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You don't need a degree in math to teach children age-appropriate math topics. Teachers don't become teachers just because they have a degree in that subject, t
by wildzzz 11mo ago
You don't need a degree in math to teach children age-appropriate math topics. Teachers don't become teachers just because they have a degree in that subject, they have been taught the methods on how to teach. Having prior knowledge of the subject is almost irrelevant. Teaching is really just applying solid methods on how to build knowledge from the most basic concepts as well as having the patience in dealing with humans who are not fully formed in their emotions.
- JoshTriplett 11mo ago> Having prior knowledge of the subject is almost irrelevant. Teaching is really just applying solid methods on how to build knowledge from the most basic concepts as well as having the patience in dealing with humans who are not fully formed in their emotions. I would disagree with this. Those are necessary but not sufficient. It is necessary to have enough knowledge and joy from the subject to convey that to students.
- chongli 11mo agoI have a math degree. I have been volunteer tutoring high school kids in math for 9 years. When a student comes to me for help I can always tell if their teacher has math anxiety. They teach the students extremely rigid methods and refuse to allow alternative approaches to solve the problems. They enforce this with grading and penalize students who don't toe the line. Some of the methods these teachers use are incredibly awkward, bespoke approaches that baffle me for their obtuseness. It's incredibly frustrating to deal with and it has a negative effect on the students. My approach has always been to try to find the method that makes the most sense to the student, and work with them on that. I don't have any issues adapting my style to the student's needs. I only struggle when the spectre of one of those bad math teachers looms over our shoulders.
- BeFlatXIII 11mo agoI wish there was a way to filter out those dumb-dumbs from the teaching profession. Stop ruining students’ future math ability.
- chongli 11mo agoThere isn't. That's why homeschooling is taking off. People invest absolutely everything into their childrens' future. They're tired of seeing that investment wasted by subpar teaching and dysfunctional schools.
- programjames 11mo agoThere is, but lowering standards is a cheap trick to get a bonus/promotion.
- WalterBright 11mo agoWhy do 3rd grade math Teachers' Edition books have an answer key in them, I asked a 3rd grade teacher. She replied that many of the teachers couldn't do arithmetic.
- ethbr1 11mo agoIt's a funny joke, but I'd be very surprised if that held at any grade school math level. Someone would have to be numerically illiterate (with a college degree!) to be unable to do grade school math they've been teaching for multiple years. Year 1, possible. But eventually it rubs off on even the teacher.
- WalterBright 11mo agoIt's funny, but not a joke. An interesting thing about 3rd grade math - I was taught long division. When implementing the standard C library for the PC, I implemented the same algorithm in assembler, and then again for the floating point divide emulator.
- Viliam1234 11mo agoSadly it's not a joke. Most people suck at math. Those who don't suck usually have many well-paying jobs available for them. There are lots of schools, so many math teachers are needed. Put these numbers together, and you realize that there is no way to have math teachers who are actually good at math. The numbers just don't add up.
- programjames 11mo agoMy father has a PhD in physics and couldn't really teach me math past seventh grade. On the other hand, my father has a PhD in physics and ran out of math to teach me around seventh grade.