Gene, >Pupils, in the 21st Century, would better spend available time in school >learning SI and associated STE skills and knowledge rather then learning to >master manual long division. Do you agree?
Yes, of course! I was only remembering a fact of personal pride (cf. [toots horn]), not advocating an educational doctrine. Of course, you're right. Learning manual long division is no longer necessary. But, I have a feel, born of historical necessity, as to why a slide rule, and its successors, are such marvelous devices. If there is no calculator available in a given moment, I can act independently with the skill I was taught many years ago. Sometimes in my pharmacy work , I happen to be without a calculator sitting right on the bench in front of me, and I want to get a result without getting up out of my chair or even asking somebody to hand me a calculator. BTW, I find the cell phone calculator, at least the one on my iPhone, extremely dangerous for performing pharmaceutical calculations> I find it very easy to hit the wrong key. I carry a pocket-sized traditional calculator with me for that. (still, there are times when I may forget to take it with me, and I end up relying upon plain-old Ticonderoga No. 2 practical arithmetic. You're also quite right about high school calculus. The senior-year math course I took (1968-9) included an introduction to calculus, and that part of the course served me very well. I would recommend that as part of a curriculum design. Paul Paul R. Trusten Registered Pharmacist Vice President and Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org [email protected] +1(432)528-7724 ----- Original Message ----- From: mechtly, eugene a To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: 2012-08-03 14:38 Subject: [USMA:51816] RE: FW: Is Algebra Necessary? And follow-up question Paul, Congratulations on your skill as a master of manual long division! I never have occasion to use this skill. But how many times each day of work as a professional pharmacist do you actually use manual long division? I'll bet that the monthly average number is close to zero. You more likely use an electronic calculator, or in recent years, even a cell-phone calculator. Pupils, in the 21st Century, would better spend available time in school learning SI and associated STE skills and knowledge rather then learning to master manual long division. Do you agree? At the other end of the spectrum of talent, I would encourage all students who have the ability to learn calculus (and introductory differential and integral equations) before graduating from High School. Gene Mechtly ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] on behalf of Paul Trusten [[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2012 2:11 PM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:51813] RE: FW: Is Algebra Necessary? And follow-up question [toots horn] ***proud master of manual long division*** (Thank you for your assistance, Miss Connolly, and the Boston Public Schools of 1960) Paul Trusten, Reg. Pharmacist Vice President U.S. Metric Association, Inc. Midland, Texas USA www.metric.org +1(432)528-7724 [email protected] On Aug 2, 2012, at 13:49, "mechtly, eugene a" <[email protected]> wrote: John, Not all children even have the ability to master elementary arithmetic (addition, subtraction, and multiplication) or "long division" by hand (without a calculator), (why bother with LD by hand?) to say nothing of expecting older students to learn algebra, trig, and calculus. Only a few persons have the talents and diligence to win a Nobel Prize in a STEM field or in *any* field! Educational standards should not expect *all* students to master elementary arithmetic (+ - x). Those having more talent should, however, be offered the "opportunity" for more. I would set the minimum standard for *most* pupils at mastery of + - x, without requiring long division by hand. "No child left behind" was an impossible objective which many states have now discarded or made optional. Gene Mechtly ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: [email protected] [[email protected]] on behalf of John Altounji [[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2012 4:35 PM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:51810] FW: Is Algebra Necessary? And follow-up question Let’s reward mediocrity. A well written opinion to put the US even deeper behind other industrial contries. John Altounji One size does not fit all. Social promotion ruined Education. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Metric Rules Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 7:27 AM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:51802] Is Algebra Necessary? And follow-up question I imagine policy makers in China and India (and even Canada) sitting around reading this piece and thinking…. Go ahead U.S., let’s see how that approach works out for you! We can only poach talent from other countries for so long. Is Algebra Necessary? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all A measurement related question and something that I have been thinking about lately. With all the different problems we have in education from teacher qualifications, teacher tenure, impact of standardized tests, teacher evaluation, influence of text book and testing companies, lack of parental involvement (new social role of schools), poverty and related food and physical insecurity, classroom management issues, our negative cultural legacy thinking that math is a gift and not a reward for hard work, the use of calculators in elementary school, willingness to debate and implement lower standards to “pass” more kids, the grouping of kids by age only not other factors such as ability, schools not accommodating many learning styles, broken up and repeated (not built upon) curricula, the fact that we have very powerful people questioning the legitimacy of science, our inability to connect, in a meaningful way, the U.S’s current and future position in the world to our quality and access to education, just to name a few. How would you prioritize metrication in education? This is a how to choose your battle question. I recognize we are a bias group here. As some of you know, I work with a nonprofit focused exclusively on metrication in education. Our arguments revolve around the importance of measurement as the foundation of STEM instruction and STEM knowledge and why the practice of dual-measurement instruction is an inefficient use of limited class time. I know that measurement is only a piece of the education puzzle but how big of a piece? Bridget Nagarajan Metric Rules Metric Only STEM Education in the USA <image001.png><image002.png><image003.png><image004.png><image005.png>
