Should math be taught in school ?
Lmao, yeah I couldn't believe it when my girls told me that, so I called the teacher and she confirmed it. Getting the CORRECT answer isn't important. Showing your work as to how you got there, correct or not, IS!
And when they got the incorrect answer they were not marked against for it. Certainly wasn't that way when I was in school. So in essence they graduate high school without knowing basic math.
At least I know why "most" young folks today can't do simple math in their head, like at a store checkout when you throw in some change etc, AFTER they pushed the button.
The first paragraph is insane. Being a former math/business instructor at a college, that is beyond stupid.
If you get the wrong answer and don't show your work the result is the same, it's incorrect. Show work get it wrong, same result, incorrect. Showing work is the road map to address corrective measures so you can arrive at the correct result.
Similar to a manufacturing process. If I ask you to get shredded raw plastictransformed into a tupperware bowl and all you do is show me the plastic, then the bowl, I have no idea the processes that took place to arrive at the final product.
I don't believe in the "one way to do things" method or some of the new math that is confusing kids. If you can show me, there are a few ways to get from LA to Vegas, some more direct than others. As long as you arrive at the proper destination, it's good.
Here's one from last year that I tutored my neighbors girl mixing 2 solutions to arrive at a desired solution strength.
The book told them to take each percentage and include it in the formula as a decimal, then further down in the "work", all multiplication, they had them multiply the result by 100. I suggested, don't worry about using the decimal and write the percentage in as the number you see. Gets rid of an additional operation (x 100) where error could occur. Then got her to figure out the ammo, associative property, to address the inevitable critique. You bet the teacher caller her on it and she nailed it. Most every student told her thanks for the shortcut which should have been obvious.
The lack of being able to do simple math to ascertain change is scary. I agree, try giving whole dollars, it gets input into the register, kicks out the change then give change to the remainder to get a whole dollar number. My god, you'd think a pin on a live grenade got pulled...
