** Is Math really taught this way today? Math Educ An Inconvenient Truth

[jofortruth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI


Apparently these textbooks are used in Tennessee
http://susan-lynn.blogspot.com/2007/08/rediculous-textbooks-used-in-tennessee.html#links

[Michal Ptacnik]

It is actually contrary to the proposed NWO agenda of making people just one sided specialists capable of mastering practical skills but unable to acquire broad perspective of thought.

The cluster method teaches children to think, the standard algorithm just teaches a skill and not why it is so. I think you should be glad for the cluster method.

Addendum: Allright, by the end, it gets worse. The geography instead of math is not that good idea if you want to create thinking beings.

[chris jones]

Thats a rub, this method teaches them to think. Does that imply that our basic methods used for the past century eliminate thinking.

Your reasoning, let me just say that I do not agree with you.

Not to worry, kids today have calculators, computers, and every other form of electronic gadgetry to revert to.

Now this makes me wonder why the wheel was invented, is it not human nature to find direct methodry to problems. or are we to complicate and bore the minds of today, you can bet the children will despise math taught in such a round about method.

If i were a child in todays educational system and was aware of the original basics, you can bet I would stick to them.
Math aside. Each and every American school should have a subject , the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
If the great minds of today want the children to think, let it beging with this.

I wonder who is making money on these brave new world changes.

[Michal Ptacnik]

The old methods never taught me to really understand the logic behind the algorythm. This is all about logic. I only speak about the cluster method, not the "brilliant" ideas about dropping math for most of the class and having a more fun lesson of geography instead.

As for the calculator, the fact is that it is here; when the wheel was invented and used widely, I don't think mothers taught their children how to use poles or slides to transport heavy loads anymore, though before that invention it was the only way. This is similar. If children learn the principles behind the functions of the calculator (the function of the cluster method), they can use machines and they are no less intelligent.

When I was a kid I hated having to use the old method precisely because there were calculators. Why bother? I hated mathd because of that and it is not a good thing.

I am not saying they should drop the old ways completely just as yet, but they should definitely not make them the basis of the child's curriculum.

[blackturtle.us]

Interesting video. I've seen those algorithms before, but always thought they were mostly used as enrichment activities after students mastered the standard algorithms. Interesting topic!

[RickT]

The old methods never taught me to really understand the logic behind the algorythm. This is all about logic. I only speak about the cluster method, not the "brilliant" ideas about dropping math for most of the class and having a more fun lesson of geography instead.

As for the calculator, the fact is that it is here; when the wheel was invented and used widely, I don't think mothers taught their children how to use poles or slides to transport heavy loads anymore, though before that invention it was the only way. This is similar. If children learn the principles behind the functions of the calculator (the function of the cluster method), they can use machines and they are no less intelligent.

When I was a kid I hated having to use the old method precisely because there were calculators. Why bother? I hated mathd because of that and it is not a good thing.

I am not saying they should drop the old ways completely just as yet, but they should definitely not make them the basis of the child's curriculum.

Using that reasoning, kids today would say (and probably do) "why should I be taught geography?  Afterall we have Google Earth".

All I know is, the more older teaching methods are shelved, the dumber (more ignorant) our youth become.  There has to be something to that.  I was very able to teach my 70 year old dad to use a PC, but I doubt a 70 year old of the year 2060 will be able to grasp anything foreign to them.  I could be wrong on that but I doubt it.

[uwaf]

They are teaching kids to read the Pavlovian way. Like training dogs.

[EvadingGrid]

Absolute Proof they are dumbing us down....

No wonder so many people are doing home school !!!

[jimwill]

Dangit - I can't find it! I had a story by one of the old science fiction authors about a time in the distant future when no one knew how to do simple addition, everyone used a calculator (he called it something else), and one man re-discovered how to do math by pencil and paper!

Of course, with this kind of teaching, it does not look like it's going to be in the distant future!

[America2]

You know - you guys just reminded me of something...

I went to an all boys Catholic High School in the late 80's/early 90's, and after my sophomore year, the school did a MAJOR overhaul and fired like 1/4 - 1/2 of the teachers. I mean most of these teachers fired were NOT bad at all...some of them in particular were the ones kids complained the most about BECAUSE...dum, dum, dum, dum...these were the teachers that made you do *critical thinking*, especially this one math teacher that taught Calculus and Geometry. There was this one English teacher that quizzed you and critical thinked you to death. I remember she was in tears toward the end, I felt for her. And for that matter too, one Spanish teacher they fired worked his students to death, only to hire some JOKE of a Spanish teacher who let their students play around in class like 3/4 of the time(LITERALLY!).

So what happened afterwards? The entire education curriculum in the school was really dumbed down, ESPECIALLY the mathematics curriculum. It was as if the principle of the school wanted to please everyone by making things easier.

And this was going on since the LATE 80'S from a high school that practiced the RCC doctrine - I mean alot of these *good* teachers they let go had FAMILIES to boot.

Wow - once you start that journey down that RABBIT HOLE...there's SO much you just see even from the back of your eyes!

