Comments on: Teaching Math http://blog.chadlindstrom.ca/archives/2005/01/teaching-math random thoughts, expression, ideas and activism Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:45:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Chad http://blog.chadlindstrom.ca/archives/2005/01/teaching-math/comment-page-1#comment-12 Chad Fri, 25 Feb 2005 07:05:45 +0000 /?p=7#comment-12 On the flip side... I'm guessing that 80 years ago the basic long division and/or multiplication was practiced and known by a far greater percentage of those who were lucky enough to get into that geometry course. I'm not so confident that the same percentage today would be able to handle some of the basics without their <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000JF53/104-7057600-8423156?v=glance">TI86</a> in their hand. No doubt I agree we have some amazing advancements going on these days, but it's all relative. On the flip side… I’m guessing that 80 years ago the basic long division and/or multiplication was practiced and known by a far greater percentage of those who were lucky enough to get into that geometry course. I’m not so confident that the same percentage today would be able to handle some of the basics without their TI86 in their hand.

No doubt I agree we have some amazing advancements going on these days, but it’s all relative.

]]> By: Ian Bicking http://blog.chadlindstrom.ca/archives/2005/01/teaching-math/comment-page-1#comment-11 Ian Bicking Thu, 24 Feb 2005 19:05:49 +0000 /?p=7#comment-11 People *way* overestimate the success of past education, mostly because of increased expectations. "Literate" today is a much higher standard than it was 50 years ago. The same is true of math. In part there has been a change, where the best educated of today are going much further much more quickly than 50 years ago. 80 years ago geometry was a freshman college level course, now it's a sophmore highschool level course. In the process, we may have left some people behind, and created an education system that favors (optimistically!) the priviledged while letting the underpriviledged fail to a greater degree. But honestly, that girl wouldn't have been put in front of a cash register 50 years ago, and she probably wouldn't have been any better at math. People *way* overestimate the success of past education, mostly because of increased expectations. “Literate” today is a much higher standard than it was 50 years ago. The same is true of math.

In part there has been a change, where the best educated of today are going much further much more quickly than 50 years ago. 80 years ago geometry was a freshman college level course, now it’s a sophmore highschool level course. In the process, we may have left some people behind, and created an education system that favors (optimistically!) the priviledged while letting the underpriviledged fail to a greater degree. But honestly, that girl wouldn’t have been put in front of a cash register 50 years ago, and she probably wouldn’t have been any better at math.

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