were screwed. I’m not sure how it is taught now, but in my time, both Algebra I and II were closed book tests and quizes so you had no access to any formulas or proofs. The teacher had the same difficulty. She would copy proofs from her notes onto the board, but could never solve anything without looking it up in her notes or in the book.
Here I was trying to sound all erudite and stuff, when I go and misspell exercise. /drat
I’m speechless that anyone would advocate for the elimination of algebra. How does someone get through life without being able to solve for an unknown? Are there really people whose objective is to ensure a nation of illiterates?
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