[luckee1]

When these great machines and calculators break down thes kids will not know what to do unless they know how to to the math themselves.

I hate going to a store today where the register's program is out of power of some such thing and the kid cannot count out change!

Teaching kids to use just calculators for math with out having them learn the basics, is like teaching them to drive with out them learning how to walk.

I do agree that calculators to help maintain speed and accuracy in business, but the basics do needs to be learned.  My math skills went to hell as an adult because i was forced to use a calculator with tapes to prove that I had extended invoices correctly.  I did the work much faster in my head than on a calculator or business machine.  Today not so much.  I mourn the loss. 


edit I guess the same could be said of spell check! 

[Godsent]

Take a course in casino craps, if you want to learn math the way your supposed to.The schools teach a dumbed down way the long way. To keep you in a box!

By the way I see MJ on the morning news up here all the time. She seems to be a real dingy person.

[chris jones]

Michal.

I can understand your agreement with this new method, in fact there are many systems in our educational systems that I beleive have been relaxed to the point of apathy.
In other words they allow kids to go through the system and learn 1/2 of what they did in the last century. Don't bog down the system, get the kids though the grades no matter what. They are dummies, so what, they will be better serfs.

A post was made a few months back showing a test that had been given to junior high kids in the 1800's, it was very difficult, compared to the exams of today it would be impossible for kids to pass.

The governed ed. system has become a farse. A true education appears to be limited to the wealthy and exclusive  private schooling.

Your point of getting these kids to think is righteous, but I am with the beleif that the problem goes much deeper.

As far as my mentioning the wheel, I was refering to human nature. The never ending battle of accomplishing tasks with the most direct method.

I'm a ranter, I can't help it, age or whatever, geting my point across of late has been a task for me.

[Southern Patriot]

There is no way in hell I will ever allow my children to learn an ass backward way of getting close to an answer. The standard algorithm has worked for hundreds of years and to abandon that is just stupid. Did anybody catch the quote from the teachers guide that said it is a waste of time to teach them how to arrive at the answer the right way because calculators are so available?
This new math isr exactly what the NWO types want. If you cant even do simple multiplication and division, how can you expect to ever expect to go to college and perform complex mathematics? How can you even balance your damn checkbook if this is the shit you were taught? This is disgusting!
Also, why in the hell does a math textbook have an atlas in it for. 45 pages of world wide points of interest in one and 60 pages of U.S. points of interest in the other. Then there is a 60 page section on how to use a damn calculator. The book isn't even 200 pages so that leaves the question of where the hell is the math education in there!
I'm already disgusted with the high-school kids working registers in stores and restaurants who can't even count! Just wait until the elementary kids learning this shit are old enough to work. You'll stand in line all day waiting for some indoctrinated dumb-ass to count out change!

[nustada]

The brain doesn't do algorithms, if you ever want to be able to multiply any number without paper or calculator, you have to learn how to do it without algorithms.

[EvadingGrid]

They should not allow calculators in school . . .

[iks83]

Guess some of us are lucky enough to went to school at a time when calculators were only used in higher classes since the calculations became too complicated to solve manually. We werent allowed to use them in tests though... for the final exam I think we could use them.

I went back to school in 2006 for a year and was also worried cause I forgot most of the math. But catching up was easy and since it was a private school the teachers were quite competent. Lots of practical examples how math can be applied to daily life. The math was in the end a higher level than what I had back in school. We had a programable calculator with graphs and all kinds of stuff but we always learned how to do the calculations manually. For physics it was the same level but with a different teacher there was still new stuff being learned so it wasn't a waste. Ok you cant compare Germany with the US much although the education system here is deteriorating very fast too. At least you have the option of home schooling. Here its either public school or private school. My one year was quite inexpensive but I think a full education from elementry school on will cost much more per year. Dont dare to home school or CPS is coming to take your kids.

The dumbing down is all on purpose since the corporations only need consumers and a certain level of dumbness can only help the economy. Imagine if we would properly educate our children... then they might just use cellphones to call people instead of blowing the last buck of their and their parents money through it for all kinds of junk. They are supposed to buy the first garbage they see during comercials... its good for the economic growth!

I dont envy parents who know whats going on... raising a kid in this kind of world the right way really is a challenge. Those who dont know are just happy the government is there to help them. Flouride tabs for the toddler to help tooth development. Flouride toothpaste, every vaccine there is to keep them healthy and then off to school on ritalin to keep those noisy bastards quiet.

[Michal Ptacnik]

Reminds me of the Brave New World. All you need to know is practical knowledge and don't you dare not buying the corporate-made junk stuff...

[iks83]

Reminds me of the Brave New World. All you need to know is practical knowledge and don't you dare not buying the corporate-made junk stuff...

If you said that in regard to my post then it wasn't my intention to suggest that. We learned the algorythms and proper way of calculating things but we also applied it to reality and not just solving one random problem after another. Like... you have 500m of fence. Your fence is bording on another one. Calculate the dimension of the fence to enclose the maximum area possible.  Or something like that.

[Michal Ptacnik]

Nono, I just meant the corporate tendency you mentioned. That it's somewhat strangely familiar.