Because what you and the dumbf*ck above don't understand is that math is taught to improve your REASONING. Do you reason in your daily life? Do you make inferences? Make arguments? Then you're using the skills taught in the math class.
No, you aren't. You're learning maths. Maths may be reason but reason doesn't have to be maths. It is typically about the world around us, as we experience it.There are plenty of seriously smart people today and in history who didn't study maths but learned to reason through understanding the world they lived in. Maths tells us nothing about that.
Because what you and the dumbf*ck above don't understand is that math is taught to improve your REASONING. Do you reason in your daily life? Do you make inferences? Make arguments? Then you're using the skills taught in the math class.
No, you aren't. You're learning maths. Maths may be reason but reason doesn't have to be maths. It is typically about the world around us, as we experience it.There are plenty of seriously smart people today and in history who didn't study maths but learned to reason through understanding the world they lived in. Maths tells us nothing about that.
Idiotic posts like these are precisely why people should study more mathematics. Me saying that mathematics develops your reasoning abilities does NOT imply that mathematics is the only way to develop said abilities. Sounds like you suck at reasoning, go back to school.
No, you aren't. You're learning maths. Maths may be reason but reason doesn't have to be maths. It is typically about the world around us, as we experience it.There are plenty of seriously smart people today and in history who didn't study maths but learned to reason through understanding the world they lived in. Maths tells us nothing about that.
Idiotic posts like these are precisely why people should study more mathematics. Me saying that mathematics develops your reasoning abilities does NOT imply that mathematics is the only way to develop said abilities. Sounds like you suck at reasoning, go back to school.
I think you've just proved the limitations of studying mathematics. You said we learn reason from mathematics; I said we can learn it from life, and mostly do. I see that studying mathematics hasn't helped you with English - or reason.
So far the the real Pro Math people on this thread have not done a good job of demonstrating that math skills lead to reasoning skills as they claim.
The post says most students will never need to learn more than basic math skills, yet you immediately jump to the conclusion that the OP thinks NO math should be taught at all, or that students that are skilled at math, or show an interest in math, or an interest in a field that is heavily math dependent; are some how now barred from ever taking advanced math classes.
I have a master's degree in natural resource management. Specifically worked with wildlife ecology/diseases. If you reas my post you'll see that I meant a general understanding of these concepts has been helpful. But the way these subjects are taught it's way too in depth/rigorous into complicated equation solving for example. When really all I benefit from are the general concepts behind chemistry/physics/etc. The most useful maths subjects beyond basic algebra for me have been in depth statistics. Calculus has been by and large useless/unused.
And all the people who want to have the argument of "the knowledge is gained through the process not necessarily what you're learning". Yes there is truth to that, but why not gain it learning useful things?
Because what you and the dumbf*ck above don't understand is that math is taught to improve your REASONING. Do you reason in your daily life? Do you make inferences? Make arguments? Then you're using the skills taught in the math class.
I think that's true, there is something to gain from taking that much math. But the OP has it all over you, given the extreme lack of time available in HS, this time (beyond algebra) could be better used for a laundry list of things that are lacking in our society and getting worse. Top of my head...critical thinking skills 101, Logic 101, emotional intelligence 101,102, 103. I know most people say Finance, but I believe that is pretty common now?
Kids that are not naturals at math spend 50% of their study time trying to pass or get an A in calculus, trig etc... Yet we have a severe shortage of trades people who can make 100-200$ per hour.
But alas, in the end I think its just there to prep for college and help separate the herd for admissions. But for the not college bound student...my god what a waste.
So far the the real Pro Math people on this thread have not done a good job of demonstrating that math skills lead to reasoning skills as they claim.
The post says most students will never need to learn more than basic math skills, yet you immediately jump to the conclusion that the OP thinks NO math should be taught at all, or that students that are skilled at math, or show an interest in math, or an interest in a field that is heavily math dependent; are some how now barred from ever taking advanced math classes.
I agree, but I think it is clear that math, if nothing else, forces you to go through steps of "proving" an equation (god i hated that). I think...what some may argue is that it is valuable...but maybe we can teach logic, reasoning, critical thinking a little more directly without the rigor (and severe stress and disproportionate time commitment) of Trig and calc? Its just too disproportionate.
