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My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

forbes.com

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Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#11

Post by avmich »

> I actually don’t worry about my kids’ futures at all. They will excel in whatever it is they choose to do. But it has nothing to do with their grades or schooling. I can see that they have a strong work ethic, they are kind, have high emotional intelligence, and good leadership and social skills. These are things they learned from family, church, athletics, activities and video games (yes, video games).

So, dean HNers, don't worry about STEM. No need to train engineering, look into physics, think over math - no hard subjects required to get successful in the world. Just kindness and good leadership. Onwards, Jameses Kirks... wait a minute, Kirk was able to reprogram the simulation. Never mind then.

Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#14

Post by avmich »

legerdemain wrote: post #8
browningstreet wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried the new math? The challenge is not a matter of the math, it’s a matter of formatting components of the answer in boxes. Without exposure to it, it’s nearly impossible to decipher. Which felt like half the point when I was doing it with my son.

Hooray for New Math! New-hoo-hoo Math! It won't do you a bit of good to review math! It's so simple, so very simple, that only a child can do it!

Tom Lehrer is quite good on this :) .

Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#15

Post by chmod775 »

sircastor wrote: post #10
browningstreet wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried the new math? The challenge is not a matter of the math, it’s a matter of formatting components of the answer in boxes. Without exposure to it, it’s nearly impossible to decipher. Which felt like half the point when I was doing it with my son.

I understand the vitriol pointed at the “new math”, but it seems to me the complaints always focus towards “I got the right answer, why was I not rewarded?”. For it’s flaws, its seems these new programs are more focused on teaching kids how to reason, and as a result ask them to follow the process instead of simply arrive at the answer.

> its seems these new programs are more focused on teaching kids how to reason, and as a result ask them to follow the process instead of simply arrive at the answer

You don't teach people to reason by giving them a step-by-step guide that they can mechanically follow without thinking.

You teach them to reason - to think - by giving them a problem and having them figure out how to solve it themselves.

Math shouldn't be about rote memorization and imitating a calculator. You can fit all the basic calculation skills people will need in everyday life in grade one to three, then teach them proper mathematics - which coincidentally means learning to reason in a precise manner.

Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#17

Post by bsder »

legerdemain wrote: post #4

The author's polemic only shows that his middle-school children have no intrinsic interest in the history of the Roman Empire, and also don't memorize arbitrary durations. Quick: how many years between the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War? What's the air speed of an unladen swallow? Is this the author's idea of an education?

Agreed. The author completely gets everything backward.

Why should his child care about how long America has existed unless it's on a test?

If you don't give someone a reason for why something is relevant, you won't get anywhere. If you don't try to make it interesting, to boot, you have no hope.

Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#18

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

Ok, so he teaches his kids how to hack school thru short term memory tricks and he's upset that they haven't learned anything. I don't think school has failed them, thought school has it's many faults, he has failed his kids. At some point he has to take responsibility to make sure his kids are educated by teaching them how to learn rather than to teach them how to get through tests with a good grade.

Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#19

Post by inglor_cz »

bsder wrote: post #17
legerdemain wrote: post #4

The author's polemic only shows that his middle-school children have no intrinsic interest in the history of the Roman Empire, and also don't memorize arbitrary durations. Quick: how many years between the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War? What's the air speed of an unladen swallow? Is this the author's idea of an education?

Agreed. The author completely gets everything backward. Why should his child care about how long America has existed unless it's on a test? If you don't give someone a reason for why something is relevant, you won't get anywhere. If you don't try to make it interesting, to boot, you have no hope.

Yeah, studying history without questions is a chore.

A good question might be: "Why did the Roman empire hold together that long and survived several serious crises, even though many other empires exploded and disintegrated in their first crisis ever, as the subjugated nations rushed for exits?"

That question has no definite answer, but boy (or girl), you learn a lot of fascinating history while trying to answer it.

Re: My Kids Are Straight-A Students and They Know Nothing (2017)

#20

Post by Avamander »

browningstreet wrote: post #7
MiddleEndian wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Recently I tried to help my son with his seventh grade math homework. I couldn’t do it. This is not a ringing endorsement of the author's own problem-solving skills.

Have you tried the new math? The challenge is not a matter of the math, it’s a matter of formatting components of the answer in boxes. Without exposure to it, it’s nearly impossible to decipher. Which felt like half the point when I was doing it with my son.

Have you tried Haskell? The challenge is not a matter of the programming, it’s a matter of formatting components of the answer in boxes. Without exposure to it, it’s nearly impossible to decipher. Which felt like half the point when I was doing it with my son.

Have you considered that different approaches to the same problem might indeed feel alien to you due to your lack of exposure, but aren't really that different?

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