Students are told that they must work hard to achieve success in math in high school because math will be needed in the real world. Is this really true?
Parents that look at their own report cards from 25 years ago and compare to today’s report cards find that students are taking far more classes than the parents did.
Past Graduation Requirements vs. Present
Today's requirements for graduation are amazing compared to 25 years ago. Students are now taking high school requirements in eighth grade because there is not enough time in a high school day to comply with all the mandates. Some schools have switched to nine period days to make more time. Are all these classes really necessary? Perhaps, it is time to review high school requirements based on research and not past practices.
Is Advanced Math Used In The Adult World?
When adults are asked how much math they use daily, the answer is usually very minimal or even none. The percentage of adults needing advanced math in their career runs from 10% to 20%.
That is very interesting considering that high schools are currently raising the math requirements for graduation. Required advanced math classes are why some students drop out of high school. They don't think they will understand Algebra II so they give up. Is it really critical that everyone understands Algebra II when many do not understand how to balance a checkbook, economics or credit card interest?
Minimal Use of Advanced Math in Real World
If advanced math will be used by less than 20% of the adult population, should advanced math be a graduation requirement? Even engineers often state their use of math is minimal.
"My concern as an academic stems from the fact that most college majors and professional-level occupations do not require math beyond elementary statistics. Through the years, I have routinely asked professionals whether they use advanced math in their daily work. Replies in the affirmative have been extremely rare, including, to my surprise, from engineers." [Jerry W. Miller, "In the Real World, Advanced Math Doesn't Always Add Up, October 30, 2008, Washingtonpost.com]
Who is Better at Math?
Students all process data differently. Strengths of each brain vary from student to student. Every teacher can verify that fact. Left-brained students are usually stronger in math than right-brained students are. Right-brained students are usually more creative than left-brained students.
Schools require all students, left-brained and right-brained, to take required math classes. However, schools do not require all students to take creative writing, choir, band, art, basketball and soccer. These are right-brained activities.
Society honors left-brains more than right-brains and schools require right-brains to take left-brained classes. However, schools do not force left-brains to take right-brained activities. By making advanced math a graduation requirement, schools are going against the grain of approximately half of the student population in a high school.
What would happen in a school if it required every student to take piano or art as a graduation requirement? And, not just on the primary level. What if it forced every student to graduate as an accomplished pianist or artist? Or, what if every student was required to play a high school sport before they could graduate? And what if all students were required to not only take a sport but be proficient with rubrics?
Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner has studied various intelligence components. In school, verbal, visual and kinesthetic intelligences are honored. Gardner is a well-known Harvard professor that claims there are seven intelligences.
Linguistic intelligence: the ability to learn languages and expresses oneself. Careers are in writing and law.
Logical-mathematical intelligence: the ability to think logically and solve mathematical problems. Careers are in mathematics and science.
Musical intelligence: the ability to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. Careers are in music composition, performance and music appreciation.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: the ability to use’s body to solve problems. Careers are in hands-on positions and athletics.
Spatial intelligence: the ability to recognize and use wide patterns and space.
Interpersonal intelligence: the ability to understand intentions, motivation and desires of people. Careers are in education, counseling, salespeople, religion, and politics.
Intrapersonal intelligence: the ability to understand oneself, feelings, fears and motivations.
Gardner’s challenge is to utilize each human being’s potential. Knowing that only one out of seven intelligences deal with math, is it logical to force all students to become proficient in a few selected intelligences? Wouldn't it be more useful to use teaching methods that mirror the learning style of each student using differentiated learning?
When the economy is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, it does not make sense to frustrate and discourage kinesthetic, right-brained learners that could fill those positions.
Source: Washingtonpost.com, October 30, 2008
The copyright of the article Is Upper Level Math Necessary? in Educational Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Is Upper Level Math Necessary? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I was so pleased to read this article. Perhaps, we can begin looking at
each child as a person instead of considering all children a
"class." I like this idea of differentiated learning.
I watched a mandatory advanced math class totally destroy my son and his
other classes went down the tubes with it which eventually destroyed his
grade point average. Then, to hear the college say that he doesn't need to
have advanced math for his major that he selected was quite a blow, too.
Why was the high school counselor focing him to take it? I thought the
idea was to prepare kids for college. I find it fascinating that enginners
don't use that much math in the work world. But, if you aren't fabulous in
math, you won't make it through an engineering program. Are colleges out
of touch?
Nov 11, 2008 10:22 PM
Guest :
The courses that students take in high school compose a curriculum designed
to teach students to follow directions, analyze information, develop a good
work ethic and think critically. I don't think that any teacher or school
believes that the average student will need to develop a history timeline,
correctly identify the location of the Ivory Coast or write a 3-5 page
essay in real life. As a left-brained person, I resented taking AP US
History, AP English Literature and Spanish 5 and I can honestly say that I
don't use any of the tasks that I performed in those classes for real life.
So then are we to track students in 9th grade and have them only take
courses relevant to their future careers (determined by a 14 year old)?
The variety of courses offered in high school allow students to explore
many activities so that they can determine their interests. Yes, it is
true that students are taking many more classes than they did in the past,
but this is an entirely separate issue of an American society obsessed with
big things (houses, SUV's, curricula) and with competition.
Nov 12, 2008 6:53 AM
Guest :
You certainly are left-brained and not open to new ideas. Math is easier
for lefts. What about the other people in your school that may not be
capable of the same difficulty?
So, high school curriculums
are linked to big houses and SUVs? Okay.
Nov 12, 2008 11:15 PM
Guest :
It's amazing how people are so unwilling to think or be challenged. It is
our job as educators to teach children to rise and overcome obstacles. We
must encourage them to be patient, to persevere and to solve their
problems. What kinds of adults and citizens will they become if we give
them our blessing to quit anything that is difficult for them? The world
economy is becoming increasingly technical and data-driven with jobs being
outsourced to more competent countries (with large supplies of people with
knowledge of advanced mathematics). If we don't want to burden our
children with advanced mathematics (or science), then we have no right to
complain when people from other countries step in and do what we don't want
or aren't capable of doing.
Nov 13, 2008 7:31 AM
Guest :
Using Differentiated Learning principles, you must first find the target
range for challenge in each child in each academic area. Students lose
motivation quickly if underchallenged or overchallenged. Case in point are
the bright students that drop out of school. Frustrating a child far
beyond capabilities guarantees failure. If a student received a
"B+" in Algebra I, he or she can probably handle Algebra II with
an appropriate challenge. However, a student that passed Algebra with a
"D-" is bound for failure in Algebra II. This student should not
take the advanced math class. The belief that students fail because they
are aren't trying hard enough in not based on research or best practices.
I am so excited to be in a school that uses differentiated learning. What
a difference in the students!
Nov 18, 2008 10:54 AM
Guest :
Our school is discussing how to meet all the state math requirements for
kids that are just not capable to achieving high math skills. We've taken
Algebra I and split it into two classes. Algebra A is taught one year (1/2
of the book) and Algebra B is taught the following year. These kids
understand Algebra better and get in twice the credits. This makes more
sense than pushing Algebra in 8th grade or forcing more advanced math
classes. Let's allow kids to be successful.
Dec 2, 2008 9:24 AM
Guest :
Math is often the class that keeps kids from graduating that could be very
productive citizens had they gone on to a junior college or tech school. I
don't think we should focus on "math" as the test for a quality
education. If your IQ is low in the quanitative area, you will struggle
greatly with math and it isn't a matter of just trying a little harder.
Apr 27, 2009 10:22 PM
Guest :
I am sorry, but this article contradicts itself! The author (if you can
call her that) uses math to try to prove her point! "The percentage of
adults using math in their careers is 10-20%" How can you even be
sure she is right if you don't know math? Some people want to claim
"my brain isn't wired to think this way", which is like saying
"my brain isn't wired to take a shower in the morning or at all".
I am sure anyone can agree that different people have different strengths,
but is that an excuse not to work on your weeknesses? Look, there are ways
to teach math to all kinds of learners, it just needs to be taught more
creatively. Do the people who support this article know anything about
where advanced math is used? Even if engineers and those in society choose
not to understand the formulas that they rely on to do their jobs, wouldn't
you want to know they could get to the bottom of a process if it was
implemented incorrectly? What this article does is teach society to
give up on something before they even know what it is all about. If
students aren't at least challenged to learn a material so they can see if
they might be good at it, how will they ever know its use in society. This
"soft science" approach isn't proven, and doesn't even begin to
consider what alternative problems you have when you take it. Sure, you can
rely on what everyone else is doing, but isn't it better to have the peice
of mind that you can if necessary get to the bottom of things yourself?
Apr 28, 2009 8:53 AM
Guest :
Wow. The last post is really hitting below the belt. Perhaps, a
frustrated math teacher that needs to improve teaching methods? There is
no reason to doubt the facts in this article. As for this writer, and she
is a writer, I find her articles very interesting. They make me think out
of the box. I enjoy new ideas.
Many of us in the real world
do not use math often. We know the basics and contact others when we need
to understand more. There is no way I could wire my house so I turn to
experts. I'm not talented in that area. I can't fix my car so I consult
experts to get it fixed. Why is math to be forced on kids that do not have
the quantitative IQ to do well in it? Seems very cruel. Personally, I
think adults need the basics and leave the advanced math for those that
enjoy doing that sort of thing. I totally agree with the writer.
Jul 24, 2009 12:14 PM
Guest :
In school, I was considered a mostly right brained child. In addition, my
quantitative IQ was practically in the disabled range (WISC 111).Well,
after a seemingly endless period of teachers and psychologists telling me
I'm nonverbally challenged(includes math), indirectly or otherwise, I'm a
star electrical engineering major in my second year of college. Looking
back, I'd say my greatest weakness, my math learning confidence, was
derived from the expectations of others,and my impressionable mind, not my
lack of "natural ability". I admit that my case is fairly
unusual, but that does not necessarily negate my point. Which is, don't
kill some of the childs opportunities with bad expectations. From
experience,I have learned that people fail math because of a negative
attitude. And, almost invariably, this attitude is begotten from a
perception of ability. (ex I can't do this, as I'm not smart enough). If a
parent fails math and says they don't like it, then, for whatever reason,
the child often fails it to. Please, don't fall into that mental trap, and
don't impose it on others by referring to ability as THE determinant of
academic success. Regarding the instruction of advanced math in high
school, I'm against it. By advanced math, I mean calculus and above
(trigonometry is fine). My main reason is that calculus requires a firm
grasp of the basics, which is tough to acquire with even the current time
restrictions. Precalculus, on the other hand, should be offered to prepared
students (some students master the previous material and get bored, others
should take it to prepare for college etc)
