Topic: New Math in school

[cruzila]

So all this marriage crap aside, I have a kid in 7th grade and the math skills they are learning have nothing to do with life unless you plan on being an engineer. Why can't they just teach some basic life skills like how to balance a checkbook and why getting in to too much debt can lead to having your home foreclosed upon?

Discuss 

[Rocksurfer]

What, make it easy to pass? That would not be what we are all about. I've always wondered why they have to do things like this, I've always thought that the things that you'd need in everyday life should be taught before getting into advanced stuff. I see the stuff (crap) being pushed on students and wonder why and what good is that going to do in the real world. I understand that they are trying to prepare everyone to attend college but in doing this I think they are raising the drop-out rate for those that have no intention of going. I believe there should be several choices on schooling, unfortunately most of the curriculum is aimed at going to college not the other avenues that people may take. I think the only reason that kids think they must go to college to succeed is because it is pumped into their heads from kindergarten. Not everyone is headed for that. In fact I personally don't think that the standard of you must have a hs diploma or you are worthless is a standard to live by either. There should be other acceptable diploma's that apply depending on the job you want in life. Let's say you decide that you want to be a automotive technician as an example, what do you really need from hs to achieve this goal? That's what should be taken into account in determining what classes you should have to take in hs. Sure there are classes you should have to take just for the knowledge but there are a lot of classes that are worthless for that person to succeed. Look at what is required in CA Some make sense but others don't. I also feel that there should be a test (and there is) to exit hs early as long as you can pass that test. Then you can attend a vocational school still paid for with the taxpayers money (the money that would have been spent on that kid anyways) that would prepare a student for the real world.


Here's CA's requirements to pass:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrtable.asp

[Brandon]

Why not let him become an engineer? More math is good

Now this literature crap, bleh..

[Rocksurfer]

If that were his choice to be in life then that's the route that should be planned for him, if not then make a different plan with different requirements.

[*FFC*]

Why not let him become an engineer? More math is good

Now this literature crap, bleh..

She just doesn't seem like the engineer type

Cruzila, I understand - I was there not too long ago

Now Matt and I are having to take 2 Algebra classes (one of which I've already taken, and he claims he's taken them both)... URGH

[Brandon]

She

oops..

Anyway, if you know what you want to do in 7th grade that is impressive! I didn't know until.. wait I still don't know..

[*FFC*]

oops..

Anyway, if you know what you want to do in 7th grade that is impressive! I didn't know until.. wait I still don't know..

Now if cruzila does have a son in 7th grade, then but if I remember correctly, his daughter is right about that age 

[Richmondo]

I'm going to school to be an automotive tech. The only classes that I took in high school that seem to be irrelevant to what I'm doing now are history and government. Both of which I feel are necessary subjects.

I do feel that high school students should have more opportunities to participate in vocational classes, but fundamental algebra, geometry, sciences, and English carry much more weight. It's crazy the number of people in my classes that can't do math like Ohm's Law or converting cc's to litres to CI's, or who don't know what parallel or perpendicular mean... 

[jrock]

Haha, this is what I've been saying all throughout school. Terrific, I'm not the only one!

[jonathan82toy]

I remember asking teachers why we had to learn things we would never need again?  They never could answer....

[BLACKDOG]

I remember asking teachers why we had to learn things we would never need again?  They never could answer....

Like what?  I'm always interested to hear what people say, because a lot of times, they use it on a daily basis, but don't even realize where the roots of that use came from.

[Rocksurfer]

I'm going to school to be an automotive tech. The only classes that I took in high school that seem to be irrelevant to what I'm doing now are history and government. Both of which I feel are necessary subjects.

I do feel that high school students should have more opportunities to participate in vocational classes, but fundamental algebra, geometry, sciences, and English carry much more weight. It's crazy the number of people in my classes that can't do math like Ohm's Law or converting cc's to litres to CI's, or who don't know what parallel or perpendicular mean... 

Oh am referring to the basics that you should know like our history, English, etc, etc, because even though you may not use it in your vocation it is important to know how to properly speak, spell, add, subtract and to know our history, where things are in this world and what has happened in this world but to make you attend a class that will have no relevance in your life is useless. Why not spend that time wasted on something that will be of benefit to that person in their life.

[cruzila [OP]]

Yup, she, has no idea what she wants to DO to make a living. Right now, the closest it is would be breeding and or training horses.

One of the things I do know is the standards have changed since I was in school. they are more strict. I did not really get in to pre-algebra until 8th grade. Her math teacher agrees that the standards are off base. Heck, last year the book she had, had so many mistakes and bs in it I could not make heads or tails of some of it.

Oh, yeah electives this year, leadership, teachers aide, art. Forget signing up, you do not have a choice. You go where they put you....

Well she is not in art anymore. Oh yeah, it is ALL year, no trimester switch. Christ no wonder I can't find anyone worth a crap to work for me.

rant off, scott

[jrock]

On a tangent, what do you think about the amounts of homework kids are receiving today? Holly poo, they go to class for 8 hours, without any REAL outdoor athletic activities, then return home for 4-6 more hours of studying.

