Posted on 04/07/2007 7:56:22 PM PDT by socrates_shoe
I don’t agree with social engineering, but do you think more kids can learn Math this way. If it is simplifying Math and the end result is the same, is that bad? I am asking from a novice Math person.
Our Math and Science education has been trailing our int’l competitors for a looooooong time.
There is no quick panacea that will cure it - nothing less than a complete overhaul of our mathematics education in our public and private schools.
...and for the private beats all crowd, think again. Many private schools use the same exact curriculum as the public schools. Also, except for the very elite private schools in urban areas, private schools can struggle to get competent teachers in the advanced mathematics area.
This is a huge problem that will see even higher HB-1 visas going higher. I’d like to see Lou Dobbs tackle this, since it is a huge middle class issue.
> I think we underestimate students today. I think they are
> pretty darn smart. Ok. I am ready...
The point of the article, I think, was not so much that American students are doing poorly compared to their competitors in the international scene. It was more a condemnation of the NSF curricula for math that will not provide any level of useful skill in math.
Without drilling, without making the answers for simple arithmetic and algebra second nature, we guarantee that the students will always be second class in science studies.
The end result is not the same. We have people who have no concept how easy everyday problems can be if they use what the math they didn’t learn in school.
Most math failures in otherwise smart people are due to phobias and self imposed disabilities. “I can’t learn math” or “I’m not a right brain person” becomes self fulfilling. Its just an excuse. My HS had a class called “Math of Consumer Economics.” It was just algebra dumbed down a little, but put into context with everyday living. Students when I graduated had to have 2 math credits, and this course counted as one if they wanted to take it instead of Algebra II. The teachers I talked to said a lot of students in the class did poor in Algebra I and didn’t want to go on, but essentially learned Algebra I and part of II in the MOCE class without really knowing it.
So, yes, it IS (or can be) a function of materials (pardon the math pun), but mostly its a function of student discipline.
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