Jump to content

♪math! Huh!...... What Is It Good For?♪


kbobam

Recommended Posts

I was kind of bummed out when hdesousa pointed out that the

teaching of mathematics as most of us know it is dying out.

I'm assuming this phenomenon is based on the belief that if you

have a calculator you're 'good to go'.

Geesh. Kids have been asking why they have to learn things

since the beginning of time. ("I'll never use this!")

But the bottom-line has always been that it's important

to 'learn to learn'. What's changed? :(

This new 'robotic' approach to everything is going

to blow up in our faces one of these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I no longer have the access I used to have to observe trends in mathematical education, but I think they still teach mathematical operations.

Also, skill is required to set up a problem reasonably even if you have a calculator capable of solving it.

And finally, supposedly, kids are being taught to tell whether the answer they get makes sense. If they should be getting an answer in the millionths and get one in the millions, hopefully they'll have enough numerical sense to recognize it's off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This technology era that began in the mid 90's (computers & cell phones) is having a sweeping affect on everyone, but most noteably the 90's generation and above that are now young adults in their mid to upper 20's and math isn't the biggest concern, but their ability to communicate with each other. The best case for this is the senseless crimes being committed daily; killing each other over the simplest of things. I better stop because it's really caused by something removed before that in the name of freedom and rights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both my sons love to deal with math in their heads. Probabilities & Profits. Yes, they have access to all kinds of current electronics. They use what they need. Both have small businesses that they run now as adults.

When they were toddlers My Pop taught them math by playing a money game. He would give them handfuls of coins, varied - pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and asked them to add them up. Tell Grand Pop how much there was. When they got it right they got to keep the money. They learned to always get the right answer in no time.

Both, now grown men, still love to play mind games with math.

The older one, Adam, plays cribbage for fun. There is all kinds of number relationships in card games.

Brady, the forty year old, is playing the same 'Pocket Change Game' with his two year old daughter.

She's getting the hang of it already.

Making money is a good incentive towards learning math.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fundamental change has taken place in the approach to learning these days. It used to be common practice to learn to do something in the "old way" or 'the hard way" or in the most simplified way before moving on to the mechanized or "easy way". We learned to print, then to write in cursive and then to type. Addition and subtraction were taught before multiplication and division and THEN we used the calculator. In the same way, we learned to hand sew, drive a standard transmission car, and push a mower before tackling the sewing machine, an automatic transmission or a riding tractor.

In my opinion this type of "progressive" (pun intended) learning gave people a deeper understanding of the the time and effort saving devices they used. Too often today, young people can be wizards at using the latest tools and techniques but still have a really shallow skill set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nicely put.

I heard two fathers of teenagers talking recently, and one of them

said that there was no way in heck he was going to let his daughter

get her license until she was 'functional' with a manual transmission.

The other dad agreed. Made sense to me. ( :

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, I was told the same thing by my Father. And believe me, you haven't lived until you've done a 3-point turn on a steep, blind hill, on a city street, in a 62 VW with a pre-synchromesh transmission, during your road test.... 40+ years later and still haven't owned an automatic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BUmblebee - interesting point about language arts taking a back seat to math. "Arse-backwards" as my GGranny would say.

Especially with the communications tools we have today, if one has a good command of the language arts, one can find the answer to nearly any math question readlily. But, math prowess, while laudable, will not help anyone communicate, and communication vital to continued learning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'racetonowhere' looks like a very interesting resource.

I think I was lucky to be at a place that emphasized, or at least,

didn't downplay language. To this day I consider Latin to be the

most valuable part of my education. It's hard to explain this, and

would be particularly tough to explain to a young person, whose

natural reaction would of course be "are you out of your freaking mind?"

'New Math' is hilarious. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...