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 ...
I teach in a private Catholic school. :)
No gubmint Union for me.
Good for you! Really!
You are part of the solution.
Thank you. Still part-time and trying to save up to get my all-level certification. I have a history degree, but where I teach would rather have me teaching other stuff as well.
Ha, ok - my husband is a geochemist who adores his engineers and their real-world applications. Let me rephrase that so as to honor the engineers among us.
I am referring to one (used-to-be) engineer who later taught at the local high school. My students could not understand her presentation of algebra. It was her first year, so there’s another minus. She had absolutely zero understanding of how 9th graders thought - not all of them are yet conceptual thinkers - and zero tolerance of having to explain things a second time or another way. Students were miserable, she was self-righteous.
She told my one student - at a conference WITH the parents and in front of the student - ‘your daughter will never do well in algebra. She should just get out right now (it was 3 weeks into the school year!!). Mom was apoplectic. Daughter was the most studious, determined kid I ever taught, and very polite.
Ha, ok - my husband is a geochemist who adores his engineers and their real-world applications. Let me rephrase that so as to honor the engineers among us.
I am referring to one (used-to-be) engineer who later taught at the local high school. My students could not understand her presentation of algebra. It was her first year, so there’s another minus. She had absolutely zero understanding of how 9th graders thought - not all of them are yet conceptual thinkers - and zero tolerance of having to explain things a second time or another way. Students were miserable, she was self-righteous.
She told my one student - at a conference WITH the parents and in front of the student - ‘your daughter will never do well in algebra. She should just get out right now (it was 3 weeks into the school year!!). Mom was apoplectic. Daughter was the most studious, determined kid I ever taught, and very polite.
Ha, ok - my husband is a geochemist who adores his engineers and their real-world applications. Let me rephrase that so as to honor the engineers among us.
I am referring to one (used-to-be) engineer who later taught at the local high school. My students could not understand her presentation of algebra. It was her first year, so there’s another minus. She had absolutely zero understanding of how 9th graders thought - not all of them are yet conceptual thinkers - and zero tolerance of having to explain things a second time or another way. Students were miserable, she was self-righteous.
She told my one student - at a conference WITH the parents and in front of the student - ‘your daughter will never do well in algebra. She should just get out right now (it was 3 weeks into the school year!!). Mom was apoplectic. Daughter was the most studious, determined kid I ever taught, and very polite.
Yes, Multiplication works the same regardless of order. For example, 3x5 is the same as 5x3. That should make sense when you picture multiplication as a repetitive addition. If you have 4 piles of 5 pennies, it is the same amount of money as if you have 5 piles of 4 pennies.
Of course, your question already shows knowledge of the “language” of math. You knew how to construct a sentence that reflects a math question. It was funny how many people needed work to understand the shorthand you just used. “What happened to the multiplication sign?”
I raised four kids and I loved my teaching days. I had a blast with the students. I particularly enjoy the challenging students
Most hated algebra - because they were taught it out of a book rather than have some simply explain it to them.
Algebra isn’t so much about “proofs” as rules; formulae. It’s like learning anything else....and what I always taught my kids: Learn the terminology (KNOW what the words/terms really mean), then learn the rules. Everything else falls into place. It really is that easy.
My 4- and 2-year-olds are learning algebra. Not kidding.
It’s disguised as a game, but they’re learning the essence nonetheless.
DragonBox: http://dragonboxapp.com/
The problem isn’t inability to learn, it’s unwillingness to.
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