The Pros And Cons Of Algebra II

For the past three years of my high school career, and now my fourth, I have made it an obligation to continually expand my horizons in regards to math; when I cannot fully grasp an idea or concept, rather than giving up, I relentlessly pursue the idea until it is understood. During freshman year, math did not come easily to me. I was forced to go in early some days because, simply, I did not comprehend the concepts. However, taking initiative with my school work, and constantly working through problems that were difficult can be deemed one of the best decisions I have made. Although my final grade may not have been an

Algebra is a major mathematical strand that has been incorporated across all year levels within the Victorian Curriculum. The many components within and interrelated with algebra and algebraic thinking sets children up, not only for formal algebra in high school, but for life (Reys, et al., 2012). This paper will be addressing some of the main ideas and understandings associated with Algebra. Key skills, strategies and ways of thinking will also be explored along with strategies for teaching the content effectively.

Looking at the actual amount of conformity present in schools, as opposed to the ideal amount, it seems that schools have moved past a healthy level to a point where students don’t often have to genuinely think for themselves. On a basic level, students don’t have to plan or use their judgment to ensure that they arrive to class on time. They become dependent on bells to tell them when they need to be in class and when they are late (Source B). On a more complex level, students rarely have to use their problem solving skills to come to their own conclusions. Learning in the classroom is typically centered around the memorization of facts and methods as opposed to critical thinking. Students are requested to learn the details and regurgitate them on test day, despite the fact that very little of it will be remembered later on. On the rare occasions when students are confronted by a critical thinking question, they often struggle as they have little practice in this area. If schools were to put more emphasis on individuality, where students could think freely and responsibly and contribute their own ideas, students would better themselves and society

Additionally, Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” There are different forms of intelligence that go beyond what our school system measures. Students are not a unit to be measured, and students cannot be assigned a numerical value to identify their intelligence. Students are diverse—they learn at different speeds, and they learn in different ways. Focusing solely on test scores is hurting our students and deviating away from building our society on success and excellence. Critics are slowly realizing the problems associated with standardized tests—they create anxiety, they are extremely biased, and they do not measure the ability to think deeply.

In fact, nearly 88 percent of students from the Class of 2012 — graduated on time. It was the fifth consecutive year of improvement. Although Texas lawmakers argued the rigorous math course was pushing some students to drop out, it actually has nothing to do with the requirement of algebra II. Studies have shown that there is no correlation between graduation rates and higher standards, said Dounay Zinth, the education policy analyst. This proves that algebra II should be required.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was first implemented in 2010, nine years after I graduated from high school. Although I wasn’t personally affected by the new academic standards, it has a direct impact on the current and future generation of leaders, innovators, and world changers including my future children. The initial purpose of the Common Core Standards is to set high-quality learning goals designed to prepare students to be college and career ready. Given the current controversies surrounding CCSS, studies have shown that although the intent was to benefit students in the long-run it may actually be hindering their mathematical and reading skills. To further explore the arguments behind the Common Core initiative, I will

When it comes time for high school students to enroll in classes, many of them decide against taking an Advanced Placement class as a result of false assumptions. Why do false assumptions about AP courses exist when the concept was to help students further their education? While it is true that many students take advantage of these courses, the idea of taking an AP course originated as a beneficial route for students. Arguments that were previously stated in articles can easily be rebutted by analyzing the benefits of taking an Advanced Placement course. High school students may benefit by taking AP courses by developing college-level skills, saving money and time, and impressing college admission officers.

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

I was a junior at Brentwood High School, who arrived to the United states from Peru a couple of months ago, and after complaining for three months, Christine Burrows, my guidance counselor, decided to change my Algebra class by a “higher” level math.

Kanno & Kangas, 2014), rigorous college preparation begins in middle school, when students must take the prerequisite classes to advanced high school courses. By the time students reach high school, advanced placement courses may be out of reach for those who have not taken the preparatory classes (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). Given that a rigorous secondary school curriculum seems to predict college success (Flores et al., 2012), ensuring that former ELLs enroll and succeed in high-level classes is integral to promoting equitable college readiness. Indeed, students who take advanced coursework tend to develop more higher-level thinking skills, analytical abilities, and positive attitudes than students who take basic courses (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). Most recently, Flores et al. (2012) analyzed student data from Texas and found that taking high-level and dual-credit courses is a strong predictor of immediate college enrollment for all students regardless of ELL

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).

Article: College for All: Gaps Between Desirable and Actual P-12 Math Achievement Trajectories for College Readiness, by Jaekyung Lee, from Educational Researcher Volume 41, Number 2, March 2012

Unfortunately in modern time, students are more concerned to pass a test, than actually learning the material. It’s inconsiderate for schools to feel that throwing test after test will predict and showcase a student’s intelligence. “Most current U.S. standardized tests include only multiple-choice questions and provide no way for students to explain their thinking, says Swartz, of the National Center for Teaching Thinking. “So if a student answers (d) and that's correct, it still raises the question, ‘Is he

Art was one of my favorite classes, but I wasn't a fan of algebra class. There are many differences and similarities between art class and algebra class. I love taking a bit of nothing and turning it into a work of art that I can be proud of. One of the main reasons I disliked algebra class was how much homework we had.

Most students in my algebra II class, in high school, disliked math substantially. Math was only required to be taken for two years and if you were going to attend college, Algebra II was a requirement. When their two years were up, I could say that about half the students did not continue math. Many students in my Pre-Cal class always had a thing about asking the teacher when they were ever going to solve a problem like that in the “real world”. I noticed that the ones who had lower standards for example, they were set on going to the junior college or going straight to working, did not continue math after two years in high school. The students who were set on going to a four year university continued on with math. The students with lower standards did not care to go above and beyond. This had me thinking. If some students felt that math was useless in the “real world”, why are we required to take it? In my opinion I feel that students should be required to take a math class as a GE requirement, but it should be math that is applied to the “real world”. Those who need math in their career can continue their math studies even further.