+39
Maths is not taught properly AT ALL in school, amirite?
by Anonymous1 month ago
Its because schools are set up to teach the lowest common denominator, and its easier to teach the dumb kids how to memorize then it is to teach them why.
by Separate_Classic1 month ago
I'd argue kids don't really know how to memorize either. I each foreign language (well, I'd argue), and kids can't remember grammar or vocab for crap. The ELA teacher gets furious because of them not knowing general spellings (japan=jepen for example). The math teacher also complains because they don't know multiplication charts and need calculators for 5x4. I love teaching the 'why', but not all teachers do it because some kids aren't worth your time. A lot don't have the critical thinking needed for why (not all of course, but sooo many.) the lowest common denominator you mentioned can not memorize things, I promise.
by Delicious_Air1 month ago
Lmfao you should quit teaching if you believe that some kids aren't worth your time
by Anonymous1 month ago
Lmfao you should become a teacher if you believe every kid is worth your time. Then watch your soul turn to mush. Happens to the best of em.
by karsonschuster1 month ago
I didn't have an issue learning why math was important. Guess that's why I'm a structural engineer.
by IllustratorAny1 month ago
It really depends on where your interests lie. For people like you, math is extremely important. For Joe who wants to be a gardener...? Basic math, yes, but all this advanced algebra? Not so much.
by Zdubuque1 month ago
Usually 1.
by Anonymous1 month ago
Neither is grammar based on the title.
by Anonymous1 month ago
But grammar and punctuation was clearly taught properly.
by No_Hamster_55051 month ago
Teacher here: Lol you think kids care when we tell them why they should learn something? Have you met a 13 y/o recently? What did you think math was for, cooking? It's about the attitude of the student 99% of the time, not the quality of the educator.
by Anonymous1 month ago
I strongly disagree. I always wanted to learn why, I'd ask, I'd struggle, and all of my math teachers up to junior year just said it's because it's how it works. I get it, not everything can be explained that way, but in 8 years of math, I'm sure someone could've explain why somewhere. And it's not just high school, I've had some absolute ass professors who just do not explain the math. Later with a different professor, they'll explain why and it becomes so much easier. Why teach something if you're not passionate about it and WANT to explain more?
by Anonymous1 month ago
What do you mean by understanding why it works? The proofs of the most basic math formulas are outside the scope of almost all K-12, most undergrad degrees (except for math/stats/cs and maybe a few more majors), and many grad degrees. Many of them are extremely unintuitive. Using math as a black box is sufficient for the vast majority of engineers and scientists.
by Admirable_Humor1 month ago
I'm not even saying a full proof, I mean just an idea or a relation for what makes something work. Log properties are a great example. Many teachers and profs don't show you why the log property works, they just say "hey, Log=Log(B)--> A=B." Without demonstrating why. Another example is trig, what makes the graphs work the way they do? Actually, the best example is EASILY conics. Why are hyperbolas A²+B²=C²? Makes total sense! For ellipses, why is A whatever is bigger, where in hyperbolas, A is just whatever comes first? These are all stupidly easy to explain and make things make SO much more sense, and they take it from the realm of memorizing raw formulas to understanding why you are doing the thing you are doing. It's so much harder to remember "is it ellipses or hyperbolas that are a²-b²=c²?" If you just try to remember the formula, than if you critically think about it as "oh, the foci in ellipses are closer than they are in hyperbolas, so the ellipses will be the smaller equation."
by Anonymous1 month ago
I have a memory of a math class, where we were learning derivative (not sure about the name, not english native). We had the full class, and not even once we were told what it is used for or how it applies in real life. Then two or three days later we are doing a random math exercise where we have to use it to calculate the optimal surface to make a cylinder for a tin can business or something like that. And derivative was the way to get the answer, and it clicked. But not even once the teacher told us anything except "here are the rules of derivative, memorize them". Great teaching.
by plittle1 month ago
Exactly. Getting to know WHY you'd use it and what specifically makes it work, not only makes understanding and remembering easier, but may actually inspire people to WANT to learn more.
by Anonymous1 month ago
On the teacher's end it's also way easier to teach students if they're engaged and understand what they're doing, or WANT to know.
by FamiliarVisit1 month ago
I was trying to show a student how he could use math to make his job easier. His response was "I get paid more if I take longer" (this was about counting a till at the end of a shift). Some students refuse to learn anything they don't absolutely have to know immediately.
by Anonymous1 month ago
I would say, "no you don't cause you just got fired from your fictional job for taking too long"... now there's a life lesson.
by Zdubuque1 month ago
Mr. Miyagi would say otherwise
by Anonymous1 month ago
43 years old and what I was taught has worked for me extensively 🤷♂️
by Anonymous1 month ago
20% is a fifth and 5*3 is 15 (from rote memorization), so a fifth of 15 is 3. The thing about that method is, nobody taught it to me. I got it by intuition. You have to be taught the algorithmic methods (15 times 0.2), but you get the intuitive methods yourself from practice
by GuessPhysical92811 month ago
That is also correct. Missing a few steps in the proof for teaching a child, but yes.
