The Importance Of Teaching Calculus

Algebra is not an easy subject for many people. It is full of letters, numbers, and rules mixed together to represent real life problems that are hard to swallow for anyone who doesn’t look at the world from the perspective of a mathematician. In his essay, “Wrong Answer: A Case Against Algebra II”, Nicholson Baker addresses this problem and explains why he thinks Algebra II should not be seen as a staple in the education of High school students.

Algebra is a critical aspect of mathematics which provides the means to calculate unknown values. According to Bednarz, Kieran and Lee (as cited in Chick & Harris, 2007), there are three basic concepts of simple algebra: the generalisation of patterns, the understanding of numerical laws and functional situations. The understanding of these concepts by children will have an enormous bearing on their future mathematical capacity. However, conveying these algebraic concepts to children can be difficult due to the abstract symbolic nature of the math that will initially be foreign to the children. Furthermore, each child’s ability to recall learned numerical laws is vital to their proficiency in problem solving and mathematical confidence. It is obvious that teaching algebra is not a simple task. Therefore, the importance of quality early exposure to fundamental algebraic concepts is of significant importance to allow all

Disturbingly, “nearly one-fifth of high school students and over 50 percent of middle school students are enrolled in math classes whose teachers neither majored or minored in math” (Drew, 2011, p.9). In 2000, 31 percent of high

Since a public school district’s success is determined by state and national assessment, officials in school systems across the country have sought to make changes to effectively address the academic deficits of students. A push in education over the past couple decades has been the race to Calculus and the belief that this path is necessary for a student to succeed in advanced math courses in college. Although there has been a dramatic increase in the number of students in high school Calculus, enrollment in Calculus 2 at college has remained relatively unchanged for the last two decades (Bressoud, 2004; 2009). Many students who have taken Calculus in high school are arriving unprepared for Calculus in college (Bressoud, 2007).

The general belief around the country (or perhaps even the world) is that math classes will be beneficial to a well rounded student. In some cases, such as the author argued, this might be true as a recent high school graduate who hasn't had the life experiences that someone later in their life might have. The author continues to explain that in their line of previous work and general experience, they already have the general math knowledge that their degree will need.

I experienced by middle and high school math classes not truly recognizing the intrinsic value of them and arrived at AP Calculus AB my junior year of high school holding the same apathy for them. The popular culture and ideology regarding mathematics is that unless a student is going to study engineering, s/he will never use trigonometry, algebra, or geometry. The actual subject matter didn’t matter, only the numerical stamp of progress and success did. I let myself get caught in that train of thinking, and quickly considered mathematics another obstacle I had to grudgingly hurdle to continue my studies.

“Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent.” This help shows that if we do force algebra on students who aren’t getting it currently. Then its just keeping us back from discovering from who they are and what their national talents truly is. If we were to maybe teach these people a unique way of algebra through something they find interesting and are good at then maybe so many won’t fail. But since we get taught the boring textbook way and not a unique and cool way then not only do we start to slack in algebra

While taking algebra, students are exposed to abstract thinking by making decisions based on given information. When they apply for a job or participate in a work setting, the employers will look for these abstract thinking skills. In the article, “Should Algebra Required” which appeared in the New York Times, Hacker states that algebra as a requisite is an obstacle for many students to graduate from college. Hacker indicates that algebra should be considered prudent because it “develops student’s problem solving skills, which involve step-by-step analysis” (2012). Based on that, this step-by-step analysis skill is important in several career settings, including but not limited to the following fields: law, medical, and mathematics. However, further research shows that even occupations such as electricians, upholsters, and plumbers that do not require a college degree must have some type of background in mathematical and reading skills. If as a society we consider to lower academic standards, then we will face the consequences in our nation, especially with the immense competition in the new global economy. As a citizen, scientist, or simply a human being, one must prepare our mental abilities to be able to understand abstract thinking in different disciplines in order to make the proper connections between problems and solutions.

A question that sometimes is mentioned is how can algebra make our lives easier? Some people assume that our need for math is basic. This is saying that we should be fine as long as we can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. What these people do not realize is that algebra is used in our lives more than they think. For students, determining your grade-point-average (GPA) and understanding what is your class grade takes a bit of algebra to understand. For example, if a high school student wants to determine what their GPA for admission to a university, they have to know what numbers represent the letter grades. Traditionally,

Geometry and Algebra are so crucial to the development of the world it is taught to every public high school in the United States, around 14.8 million teenagers each year (National Center for Education Statistics). Mathematics is the engine powering our world; our stocks, economy, technology, and science are all based off from math. Math is our universal and definite language “I was especially delighted with the mathematics, on account of the certitude and evidence of their reasonings.” (Rene Descartes, 1637).

In recent discussions of Algebra II, one controversial issue has been whether or not it should be a graduation requirement. Some argue that it prepares students for college and provides critical thinking skills. On the other hand, some contend that college readiness can source from any other core class offered in school. My own view is that although high school math classes can provide students with needed analytical skills, Algebra II should not be a requirement. It takes up room in a student’s schedule who would highly benefit from taking another class. This math class should still be offered for those who have an interest in the mathematics field, but should not be a deciding factor in whether a student graduates, or is accepted into the college of their choice.

Math was always easy to me when I was younger, but as soon as I entered high school it became a challenge. I’ve taken gate and advanced placement classes and even though I struggled with it, I was influenced to pursue a higher level of education. Math has influenced me to pursue a higher level of education because career paths that I am interested require courses in mathematics. I learned that math opens the door to many promising careers such as becoming an engineer, physicist, or a doctor. I want to become a doctor so I will have to pursue the highest level courses in mathematics. The math classes that I have taken in high school shown me that pursuing a higher education will help me in life. Some people say that math is useless because you won't use it a day in your life after you graduate from high school, but that’s not true you can incorporate math into a daily part of your life. You can get a job that revolves around finances or

The dialogue of this article is informative but also casual. In the article, the writer uses relatable examples to explain his viewpoints mathematically. As a learner, the dialogue of the article is easy to understand. He gets his point across that learning mathematics isn’t only steps and

In today’s society mathematics is a vital part of day-to-day life. No matter what a person is doing at home or at the workplace, he/she is constantly using different mathematics skills to simply function. Then what does this mean for mathematics education? When someone needs to utilize a skill every day then he/she needs a strong background in the skill. Therefore, today’s students need more than a just a working knowledge of mathematics or enough knowledge to pass a test. Today’s students need to understand how mathematics works and how to utilize mathematics skills in the best way possible.

Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.