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Is algebra an unnecessary stumbling block in US schools?

It's necessary. People use basic algebra all the time so I have no idea where they come up with "only 5% of jobs" use it.
 
Lutherf said:
It's necessary. People use basic algebra all the time so I have no idea where they come up with "only 5% of jobs" use it.
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In what?
 
Frankly, a moronic question and argument augmenting it. Logic is algebra, algebra is logic. There is not one shred of difference. Algebra is the foundation of mathematics, and without it one cannot attempt any maths besides that which 10 year olds could help you with.
 
Yes


In my opinion we have a lot of school curriculum that is largely a waste of time and rarely used in our day to day lives. I believe that we removed unnecessary items and instead focused more on specialized education based on a students interests or needs that students could essentially have a degree by the time they were the current high school seniors age. I think this would better serve all involved.
 
I hated that **** but I also believe that it encourages a type of critical thinking that develops useful pathways in the brain that can be applied elsewhere.
 
Algebra is necessary. It's probably true that you'll never need to plot x and y on a chart for a job. But basic algebra is extremely helpful for a lot of things.
 
Anyone who thinks algebra, literature, art appreciation, astronomy, whatever is a waste of time doesn't know what education is for. Education isn't job training, education is for learning how to think. High-school education, anyway. Algebra, for example, may not be useful but creative problem-solving is, and can't be taught directly.
 
Anagram said:
Algebra is necessary. It's probably true that you'll never need to plot x and y on a chart for a job. But basic algebra is extremely helpful for a lot of things.
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Yes. And the focused thinking, the problem-solving processes, translate into many areas. How else can they be taught?
 
Lutherf said:
It's necessary. People use basic algebra all the time so I have no idea where they come up with "only 5% of jobs" use it.
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I know, algebra is like a basic of mathematics. I'm not even IN a particularly mathematical field, and I use algebra and geometry fairly often. It gives me shortcuts to answers out of my head, that others need a calculator, paper and ruler to figure out.
 
Grand Mal said:
Anyone who thinks algebra, literature, art appreciation, astronomy, whatever is a waste of time doesn't know what education is for. Education isn't job training, education is for learning how to think. High-school education, anyway. Algebra, for example, may not be useful but creative problem-solving is, and can't be taught directly.
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Almost all knowledge is in some sense useful, especially that which teaches useful processes which can be applied to different things.
 
Grand Mal said:
Anyone who thinks algebra, literature, art appreciation, astronomy, whatever is a waste of time doesn't know what education is for. Education isn't job training, education is for learning how to think. High-school education, anyway. Algebra, for example, may not be useful but creative problem-solving is, and can't be taught directly.
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When 90% of that is forgotten by the average person, not long after school.
It doesn't matter.

It may be great for you, but otherwise kids are just going through the motions to get it done.
 
People are probably just mad because it was invented by Arabic scholars. It's an Islamic word, too, so I'm sure some people think we shouldn't be teaching that stuff to kids, right?
 
Goshin said:
Almost all knowledge is in some sense useful, especially that which teaches useful processes which can be applied to different things.
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Yes! Hell, just the 'process' of learning is useful, even if what's being learned isn't always. It becomes a habit.
 
Lursa said:
In what?
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All your trades. plumbing, heating, AC, electrical, to name a few. How will I figure out what size pipes to use without math? How will I figure out what size wire to run without math? How will I know how many registers I need in a room without math? I need math to figure out what size fart fan to put in a bathroom for god sake. What do you think we do just guess at the size. You think you can build a bridge or football stadium without math? The biggest stumbling block for people entering into the trades are math and science.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
When 90% of that is forgotten by the average person, not long after school.
It doesn't matter.

It may be great for you, but otherwise kids are just going through the motions to get it done.
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I don't buy it. Might be true where you are but not everywhere.
 
Threegoofs said:
People are probably just mad because it was invented by Arabic scholars. It's an Islamic word, too, so I'm sure some people think we shouldn't be teaching that stuff to kids, right?
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Ummm....no

It was taught to them by a Zoroastrian who was forced to convert or die.
 
JC Callender said:
Can you learn bad habits?
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Well, speaking as a former Little League coach, I'd say yes. That's why you shouldn't practice doing it wrong.
Why, do you step in the bucket when you swing the bat?
 
Threegoofs said:
People are probably just mad because it was invented by Arabic scholars. It's an Islamic word, too, so I'm sure some people think we shouldn't be teaching that stuff to kids, right?
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Moderator's Warning:
Not funny, and stop trying to derail the thread. The topic isn't Islam or "islamophobia". BTW, Algebra was not exactly invented by Arabs. While the word is Arabic, it refers to compendium of equation solutions which was based heavily on previous mathematical and equation solving from the Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations.
 
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