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You're absolutely correct on your second point. But for the first point, as poor as research in education is, there have been improvements in educational metho
by coryrc 5y ago
You're absolutely correct on your second point.
But for the first point, as poor as research in education is, there have been improvements in educational methods. I read some examples about the Common Core mathematics pedagogy, prepared to be as angry as Feynman, but they were actually teaching kids how to do arithmetic the way I do (which is way better than New Math or brute force methods): 99x5 is 500-5 not 5+(4+5)*10+400. Are their changes more likely to be improvements rather than demerits? I do not know.
- WalterBright 5y agoThere have certainly been changes in educational methods, but I doubt there are improvements. Math achievement has been flat for the last 50 years. The "new math" and "look-say" methods were largely invented to drive new textbook sales.
- coryrc 5y agoI think you should look into the complaints about common core; I think, if you're good at arithmetic (like I assume most of us programmers are), that you'll find the current methods an improvement over those and about as good as can be done by our grade-segregated, "no-child-left-behind", Prussian educational system.
- WalterBright 5y agoLike I said, no measurable aggregate improvement in the last 50 years.
- coryrc 5y agoSo many other factors have gone down, that might actually be an achievement.
- kwhitefoot 5y agoI learnt arithmetic in the early sixties. 99x5 would be 9x5x10+9x5 = 450+45 = 495 Perhaps it helped that we all knew the 12 times tables. Is there some new magical way of doing long multiplication that is more effective and easier to understand?
- coryrc 5y ago999999*5 is far easier as 5000000-5 than 45+450+4500+... Are you really arguing that the latter is faster and more effective to do in your head?
- kwhitefoot 5y agoNot at all. I didn't know we were discussing mental arithmetic.
- coryrc 5y agoEven on paper it's far simpler (1000000-1)*5 => 5000000-5 => 4999995 Learning to find these patterns early sets up students for having an easier time with algebra later. Algebra is just rearranging equations. I don't understand, but students do struggle with going from "12/3=?" to "3*X=12 solve for X". We can't keep failing so many students every year and expect our country to hold together.