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As essential as computational literacy has become, I feel a bit uneasy here. Take mathematics for instance. What students learn in school is important, yes, bu

As essential as computational literacy has become, I feel a bit uneasy here. Take mathematics for instance. What students learn in school is important, yes, but it causes a hatred toward math in general. In a typical high school, 90% of kids dread Algebra, Geometry, and PreCalc. These classes are miserable to them, and consequentially, they associate mathematics with their aversion from imposed education. Because of this, the wonderful world of numbers is reduced to mere repetition. For those who appreciate the beauty in mathematics, this must be depressing. I'm afraid that CS may have a similar downfall if we mandate programming curricula. Maybe a more subtle approach is necessary.

maxerickson 12y ago
There should be a nonacademic track in math education, starting around 8,9, or 10th grade. It would focus on things like demystifying probability and balancing check books and other things that sort of fall under numeracy. I realize lots of people will like to complain that those aren't topics for school, but the current program in the U.S. is anyway watering down the academic track. People that have not yet seen any beauty in math would get much more value from practical lessons designed to mostly be engaging than they get from suffering through abstract math that is mostly designed to be foundational.
- jaredsohn 12y ago
  My high school had such classes; is this not standard?
  - derwiki 12y ago
    I can't tell if you're seriously asking. But yes, tons of schools (in the US) are sub par, especially once you're one hour removed from a major city. From what I hear from cousins in West Virginia, it's actively getting worse.
    - jaredsohn 12y ago
      Whether schools are subpar is a separate question. I am saying that if you were in my high school and weren't expecting to go to college, there were courses designed for you across all disciplines to teach you practical life skills. However, I do think the school still required students to struggle through at least some of the standard curriculum.
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    I think a remedial class is pretty standard and finance classes are pretty common, but if you look at common core: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ There are requirements for knowledge across the traditional academic divisions of Algebra/Geometry/Trigonometry. I'm not arguing against teaching those things to as many people as possible, just observing that lots of people probably don't have that knowledge 2 years later and may be better served with more practical stuff. On the other hand, I'm just some random person with a lot of opinions about education and little actual experience with it. A summary of my opinions is that a single social-promotion school track meant for everyone is completely awful.
rimantas 12y ago
I am sure anyone who struggles with algebra will struggle with programming even more. Handling abstractions is not easy for everyone, for whatever reasons.

maxerickson 12y ago

There should be a nonacademic track in math education, starting around 8,9, or 10th grade. It would focus on things like demystifying probability and balancing check books and other things that sort of fall under numeracy. I realize lots of people will like to complain that those aren't topics for school, but the current program in the U.S. is anyway watering down the academic track. People that have not yet seen any beauty in math would get much more value from practical lessons designed to mostly be engaging than they get from suffering through abstract math that is mostly designed to be foundational.

jaredsohn 12y ago
My high school had such classes; is this not standard?
- derwiki 12y ago
  I can't tell if you're seriously asking. But yes, tons of schools (in the US) are sub par, especially once you're one hour removed from a major city. From what I hear from cousins in West Virginia, it's actively getting worse.
  - jaredsohn 12y ago
    Whether schools are subpar is a separate question. I am saying that if you were in my high school and weren't expecting to go to college, there were courses designed for you across all disciplines to teach you practical life skills. However, I do think the school still required students to struggle through at least some of the standard curriculum.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  I think a remedial class is pretty standard and finance classes are pretty common, but if you look at common core: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ There are requirements for knowledge across the traditional academic divisions of Algebra/Geometry/Trigonometry. I'm not arguing against teaching those things to as many people as possible, just observing that lots of people probably don't have that knowledge 2 years later and may be better served with more practical stuff. On the other hand, I'm just some random person with a lot of opinions about education and little actual experience with it. A summary of my opinions is that a single social-promotion school track meant for everyone is completely awful.

rimantas 12y ago

I am sure anyone who struggles with algebra will struggle with programming even more. Handling abstractions is not easy for everyone, for whatever reasons.