> a failure of leadership and resources
Why is it more expensive to teach, say, calculus than algebra? Offering more advanced classes should not cost more.
Why is it more expensive to teach, say, calculus than algebra? Offering more advanced classes should not cost more.
Because educating someone to teach more advanced subjects takes more times and resources.
Besides, teaching college freshman calculus is not exactly magneto hydrodynamics.
The normally accepted education level for teaching a university-level class is a PhD.
I was taught freshman calc by grad students - with no "education" training whatsoever. Perhaps these "masters" of education are learning the wrong things.
Freshman calculus just isn't that hard, and isn't much beyond algebra. This "gee math is hard" crap is, well, crap. No PhD is necessary. Hell, I taught it to my kids on the kitchen table, and I have no advanced degree and never took a course in education.
Of course I do. I am just bemused by teachers having masters degrees yet be unable to teach any freshman college level class.
> Do you think someone who has never studied calculus should be able to teach it?
Freshman calculus is not rocket science, and I expect someone with a masters degree to be able to handle it.
Right, well here's the answer to the original question then. If you want teachers to be able to teach calculus, and you agree people should have an education in a subject to teach it, then you need the teachers to study calculus themselves, which they weren't necessarily doing, because they studied things other than maths, so you need to use more resources to have them also take calculus classes, so it costs more.
Sounds like things are all messed up in what districts pay for. They don't need more money, they need to redirect what they're already paying for.
You can't say 'you have a masters you should be able to pick it up yourself and teach it to these school children'. Can you not see how unreasonable that is?