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Family & Relationships0 min ago
Why are we so bad at Maths?
http://news.sky.com/h...news/article/16180719
Well what they are talking about is simple Arithmetic really, but why are we such a nation of dingbats when it comes to rithmetic? Is it because of trendy teaching over the last generation negelecting the famous 3'R's?
Well what they are talking about is simple Arithmetic really, but why are we such a nation of dingbats when it comes to rithmetic? Is it because of trendy teaching over the last generation negelecting the famous 3'R's?
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how do you cope past 181, ummmm?
Looking at those four questions... only 3 is actually the sort of sum you might have to do in daily life, and it can be done with a calculator. The other three are more to do with thinking rather than with arithmetic. Being able to do 1 isn't going to make you better equipped to get a job.
Looking at those four questions... only 3 is actually the sort of sum you might have to do in daily life, and it can be done with a calculator. The other three are more to do with thinking rather than with arithmetic. Being able to do 1 isn't going to make you better equipped to get a job.
By saying // because of trendy teaching over the last generation // you seem to be assuming that things are worse now than say 25 years ago. They are not.
More people are numerate now. There will always be people (even clever people) who have difficulties. It is just the way their brains have developed, it does not make them thick.
More people are numerate now. There will always be people (even clever people) who have difficulties. It is just the way their brains have developed, it does not make them thick.
As above, scientist believe people who are bad at maths are born that way.
http://www.telegraph....orn-bad-at-maths.html
http://www.telegraph....orn-bad-at-maths.html
There's an over reliance on calculators/phones - the trouble is that people then believe whatever the answer says, without any ability to do a 'finger in the air' estimate to tell them whether it's right/wrong.
I also agree with Booldawg - the ability to to arithmetic (and basic science for that matter) is thought of as speccy/nerdy and there is an inbuilt bias towards prizing abilities at the soft, arty subjects.
This often starts in primary school where a frightening number of (mainly female) teachers are effectively innumerate - just listen to the wails of protest when arts graduates are required to pass an astonishingly simple arithmetic test before becoming qualified teachers.
I also agree with Booldawg - the ability to to arithmetic (and basic science for that matter) is thought of as speccy/nerdy and there is an inbuilt bias towards prizing abilities at the soft, arty subjects.
This often starts in primary school where a frightening number of (mainly female) teachers are effectively innumerate - just listen to the wails of protest when arts graduates are required to pass an astonishingly simple arithmetic test before becoming qualified teachers.
I would class myself as averagely intelligent and my maths is shocking. It's nothing to do with teachers or parents not helping me, my father is very good at maths, I just get very frazzled with numbers and they don't make sense to me once the sums start getting complicated. I also admit I find maths very boring so the inclination to overcome my difficulties is rather lacking. I'm fine with everyday sums, percentages etc but everything else goes right over my head.
I worked for ladbrokes for three years and was always very thankful for the machines that worked them out for me :c)
I worked for ladbrokes for three years and was always very thankful for the machines that worked them out for me :c)
same here, Chuck, but I don't think they're representative of what the story's really about.
"That's a scary figure, because what it means is they often can't understand deductions on their payslip, they often can't calculate or give change.
"They have problems with timetables, they are certainly going to have problems with tax and even with interpreting graphs, charts and metres that are necessary for their jobs."
I'm not sure being unable to understand a train timetable is something you can blame on teachers... and at the other end of the scale, I long ago gave my tax to an accountant to do.
To me, inability to understand statistics is a genuine problem because it leads to all sorts of rubbish being pumped through the media, blithely leaving out the important variables or comparing apples and strawberries. That should be taught a lot better. But understanding timetables?
"That's a scary figure, because what it means is they often can't understand deductions on their payslip, they often can't calculate or give change.
"They have problems with timetables, they are certainly going to have problems with tax and even with interpreting graphs, charts and metres that are necessary for their jobs."
I'm not sure being unable to understand a train timetable is something you can blame on teachers... and at the other end of the scale, I long ago gave my tax to an accountant to do.
To me, inability to understand statistics is a genuine problem because it leads to all sorts of rubbish being pumped through the media, blithely leaving out the important variables or comparing apples and strawberries. That should be taught a lot better. But understanding timetables?
Speak for yourself.
It has to be bad teaching. Past generations have managed to learn maths skills, if recent ones have not then what else can be used as an excuse ?
Sure modern changes make a failure to learn the skills more likely, such as calculator and PC use, but it is the teacher's responsibility to ensure the pupils get the necessary grounding in the basics before any of those crutches are introduced. There is little excuse for not doing so.
(Maybe it didn't help to ditch imperial measures and £sd. No one has an incentive to do any mental arithmetic these days.)
It has to be bad teaching. Past generations have managed to learn maths skills, if recent ones have not then what else can be used as an excuse ?
Sure modern changes make a failure to learn the skills more likely, such as calculator and PC use, but it is the teacher's responsibility to ensure the pupils get the necessary grounding in the basics before any of those crutches are introduced. There is little excuse for not doing so.
(Maybe it didn't help to ditch imperial measures and £sd. No one has an incentive to do any mental arithmetic these days.)
Thankfully, my maths brain does this type of question on sight, but many people have lost the ability to "visualise" the problem/numbers without mechanical aids, possibly through the lack of teaching the basic 'rithmatic at an early age, (not that I'm denigrating the teaching profession - however I feel that in the current target-driven curiculum market, the foundation blocks of numeracy/literacy have been downgraded as "inappropriate to current teaching methods").
But then again I may be getting old and set in my ways, ie 1+1=2 (or used to!), but may be now 1+1 = x (loads of child support & lack of motivation to further child development).
Apologies, if the above post offends the PC, but it's my view, and I stand by it.
But then again I may be getting old and set in my ways, ie 1+1=2 (or used to!), but may be now 1+1 = x (loads of child support & lack of motivation to further child development).
Apologies, if the above post offends the PC, but it's my view, and I stand by it.
the first two are puzzles with a maths element, not maths problems.
I hate go parent bashing but it was my parents who taught me life skills like reading a timetable, working out how far my pocket money would go, cooking, measuring in feet and inches to do sewing and DIY.
Even though calculators are now everywhere, it is sensible to have a feel for what the correct answer might be so if it comes out wrong because of operator error, you will know. Rote knowledge of the tables helps this.
I do know that the new maths (like the new literacy) didn't help with life skill maths whatsoever!
I hate go parent bashing but it was my parents who taught me life skills like reading a timetable, working out how far my pocket money would go, cooking, measuring in feet and inches to do sewing and DIY.
Even though calculators are now everywhere, it is sensible to have a feel for what the correct answer might be so if it comes out wrong because of operator error, you will know. Rote knowledge of the tables helps this.
I do know that the new maths (like the new literacy) didn't help with life skill maths whatsoever!
i love this comment from the link
"In the Jeremy Kyle age, perhaps the maths questions should be:
1) If 1 chav meets 1 chavette by Tesco's - how many new benefits claims can they produce in a year?
2) Tracy meets three blokes in a pub [init]. How many DNA tests need to be completed on todays show?
3) If I was to rob like six cars and stuff, how many alloy wheels would I have?"
"In the Jeremy Kyle age, perhaps the maths questions should be:
1) If 1 chav meets 1 chavette by Tesco's - how many new benefits claims can they produce in a year?
2) Tracy meets three blokes in a pub [init]. How many DNA tests need to be completed on todays show?
3) If I was to rob like six cars and stuff, how many alloy wheels would I have?"
