In my view, having dual measurements is a good intellectual exercise for the top students, of dubious benefit to the mid-performing students and a hindrance to the bottom-performing students. I am not really in a position to say how bit the "top" and "bottom" groups are, but I suspect that the "top" group is relatively small – at a guess, less than 5%.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: 15 December 2014 23:00 To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: U.S. Metric Association; USMA Column -- Don Hillger; Gary Brown; Lorelle Young; Valerie Antoine Subject: [USMA:54505] Re: Time Magazine Article in Favor of Metric I don't understand why you guys consider this a positive article? It's conclusion: "Is global uniformity a good thing? Not when it comes to cultural issues, and customary measures are certainly a part of our national culture. But to have brains trained in the thirds, quarters, sixths, eighths, and twelfths of our inches and ounces, as well as the relentless decimals of the metric system can only be beneficial, in the same way that learning a second language is better than knowing only one. That ours is a dual-measurement country is part of our great diversity." As it relates to K-12 science (including medicine) education, he is completely wrong! It's like a teacher switching between English and French during a lesson when the students only speaks English. Because most students do not intuitively think in SI units they are converting in their heads if not also on paper. (another foreign language analogy, it's the difference between thinking in a foreign language or thinking in your "native" language and translating the thought into the foreign language). For those of you in the Education, we know all about working memory. Per Harvard's Mind, Brain and Education department, a child's working memory is the number one predictor of academic success. How much working memory is utilized mentally converting measurement units, add on a layers of topic complexity and number of new and unfamiliar content specific vocabulary words and most kids do not have the capacity. This line of thinking reminded me of an old UK editorial I once read in a publication I think is like the Onion- http://www.dailyshame.co.uk/2013/01/satire/children-must-all-learn-imperial-measurements-as-well-as-evacuation-procedures/ And don't get me started on preventable medication errors! Dual-measurement is not part of our great diversity; it's a negative cultural legacy about as useful as Roman numerals in a modern world. Bridget Sent from my iPad On Dec 15, 2014, at 3:35 PM, [email protected] wrote: I notice one error in third paragraph. The article says "75-milliliter bottles" but it should be 750; perhaps it is only a typo or perhaps John Bemelmans Marciano meant to say 75 centiliters because that is equal to 750 milliliters. Look at a wine or liquor bottle. It clearly says 750 mL usually via raised characters on the glass itself if not on label. Apart from that, I fully agree with sentiment Martin expresses. David Pearl 503-428-4917 www.MetricPioneer.com ----- Message from [email protected] --------- Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 12:41:02 -0800 (PST) From: [email protected] Reply-To: Martin Morrison <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:54503] Time Magazine Article in Favor of Metric To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Cc: USMA Column -- Don Hillger <[email protected]>, Gary Brown <[email protected]>, Lorelle Young <[email protected]>, Valerie Antoine <[email protected]> http://time.com/3633514/why-wont-america-go-metric/ This is the kind of article that we need more of. The author wrote a book on the history of the metric system. What we in the USMA need to imitate more is the statement: "The United States is metric, or at least more metric than most of us realize." This is the point. We should stop wringing our hands that the U.S. is not metric, "one of three countries in the world that are not metricated," as the newspapers always get wrong. No, the U.S. is on a path of conversion that is about 50 per cent completed. There are many other countries on this same path, like Canada and Great Britain, but for some strange reason these countries are never termed "non-metric" as the U.S. always is. No, we're not. The USMA needs to carry the positive message that the U.S. is metric -- by law and by convention, at least half way, if not yet completely so. No one advocates a return to grains and ounces of alcohol. Once a conversion is made for a particularly commodity, no one wants to go back. Martin MorrisonUSMA Columnist ----- End message from [email protected] -----
