Is Algebra Necessary?

New York Times ^ | July 28, 2012 | ANDREW HACKER

[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.

[Sacajaweau]

Hand calculators were just becoming available BUT “slide rule only” was at the teacher’s command. It was great.... builds concentration....probably K&E. I’m 70.

[formosa]

BS. Kids are capable of it. The public schools and parents have failed in teaching them to think or even use common sense. Not many people flunked out of Algebra when I was in school and I do not believe that kids have suddenly gotten dumber. They just do not know how to think.

[papertyger]

Ridiculous!

The critical skill learned from the study of Algebra is how to use what you DO know to find out what you DON’T!

[BlatherNaut]

But I do think there are different categories of math that require very different mental skill sets.

Agree. And an additional mental skill set to effectively communicate concepts (a skill set that many technical writers and instructors clearly lack).

[BobL]

“Employment tests haven’t been outlawed - you are required to take at least one and sometimes several for any type of apprenticeship program.”

In some cases, you’re right, but not where I work - due to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggs_v._Duke_Power_Co.

[Reily]

Bingo!
The whole heart of the matter!
Modern (meaning left-oriented!) education undermines the concept of "knowns (ergo what you know!)" and refuses to teach you the skills to find out what you don't. All that you will be told at a later date by your betters!

[Talisker]

Is Algebra Necessary?

Yes. For everyone. It teaches how to find concrete unknowns amongst a sea of apparently unrelated facts in a logical manner outside of feelings.

Something that utterly horrifies the New York Times.

[KarlInOhio]

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.

That statement makes no sense at all. Teachers can pick out which students don't understand the topic, which ones do and which are chomping at the bit to go further. If you reduce the student's math requirements, schools won't keep the same number of math teachers just waiting for those bright students for individual teaching. Instead the schools will reduce the number of math teachers and hire ones teaching whatever subject the schools decide will be the replacement.

Maybe the bigger problem is the forced egalitarianism that all students must be taught the same and that fast tracking some students over others is discouraged. My high school had Accelerated Algebra I to separate the best students from the rest.

[Tammy8]

Yes the right teacher is the answer to understanding Algebra. I flunked every Algebra class I had in my younger days- chose my college major from a short list that didn’t require it. A few years ago I decided to take some classes at a University branch...took remedial Algebra, had the greatest teacher ever, finally understood the basics and was able to go on to pass intermediate and college Algebra. I had no reason to do this other than a challenge to myself, at my age not likely to use it much and don’t remember a lot now but did prove to myself I could do it. There are just not enough Math teachers out there that are even decent much less good or great.

My oldest daughter is another example of the problems of poor Math teachers. She struggled with Algebra all through school while excelling at all other subjects. My daughter went to junior college and as luck would have it ended up in the Algebra class of a great teacher. Daughter excelled after that and ended up being the paid Math tutor for her nursing class when she went to nursing school.

[papertyger]

Modern (meaning left-oriented!) education undermines the concept of "knowns (ergo what you know!)" and refuses to teach you the skills to find out what you don't.

Exactly.

These leftist SOBs would like nothing better than to have opponents who lack the skills to PROVE them wrong.

Without the skills to achieve mathematical "certainty" for ones conclusions, it all becomes "just your opinion."

[Chode]

gotta tell ya, in all my years at work i have needed and used extensively, geometry, trig, statistics and physics, but i have never needed algebra to do any job... lucky me

[BwanaNdege]

“...numbers matter, but you need to associate them with real things.”

EXACTLY!

Mrs. BN is finishing her degree On-Line. She needs a College Algebra class to graduate, but this particular course has two Algebra prerequisites, which would require an additional two semesters. If she can pass a Math Competency exam, she will gain exemption from the prerequisites.

However, the Mrs. has not had a math course for 45 years, so she was a bit “testy” (aggravated) when the subject of a required Algebra course came up.

“Why does anyone need Algebra?”

After a few minutes of my using Algebra terminology to describe some of the problems we’ve recently had to deal with, she began to nod her head, saying “OK, now that makes sense to me. Why didn’t they do it that way when I was in High School?”

BTW, if anyone needs a math refresher, or if “Teach Myself Calculus” is on you Bucket List, I highly recommend this site:

http://www.khanacademy.org/

[stormer]

I have an advanced degree in a hard science. I've taken more math classes than I ever wanted to - some of them I struggled with and still can't quite determine why they were relevant. I have always thought that the main reason for the overall lack of success was the quality of math instruction in primary school; it perpetuates the fear and loathing of math - would you want to learn how to swim from someone you know is floundering themselves? That said, you've hit on something I had not considered: instructors who “used to be engineers and cannot remember ever learning math”. You hit the nail on the head - my father was an engineer and I distinctly remember asking for his help on some middle-school math problem over 40 years ago. He was a man at the top of his field, but simply couldn't relate to the fact that I wasn't able to get from Point A to Point B - I never asked him for math help again. The problem is in the teaching - not the learning. Anyway - most folks aren't going to need to factor equations or understand quadratics, but the basic arithmetic, the Cartesian System, how to understand a table of values, a^2+b^2=c^2, y=mx+b, and some familiarity with probability and statistics are essential.

[Talisker]

Without the skills to achieve mathematical "certainty" for ones conclusions, it all becomes "just your opinion."

Very good point - without algebra, a person doesn't even have the experience that it's possible, not just in math, but in the logic behind it.

Try to imagine not being able to imagine that logical derivation of truth is possible.

Then look around at liberals with new eyes.

[MCH]

Of course, it looks like the Dems want 50% of the population to just be on the dole anyway, staying home and watching the TV all day.

Of course. But if you read the words of the genius "social scientist" that wrote this article, he's concerned with promising future degree holders in the fields of "art and history" being thwarted early on.

Really!? Do we really need more history and liberal arts majors than we have already? The job market would seem to indicate that we have a huge glut. And historically, many excellent artists haven't necessarily had a lot of schooling anyway. You don't need to pay extortion money to the education establishment to get an art "degree" in order to be a world class artist.

[Vendome]

There are less than 10 useful formulas in Algebra.

I don’t find learning useless things interesting at all.

Funny, how I got C’s and D’s in Algebra but received A’s in Mechanical Drafting where I used some formulas.

Supposedly Algebra makes you a better thinker.

I was chess champion in high school and didn’t feel the effects of algebra....evuh.

[GladesGuru]

“I say this as a writer and social scientist whose work relies heavily on the use of numbers.”

Counting on your digits doesn’t count as higher math.

True, but you forgot to mention that social science is mostly ‘social’ with very little real ‘science’. It is plagued with continual confusion of “correlation” with “causation”.

Given the statistical courses “social scientists” often have, to confuse correlation with causation can only be understood as a willing acceptance of deliberate duplicity.

Oh my! “Deliberate duplicity” is harsh . . . . would “ambitious ambiguity” be more acceptable?

[stormer]

https://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/pages/Algebra/109398995745084

[newzjunkey]

Why did you need a summer at Sylvan to know what your daughter hadn't been taught in math?

Are you that hands off a parent that you're unaware of what she'd been taught six or eight hours a day for months or years?

It's your job to know and your failure that you didn't. That blame doesn't lie with the school, it's in the mirror.

[Reily]

so you set the problems up using the principles of “geometry, trig, statistics and physics “ but had someone else or something do the mechanics at arriving at the answer?