Reply to 92% in 4 to 5 in Algebra 1 - teacher attributes success to "old-fashioned" algebra

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "92% in 4 to 5 in Algebra 1 - teacher attributes success to "old-fashioned" algebra "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am wondering what "old-fashioned algebra" is.[/quote]

I'm not exactly sure, but I think it means they didn't rely on subpar teachers who were recruited by their friends at the main office to draft a new curriculum that utilizes made up words and employs 29 steps instead of the most direct route to solving the problem. In short: [b]it means the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0[/b]. [/quote]

No, that can't be what it means, because "the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0" only worked for a small percentage of us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

Any other ideas?[/quote]

Simple fact, [b]just because the prior teaching didn't work for everyone doesn't mean the new teaching will be an improvement[/b].  It can actually be even worse.  I think that's where we are but I guess we're going to send a generation of kids through this new system to prove it.

[/quote]

Yes, that is true. It does mean that we shouldn't go back to the "traditional" way of teaching math, though. We already know that that way does not work.[/quote]

You mean it doesn't close the achievement gap? Duh!

To read about how Zuckerberg poured millions of dollars into fancy schools, uber teachers and technology in Newark...and it was a miserable failure. Why? Because it takes much more to close the achievement gap for low-income minorities. Again, duh!

The traditional math works well for most students. But kids being raised in abject poverty who aren't receiving the same attention and resources as your yuppie snowflake from infancy through school are going to lag behind. 2.0 won't fix that...unless 2.0 includes housing, food, stable parents, safe neighborhoods, and parents who value education and have the economic wherewithal and time to dedicate to teaching their children starting at toddlerhood. And universal pre-k...while nice...doesn't close the achievement gap either...see above for explanation related to complex human needs that must be met outside the classroom.

Signed,

Poverty Lawyer who understands the struggles of low-income families [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics