Re:California is Planning to 'De-Mathematize Math'
by ksec on Tuesday November 09, 2021 @01:41PM
(#29165567)
Isn't this.... against the goal of trying to bring out the best ability of each individual?
And I assumed that was the goal in the first place.
Re:California is Planning to 'De-Mathematize Math'
by jhbadger on Tuesday November 09, 2021 @01:44PM
(#29165628)
The argument (whether or not it is convincing) is that having no tracking would pull up the lower achievers and that tracking basically is giving up on them. Both sides want the same thing, it's how they want to get there.
Re:California is Planning to 'De-Mathematize Math'
by tstrimple on Tuesday November 09, 2021 @02:54PM
(#29166610)
My daughter (10 years old) barely missed the cutoff for her advanced math classes this year. She's been helping "less gifted" students in class, and I would say is substantially better off than if she's been doing slightly more difficult math problems. This is forcing her to think about math in a different way in order to try to help other kids bridge their gaps. I wonder what schools would look like if this was the norm.
Re:California is Planning to 'De-Mathematize Math'
by swlp21 on Tuesday November 09, 2021 @03:12PM
(#29166847)
> 1) Eliminate "tracking" which separates high achievers into advanced classes where they can't help the poorer students.
I'm not familiar with US school teaching methods, but is it not normally the teachers job to help the poorer [less able] students?
1) Eliminate "tracking" which separates high achievers into advanced classes where they can't help the poorer students. 2) Add social context to math classes, such as how biased statistics led to Blacks being denied home loans while whites of similar income received them.
I'm not saying the reforms would be a good idea, especially 1), which would be terrible for kids good at math, but they aren't as silly as an attempt to "de-mathematize" the classes.