This is the guy that wants to lecture you on health, education, agriculture, and technology.
Posted on 10/06/2023 2:58:14 PM PDT by nickcarraway
-Bill Gates wrote a blog post suggesting three ways to improve math education.
-He believes that math skills are a "powerful indicator" of future success.
When Bill Gates was in eighth grade, a teacher asked him why he was "so lazy" in math class. He responded, rather boldly, that the class was "not doing anything interesting."
It turns out the Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist actually loves math — and is very good at it — but he also acknowledges that it's "America's least favorite subject."
In essence, Gates says that math education hasn't kept up with how the world has evolved.
"The way that algebra, geometry, and calculus are taught has barely changed — despite tremendous transformation in the labor market," he wrote, adding that tools like calculators, computers, and AI chatbots have made it "harder and harder to explain to students why they should learn how to do long division or find the area of a trapezoid by hand."
The billionaire returned to eighth grade for a day to gain insight into the math classes of today. He detailed the experience on his blog, and proposed three ways to fix America's problem with math:
Advertisement Math should be tailored to students' interests, capabilities, and goals Math shouldn't be a solo expedition, but a class that prioritizes communication and problem-solving as a group Lessons should be applied to real-world problems, like coming up with budget or "estimating population growth" Gates experienced this three-prong strategy being implemented at Chula Vista Middle School in Southern California, he wrote. The school is a part of the Networks for School Improvement, a Gates Foundation initiative.
In a lesson about measuring the volume of a pyramid, Amilcar Fernandez — who runs the math department at Chula Vista — gave students popcorn containers. One was shaped like a pyramid, and the other was shaped like a rectangular prism. Fernandez asked the eighth-grade students to talk through which one they would buy at a movie theater to get the best deal.
"Mr. Fernandez gave his students a real-world application that they've likely already encountered—and an incentive to learn the answer. After all, who doesn't want to get the most bang for their buck?" Gates wrote.
The new approach to math seems to be working at Chula Vista: Math proficiency rates have increased 18% over the past three years at the school, Gates wrote.
That compares to nationwide math scores, which have been falling for several years. The pandemic decelerated many students' learning progress, and recent data on math scores for eighth graders and fourth graders across the country shows that there's been a significant setback since 2019.
Even before the pandemic, though, scores were declining. A study published in June by the Nation's Report Card which found that found that math scores for 13-year-olds in seventh and eighth grade have dropped 14 percentage points over the past decade, to levels not seen since the 1990s.
In his post, Gates said math skills are a "powerful indicator" of future success, and shared how the Gates Foundation — the philanthropic organization he founded with his ex-wife Melinda — is approaching math education to better suit students' needs. College grads who land high-earning jobs often major in fields that require strong math skills. Many of the highest-earning college graduates majored in some form of engineering — which relies on skills ranging from basic arithmetic to calculus — a report from the New York Federal Reserve found.
The Gates Foundation and Chula Vista Middle School did not immediately respond to Insider's request for a comment.
Yes, and Gates was behind common core. It has been an epic disaster
Which amounts to Bill doing everyone's homework.
As someone who heard the words "Karl's in our group so we don't have to work" I have to say that group projects suck.
Ya bill, we know how you make math exciting
Q:
” the world has 8 billion people.
How many poisen vaccines does it take to kill 7.5 billion people to make bill happy ?”
A: As many as it takes
You have no idea back when me n Newton did Mercury shots together
Just saying math is dummy down.
Where in the heck are the parents???
My kid’s first lullaby that they heard repeatedly was the “ABC” song.
I homeschooled them after school and on the weekends. The nailed algebra in the 3rd grade (”Hands on Algebra” worked great.)
I always thought that my kid’s education was MY responsibility.
Your mindset shows the results. If parents took a more active role, we’d have far more scientists and engineers than cashier clerks.
You are so dead on!!!!
Ditto!!!!!!
From some stats I’ve seen, many if not most public schools don’t even really teach math anymore. It doesn’t fit the agenda.
"Mr. Fernandez gave his students a real-world application that they've likely already encountered—and an incentive to learn the answer. After all, who doesn't want to get the most bang for their buck?" Gates wrote.Relevancy-based teaching is a waste of time. Just teach them the concepts and hold them accountable. They'll figure out which popcorn container to use on their own.
The new approach to math seems to be working at Chula Vista: Math proficiency rates have increased 18% over the past three years at the school, Gates wrote.Yeah, from what baseline?
The real problem with education is that most students can understand how what is taught in school is of any connection to the world in which they live.
#1: “Do what I tell you to do “
#2: “See #1”
One of my kids has a PhD in A.I. and is p.o.ed over the possibility of lack of morality in A.I., the other is doing a medical residency in Pediatrics.
It seems to me that parents today are allowing social media raise their kids.
It’s not gonna end well.
Live in a neighborhood with tons of kids and I never see them outside. When I was kid we were hardy ever inside! (Heck spent a chunk of my life talking to friends while sitting in trees) We socialized but that’s being crushed.
Not good.
This is the guy that wants to lecture you on health, education, agriculture, and technology.
The only way to become good at math is to work the problems. Some are geared for it some aren’t
The engineers who sent men to the moon were in high school in the 30s and forties
You blow it up and then join a global monetary system for the benefit of the world.
One of my kids is doing a residency in Pediatrics, the other is a Ph.D in A.I.
I really don’t understand how parents today can let teachers and social media raise their kids. It’s disgusting and sad.
You are right that many children are undren are under optimized as to where they could be, educationwise.
Gates is 100% behind Common Core which has wretched education.
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