by Anonymous1 month ago
It still works....I mean we don't get it because it wasn't how we were taught but my kids have had no problems with math. It's a longer way to get to an answer but it still works
by Anonymous1 month ago
Why do we need to do the long way when the short way works just fine?
by Anonymous1 month ago
Because kids have easy ways to do the short way, doesn't mean they're learning how to do the actual math
by Anonymous1 month ago
We learned the short way and do just fine.
by Anonymous1 month ago
We didn't have phones or calculators in school when we were learning basic math. Like I said before, just because we learned it that way doesn't mean it's the right way, just another way.
by Anonymous1 month ago
Still completely missing the point I see. Learning different operations is like different exercises. You can still break all of those down to make it easier to think about in general. That's not to say there aren't bad teachers out there but conceptually it makes sense.
by FitMine1 month ago
Well my kid has made it to 10th grade doin alright so I guess I'm just lucky
by Anonymous1 month ago
I've bartended the last almost 15 years, not sure how that comes into play but younger people I have trained can read fractions so I guess that's good? Same with my electrical trade, they can read tape measures
by Anonymous1 month ago
Doesn't IBEW require that they pass a test to become apprentices? That would weed out the ones who couldn't add fractions and such....
by Anonymous1 month ago
Yup, math is a major major important skill to have so if all these younger individuals are getting into the apprenticeship, they must be learning something....
by Anonymous1 month ago
Apologies, I was giving a frame of reference for the people I come in contact with who usually feel the need to over share personal experiences.
by Unhappy-Park-45681 month ago
It really doesn't though from what I've seen.. I've seen kids get failed for answering 5x3=15 but only because when it came to their "show your work" portion, the kid had 5 groups of 3, instead of 3 groups of 5.. It's insane. And why the hell would we be changing things that work, just to make them take longer to reach the same equation????
by Radiant_Farmer_25731 month ago
Because of technology, kids these days have calculators, phones, etc, anyone can do 5×3 but do they know how they got 15? I mean it does because as I said, I have 2 kids in school, one is a sophomore, the other a 3rd grader and they know math. I'm also an electrician which requires a heavy amount of math knowledge and see it in the younger kids. If kids are failing, they'd fail either way
by Anonymous1 month ago
Declining test scores are likely due to an inclusion of everyone. Before students that did poorly were dropped or sent to a different school or separated in "special ed" we failed these students but that wasn't represented.
by Anonymous1 month ago
🤷♂️ not everyone is good at test taking, when they use it in the real world, that's where it matters
by Anonymous1 month ago
The kids I know who aren't doing well in school have uninterested parents who don't follow through at home.
by Vivid_Degree1 month ago
My kid is doing well (is even helping her classmates in math) but I find the extent to which it required me to supplement material never covered in class to get there to be frustrating. She was getting decent grades before but had math fact gaps that were common in the college students I used to tutor who were failing remedial math.
by Anonymous1 month ago
You can find amazing YouTube videos that walk you through every single math lesson. There is literally no reason why any kid should be doing poorly. When I was growing up if you missed class or didn't understand it the first time you had to schedule time after school, now it's just a quick search.
by Vivid_Degree1 month ago
5x3 is not the same thing as 3x5 though.
by Vivid_Degree1 month ago
Cross product moment.
by One_Consideration6771 month ago
The problem is we teach it as theory on a grid and don't apply it directly thru real world problems.
by Zestyclose_Tap1 month ago
Math actually benefits from being abstract. You don't need to know every detail in order to solve problems. As a programmer, it is similar to writing more abstract code with a high level language, rather than e.g. machine code. You can treat lower levels of abstraction as black boxes and not know precisely how or why they work and still gain value from the system.
by Wblick1 month ago
Public school in the US has no respect for children's time. There's so much wrong with it. One of the big mistakes they make is trying to teach children concepts before their brains are ready.
by estefaniakilbac1 month ago
You had a very privileged education. Most people simply did not have that experience.
by MaleficentNorth21671 month ago
White privilege apparently
by Anonymous1 month ago
This is why we should make kids who flunk take the course until they pass. You need to have these foundational knowledge in able to move forward, otherwise you'd be playing catch up every time or they'll just be a waste of time and resources. Language, comprehension, arithmetic - to not know algebra at 13 just meant you sucked at one if not not all of these when you were younger.
by Gutmanncraig1 month ago
This is actually an extremely popular opinion, though not one that I agree with.
by Anonymous1 month ago
Why
by Anonymous1 month ago
Because I deeply enjoy mathematics, am good at it, and feel as though I was taught it very well in school in a way that inspired me to enjoy it.
