Algebra Not Needed After High School

[mathdad]

Why do students say, as a typical excuse, "I don't need this algebra stuff because it is not required for success after high school"? What do you say? I say we use algebra everyday and don't even realize it.

 

[Monoxdifly]

I think they take it for granted that they didn't need to denote a number with a letter so they think that they don't use algebra.

 

[mathdad]

It is sad to know that so many students, especially public school students, graduate with a false hope of a bright tomorrow. After high school, they enroll into college only to get a so-so education, you know, just enough to get by. I know people with a Master's Degree in various fields that cannot pass a reading test at the SAT level. How on Earth were they able to complete college? Easy: THEY SIMPLY GOT PROMOTED WITHOUT ACTUALLY LEARNING A SINGLE THING. Too much time TEACHING THE TEST and not enough time teaching and learning in our schools.

 

[S.G. Janssens]

Too much time TEACHING THE TEST and not enough time teaching and learning in our schools.

This stood out to me.

I don't know how it is on the other side of the Atlantic, but in the universities here, graded hand-in homework is becoming more and more common. At first sight, that may seem like a good thing (students get feedback, they can already collect points towards passing the course, etc.) but in my experience it can lead to exactly the following: During tutorials and exercise classes, students are mainly concerned with finishing the hand-in assignment before the deadline and they forget about the other problems that were also on this week's list. They are trained to pass, more than learn. I think they should be trained in both.

 

[mathdad]

Students are taught to pass exams but learning is not taking place. I consider myself a victim of public school education. After graduating from high school, I took the NYPD exam and scored a 58 percent. I'll never forget it. It was at that moment in time when I found out that my high school diploma was just a piece of paper, a certificate that I did not deserve to have, honestly.

I went to college and worked really hard to increase my academic skills. BTW, I failed ALL THREE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS: MATH, READING, WRITING. I had to take and pass remedial courses without credits. I passed the math and writing exams after completing the remedial training but had to take the reading exam several times before finally passing with a score of 29/40. If memory serves me right, the passing score was 27/40. This is after high school graduation.