If I were in charge of the math world, I would have classrooms full of calculators, check books, receipts, and bank statements. It seems pretty clear that most "math energy" in our world is spent balancing our assets against our material wishes. It is also clear that many students graduate from high school without these basic skills.
I also think that textbook publishers have a pretty warped view of what real world math is all about. If Bobby, Suzy and Sam have to share any more pizzas, I think that I may become ill (it sounds real world, but it really isn't), ditto for 2n X 48z cubed = the square root of pi.
Having said this, I do deeply value building a deep understanding of basic number sense and mental math abilities. If this ability is developed early, higher math certainly becomes more manageable, and more mundane daily math tasks become less of a mystery.
What do you think?
3 comments:
I completely agree with everything you said after the "square root of pi."
Basic number sense is extremely useful in everyday life. So is keeping a balanced checkbook...
You ought to see the music textbooks :)
For sure! Love taking the little chicks to the bank to deposit piggy bank funds...then they know what's in their own accounts and if they have enough for ice cream and silly bands : )
Checkbook balancing is a thing of the past with on-line banking that even gives you an expense read out by spending category (a little scary), but I do agree with your point on real world math. No child should ever leave high school until they can stand in front of a for sale item and tell you how much it will cost when you take the 25% off. And, someone please teach them how to make change if they are serving food at a baseball concession stand.
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