Quote:
Originally Posted by curves2000
I don't have any children and so I can't speak to anything going on in the current CBE system regarding math other than what I read about in the news but I can speak to real life examples. We as a society are getting worse at some of the most basic life experiences when it comes to basic arithmetic.
1) How many people need to bust out the smartphone for the "tip calculator" app? I guess figuring out what a 10, 15 or 20% tip on a $50 bar tab is a big challenge?
2) I can't tell you how often either cashiers or customers struggle with getting change when paying cash at a store. An item turns out to be $12 and you give them $22 hoping to get a $10 bill back and all you get is a blank stare. Most people resort to what the screen tells them. What about people in line who try to be "smart" by offering up more change that only results in more coins for them?
3) How often have you gone to the bank, asked to withdraw $200 in cash from the teller and they proceed to count out 20,40,60,80,100,120....... instead of just counting out 10 bills @ $20 each? I am a banker and this drives me nuts!
4) How many people have struggles with doing a quick calculation on a sale of merchandise? How much is a 30% discount on a $75 item?
I will be the first to admit than I am not some A+ math whiz despite being in finance but some of the basic, everyday tasks in life and a lot of people are really struggling and it isn't funny. Alberta used to be one of the top math, science and engineering places in the country which reflected well in our energy sector employment and innovation.
I hate to say it but seniors who are older and came from a different time in history, when they say all this "tech stuff" is going to make us dumb, I am starting to see it myself. One of the biggest things I have noticed is my penmanship declining rapidly. I always had excellent penmanship for a male and lately I look down when I write something down the odd time and it looks to me like I just polished off a bottle of gin, trying to write down something of importance.
Sorry about the long post, rant over!
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You are forgetting about the people who are receiving the money. Hopefully the bank employee knows that 10 x $20 = $200. However, many receiving the money actually want it counted out exactly as the bank tellers do.
Your rant however is 100% true. I am a former Math teacher and what I see going on in the Math Curriculum today makes me grind my teeth and pull out my hair...especially when children (and teachers) are told they are not supposed to do Math the "old-fashioned way".
We all learn differently and I always told my students there is more than one way to get from point A to point B.
Most students can get from point A to point B relatively easily if you teach and show them a number of ways to do so. And while there might be one or two timely ways to get from point A to point B, some students only learn the concept by going theough an extra step or two to get from point A to point B.
That is where a good teacher really shines and that is why I think it is very important to have teachers who are specialized in their fields teaching those concepts, particularly from Grades 5 and up.