NY Professor Says Algebra Is Too Hard, Schools Should Drop It

13

Comments

  • MsBLKUSA
    MsBLKUSA Members Posts: 37
    Algebra is only difficult to those who didn't conquer elementary/pre-algebra. Once you conquer those easy elements everything that you do in algebra is generally nothing but formulas that add on to those pre-existing concepts. People have problems with algebra due to fear, and past failures with math.

    Just like with writing you learn to spell words, which progresses into writing sentences, adding periods, commons, semicolons ect; algebra is the same thing.. adding more elements to already known conecpts formulas.

    I took 4 math classes in college, not including stats and trig as some people don't classify them as such (my school didn't). However, if it wasn't for Algebra I wouldn't have gotten far in math at all.
  • reapin505
    reapin505 Members Posts: 4,009 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ajackson17 wrote: »
    reapin505 wrote: »
    ? math in general, algebra was the reason I dropped out because I couldn't ? understand it. I don't see its uses in the work force and I don't believe it is key to having problem solving skills and critical thinking in life. The formulas in science(chemistry and physics) even had my ? stumped granted I eventually got those because I enjoy science to an extent.

    However, to get rid of it entirely is ? . I have always preferred writing, reading, and history in school, I've always hated math but I have seen people who excel at it move on to greater things than I feel I could right now. I believe that if I worked hard enough I could have graduated high school with a 4.0 and be in college with a scholarship right now studying for whatever I have to take for Archeology/history major and figure out HTML/code and such for a computer related side job instead of busing tables and dish washing at Village Inn. I don't think algebra should be required to graduate, but I think that students should take it at least in order to give themselves a chance at advancing towards whatever goal they may have. People need challenges in order to thrive in life. An easy life breeds weak men.

    You had a poor teacher. Algebra is the first step to understanding the universe and life itself. Because everything comes to a mathematical formula.

    While I will say I had a lot of ? teachers in high school (except for my 11th and 12th grade English and History teachers), a lot of the blame laid with me also. Apart from not trying my hardest after a certain point, I was never any good with math. Hell no one in my family is except for maybe my ? sister.

    Now if you are talking about all that spiritual ? , along with sacred geomentry, I won't deny that.
  • Plutarch
    Plutarch Members Posts: 3,239 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Calculus? Maybe. Algebra? C'mon, son!
  • not_osirus_jenkins
    not_osirus_jenkins Members, Banned Users Posts: 3,670 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ajackson17 wrote: »
    ? that. Algebra is like Chinese algebra to me. I suck at it. Math period. If it ain't about coinage then I don't know it.

    Osirius would be disappointed in you brotha.

    I'll black your eye
  • atribecalledgabi
    atribecalledgabi Members, Moderators Posts: 14,063 Regulator
    As somebody who went up to trig in hs and didn't care for math at all, he can shut his whole entire ass tf up.
  • dalyricalbandit
    dalyricalbandit Members, Moderators Posts: 67,918 Regulator
    man ? that these kids got it good and also it seems these kids be out of school super early it be like 1:30 and these kids already getting out back when i was in school it was 2:45 or later
  • usmarin3
    usmarin3 Members Posts: 38,013 ✭✭✭✭✭
    We just don't need the US to be like Asia (Japan and S Korea). A bunch of ? robots who express no emotions and individuality. I swear to ? those people are soulless. Just built to do math, follow rules,etc.
  • Mister B.
    Mister B. Members, Writer Posts: 16,172 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I loved algebra, and I love teaching it even more. ? this guy.


    Now, calculus....man, ? THAT ? . They can leave that ? wherever they got it from.
  • NothingButTheTruth
    NothingButTheTruth Members Posts: 10,850 ✭✭✭✭✭
    All school is easy. As far as getting rid of a specific class like Algebra, my question is, what determines the difficulty level as that ? is highly subjective, and what is the base level of when it becomes no longer needed?

    Also, why the point the blame towards the student's ability to grasp the concept? Maybe the teachers can't teach, or the way the curriculum is structured, is to blame.
  • kzzl
    kzzl Members Posts: 7,548 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2016
    Friend of mine said they don't even teach her kid math the way we was taught. Something called common core. According to her they complicated math problems way more than they needed to.

    Yeah, dude on page two, that's the ? she was referring too.
  • blackrain
    blackrain Members, Moderators Posts: 27,269 Regulator
    edited April 2016
    I took pre algebra in 8th grade so by the time I was a freshman in high school I went right to honors algebra 1...algebra 2 was easy as ? I got a 99 in that class...remember that ? because I sold my notebook all my homework at the end of the year for $300 to somebody who'd failed the class and offered to buy it. That also happened to be the year I switched from private school to public school and really noticed the difference between the 2....it was pretty sad but that's a whole nother thread

    I don't agree with taking it out of schools but I do think other ? needs to be emphasized that serves a more daily practical use in people's lives.
  • (Nope)
    (Nope) Members Posts: 2,746 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Math is just like language and it should be taught sooner.

    If it's not relevant to your college degree, then it shouldn't be a requirement. But it is and always should be a requirement for elementary through high-school kids.
  • saracenwire
    saracenwire Members Posts: 523 ✭✭✭✭
    I passed algebra in 6th grade. ? outta here.
  • Will Munny
    Will Munny Members Posts: 30,199 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2016
    Math sucks. Leaned nothing. Benefited nothing. Just tanked my GPA.

