Hey you, dey shud replase da algebras wit rap, yo. And Obamafoam, numsayn'.
And Nifty Finger Tricks 101.
Posted on 07/22/2017 5:15:30 PM PDT by grundle
The chancellor of the California community college system has stated that institutions’ algebra requirements are “the biggest barrier” for “underemployed or unemployed Americans,” and as such is … a civil rights issue.
According to NPR, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley is “among a growing number of educators who view intermediate algebra as an obstacle to students obtaining their credentials — particularly in fields that require no higher level math skills.”
In an interview with the chancellor, NPR’s Robert Siegel pointed out the low graduation rate in the community college system (48% for an associate’s degree), and then asked Oakley if ditching algebra wasn’t just the “easy way out.”
Oakley retorted “I hear that a lot and unfortunately nothing could be farther from the truth. Somewhere along the lines, since the 1950s, we decided that the only measure of a student’s ability to reason or to do some sort of quantitative measure is algebra.
“What we’re saying is we want as rigorous a course as possible to determine a student’s 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.”
From the interview:
[Q]: Bob Moses , the civil rights activist, started the Algebra Project, teaching concepts of algebra to black students in the South. He saw the teaching of math as a continuation of the civil rights struggle.
Rates of failure in algebra are higher for minority groups than they are for white students. Why do you think that is? Do you think a different curriculum would have less disparate results by ethnic or racial group?
[A]: First of all, we’ve seen in the data from many of the pilots across the country that are using alternative math pathways — that are just as rigorous as an algebra course — we’ve seen much greater success for students because many of these students can relate to these different kinds of math depending on which program of study they’re in. They can see how it works in their daily life and how it’s going to work in their career. …
[Q]: Do you risk a negative form of tracking? Depriving a student of the possibility of saying in community college: “Wow, that quadratic equation is the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen. I think I’m going to do more stuff like this.”
[A]: We’re certainly not saying that we’re going to commit students to lower levels of math or different kinds of math. What we’re saying is we want more students to have math skills that allow them to keep moving forward. We want to build bridges between the kinds of math pathways we’re talking about that will allow them to continue into STEM majors. We don’t want to limit students.
The last thing I’d say is that we are already tracking students. We are already relegating students to a life of below livable wage standards. So we’ve already done so, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Here’s a good debate on the merits of taking algebra, and this site provides good examples of when you use algebra … and don’t even realize it.
Academic Darwinism is necessary.
I make a 6 figure income...never used it on 23 years on the job.
SJW SCHEDULE
TODAY:
Demand that schools drop algebra as a graduation requirement because it’s too difficult for blacks.
TOMORROW:
Major protest against the dot.com and Silicon Valley employers who bring in Asians to fill high paying jobs they should be giving to blacks.
Bump.
Exactly
40 yrs ago, we used “y = mx + what” as part of a mental status exam.
“Oh, tempora; oh, mores.”
Our public schools are generating entitled and self esteemed graduates who are not capable of higher learning yet feel that they are.
Americans and legal immigrants of Asian descent seem to do pretty well in algebra (except me). Don’t they count as minorities?
GPA...lol.
I went golfing today and had golf rules on the brain.
I flunked Latin in high school but that looks a bit familiar.
Do you buy lottery tickets? Thought so.
Do you keep balances on credit cards?
If you are too lazy to do math, how can you balance a checkbook, compute interest charges, or a host of other everyday tasks? It seems to me that you are at the mercy of artful and designing people.
Hey you, dey shud replase da algebras wit rap, yo. And Obamafoam, numsayn'.
And Nifty Finger Tricks 101.
Chinese, Indians, Japanese and many other excel at math... lets me honest here, we are talking about poor inner city blacks that were passed through to the next grade, every grade.
I use math every day, but I am an applied mathematician. I have worked for lawyers, doctors, engineers, biologists, chemists, and physicists. I see math everywhere and everyday. Probably 80% of my work is in algebra.
As Asian, I can tell you that algebra is a workout on mind. It helps with your capacity of thinking. When you get higher education like economics and finance, you would need it to understand all kinds of math models
A Navy SEAL is the top .001% of men.
Our (foolish) goal is for 100% of people to go to college.
Your analogy would be valid if people believed 100% of men could be Navy SEALs.
Well, go get yourn li’l self a job that requires it. :)
I had nine years of Latin. Never used it once, or had a job that required it. :)
My claim is that the way algebra is *taught* is wrong and not conducive to students of any form.
We were taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame, that Algebra followed *rules*. If you followed certain formulas, you would always get the right answer.
When my boys [New Math victims] were in middle school, and had Algebra, I told their math teachers They would be using the *nun method* for solving their homework....and when they *showed* their work, their homework was always correct. Teachers confessed their amazement to me. Symmetry. Algebra was fun and survivable. :)
http://themathpage.com/alg/rules-of-algebra.htm#symmetry
How about the minorities who keep failing get dropped?
“You’ll make more in the trades than in any degree program that doesn’t require multiple math and science courses.”
Hmmm, I’m sensing somebody doesn’t understand the real math behind lots of trades. Electricians need to know Ohm’s Law which is pure algebra. Carpenters need to know how to work with the framing square and that’s geometry/Pythagorean theorem. With a little training and a scientific calculator, the same carpenter with his square can lay out a radius.
No math in the trades, huh???? Showing up on a jobsite thinking that you can get by with just your hammer and a strong back will have you run off by lunch.
Old clip, but very funny:
Miss America—should math be taught in school?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QBv2CFTSWU
I could solve it 27 years ago while getting my Masters.
Couldn't do it now if my life depended on it.
Of course I could do polar geographic plot (Maneuvering board) approximations in my head while I was driving ships in the Navy. I can still do it on paper but not in my head.
"Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
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