I took Physical chemistry at the graduate level and that was the first time I ever realized this calc I took in HS was helpful. But it was so basic, I could have just learned the few concepts right then and there.
We are the only country who thinks the best way to improve passing scores on standardized tests is to lower the standards.
Well, you could say that we get what we deserve. Our country also produces a lot of people who treat countries, business, etc. as personified entities to pair with a singular verb ("country who thinks").
Because what you and the dumbf*ck above don't understand is that math is taught to improve your REASONING. Do you reason in your daily life? Do you make inferences? Make arguments? Then you're using the skills taught in the math class.
Us dumbf####_embed0_####amp;ks know that , but only because we saw a tictok from Neil degrass Tyson. So what does your Reasoning tell you? Maybe reasoning can be taught more effectively without the only focus being mathematics? Maybe most kids are so bored with math that they get none of its so called real intentions.
So what happens if you end up deciding that you want to go into a quantitative field, but you never learned any math beyond basic algebra while you were in high school?
In my opinion, a basic high school education should prepare a student to pursue ongoing education in any field of their choosing post-high school. If some high schoolers are only learning math up to basic algebra, you are essentially eliminating a whole set of majors and careers as options for them before they've even finished high school.
What possible downside exists to giving students a sufficiently well rounded education that any college major of their choosing is available to them from their first day on campus without needing remedial coursework to catch up?
Seriously, why in the world do we make kids take algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and sometimes calculus while in high school? About 90% of people in the world don’t need any math beyond arithmetic, statistics, and maybe some very basic algebra. Only computer people or nerds or engineers need any more math than that. Let’s offer it but not require it. It would make everyone’s life easier. Prove me wrong.
Discus.
"need" and "90% of people" can be said of every subject. School is not just to train you for a niche career that you think you'll have forever, but to get achieve a baseline level of understanding across a few areas.
Where I think you could have made a better argument:
1) I would have agreed if you targeted this to undergraduates, as I think it's a shame that that stage of education has become less targeted (and oftentimes is just an extension of high school). No reason for all the non-major classes besides extending the degree, and therefore the payments, for 4 years.
2) I think by and large if you graduate high school clearing the following low bar, then you will have attained the minimum technical abilities necessary to be successful: a. can the HS graduate make reasonable estimates, do basic mental math, and have some degree of abstract thinking about quantitative problems b. can the HS graduate understand other people's ideas presented through a variety of mediums c. can the HS graduate communicate ideas of their own through a variety of mediums
Who says we need any bar at all? Who is to say who is educated and who isn’t? Why do we as a body politic need to define what educated is? We have completely failed to come to a consensus on what that means in the 150+ years of public schooling.
How do you expect us to evolve the human race knowledge long-term if we don't encourage the teachings of mathematics. We know not many people use it in their life, but we also do know that many do. So, it's there if you ever need it. It's there if you ever get bored and feel like you wanna learn something really really cool about the connections of our universe, or technology, or space. Because that's also the power that mathematics has.
I agree math can be life-changing for those who care to learn it. Forcing people to learn it is not going to change many peoples lives, if any. I use personally know none of the math past basic arithmetic in my daily life.
as far as evolving the human race, ha ha ha I think that is pretty much a done deal. I see us as devolving instead. That is a much deeper question that goes way beyond mathematics. What
So what happens if you end up deciding that you want to go into a quantitative field, but you never learned any math beyond basic algebra while you were in high school?
In my opinion, a basic high school education should prepare a student to pursue ongoing education in any field of their choosing post-high school. If some high schoolers are only learning math up to basic algebra, you are essentially eliminating a whole set of majors and careers as options for them before they've even finished high school.
What possible downside exists to giving students a sufficiently well rounded education that any college major of their choosing is available to them from their first day on campus without needing remedial coursework to catch up?
If someone decides they want to learn higher maths, when they’re older, they could simply…take classes to learn. There is no law that says you must have all of your basic education done by the age of 17. My gosh… I think of the possibilities! We might even make learning a lifelong venture!