At school we have just started these small breakout sessions with students to prepare us for the MSA in March. A math teacher is paired with a special area teacher to help teach a small math lesson on an objective that is often a struggle for students. The last couple of days we have been working on writing and evaluating algebraic expressions. The students have been doing pretty well, but I was surprised to find out that my colleague (the Spanish teacher) was having difficulty doing the problems- more than the kids were!
I understand the whole "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" idea, and that the math the kids are doing now in middle school is stuff we were doing in high school (meaning it is harder), but I feel like if you are a college educated person, especially in the education industry, that you should have certain knowledge that goes beyond just your content area.
Okay, so there was one particular problem that I asked her to assist students on if they needed help, and she told me she couldn't help them because she couldn't solve it. Here's the problem:
Evaluate (1/2)w + 60, when w=50
No, it's not basic addition or multiplication, and yes, there are variables, but how can you not understand that? Again, I understand if we're talking about a child or an "average" person off the streets not being able to come up with the right answer, but a 35-year old woman not far removed from college? I feel like if you are college educated you should be able to do this problem. Even if you forgot how to do problems like this, use your intelligence and try to work through it! W=50...there's a 'w' in the problem'...half of fifty...COME ON!
Am I wrong in thinking this way?
~Mikey D
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9 comments:
Umm......two-teen?
This story highlights a lot of critical problems in American society right now.
General mathematical illiteracy of the American public (leading to a loss of critical thinking skills), the unfavorable perception of intelligence (smart means dorky or "elitist"), the math/science achivement gap between men and women, percieved value of a college degree vs. actual value, etc, etc.
I could write a 20 page paper from this one anecdote.
...but to answer your question: I think everyone with a high-school diploma should be able to do this problem easily, let alone anyone with secondary degree.
...but to actually answer your question: You're not wrong for thinking that most people should be able to solve this, but more and more, it's wrong to assume that most people actually know what they should.
On a related note, have you finished that Carl Sagan book yet?
...and I haven't seen an update to your to-do list in a while. I'm supposed to yell at you to get your ass in gear, right?
Well put in your comment. I am aware of all those problems (and you're right, you could write a 20 page paper...on each one!), but the one that is irking me is the value of a college degree.
To me, the perceived and actual value of a degree are low. These days you can find online "institutions" that will gladly take your money and print you off a degree. The prestige of holding a degree is less and less because the value of holding one has been cheapened and watered down. And, sadly, it shows! The people holding these degrees, in my opinion, aren't worthy of the distinction they symbolize.
I remember when I finished my Masters degree program and I emailed one of my old professors to tell him, and he offered me no congratulations. All he said was, "Great, but those Master degrees are a dime a dozen now. Write me when you get your PhD...although by then those will be a dime a dozen as well". How true.
Oh yea...my list...ummmm let me get back to you on that.
"The people holding these degrees aren't worthy of the distinction they symbolize."
Haha, I'm assuming that you are the exception to this rule?
While of course there are plenty of exceptions, for the majority of graduates I agree with you.
Do you think this a problem with the institutions, or with the students themselves? Or is the whole thing a product of our society/culture in general? (appearance>substance, low value on intelligence, etc) Or maybe a combination of all 3?
Perhaps there is no such thing as the "well-rounded" education anymore?
Most people go to college because they want a job, not because they want knowledge. So no matter how many classes they take outside of their field, they discard the knowledge as irrelevent as soon as they get their grade. They don't want to be "well-rounded," they only want the information relevent to their future job.
Maybe a college degree should be looked at as confirmation of a set of special skills, rather than as symbol of general intelligence?
Haha, oh yeah, I'm totally the exception. I can at least do the math problem =).
I think I would put most of the fault with our current culture. It's a get-it-now world and people and universities are capitalizing off it. People are getting the degree they desire, and universities are getting paid to hand them out. Supply and demand- people want degrees for jobs, universities give them what they need.
Just think of the financial gains some of these strictly online programs being offered are getting. They charge tuition, but don't have the high operating costs. The campus is replaced with a web-based front- maintenance is low and profits are high.
I think you were spot on in your last comment. "They don't want to be "well-rounded," they only want the information relevent to their future job." It's less about education, and more about the paper that says their educated.
And I think you're right: the degree should be viewed as a symbol of a set of specific skills rather than general intelligence. What still is bothering me is that you have to have some intelligence to get the degree in your given specific skill...so why can't you apply that intelligence in other areas? Why can't people use their minds to tackle problems outside their specialty? What has made people so capable in one area, but incapable in everything else?
I guess that's a whole different discussion.
"It's less about education, and more about the paper that says their educated."
When I said "their" I meant "they're".
It's not that they can't go outside their specialty, it's that they don't want to.
I think most people consider graduation to mean that they have finished their education.
Wow - that's pretty ridiculous.
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