Do you support grade/discipline based segregation in schools ?

[Sava]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Why do you think that me and two other teachers taught remedial algebra for 5 periods at my school? It used to be that students who didn't do well in math never took algebra. It's different now. Teaching algebra sucks now, because you have a bunch of students who simply are not capable of learning it.

are they incapable or just not interested? until I see some proof of this, I am not going to believe your assertion.

[Kidlicious]

Most of them are incapable which decreases their interest obviously. Trust me. I spent many a lunch period with students trying to help them. It's shocking how many just can't get it.

[Sava]

Why are they incapable?

Are their brains not able to comprehend it? Is it genetic?

I suspect it is a result of their past learning experiences. It's more likely a failure stemming from earlier education rather than plain inability.

It seems highly unlikely that 40-50% of students can just "not get it". Granted, I accept the fact that some people are naturally better than others at math, but for this to be true, there would have to be something wrong or different with their brains. I seriously doubt that there is some biological difference between some human brains to the extent that they are incapable of learning algebra.

[Kidlicious]

It is hard to believe. I didn't know it until I started teaching and the other teachers told me. There is a statistic but I can't remember who keeps it. It's the National Association of Algebra Teachers or something like that.

[MRT144]

anyone find it funny and indian is support segregation and CASTEing?

[Kidlicious]

No. It's not funny, and that's not cool.

[Sava]

I dunno, I chuckled.

[OzzyKP]

No, I wouldn't support that. Nor do I much care for age/grade level segregation in schools. You learn from your peers as much (if not more) than your teachers, so why close everyone off into classes of only those of their exact same age and experience level. Put people of all ages together.

[Kidlicious]

Good point Ozzy, but if teenagers are surrounded by students who don't take education seriously then they have a tendency to also not take education seriously.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Sava
It seems highly unlikely that 40-50% of students can just "not get it".

Tell that to my HS science teacher. Only me and and 4 or 5 other students im my HS biology class actually "got it" and the rest of my classmates came to us smart students hoping we would tell them the answer, and that was a class with a very good, experienced teacher well liked by students.

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by MRT144
anyone find it funny and indian is support segregation and CASTEing?

Not me . And technically , you're in violation of the forum rules ( nationality bashing and stuff ) .

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Kidicious


Yeah. It's a huge problem. I taught remedial Algebra for one year to 10th and 11th graders, because the school district wanted every student to go to college. Unfortunately 40 to 50% of students do not have the capacity to learn algebra even if they tried and that's being generous. Society is going to have to come to this realization that math teachers have already come to. We need a real solution to this.

We're developing the real solution, in incremental ways. We've already succeeded in largely eliminating the kinds of jobs that might allow a person with limited education to get ahead in life. Education will eventually catch up with this, and become a two-track system: college track and deep-fryer track; people who need art, science, math and literature to succeed in upper-middle class professions will get it, and everone else will focus on skills like resetting the computerized cash register after a power outage. Just give it time.

[MRT144]

wah wah wah. if i make a poingiant observation i cant be held liable for that observation.

i just thank the lord i wasnt born into the wrong caste, or class.

[Sava]

Originally posted by aneeshm


Not me . And technically , you're in violation of the forum rules ( nationality bashing and stuff ) .

How is it bashing the nationality?? He just said he found it funny. And how is it even bashing at all unless you think seperation is really a bad thing?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


We're developing the real solution, in incremental ways. We've already succeeded in largely eliminating the kinds of jobs that might allow a person with limited education to get ahead in life. Education will eventually catch up with this, and become a two-track system: college track and deep-fryer track; people who need art, science, math and literature to succeed in upper-middle class professions will get it, and everone else will focus on skills like resetting the computerized cash register after a power outage. Just give it time.

I think we're still going in the wrong direction though eventually we should start in the right direction.