MJ McDermott is vocalization about the stream state of math education, as the in isolation adult . KCPQ does not validate this video. Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth
Tags: Inconvenient Truth, Math Education, Mcdermott
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Well Travelled and Educated
June 29th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I don’t think so, although there are studies showing students in Asian countries does fare better in mathematical thinking, Hong Kong for example. But it is also a common belief that current education system is nothing but reduced to memory tests and meaninglessness, it simply does not offer and “teach”, things are just as bad as in US.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
In Hong Kong, we teach strictly algorithms, a very mechanical process, reasoning methods are discouraged, might have explain why a lot of students without the faintest idea on how to solve a problem, not to even mention the development of logical thinking.
July 1st, 2008 at 5:12 am
Paulxo, I have advanced degrees in both mathematics and statistics. Why don’t you show us what you think is better so that we can judge for ourselves?
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:39 am
Good video. I’ve known about this situation for years and I have created a course that solves all these ‘traditional’ problems. Unfortunately, although she makes some good points, she does not use the best methods either. It’s pretty scary though what rubbish they teach in schools, always makes me angry! In the UK, they use the grid method to multiply which with 231 x 432 leads to nine additions to get the answer… nuts.
Thanks for the great video.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I know. Why do you think Europe and East Asia always smoke American students in academics? US education sucks.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:55 am
its called a calculator folks. they’re not expensive…
July 10th, 2008 at 1:10 am
LOL!
I always knew US education system was poor, but that is shocking.Those books are useless. In Finland those books wouldn’t be even approved or dared to be published. Yet we have here the same problem…during upper compulsory school use of calculators is encouraged….with fatal consequences, but not as bad as in the US.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I want this bitch to know that she sounds like a condescending half-wit. She needs to sort out her tone of voice to earn herself some respect before she gets eaten alive by some 9 year old with a maths degree
July 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
This is exactly why I am going to teach my kids myself. The education system that we have today is horrendously inefficient, lacks well-defined measures of success and generally lacks qualified and motivated teachers. That is a recipe for disaster if you ask me.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
You should all go read a book called “Dumbing Down Our Kids” by Charles Sykes. He talks about why American children feel good about themselves but can’t read, write, or add. New math, new new math, creative spelling, outcome based education is all such crap that the US falls well below Asian and European children in standard testing. I won’t send my children to a school that teaches the crap she mentions. I want them to get a real education.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
These schoolbooks are scary!
Every multiplication up to 10 x 10 should be known by the end of 3rd grade (the latest). Thus, standard multiplications and divisions will be the easiest and fastest method.
@ omfg4000:
There is an inconsistancy in your calculation; it should rather be:
26 x 31 =
(1 x 6 + 1 x 20) + (30 x 6 + 30 x 20) = …
Reasoning is like being musically: for archiving full potential, education / learning is needed.
July 17th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
No, reasoning is something inherit in people. You don’t need to learn it.
July 19th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Not sure if I agree with this. At school, I was taught the standard algorithm but because I found reasoning to be much faster, I began to only use that algorithm on tests. If I am asked in public a certain math question, I use reasoning to come to a very close approximate answer rather than trying to do double digit division/multiplication in my head. Memory can be learned at home, but reasoning is something much more important and complex which should have a place in schools.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:16 pm
10:13
If you look at the paragraph under the one she’s talking about it actually says that students should learn proper algarythms for the purpose of standardized testing
July 25th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I am a Chemistry teacher at the High School level. I am appalled by Everyday Math. My students cannot logically solve algebraic problems. They want a triangle. You show me a triangle method to use for thermodynamic problems. Now that I have a 5th grader in Everyday Math, I know why. I had to teach her multiplication and I am currently teaching her division. We will have students incapable of Science and Math based careers. I cannot imagine the nightmare we are in for.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:59 am
No it isn’t. It would be:
26×31=
(1×6 + 1 x 20) + (30×20+30×6) =
26+600+180=
806.
See how much shorter and faster and better her way is?
July 30th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Excuse me but what does this have to do with liberal hippie morons? Frankly Karl Marx (the commie fucker you all hate there in the US) was one of the first to demand public education at all for everyone and insisted that the workers educate themselves.
It is more likely that the person below your comment would object to this as he finds it ineffective and “costing taxmoney”. The employer, also known as xTEHPHR33Kx
July 31st, 2008 at 7:38 am
You shouldnät use the other methods mate. They confuse you. Math is only made possible if you practise it all the time. If you practise two different methods both methods will lack perfection.
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:38 am
It’s the dumbing down of the population. They should only know enough
Seems most of the population are getting quite pissed at this, be that in private or government schools. But the question is how to change anything if our representatives don’t represent us – anywhere.
Kind regards from Sweden.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I am a Mechanical Engineer graduate from college of Aerospace/.Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona. Memory can be taught at home, reasoning is better taught at school.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Lets see here….1. Turk shows how to reason through a problem and basic multiplication(but it still teaches the skill of reasoning which is a very valuable skill for more difficult and various types of problems in the future.) 2. The quick algorithmic method that we’re used to encourages Memory skills and basic multiplication(Memory is also a very important skill to have, but will it help you in solving any problem that nobody has any memory of.)
August 11th, 2008 at 2:11 am
I think Washington schools messed up when they introduced integrated math. The proper name should be fractured math.
August 12th, 2008 at 2:43 am
At the 10 minute point I became seriously pissed off. These poor kids don’t stand a chance when they are being taught by liberal hippie morons