Pat et al:
It is not surprising that the SI was not mentioned in the Math Panel's
final report. And, it shouldn't be because the SI is a measurement/science
issue and not a math issue.
The SI should be taught and used in science courses and classes, as I've
said before. The education system in the US has seen metrication as a
computational issue (conversion) and not a fundamental measurement issue.
Until the US understands this, the US will have trouble metrication.
However, there is hope. Here in Montgomery County, Maryland, our
Superintendent of Schools, Dr Jerry Weast, (138,000 students) recognized this
back in 2002 when I brought it to his attention. Since then, the SI has been
taught in science classes and courses and used exclusively in them. On a
couple of occasions since, Dr. Weast has told me that he is committed to the
SI. That's where the rubber hits the road.
Incidentally, I was at the final meeting of the NMP as I've reported.
Regards, Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Pat Naughtin
To: U.S. Metric Association
Cc: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 4:46 AM
Subject: [USMA:40576] Re: National Mathematics Advisory panel
Dear Jim and All,
I have had another look at the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMAP)
final report and I am even more surprised and perplexed than I was before.
The Final Report can be found at www.ed.gov/mathpanel and the press release
is available at http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/03/03132008.html.
You may recall that the NMAP final report did not mention:
the metric system
the International System of Units
meters (or metres)
grams
liters (or litres)
But neither did it mention inches, feet, yards, or furlongs. The only
measuring words that I could find were 'miles per gallon' and these words were
mentioned only once and they appeared in this context:
**
Mathematics literacy is a serious problem in the United States. According to
Philips (2007), 78% of adults cannot explain how to compute the interest paid
on a loan, 71% cannot calculate miles per gallon on a trip, and 58% cannot
calculate a 10% tip for a lunch bill. Further, it is clear from the research
that a broad range of students and adults also have difficulties with fractions
(e.g., Hecht, Vagi, & Torgeson, 2007; Mazzocco & Devlin, in press), a
foundational skill essential to success in algebra. The recent National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, “the Nation’s Report Card”) shows
that 27% of eighth-graders could not correctly shade 1/3 of a rectangle and 45%
could not solve a word problem that required dividing fractions (U.S.
Department of Education, 2004).
Labor economists Richard J. Murnane and Frank Levy have spoken to the vital
importance of mathematical skill (Murnane & Levy, 1996):
Close to half of all seventeen year olds cannot read or do math at the level
needed to get a job at a modern automobile plant. Barring some other special
knowledge or talent that would allow them to earn a living as, say, a plumber
or artist, they lack the skills to earn a middle-class paycheck in today’s
economy.
**
The last of these paragraphs stunned me because I know that the automotive
industry in the USA is almost totally metric and it has been largely metric
since the mid 1970s.
How can you have a mathematics education policy that does not even include a
single reference to the metric system when probably many more than half of the
current crop of school students will work using metric units in the domestic
industries of the USA? Lorelle Young, the president of the United States Metric
Association estimated, a few years ago, that industry in the USA was then more
than 60 % metric.
Where will children learn to measure using the metric system if the 'National
Mathematics Advisory Panel' specifically leaves out any reference to the modern
metric system when they advise on policy for USA schools?
How can you have "a domestic technical workforce with adequate scale and
top-level skill" when absolutely no guidance is given by the nation's
mathematical leaders about units of measurement?
On 2008/03/15, at 10:28 AM, James Frysinger wrote:
That's an impressive statistic, Pat. Your previous email on this subject
(but with no subject line entry) was USMA:40565. That forwarded a list of
emails that NMAP had received. But that list did not include the submissions
that were read to the panel in person.
I find little to hope for in this. The NMAP struck me as being rather deaf
on the subject of the metric system, both during my presentation and in their
interim reports. On the day I attended and presented, the bulk of the questions
asked and comments made by the panel had to do with proposed commercial
education packages. We have seen these "miracle cures" marching down the road
for years, in a steady stream, for their chance to drink deep at the public
money trough. Apart from that the only interest by the panel seemed to be when
to start teaching algebra. In short, the NMAP seemed more focussed on
methodology (especially the procured sort) than on content.
Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised when the report comes out on
Tuesday. I hope so.
Jim
Pat Naughtin wrote:
Dear Marion and All,
You might be interested in the fact that the National Mathematics
Advisory panel:
… reviewed written commentary from 160 organizations and individuals …
and 30 of these submissions (19 %) were about the teaching of the (SI) metric
system in USA schools.
On 2008/03/15, at 6:25 AM, m. f. moon wrote:
Pat, great comment. Without going into great detail of the problem, I
got
myself into a bit of difficulty when during a discussion on a standards
specification, I suggested that a certain equation may not be correct.
I was
assigned to study the problem over night but didn't have a calculator
nor
computer with me. I choose to do rational arithmetic which handled the
boundary conditions with ease -- this is where I thought the problems
might
be. A couple of quick calcs showed the intermediate values to be
correct also.
So, my claim was wrong but the method of solution was unusual for most
of the
other standards committee members but persuasive. Who needs fractions?
marion moon
------ Original Message ------
Received: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:42:37 AM PDT
From: Pat Naughtin <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: [USMA:40565]
Dear All,
Here is a copy of the 30 submissions that the National Mathematics
Advisory Panel (NMAP) received with reference to teaching of the the metric
system in the schools of the USA.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped
thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric
system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each
year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides
services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for
commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and
in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA,
NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See
http://www.metricationmatters.com/ for more metrication information, contact
Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go
to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/ to subscribe.
