Evolution under attack in Texas:

Originally posted by Eladar
I didn't say it wasn't useful. I just said taking it is a waste of time, money and effort for many. Making it a requirement for all is simply stupid.

When you say "all", do your mean all school children or all people?
Because, although it may be "stupid" to try and teach it to all people (what? including 80 year olds? ) , it certainly would not be "stupid" for all school children (excluding those that are severely mentally retarded ) to be taught algebra!
A child would be denied many opportunities in later life as those of other children if that child was never taught algebra for, just for starters, many careers require the use of algebra including accountancy, physics, most sciences and engineering just to name a few. And if you leave school without any knowledge of algebra like my mother did (because she was denied the opportunity to ever go to school! ) then, just like my mother would testify, it because extremely hard to learn it! A child's mind is much better adapt at learning such things but as you go into adulthood it because harder to learn it! And then it wouldn't be fair for the adults that were not taught it as a child that want a career in, say, physics! THIS is why all school children should be taught algebra.

Originally posted by Eladar
I didn't say it wasn't useful. I just said taking it is a waste of time, money and effort for many. Making it a requirement for all is simply stupid.

A lot of people think studying music is a waste of time but it has been proven that studying music helps kids grasp other subjects better.

I think the same thing happens with math. The more alternative ways of thinking a kid evolves through school the better an adult that kid will be IMHO. For instance, with second or third languages as well as math and music.

Originally posted by sonhouse
A lot of people think studying music is a waste of time but it has been proven that studying music helps kids grasp other subjects better.

I think the same thing happens with math. The more alternative ways of thinking a kid evolves through school the better an adult that kid will be IMHO. For instance, with second or third languages as well as math and music.

If they put the time and effort into learning music, then yes it is useful. You don't show improvement by simply taking a semester of music.

Many American students have such a low level of mathematics competence that forcing them to take one semester of college algebra doesn't accomplish anything other than a bit of money colleges can soak out of students.

Originally posted by humy
When you say "all", do your mean all school children or all people?
Because, although it may be "stupid" to try and teach it to all people (what? including 80 year olds? ) , it certainly would not be "stupid" for all school children (excluding those that are severely mentally retarded ) to be taught algebra!
A child would be denied many opportunities i ...[text shortened]... d that want a career in, say, physics! THIS is why all school children should be taught algebra.

I mean all college students of any age.

Originally posted by Eladar
I mean all college students of any age.

who is saying all collage students require algebra? It obviously depends on what they are learning. If it is physics or physics-related then algebra is absolutely essential and if it is art it is certainly not.

Originally posted by humy
would that include physics students?

I said many, not all. Of course if you are in a field that uses mathematics you should know math and be required to pass the appropriate coursework.

Originally posted by Eladar
I didn't say it wasn't useful. I just said taking it is a waste of time, money and effort for many. Making it a requirement for all is simply stupid.

Yes and we should only teach science to scientists ...
and only teach English literature to journalists ...
and who needs to know biology except doctors? ...
et cetera

but we should teach everyone about Creation and how to fire a gun
because they are really useful to society!

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Yes and we should only teach science to scientists ...
and only teach English literature to journalists ...
and who needs to know biology except doctors? ...
et cetera

but we should teach everyone about Creation and how to fire a gun
because they are really useful to society!

The problem is that it is a waste of time and money trying to teach college algebra to all college students. It isn't doing any good at all.

I don't think that we should teach everyone about Creation or how to shoot a gun.

Originally posted by Eladar
The problem is that it is a waste of time and money trying to teach college algebra to all college students. It isn't doing any good at all.

I don't think that we should teach everyone about Creation or how to shoot a gun.

Teaching creation and how to shoot a gun seems like good courses to me.

Originally posted by Eladar
The problem is that it is a waste of time and money trying to teach college algebra to all college students. It isn't doing any good at all.

I don't think that we should teach everyone about Creation or how to shoot a gun.

With algebra, we have certain knowledge and, with it, science and technology.
With Creationism, we just have dogma, ignorance and dangerous religious extremism.
With guns, the religious extremists can arm themselves -and unfortunately, especially for us more intelligent people that are capable of understanding such things like algebra and that Creationism is a load of crap thus can never agree with those religious extremists, you don't need to understand algebra to know how to shoot and murder because any ignorant moron can do that.

Originally posted by Eladar
The problem is that it is a waste of time and money trying to teach college algebra to all college students. It isn't doing any good at all.

I don't think that we should teach everyone about Creation or how to shoot a gun.

If high school students all learn some basic algebra, then more of them will be properly equipped to study science and engineering. Science and engineering are good. Hence, teaching algebra is good. You don't need complicated algebra to understand this.

Originally posted by Eladar
The problem is that it is a waste of time and money trying to teach college algebra to all college students. It isn't doing any good at all.

It is a waste of time trying to teach and advance course in anything to someone who has not done the beginner course. You are basically talking about students who didn't do enough math in school, then get to college and want to do something that requires math. And they fail as a result.
Surely this is a good argument for improving math education in schools?

In my sons school they divide the kids into two streams, with some learning more advanced maths than others. The sad thing is that the children are too young to really know what career they want to have later in life, but it is already being decided for them. Those that don't do the more advanced math have little hope of doing anything science related at university level.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Teaching creation and how to shoot a gun seems like good courses to me.

Ah, I get it. So we can be ready for the creationists who come to our door. Works for me....

Originally posted by sonhouse
Just another symptom of why the US has fallen so far behind the rest of the developed world in education and science. Again, you are part of the problem not the solution.

Actually the most literate city in the world is in the USA. That city is Seattle, Washington.

Originally posted by humy
When you say "all", do your mean all school children or all people?
Because, although it may be "stupid" to try and teach it to all people (what? including 80 year olds? ) , it certainly would not be "stupid" for all school children (excluding those that are severely mentally retarded ) to be taught algebra!
A child would be denied many opportunities i ...[text shortened]... d that want a career in, say, physics! THIS is why all school children should be taught algebra.

Children learning quicker than adults is a myth. Depending on what age you classify children and adults.