    Math is for losers.
  • kzzl
    kzzl Members Posts: 7,548 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I failed outta pre-alegbra. I didn't even want to learn it. And my class knew we'd never need that ? after school. Long as you paid the 200 for summer school, they would pass us anyway.

    So the majority of my math class ain't give a ? . Outta 15, my teacher was only teaching maybe 6 students. The rest of us was just coasting or killing time.

  • konceptjones
    konceptjones Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 13,139 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2016
    Yes, drop algebra, why not? What could possibly go wrong???

    http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/american-schools-vs-the-world-expensive-unequal-bad-at-math/281983/
    The U.S. education system is mediocre compared to the rest of the world, according to an international ranking of OECD countries.

    Yes, making us dumber compared to the rest of the world makes sense.

    32879008.jpg
  • Peezy_Jenkins
    Peezy_Jenkins Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 33,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
    its not as hard as it is useless imo.
  • Idiopathic Joker
    Idiopathic Joker Members, Moderators Posts: 45,691 Regulator
    Are they going to drop books from schools also cause some kids can't read?

    "Reading is good and all, but no one will ever need Charlotte's Web in their daily lives."


    FOH
  • Mr.LV
    Mr.LV Members Posts: 14,089 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Algebra wasn't really hard it's when I got to the 11th grade and when we was taking calculus when I had to really study to pass.
  • Ajackson17
    Ajackson17 Members Posts: 22,501 ✭✭✭✭✭
    reapin505 wrote: »
    Ajackson17 wrote: »
    reapin505 wrote: »
    ? math in general, algebra was the reason I dropped out because I couldn't ? understand it. I don't see its uses in the work force and I don't believe it is key to having problem solving skills and critical thinking in life. The formulas in science(chemistry and physics) even had my ? stumped granted I eventually got those because I enjoy science to an extent.

    However, to get rid of it entirely is ? . I have always preferred writing, reading, and history in school, I've always hated math but I have seen people who excel at it move on to greater things than I feel I could right now. I believe that if I worked hard enough I could have graduated high school with a 4.0 and be in college with a scholarship right now studying for whatever I have to take for Archeology/history major and figure out HTML/code and such for a computer related side job instead of busing tables and dish washing at Village Inn. I don't think algebra should be required to graduate, but I think that students should take it at least in order to give themselves a chance at advancing towards whatever goal they may have. People need challenges in order to thrive in life. An easy life breeds weak men.

    You had a poor teacher. Algebra is the first step to understanding the universe and life itself. Because everything comes to a mathematical formula.

    While I will say I had a lot of ? teachers in high school (except for my 11th and 12th grade English and History teachers), a lot of the blame laid with me also. Apart from not trying my hardest after a certain point, I was never any good with math. Hell no one in my family is except for maybe my ? sister.

    Now if you are talking about all that spiritual ? , along with sacred geomentry, I won't deny that.

    The physical universe is learned through equations and that's how Einstein realized that gravity was waves sort of like a trampoline effect. Which was turned correct, that's how we can identify if something exist or not through the mathematics.
  • L3NU
    L3NU Members Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭✭✭
    reapin505 wrote: »
    Ajackson17 wrote: »
    reapin505 wrote: »
    ? math in general, algebra was the reason I dropped out because I couldn't ? understand it. I don't see its uses in the work force and I don't believe it is key to having problem solving skills and critical thinking in life. The formulas in science(chemistry and physics) even had my ? stumped granted I eventually got those because I enjoy science to an extent.

    However, to get rid of it entirely is ? . I have always preferred writing, reading, and history in school, I've always hated math but I have seen people who excel at it move on to greater things than I feel I could right now. I believe that if I worked hard enough I could have graduated high school with a 4.0 and be in college with a scholarship right now studying for whatever I have to take for Archeology/history major and figure out HTML/code and such for a computer related side job instead of busing tables and dish washing at Village Inn. I don't think algebra should be required to graduate, but I think that students should take it at least in order to give themselves a chance at advancing towards whatever goal they may have. People need challenges in order to thrive in life. An easy life breeds weak men.

    You had a poor teacher. Algebra is the first step to understanding the universe and life itself. Because everything comes to a mathematical formula.

    I was never any good with math.


    Hell no one in my family is except for maybe my ? sister.

    Lol I would say your sister is the only one who isn't a ? then
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    When I used to tutor/teach physics, a lot of the students always talked about how they hated physics, but the truth is they hated the algebra. The idea that it shouldn't be taught is dumb as hell though. Talk about wanting the country to go down the tube. People who can't even do basic algebra are very limited in their potential career paths.
  • MrSoutCity
    MrSoutCity Members Posts: 2,709 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Advance algebra was the only class I ever failed in high school
  • Bussy_Getta
    Bussy_Getta Members Posts: 37,679 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I passed algebra and algebra 2. ? is useless in my everyday life.
  • Mister B.
    Mister B. Members, Writer Posts: 16,172 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2016
    kzzl wrote: »
    Friend of mine said they don't even teach her kid math the way we was taught. Something called common core. According to her they complicated math problems way more than they needed to.

    Yeah, dude on page two, that's the ? she was referring too.

    Common Core is the WORST ever. Picture this equation:56+32

    You'd figure you'd add the two ones columns together (6+2=8), then the two tens columns together (5+3=8): 88


    Under Common Core, they use this system: 50+30+6+2.

    Still the same answer, but too long to go through.