Math Education In The 21st Century

[Da Blob]

Some random thought considering mathematics which I can dispose of by tossing from from inside of my mind into cyberspace.

The tendency in American society is to sacrifice children's education in the Humanities, by replacing those classes with more math and science classes.

This is, of course, an idiotic policy, yet one that is to be expected from the status quo.

Apparently the idea of increasing the quality, not the quantity, of mathematics instruction never entered into the minds of the cavemen who control the eduction industry in America. Better Math? > More Math

Here are a few facts to consider if any really wish to increase the number of the mathematically competent with the student body

It is a cognitive necessity for individuals to learn mathematics at their own pace, a classroom setting with 30 students but just one pace is doomed to fail to educate all but a handful who are able to adjust to that pace.

There are a number of types of memory, yet mathematic instructors and their tests just reward the exercise of one type of memory, the parrot-like recall memory. Recognition memory is not tested for or rewarded.

A student who understands the gist of mathematics quite well via recognition memory, but who is not gifted with recall memory will be discouraged from pursuing mathematics, due to test results. Tests that are designed for exercising recall memory only.

There should be two types of mathematic instruction, one designed for those with recall memory as principle memory and another type designed for those who rely on recognition memory.

For decades, educators have been challenging students to do the impossible and then punishing them for failure, requiring them to excel in a skill they don't possess for neurological reasons, recall memory.

Perhaps it is time, for mathematics instruction to be designed around the real neurological capacities of the students, instead around the capacity of the status quo of the industry of education, which has a history of failure to adapt to reality.

 

[Etheri]

So your point is the way maths is taught is absolutely crap. I agree.

Not only is the way your 'knowledge' is tested pathetic, it is also taught too little and too slow. Plus, educational techniques which might work for things as history do not apply to maths, since the inherent diffrence. (Understanding is required in maths, little understanding is needed for highschool history.)

Anything more to be said in this thread?
Ps. Maths exam tomorrow, fml.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Some random thought considering mathematics which I can dispose of by tossing from from inside of my mind into cyberspace.

The tendency in American society is to sacrifice children's education in the Humanities, by replacing those classes with more math and science classes.

A few thoughts on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place-based_education should be the standard for the soft sciences and history, and I would personally include the biological and environmental sciences in this category but there are severe infrastructure and policy issues. It's on my to do list.

Science education will continue to be pushed toward more complex material at lower grade levels because it's forever advancing, raising the minimum knowledge standard (perpetually?).

Certain aspects of calculus such as derivatives should be taught after algebra instead of with a gap inbetween for geometry and trig. It would be so much easier to learn it then.

A large portion of this problem of efficiency can be resolved by simply starting the school day a few hours later and increasing the number of days school is in session, whether weekends or shorter breaks.

Phys ed. What exactly is that supposed to do again? Especially in high school?

It's fair to say that existing art classes need to pick up some slack as well. Until college mine were all terribly redundant, which wasn't helped by budget cuts.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

I think we should have math education starting with of a combination of Greek and Arab mathematics, with theorems and proofs and going over the history of how it all came about. We go on sequentially throughout the history of math, until the kid is ready for university.

I'm pretty sure this would be impossible to implement though Something would definitely go wrong. I took a history of math class once, and it was pretty much analysis without the ability to use half the theorems. We used a lot of method of exhaustion, and the way Archimedes derived a bunch of results was incredibly creative and difficult for a child to reproduce. So... I think maybe that the child would first have to learn these things by rote memorization, then take analysis when they're older, then finally study the original texts. But isn't that what we already have?

But you're right, most lower division math is simply recall. I remember I was pretty good at it, but if someone made me do that now in another subject (say chemistry, which I know nothing about) I'd be unwilling to do it Maybe thats how kids feel. But I'm old, so my brain no work no mo'

 

[intpz]

Education sucks in general. Not only maths. Your rant is too directed.

 

[Etheri]

Education sucks in general. Not only maths. Your rant is too directed.

That depends on where and stuff. I honestly think I had too much focus on languages and 'general education' as literature (in said languages, zzzz), esthetics / art, history, religion, etc and too little proper maths and science.

 

[Vladimir]

Yes, students do learn math at their own pace. Students should aim to comprehend math. Wow, there is so much I want to say, but cannot, for a game beckons.

 

[intpz]

I'm talking about "most" places. Although, I think that essentially it sucks everywhere on some level; the difference is between more and less useful. I doubt any school climbs above 60% of usefulness, and if that - very rarely.

 

[scorpiomover]

Mathematics is dead, said Nietzsche, and we have killed him.

 

[Darby]

I've currently stopped going to school because I HATE the education system that I have to deal with here. My primary reason is that I took all the first year calc courses in HS, and then have been forced to repeat it in college because they didn't offer college credit.

I think there should be a clear difference between Education (learning), and Accreditation (getting a degree). Accreditation should be some series of tests and whatnot to make sure you actually know and retain all the things you claim to know from the education you received. While Education should be something easy to access and you can take whatever you want however you want (since it's no longer about sitting down long enough to receive a diploma).

I'm currently reading books on education (although I've started by just working on learning styles). With books such as Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner, as well as Truth, Beauty, and Goodness (less about education) also by Gardner. I've also picked up The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch, and Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto.

A lot of the books I've grabbed are primarily on the lower education system.

 

[scorpiomover]

Just been reading this thread. We have software like Google, and Watson. So if these things are so good, we would never need to learn about anything ever again. Kids will never be put into the torture of learning how to read.

 

[Etheri]

Just been reading this thread. We have software like Google, and Watson. So if these things are so good, we would never need to learn about anything ever again. Kids will never be put into the torture of learning how to read.

This applies to history, not to maths =/