Posted on 07/22/2017 5:15:30 PM PDT by grundle
“Algebra is, or used to be, a high school course.
That must be one heckuva real high achiever college.”
Algebra is a freshman high school course.
But a lot of kids take it in 8th grade.
Some take it in tenth.
Right - you’ve got it now. Doing the algebra you learned doesn’t mean you are sitting down writing “x” on a paper and solving for it...you are doing it in your head to figure out all sorts of things because you learned it and it is a part of you. You aren’t going to stop and think “I’m using what I learned in so and so’s class!” whenever you just use something you learned - for example, when you started typing your replies here, you just did it - you didn’t harken back and think of how and when you learned the alphabet, how to type, etc.
Not surprising that people who use no logic or reasoning would not see the value in a discipline that requires logic and reasoning.
I mean, can’t we all just drive Escalades and live in nice houses for free, you know, without actually having to pay for anything?
My guess is that he would strongly agree.
Replace it as a required subject with something they might use after graduation. Another Language would/could be helpful.
“By “minorities” are we talking exclusively about American blacks? Because I’m pretty sure the rest of the “minorities” are doing just fine in algebra.”
It’s California. Probably more Hispanics than blacks, at an absolute count.
But other minority groups have no problem.
Algebra is good stuff for the brain I was lousy at problem solving but my son hits it out of the park.
they should keep Algebra and deport IA’s problem solved!
How have you never used algebra? I use algebra nearly on a daily basis. Most real-world, daily math problems are algebraic.
A waste of time? Did you forget the sarcasm tag?
As we more rapidly circle the bowl all standards must be lowered. But let us be honest. Minorities do not have difficulty with Algebra. The very name come from a minority group. Are Asians a minority group? Do they have trouble with math? A large number for the computer wizards we see in TV dramas are black. How did they get there without math skills? OH, I may be confusing reality with fantasy. Apparently that is a common problem. Many PhDs are borderline illiterate. But most of their degrees are in education. Listen to the voice of Asia: Lee25 - algebra is a workout on mind. 30 million Chinese are studying classical piano. They will be strict masters.
And just because one person doesn’t use it doesn’t mean it is not not beneficial to their life. Someone had to understand math to invent/produce almost everything we use in our life.
X=16y
2x=?
Math should be introduced much earlier and much more rigorously from now on to all American students. So-called minorities suffer in life from the lack of discipline in this area.
Ain’t nuthin wrong with their brains. Really.
So how much longer are we going to put up with this racist nonsense?
If you ever use logic then you are using the part of the brain that algebra trains.
If you don’t use logic then you’re probably not happy on this site.
“What were saying is we want as rigorous a course as possible to determine a students ability to succeed, but it should be relevant to their course of study. There are other math courses that we could introduce that tell us a lot more about our students.”
Let me guess. They want to test them on black studies and lower the grade to pass.
Then go to technical school.
You'll make more in the trades than in any degree program that doesn't require multiple math and science courses.
I agree with the first statement. However, math is very important for trades such as carpentry, electrical and plumbing. Very useful for figuring out how many bags of concrete are needed, useful for figuring out how many of each type of boards to get for building a deck, fence or other project. Especially if you're working with complex angles. A couple mistakes here and there will cost you big in lost materials and time.
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