Math question for teachers

No snark here but just wondering why kids need to know such advanced math skills. Not just at elem age, but even in high school. I never used a quadratic equation in real life, kwim? I don't feel it's helped me in any way in my current life as an adult.

Sometimes I think it's more important to learn basic math, things you will need in real life, and how to budget money and learning about interest that accrues, how the stock market works, things of that nature.

I know some say it helps with reasoning skills, but I don't fully see that angle.

Can someone offer insight?

Or can someone give suggestions for parents who will have to endure the math homework that we hadn't learned back in our day?

Message edited 1/13/2013 2:35:10 PM.

Re: Math question for teachers

As a teacher I COMPLETELY agree with you. The problem is, we are required to teach certain skills by the state, which leaves close to no time for the much more functional skills.

Re: Math question for teachers

Math question for teachers

I understand that for some concepts, you need basic concepts to build on them but some of these methods only one or two students "get" and those children have "math minds"

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

After seeing the other post, I am very scared. My worst subject was math...always. From elem, to hs, to college....now, i see these posts about 1st grade questions and my head is spinning. I cannot answer them!! I don't understand the logic behind these math questions and I am scared my weak math skills will hurt my kids b/c i cannot answer these!!

What is so bad about "carrying the one?"??

This ten stuff is over MY head!!

Math question for teachers

I think the intentions of Common Core were great. The point was for them to be focusing on fewer skills so that they can understand them better. There is supposed to be a balance between having lots of rote practice for fluency along side application questions that help them apply their knowledge at a higher level. When I watched the video where I think it was the chancellor of education explaining common core I thought it was great. Just what I've always thought we needed.

I just don't get why the end result seems to be the opposite of the intentions. They didn't seem to cut much out of the curriculum and are dictating in so much detail what and how everything should be taught. It leaves no time for kids to master the basics bc there is so much to cover.

I don't mean to offend anyone here and I hope I don't, but I sometimes feel that elementary math should be taught by teachers who are math certified. While there are many elem. teachers who are great at math, there are also many who aren't. I remember classmates in college who had to take the elementary math course several times before they passed it. If the teacher doesn't quite get the strategy, then they likely won't teach it in a way that's effective or that helps students see why it's a good strategy to use.

In terms of why kids should learn the quadratic equation and all that, it depends. I don't think every kids should have to take that level of algebra. Some kids aren't cut out for it and don't have the drive to work hard to overcome the fact that they struggle. Most kids can and should though. There are tons of majors in college that require some form of stats or even calculus and kids need to be prepared for that and have the background skills for it. That said, there are lots of things I think should be cut at the hs level too.

I think geometry does the best job of letting kids master a smaller number of skills. It was my favorite course to teach because there really are a few important concepts that repeat throughout the curriculum. Kids can master those ideas and apply them to a variety of different types of problems. I remember reading that in Japan (I think) they cover a very small number of ideas but really take the time to master them. So much so that when the students are faced with concepts they've never seen before, they are able to reason through them anyway. That's the model we should be following but so far I think we're missing the mark again.

Re: Math question for teachers

Posted by rsquared

Posted by Jbon630

Posted by EatingMyVeggies

Posted by Jbon630

As a teacher I COMPLETELY agree with you. The problem is, we are required to teach certain skills by the state, which leaves close to no time for the much more functional skills.

What can we do as parents? I'm literally dreading this.

Wish I knew. Until we are able to stop "teaching to the state test", I don't think there is an answer unfortunately.

I think the new standards are coming from a good place, wanting to improve our students' mathematical understanding, but its the pacing that is the problem. A lot of the things they want are developmentally inappropriate. There is a lot of higher-level thinking and reasoning skills, and some of our students just aren't there yet. At my school, we have two math curriculums-one that our standardized students use (test-takers) and one that our alternate assessment students use, and the alt. assessment program is great-lots of functional skills. The program I am teaching is very difficult for my students. There is very little direct instruction, instead they are supposed to learn from these activities, but my students are functioning with a VERY concrete level of thinking. If they don't see it, exactly how to do the specific problem, they aren't going to figure it out. The 3rd grade test is laughably difficult. What is sad is that my students, who are on the spectrum, will fail it miserably, and then be placed in alternate-assessment, because the school won't want their test-scores bringing down the school average, and they will be tracked into getting an IEP diploma at such a young age. They set these kids up to fail. If we had more arithmetic and basic math, not only would they have more functional skills, but these kids might have a shot in hell of passing this test. This is what happens when you have people who are not teachers making the laws and tests.

Re: Math question for teachers

I also think because so many other countries are so far ahead of us in math, they want us to catch up to them. I am a first grade teacher and while I understand the reasoning behind the core, I think way too much is expected of children these days.

Math question for teachers

While I'm not a teacher (or a parent) I think that the higher math (quadratic equations, calculus, etc) help teach people to think more logically - apply rules - form conclusions - speculate - and work thru problems until resolution.

While I don't work with math specifically in my profession, I think it has helped me become a better problem solver.

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

Posted by PennyCat

Posted by Blazesyth

While I'm not a teacher (or a parent) I think that the higher math (quadratic equations, calculus, etc) help teach people to think more logically - apply rules - form conclusions - speculate - and work thru problems until resolution.

While I don't work with math specifically in my profession, I think it has helped me become a better problem solver.

I was a teacher and I agree with this. However, it's so hard to have this insight when you're dealing with triangle proofs in geometry and you just KNOW you'll never use that shiz in your real life!

My students (middle school) would often ask why we're learning a given topic and my response would be some variation of "because it will be on the state exam in May"

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

Re: Math question for teachers

Posted by Jbon630

Posted by rsquared

Posted by Jbon630

Posted by EatingMyVeggies

Posted by Jbon630

As a teacher I COMPLETELY agree with you. The problem is, we are required to teach certain skills by the state, which leaves close to no time for the much more functional skills.

What can we do as parents? I'm literally dreading this.

Wish I knew. Until we are able to stop "teaching to the state test", I don't think there is an answer unfortunately.

I think the new standards are coming from a good place, wanting to improve our students' mathematical understanding, but its the pacing that is the problem. A lot of the things they want are developmentally inappropriate. There is a lot of higher-level thinking and reasoning skills, and some of our students just aren't there yet. At my school, we have two math curriculums-one that our standardized students use (test-takers) and one that our alternate assessment students use, and the alt. assessment program is great-lots of functional skills. The program I am teaching is very difficult for my students. There is very little direct instruction, instead they are supposed to learn from these activities, but my students are functioning with a VERY concrete level of thinking. If they don't see it, exactly how to do the specific problem, they aren't going to figure it out. The 3rd grade test is laughably difficult. What is sad is that my students, who are on the spectrum, will fail it miserably, and then be placed in alternate-assessment, because the school won't want their test-scores bringing down the school average, and they will be tracked into getting an IEP diploma at such a young age. They set these kids up to fail. If we had more arithmetic and basic math, not only would they have more functional skills, but these kids might have a shot in hell of passing this test. This is what happens when you have people who are not teachers making the laws and tests.

ITA. I am also so disappointed that now there is either Regents diploma or IEP diploma. So many kids are going to get weeded into an IEP diploma when they could have been fine with the "regular" diploma we used to have.