Peter Johnson, a political scientist, and Lynn Arthur Steen, a mathematician, present their argument against the relevance of algebra from the perspective of the typical talented individual who has not a care or need for complex mathematics. This individual, therefore, does not see how learning complex math concepts would be beneficial to his/her career. Johnson and Steen base their arguments on a typical fallacy believed by many mathematicians and the blinded general public. This fallacy is the “far transfer concept”. And through conclusions based on psychological research and educational research regarding algebras long-run effects on students and the populace as a whole, Johnson and Steen have come up with the conclusion that there is …show more content…
According to Steen (2012), “because it dominates high school mathematics, algebra is clearly the lightening rod for general complaints about school mathematics” (p. 2). This means that algebra is what is being inferred when referring to mathematics because it is the “mathematics” that high school students are forced to learn. The major complaint here is that mathematics is used as a “yard stick” for students’ academic progression, with standardized tests being imposed on the students, and talents being wasted due to an inability to pass a math course. The clear notion being passed by Steen is that math is not for everyone. However, academia’s like Daniel Willingham and Rishawn Biddle believe that “the very skills involved in reading (including understanding abstract concepts) are also involved in algebra and other complex mathematics” (Why Algebra Matters, 2012, para. 4). With this belief, they conclude that student’s inability to pass math is due to their laziness and lack of will to learn. In contrast to this point of mathematics and literacy being similar, and students failure being due to their boxed minds and laziness, Dudley (2010) states that …show more content…
Each course requires its own unique form of mathematics which is usually not taught in classrooms” (p. 3). He also garnishes his argument by stating that “the traditional high school mathematics curriculum, which was designed for higher level math courses is not useful for a majority of the students. And, even if it did work, the tools it provides are not those best suited to the quantitative needs of engaged citizens in our data-drenched society (p. 3).” So with this, he creates a larger argument, that the main issue is not just the fact that the algebra being taught is nearly impossible to transfer, but that the mathematics taught to students is unnecessary and
Algebra is one of the major parts in exams like GRE and ACT so that all college students and high school students need to learn. In order to get a good grade, students are willing to spend hours and hours studying hard on things like matrices and equations. When they are wondering why they have to learn things so difficult and if this knowledge would be useful in the future time. Andrew Hacker, the author of "Is Algebra Necessary?", thinks not. In his editorial, he argues that students, especially those who are not majoring in math, should not be forced to learn high-level math. His arguments are very effective because he successfully uses logos, pathos and ethos in his editorial. The usage of the rhetorical triangle made his editorial logical,
Math is everywhere when most people first think of math or the word “Algebra,” they don’t get too excited. Many people say “Math sucks” or , “When are we ever going to use it in our lives.” The fact is math will be used in our lives quite frequently. For example, if we go watch a softball game all it is, is one giant math problem. Softball math can be used in many
Many people seem to think that math is a stagnant, nite eld consisting of algebra and geometry (the
When you go to the store to shop for groceries I’m pretty positive you don’t think about how much math you’re about to do. All the skills that you use when buying milk is all learned in school. Milk consumption for a family that has children who are in school is a problem because kids love eating cereal, and drinking milk before school. When shopping for milk you make comparisons on the prices by which brand is the cheapest. When shopping you estimate, gather, and organize data to figure out which milk is the best price. You can’t go to the grocery store and walk away without making at least one comparison which, you learned in math all your life. (May, 1994)
Kendra Gardner Ms. Moore Pre-AP English II 6 March 2024 Summative Constructed Response Ameila and Kaitlynn have been best friends since fifth grade and are now sophomores in high school. So naturally, math classes get harder over time. Ameila believes that Algebra II should not be taught in high school classrooms, but Kaitlynn disagrees. Not only does Kaitlynn disagree, but she thinks Algebra II is beneficial to all students in high school. Although this may be true, Ameila argues that Algebra II is useless, confusing, and a waste of time.
