Hacker News Reader

Comment by jerf | Hacker News Reader

Everybody knows the way we teach math is broken but everybody also knows the way we teach math must not be touched. Ever. The curriculum attained perfection in the 20th century and anyone who proposes changing it is at least an idiot and possibly a heretic.

I don't entirely know how to square those two things either, but the evidence is pretty strong.

View on HN

Don't forget that most people don't even have enough math background to understand why those who do want better teaching. Most of those people don't really need better math for their life, so it is hard to explain why their kids would be better off knowing something they don't need.

Meanwhile there are less good jobs that can get by without the advance math that needs better teaching all the time.

> …so it is hard to explain why their kids would be better off knowing something they don't need.

Math is full of extremely useful concepts that aren’t otherwise obvious. To me, it’s less about “I’m going to need to use this equation” and more about “This is a pattern I will encounter throughout the world.”

I'm not sure if the common core curriculum that came about in 2010 is proving you right or wrong, given the vehement "that's not mah math!" response that it got from the public.

But it's still the adopted standard in the majority of the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Core_implementation_by_...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com