[kneedownnate]

All the advanced math you can learn is great.  My friend has gone all the way to the top in college, taken every math course up to the most advanced and has done well.  I barely scraped by after getting out of basic algebra, probably couldn't even do basic algebra anymore.

When standing in a store trying to figure out what something will cost, what multiple items will come to or what the tip should be on a meal, I always, hands down beat my friend to it by doing the math in my head!  I almost always figure it out in my head before he has the total on his phone calculator   

[blackdiamond]

What you're talking about is applied math and it's a waste of time.  It's important to learn the fundamentals of math FIRST in math class and then that knowledge can be applied to everythings.  If they start teaching applications based people will end up only knowing how do follow the process to accomplish a few specific tasks but won't know how to do anything else.

I'm an engineer and I had my college math at a college that was moving towards applications based math and it doesn't work.  The things I hear about the way math is taught these days in grade schools sickens me.  Drawing circles around things doesn't teach math.

[blackdiamond]

All the advanced math you can learn is great.  My friend has gone all the way to the top in college, taken every math course up to the most advanced and has done well. 

Did he take combinatorics?  I did and I still don't know what it was about. 

[blackdiamond]

I remember asking teachers why we had to learn things we would never need again?  They never could answer....

This doesn't often apply to math until you get to the upper division classes in college.  The power of math is nearly infinite and has something to do with nearly every aspect of life.  The problem is that you can't understand algebra until you know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide.  Math is a learning process that gives you tools to work with in life.

How many of you can go to purchase a car and tell the salesman what the payment is before he gives you the sheet of paper?  I had to put my math skills to work to show my sister-in-law the difference in a lease vs. purchase on her new car.  The dealer offered her a great lease, but after she made the payment for 36 months she would have to take out a loan to purchase the car and would likely require another 60 months to maintain the lease payment amount.  This would mean she would have to make payments for 96 months (8 YEARS for those that struggle with simple math) to own it.  She got a used car instead.

[Rocksurfer]

That's why you get a lease with a $1.00 buyout.

[cruzila [OP]]

That's why you get a lease with a $1.00 buyout.

what grade do they teach that in?? Economics in college?

[*FFC*]

Does her school do TRImesters??   

[Rocksurfer]

what grade do they teach that in?? Economics in college?

It can be done, just gotta know how, usually through fleet services.

Does her school do TRImesters??   

Almost sounds like somebody's pregnant.

[cruzila [OP]]

Well she is not in art anymore. Oh yeah, it is ALL year, no trimester switch. Christ no wonder I can't find anyone worth a crap to work for me.

rant off, scott

yup, whens the baby due??

[catfish]

the math teaches processing skills, how to put things in order, you use these skills every day

bob

www.extremewheelers4christ.org

[Brandon]

what grade do they teach that in?? Economics in college?

My calculator does finance just fine - I can do it with PV tables and eq's but the calc is nice

Hey, what type of engineer - civil?

[cruzila [OP]]

No engineering, she wants to ride horses and hates math. Can't blame her really. My explanation is do the work, THAT is the life test. you don't have to like it, just have to do it.

[79coyotefrg]

Why not let him become an engineer? More math is good

Now this literature crap, bleh..

i was 14 when i was first asked to read a complete collection of Edgar Allen Poe,  kinda useless but interesting, well, some of it anyway

[red]

Like what?  I'm always interested to hear what people say, because a lot of times, they use it on a daily basis, but don't even realize where the roots of that use came from.

dont make sense
british literature, english that i've taken past 8th grade

sciences, math, history, those make sense. math to a point, job i'm doing doesnt require anything past geometry.

[jrock]

Math past a point, what point I'll let you decide, becomes an explanation for the lower math. Same thing in Chemistry, Physics, etc. I love math but in my last year in college I don't use hardly 20% of it.
The largest downer is people don't do well in classes because they understand what they're doing, they do well because they memorize it, throw it up on a test, pass the class and forget it.

[germ]

Sorry, jumping in on this one a bit late, but thought I'd add my 2cents.

Simple math is useful on a daily basis for everything we do. Higher level math is very useful to some, but not all. Therefore, why do it? My response is that even if you don't need the mathematics portion of it, it teaches logic. Math is pure applied logic. It teaches you how to solve a problem in a systematic way, and apply a step-wise approach to problem solving.

I too help my daughter with 7th grade math, and am amazed at the level of work they are doing. I don't remember doing some of this stuff till I was in college. She (fortunatly) has a very logical and mathematical brain, so most of it comes fairly easy too her, but she still struggles at times. She gets very frustrated, and asks that impossible question: Why do I need to know this?

I struggle with the quantity of homework kids are getting these days. I worry that they are so immersed in homework that they don't get a chance to be a kid, and get outside and be active. I think a lot of socialization skills are lost this way. It is interesting to find a group of pre-teen/teens, and not one of them is talking to the group they are with, but their all on their cell phones talking/texting to someone else. I remember reading a study that came out of Sweden or someplace, where they tested 2 groups of kids. One group got the usual amount of homework, and the other got none. When they tested the two groups later on, their grades were essentially the same. Some argue it is a way to relieve the teachers from having to teach as much in class, while still cramming the same amount of information into their heads. I dunno if I agree with that assessment, but find it interesting.

Erik