Why Is Math Necessary?

According to Alan Bass, math is the building block upon which every science originates; which opens the doors to higher education and better income potential. However there are many high earners that never graduated college like Albert Einstein who states “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”. Not everyone is good at math.

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.

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

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.

The article I choose to defend here today is the “IS Algebra Necessary Article.” In this article he talks about how he feels that algebra really isn’t a necessary course we shouldn’t have to learn it and if we must learn it then It should be taught a unique way. I tend to agree with them because of these three examples, “six million high school students and two million college freshman student struggles with algebra”, “making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent”, “most educators I’ve talked with cite algebra as the major academic reasoning for why students fail or drop out of high school.” In the first place, while reading the article about, Is Algebra Necessary

‘Down with Algebra II’ is an article about a political scientist named Andrew Hacker, who wants to have a course in statistics instead of algebra II and calculus. The article points out that those two courses can be difficult for high school and college students to understand, which causes them to drop out. Hacker believes that the statistics course would be better to apply to the real world and understand. However, most schools and colleges are not willing to give up this curriculum, even though most people do not get a degree in mathematics. The journalist points out that if her teacher had been better in their math course then she may have understood it better. It also mentions a cognitive psychologist who thought the problem was that the schools taught the students about conceptual understanding too late and should begin teaching it much earlier. Altogether, the journalists stance was that it would be best to give the students more options of math classes.

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.

Ever since the ancient civilizations of Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, and India, we have used mathematics. It has guided the advancement of society and it has led to incredible discoveries. However, the amount of math students should learn has become an issue. Almost every well educated person would agree that all students should learn the value of math. By the time students reach the level of algebra, however, we see politicians, the media, students and parents arguing if they should even learn algebra. One of the reasons is that many U.S. students are failing algebra in high school and college. Algebra is the minimum requirement for all students in high school and a basic requirement in college and universities. To ask to change the

It is literally socially acceptable to hate math. The majority of Americans hate math openly, and the system still drives to push them into the mold despite their noncompliance and resistance. Of course it is illegal for a child to not go to school in the lovely United States of America. It is a must for all these people to learn this subject in order to please colleges, and the few that use it in their career had no need for many other subjects. The system continues to press students into this mold how they like without the consent of the individual or parent since it is illegal to not comply anyway.

After reading the following article, “Why is Math Required in College?” written by Jon Davidson, Professor of Mathematics at Southern State Community College. The article did not change my view on why I am getting my degree or mathematics being a requirement because I have always share the view that math helps students build their ability of reasoning logically and I believe that acquiring degree in computer science and engineering will help me acquire more knowledge in the engineering field and help me think critically and analyze issues pertaining to my

Math is a subject that I have struggled with for a very long time; it is something that I always set aside. Math is something that I never saw myself using in my future and I thought if I put it off it would just disappear. When I came to the University I had to take Math 100 and Math SAX, which, unfortunately set me back on finishing math quite a bit because I did not put in the effort as much as I should have, and the amount of work they gave, was quite an overload. I took those courses twice and was still not put into a Math course at the University. That is when I started to push math away, but I have realized I cannot put it off and math is definitely important and we do need to know the subject no matter where we go in life or regardless

According to livescience less than a quarter of workers actually need complex math. If less than a quarter of workers actually use their educational background, which brings up the question on why do students have to learn these unique

Math is a subject where a person can both understand a concept and do well on tests and exams, or they do not understand a concept and they do mediocre at best, or if they are women, try to prove they can do math just as well as men to a point where they fail. Women are seen as stereotypically inferior to men when it comes to math. This stereotype does not ring true, since women are capable of understanding concepts just as well as men. Although, this stereotype does still haunt women whenever they go to take a math test or exam.

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.