tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post6075683387303912575..comments2024-03-29T01:07:30.224-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: Why American Children Cannot Do Math?Stuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-72598929269450926402022-05-06T05:46:51.943-07:002022-05-06T05:46:51.943-07:001/8 of 5...= 5ml ÷ 8 = 0.625 ml1/8 of 5...= 5ml ÷ 8 = 0.625 mlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-83002420628610208602022-05-05T16:40:15.695-07:002022-05-05T16:40:15.695-07:00All kids should learn the basics of math - that de...All kids should learn the basics of math - that develops a certain amount of logical thinking. But, let's face it, most kids will never use geometry or algebra after they get out of high school.<br />What I am most concerned about are the 10 or 20 percent of kids who could go on to some career that uses, and needs, higher level math: engineering, science, economics, even accounting. I am afraid that they are not getting the basic math that they need to move on to more advanced subjects in college. If the foundation is not there, you cannot build a structure on top of it. And the idea of doing away with advanced courses in math (and other subjects) just because some groups of kids are not able to handle it is unspeakably stupid. We are imposing a handicap on some of our best and brightest, because they are the best and brightest.Uncle Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666166923236919131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-9953715440501132552022-05-05T16:28:53.734-07:002022-05-05T16:28:53.734-07:00Seems to me that "educators" and "t...Seems to me that "educators" and "teachers" are not doing their jobs. Taking the salaries, though... My parents were teachers, and I learned in class in schools. But that was years ago.<br /><br />Bummer for kids in schools NOW.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-11875481260208274382022-05-05T08:31:53.447-07:002022-05-05T08:31:53.447-07:00At least until Covid, American kids were doing fin...At least until Covid, American kids were doing fine in math. I think they will recover as well. On the PISA test, Asian-Americans do better than Asians (except Singapore); European-Americans do better than Europeans (except Finland and maybe Estonia now - and about even with the rest of Scandinavia); American Hispanics do better than every Latin American country, often by far. Africa-Americans wildly outscore all African and Caribbean countries. The difference is that the US actually has all these groups, and the last two groups score much lower, bringing the average down.<br /><br />As for Covid, that is the one area where students may have lost ground. Above about sixth grade, most of it will be used seldom in the future, and it is a running test over the next six years of how far a kid can rise with uninterrupted block-stacking. That has been interrupted now, at least a bit, and it is likely scores will be depressed for at least a year. I would bet against the effect lasting much longer than that, though, as natural intelligence overrules whatever the schools were doing. We have to remember that no schools do that much, not now, not a hundred years ago. Specific skills may taught, but a number of them might work just as well and end up with the same result a decade later. Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-84232258289370919432022-05-05T08:19:06.396-07:002022-05-05T08:19:06.396-07:00In elementary schools, Math should be taught the f...In elementary schools, Math should be taught the first two hours of the day. Then Science and History/Geography with reading comprehension and writing embedded. No more “Social Studies”. Save Language Arts skills for the last hour.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-68590424613820601082022-05-05T06:44:30.099-07:002022-05-05T06:44:30.099-07:00I don't think racial integration has much to d...I don't think racial integration has much to do with it. It may have made things harder for a generation of students - if the parents hate each other, no doubt that slips into classrooms - but it's been 50 years, now. <br /><br />"Anti-racism" (aka CRT) is another thing, entirely. That's not bring bad attitudes into a classroom, that's inculcating bad attitudes in the classroom.<br /><br />IMHO, it's early education. Without a sound foundation, one cannot advance. Math is particularly bad that way. The "nonsense" one learns in one class is suddenly invaluable in the next.<br /><br />I moved around a lot in grade school and was exposed to vastly different math instruction. It (permanently?) impaired my ability to do fractions. Just yesterday, 40 years later, I ran screaming from "what is 1/8th of 5?" (1 tsp = 5ml; what's 1/8 tsp?)<br />markedup2noreply@blogger.com