Well that is not exactly what award-winning mathematics professor, Dennis Turck, actually advocates for, but it makes for a good headline, doesn’t it? And the mainstream media has picked up on the story and are running with similar headlines.
Turck makes the point that fractions are more complicated and should be studied when students are engaged in calculus and not before. As for long division, he believes that there is too much of an emphasis on it.
Just a thought: when was the last time you were on the job and had to do long division? Are you more apt to use a calculator to ensure accuracy? I’m not supporting or refuting his claim, but just asking the question.
When we look at countries like Japan, where mathematics scores are much higher, we see that the math curriculum is much different. It is a narrow but deep curriculum, whereas in the US we tend to have a mathematics curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Also notice that in the US we teach the same math skills over and over, year after year and still come up with lackluster results. Again, I am not supporting Turck’s claim, as much as I am stating that the traditional approach to mathematics is not working in the US. The way we were taught is not necessarily the best approach.
This is a hot topic in education. We have been debating this for some time and it shows up in our classroom discussions at the university. Using calculators in the classroom is also controversial.
Thanks to Jeff for the link.
Turck makes the point that fractions are more complicated and should be studied when students are engaged in calculus and not before. As for long division, he believes that there is too much of an emphasis on it.
Just a thought: when was the last time you were on the job and had to do long division? Are you more apt to use a calculator to ensure accuracy? I’m not supporting or refuting his claim, but just asking the question.
When we look at countries like Japan, where mathematics scores are much higher, we see that the math curriculum is much different. It is a narrow but deep curriculum, whereas in the US we tend to have a mathematics curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Also notice that in the US we teach the same math skills over and over, year after year and still come up with lackluster results. Again, I am not supporting Turck’s claim, as much as I am stating that the traditional approach to mathematics is not working in the US. The way we were taught is not necessarily the best approach.
This is a hot topic in education. We have been debating this for some time and it shows up in our classroom discussions at the university. Using calculators in the classroom is also controversial.
Thanks to Jeff for the link.
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5 comments:
You're on to something big... math education must change.
From someone who struggled (and sometimes still struggles greatly) with math... we can do better.
But drop fractions? ooo, I dunno bout that.
How will I make pancakes if I don't know what 1/4 cup of "just add water" mix is? Dear God, man.
When using 1/4 cup of mix, do you pour out 1 cup of mixture and then divide it into fourths? No. We simply add enough mixture into the cup until it hits the 1/4 cup line. You don't need to know fractions to pour mixture in a glass until you hit the right line.
But I did have to know fractions to half a recipe that called for 3/4 cup of flour, or other similar measurements. Don't you think understanding fractions helps understand decimals and percentages?
That said, I'm not particularly good at math, and maybe a change to how it is taught would have helped me understand more.
I remember when calculators were strictly prohibited in the classroom. Now, it's okay, what gives? I remember going old school on long division using paper and not a keypad. I guess next everyone will be using dragon naturally speaking in class because writing seems to be too much of a stretch. "Uh professor, could you speak a little louder into the bluetooth mic?"
When I taught, I was more concerned that the students knew how to solve the problem, Calculators were ok. I used wrenches and measuring cups for fractions.
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