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'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

joannejacobs.com

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Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#151

Post by gautamdivgi »

jerojero wrote: post #31
jschveibinz wrote: post #2

Argh this grinds my gears. It’s the education SYSTEM that is wrong. We are working with a 150 year old way of educating kids that does not apply to our culture today. Kids aren’t going to work on the farm or in a factory. They need the math!!! For courses like algebra, etc. kids need support at home from parents. When that support isn’t available (for whatever reason), don’t water down the content for goodness sake.…

I mostly agree with you, except on one aspect. We cannot rely on support from parents, the system we design needs to be thought of with parents out of the equation because in the case of the most vulnerable of kids they will not have parents that can help them. Special tutoring needs to be a part of the system, outsourcing the work will make things cheaper but it will complicate things for those struggling. Kids in n…

Doesn't university math have tutorials and colloquiums? If you go to MIT opencourseware and look at the math and applied math courses tutorials are a big part. They're done in class to guarantee some minimal understanding. I think its the case with most math departments (not just elite ones like MIT). Not sure if something like that is possible. If you scale out of tutors with maybe a 1:3 or a 1:4 tutor to student ratio it might raise the bar for everyone. It might require a whole bunch of money though.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#152

Post by brnaftr361 »

zdragnar wrote: post #43
theGnuMe wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My contrarian take is that algebra and calculus are pre requisites for for ap calc which is primarily used for elite college admission decisions.

Memorizing things like SOHCAHTOA and FOIL may not be a vital life skill for everyone, but everyone can benefit from the base logical thinking required to identify a variable, break a problem down into steps, plan and execute a solution. At a bare minimum, the basics of algebra (and to a lesser extent precalc, such as understanding limits and differentials) foster a type of abstract thinking and skills that pretty muc…

Can you define what you mean by abstract thinking skills?

Everything else you've listed can be acquired as a dishwasher or a line cook.

Anyways, the classes always seemed to me to tend more towards shut up and calculate than they did building a robust understanding and perhaps most important of it all: a mathematical intuition. I always found it profoundly stupid that there were never any essay questions in math, I expect those who elect to teach the subject are often wont to expediency (which would explain the number of coaches in the department) rather than an inclination towards the subject itself.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#154

Post by chii »

User23 wrote: post #107
vnchr wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inequality is increased because those without resources aren’t receiving any new benefits and those with resources use those resources to compensate for the failure of the system to provide an education optimal path. It’s worse outcomes for both, except some people can shield themselves from the fallout. What new kind of self-inflicted damage will be required to realize the detrimental failure of this world view?

Where do the resources come from? Also, among those who aren’t willfully ignorant, it’s well known that increasing resources increases inequality. The classic example is height: when resources are low everyone is short. But when resources are plentiful then those with the genes for height tower above those without.

> But when resources are plentiful then those with the genes for height tower above those without.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Those who were short didn't fare worse in absolute terms. They only look worse off by comparison.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#155

Post by aksss »

ransom1538 wrote: post #50

Remove the ability to compete in math because you are poor and cannot enroll in private school. Don't allow the poor to do algebra? I left SF (and took my poor kids with me). However, the SF policy that was truly evil to the poor was randomized school selection. Tell a poor kid in western addition they need to go to school in pacific heights. Tell the pacific heights kids they need to go to school in western addition…

Voting with one’s feet is about all one can do when a city or state’s policies are locked up.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#156

Post by bushbaba »

ketralnis wrote: post #142
serf wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the result? parents moving kids to private school. as someone who went through the public school system in California during a time where classroom sizes hovered between 35-50 students under a single teacher, I have a hard time thinking that won't bring at least some benefits to those that aren't being put into private schools. Don't get me wrong, as a delinquent/mischievous/criminal youth I loved it; the dating poo…

Probably not as much benefit as you'd think. The state funding that student would have been bringing goes with the student to the private school so the student/teacher ratio stays about the same

Half right. Technically part of the schools funding is tied to a per student allotment. If a student goes to a private institution the school looses money and government keeps it for redistribution elsewhere.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#157

Post by WillAdams »

The best school I ever attended was one which strongly divided classes between social and academic. Social classes (homeroom, gym, social studies, home ec., shop class) were attended at one's grade level, Academic classes (English, Reading, Math, science) were attended at one's academic level, though there was a 4 year cap on advancement until 8th grade, at which point students could test to determine what classes they were eligible for, and begin taking college classes (the school was affiliated with a local college and many teachers were accredited as faculty members there --- for classes where there wasn't a teacher, arrangements were made to either bring one in from the college, or to arrange for the student to attend classes.

Apparently the Mississippi State Supreme Court decided that it conferred an unfair advantage to the gifted and was therefore illegal and had it dismantled.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#158

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

powera wrote: post #5

I commented on this 18 months ago: https://www.newslettr.com/p/when-do-they-learn-algebra As time passes, it looks more and more like policy in SFUSD is being set by various individuals whom, for their own reasons, think that "math education" is bad and that it must be avoided for "reasons", probably that they say involving "promoting equity".

But they're still all in on STEM which cannot be pursued at all without some facility in math. Then when those who are lacking the necessary education to do the work drop out of their STEM freshman college program it's social inequity to blame for these failures rather than the "math class is tough" Barbie mentality.

Re: 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

#160

Post by OldGuyInTheClub »

testfoobar wrote: post #149
OldGuyInTheClub wrote: post #75

Fascinating article. Unclear if this stops the Boaler initiative, though. Considering the tussle between her and Jelani Nelson of Berkeley [1], I wonder what actions she'll take against her own colleagues. [1] https://www.dailycal.org/2022/04/12/uc-berkeley-stanford-pro...

This is an exceptional article on the effect that Jo Boaler has had on California's math education: https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-divider It mentions Prof. Nelson's criticism among others.

I've seen this link elsewhere but I get a pay wall.
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