Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinisajoy
On the maths, I do not care if a school teaches advanced calculus. I do think all children should at least be taught the very basics. I mean addition, subtraction, and hopefully multiplication and division.
I worked in the special population department of a college.
What broke my heart was with the exception of one student that had been labeled as special, all of them had to take remedial math when they got to the college level.
Nearly every one of these students had physical disabilities not mental ones. Because they had been labeled, they did not have to take those core curriculum (or whatever they are calling them now) tests.
I remember I was a junior in high school when they first came out with those tests. We were told on a Friday, bring 2 number 2 pencils to school on Monday. Pass or you don't graduate. There was NO teaching to the test like they do now.
And it was just the basics.
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Am I good at math? No.
Am I bad at math? No.
I can do most of what you'd learn in college, but I don't know most of the more advanced definitions by heart anymore. I'm also slow when calculating. However, if you give me a sheet with the definitions (or some time to study) and some sums to do, I'll probably get all of them correct. So, I think my mediocre/slow math skills are just mediocre due to a lack of practice, just because I don't use them very often. (As a software engineer/programmer, I'm obviously very strong at logic-based math, but still not very fast.)
However in the Netherlands, we're in a real bind now.
When people apply to become a teacher, it turns out they can't do math. And I don't mean advanced calculus or university level physics; I mean basic stuff that a 12 y/o should be able to do. Like:
* Calculate 25 / 7 to two decimals without a calculator.
* 5 * -4 = -20
* X and Y each have 10 peanuts. X gives 1 peanut to Y. How many more peanuts does Y have now? (Yes, some get that wrong by answering "1".)
There are now tests in place for people who want to become prep school teachers... they have to make the same exams a 12 y/o has to make, and they have to pass it or get remedial teaching during summer before starting classes. (At least, it was thus when I last heard of this.)
I think it's absurd that 17-19 y/o are unable to do THAT kind of math.