maths

[fred]

niece has a maths 'teacher'   who seems to do nothing for weeks then just before a test crams a lot into a lesson or two.  she's intellegent, has always used three languages fluently and knows when to ask for help.  she seems to get none from there.

I'm not a maths specialist but the last time I taught maths I got 17 out of 26 promoted at the at the end of yr 9. 

The git marked her down for manipulating an equation so that the 'x=' was on the right hand side rather than the left as she chose to avoid the '-x = -12' situation. 

she's bieng taught 'this is the way to do it' rather than 'this is why'  .  idiocy

[Kat]

That's slightly silly.

If you need to get somewhere, there're always more than one route there.

Mind you, it sometimes helps to know the different routes, well, Fred.

Maybe that was their thinking?

[Anna]

I don't understand how they teach basic maths anymore ... its really complicated even for 7 year olds, nothing like how I was taught.

[Taf]

Both the twins were struggling with "new math" so I started to teach them the "traditional math"... and got a severely-worded letter to cease and desist.

They are taught method and not results ( do the working out to their method and even a wrong answer will get them full marks ).

Pol still cannot do basic arithmetic, so I shall soon get my turn to educate her once she leaves the cr@p school system.

Example: the kids in her class did not realise that 7x6 is the same as 6x7 !!!

[Kat]

Holy crap!

I s'pose they don't do their "Times-tables", now, do they?

[Taf]

Not by rote... just exercises in a book... which obviously doesn't work at all...

The Czech kids have to recite "1 multiplied by 2 equals 2, 2 multiplied by 2 equals 4...." for one day only...

Just not the same as what I was taught... "1 2's are 2, 2 2's are 4, 3 2's are 6....."

[Anna]

Emma does times tables, but then she is just starting to learn the basics.
Every morning they do 'morning maths' and she likes it - so they must be doing something right.

Her teacher is more concerned with 'spelling tests' and Emma is terrible at spelling, poor kid only ever gets 1/10 and I have a letter home every month telling me the words she got wrong.  I get her to practice them but if they don't 'sink in' then there is not much more that I can do, no point worrying the poor child about them.
Funny thing is she reads really well, just can't spell !!

As long as she gives everything a go and trys hard then I am not worried, she will pick it up eventually.

[The Beam]

math has always been the hardest subject for Justo
just failed his first semester- I have to go Monday to sign him up for night classes to take it again so that he can get the credit towards graduation

[Admiral-SirJohn]

I've forgotten most of the algebra I learned in school, but the basic math has stuck.

[Lisa]

sorry to say again taf, but that school sounds awful.
So glad it isn't my kids school

[fred]

I've insisted that she learns the tables 'off pat' without using any thinking time.  her confidence and ability have come on leaps and bounds as the tables improve

[Spite]

sorry to say again taf, but that school sounds awful.
So glad it isn't my kids school

  Wait until they get into High School.  They're all pretty bad.  One of the kids took French for three years, and couldn't count to ten in the language.  The Teacher didn't seem to think this was a problem.  In fact, the Teacher didn't seem to be able to speak French.

[Lisa]

daughter starts comp this year.