Mathematics has become a very large part of society today. From the moment children learn the basic principles of math to the day those children become working members of society, everyone has used mathematics at one point in their life. The crucial time for learning mathematics is during the childhood years when the concepts and principles of mathematics can be processed more easily. However, this time in life is also when the point in a person’s life where information has to be broken down to the very basics, as children don’t have an advanced capacity to understand as adults do. Mathematics, an essential subject, must be taught in such a way that children can understand and remember.
I also learned that mathematics was more than merely an intellectual activity: it was a necessary tool for getting a grip on all sorts of problems in science and engineering. Without mathematics there is no progress. However, mathematics could also show its nasty face during periods in which problems that seemed so simple at first sight refused to be solved for a long time. Every math student will recognize these periods of frustration and helplessness.
The system favors those who like whole numbers, seem to have everything figured out; they add up evenly and are easy to measure. Leaving behind the people who like pi, cannot be expressed by a fraction; these creative minds are the Albert Einsteins of the modern world. Traditional mathematics often inhibits non-linear, thinkers from excelling in the math, which can then leave them confused, bored, or anxious. The way math standards are facilitated in most classrooms often deters students from pursuing a career in STEM fields; however, by encouraging collaborative classroom
...re encompassing way, it becomes very clear that everything that we do or encounter in life can be in some way associated with math. Whether it be writing a paper, debating a controversial topic, playing Temple Run, buying Christmas presents, checking final grades on PeopleSoft, packing to go home, or cutting paper snowflakes to decorate the house, many of our daily activities encompass math. What has surprised me the most is that I do not feel that I have been seeking out these relationships between math and other areas of my life, rather the connections just seem more visible to me now that I have a greater appreciation and understanding for the subject. Math is necessary. Math is powerful. Math is important. Math is influential. Math is surprising. Math is found in unexpected places. Math is found in my worldview. Math is everywhere. Math is Beautiful.
Algebra is a hands-on class like every other math classes are. Six million school kids in high school are struggling with algebra on a typical day. Two million freshmen in colleges are struggling with algebra. All these kids are out of the United States.
Towers, J., Martin, L., & Pirie, S. (2000). Growing mathematical understanding: Layered observations. In M.L. Fernandez (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual Meetings of North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Tucson, AZ, 225-230.
One key point from the article that I found interesting was that, through multiple representations the curriculum can be presented in mathematics by physical, pictorial, or virtual
When I graduated from high school, forty years ago, I had no idea that mathematics would play such a large role in my future. Like most people learning mathematics, I continue to learn until it became too hard, which made me lose interest. Failure or near failure is one way to put a stop to learning a subject, and leave a lasting impression not worth repeating. Mathematics courses, being compulsory, are designed to cover topics. One by one, the topics need not be important or of immediate use, but altogether or cumulatively, the topics provide or point to a skill, a mastery of mathematics.
Devlin believes that mathematics has four faces 1) Mathematics is a way to improve thinking as problem solving. 2) Mathematics is a way of knowing. 3) Mathematics is a way to improve creative medium. 4) Mathematics is applications. (Mann, 2005). Because mathematics has very important role in our life, teaching math in basic education is as important as any other subjects. Students should study math to help them how to solve problems and meet the practical needs such as collect, count, and process the data. Mathematics, moreover, is required students to be capable of following and understanding the future. It also helps students to be able to think creativity, logically, and critically (Happy & Listyani, 2011,
Throughout out this semester, I’ve had the opportunity to gain a better understanding when it comes to teaching Mathematics in the classroom. During the course of this semester, EDEL 440 has showed my classmates and myself the appropriate ways mathematics can be taught in an elementary classroom and how the students in the classroom may retrieve the information. During my years of school, mathematics has been my favorite subject. Over the years, math has challenged me on so many different levels. Having the opportunity to see the appropriate ways math should be taught in an Elementary classroom has giving me a