by Anonymous1 month ago
You're right but teaching the 'why' is just as likely to fly over their head. Kids don't fundamentally understand the reasons why they're being taught information because they legitimately don't have the ability to fully appreciate the answer given their age and experience
by Anonymous1 month ago
For most people it'll be pretty boring no matter how it's taught.
by wunschnico1 month ago
A lot of it is bad teachers. My granddaughter failed fifth grade math. She's in sixth grade, had the second highest test score in the school, and is now in advanced math. She also loves her teacher. Hated the fifth grade teacher.
by Anonymous1 month ago
Why are you here criticizing how is taught without offering alternatives that you think would be more effective?
by Anonymous1 month ago
I took algebra in 8th grade. It was fine for me. Pretty much the same from grade school all through college. With ALL of my college courses being math heavy.
by sonya311 month ago
So what would the proper way be?
by Anonymous1 month ago
Maybe math in your life hasn't been taught property but did anybody teach you not to use profanity?
by Anonymous1 month ago
Oh all of a sudden, we aren't allowed to use profanity on the internet now?
by Anonymous1 month ago
Not when I'm around.
by Anonymous1 month ago
oh my. yes daddy.
by Anonymous1 month ago
"Math"
by Bridgette671 month ago
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
by Anonymous1 month ago
Teach math through physics It's such an obvious solution
by Anonymous1 month ago
I think this varies from school and era, I was taught maths very differently to how I teach it now. If a kid in my class doesn't get something, it's probably because I need to think of a better way to explain it to them and their way of thinking. The onus is on me to explain it not for teachers to blame kids for not understanding. Too often kids come into class, thinking they're dumb because they find it hard, but as I remind them, it's like lifting weights for your brain, you don't go into the gym and lift something that's easy to do you lift something that's heavy and hard and you might need a spotter at some point along the way and that finding it hard does not make them dumb. Too often, there is a fear around making a mistake which is sometimes instilled by bad teachers while in reality, mistakes are actually when your brain grows the most. There are also just Jack teaches out there that think because they find it easy everyone else should Honestly half my job of getting kids improving their maths ability is building their confidence
by Anonymous1 month ago
Glad you were able to test all teachings in all schools in all countries to come to the conclusion that Math is not taught correctly. More likely, you had a bad experience.
by Anonymous1 month ago
I mean, if you look at the stats, American kids do way worse at math than many other countries. And this is definitely not genetic differences, because internationally adopted kids perform similarly to their classmates. So it stands to reason it's probably bad teaching.
by flossiemurazik1 month ago
And this has to do with math being taught incorreclty everywhere how?
by Anonymous1 month ago
While I am not going to assert where the OP lives, they most likely meant it about their own country rather than globally. Most people, regardless of country, forget that the internet is global and are used to speaking to people in their proximity. Saying "the way school teaches math is just wrong" to your friends has the baked in implication that its "the way school in our country...."
by Alone_Forever1 month ago
Apparently neither is spelling it. It's MATH. Not maths
by Radiant_Farmer_25731 month ago
Regional difference
by Anonymous1 month ago
That's the great thing - numbers mean the same in every language. That regional difference is likely the reason why they struggle to figure it out so much.
by Radiant_Farmer_25731 month ago
Math = American english. Math means mathematics. Maths = British English. Maths = Mathematic(S). WITH AN S So, you are the ignorant American, who drops the S out of sheer laziness or ineptitude. I can't tell
by Theoschneider1 month ago
At least I know algebra
by Radiant_Farmer_25731 month ago
American English is the only English that matters. Math > whatever nonsense the rest of the world does.
by Anonymous1 month ago
America's education system is an abysmal failure
by Anonymous1 month ago
🙄
by Anonymous1 month ago
Well none of the maths; geometry, algebra, trig, calculus and so on are in congruence with each other so thats why a lot of people don't get it....
by Separate_Classic 1 month ago
by Delicious_Air 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by karsonschuster 1 month ago
by IllustratorAny 1 month ago
by Zdubuque 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by No_Hamster_5505 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Admirable_Humor 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by plittle 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by FamiliarVisit 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Zdubuque 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by GuessPhysical9281 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by FitMine 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Unhappy-Park-4568 1 month ago
by Radiant_Farmer_2573 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Vivid_Degree 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Vivid_Degree 1 month ago
by Vivid_Degree 1 month ago
by One_Consideration677 1 month ago
by Zestyclose_Tap 1 month ago
by Wblick 1 month ago
by estefaniakilbac 1 month ago
by MaleficentNorth2167 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Gutmanncraig 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by wunschnico 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by sonya31 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Bridgette67 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by flossiemurazik 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Alone_Forever 1 month ago
by Radiant_Farmer_2573 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Radiant_Farmer_2573 1 month ago
by Theoschneider 1 month ago
by Radiant_Farmer_2573 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago
by Affectionate_Pen 1 month ago
by Anonymous 1 month ago