Re: Is this math test too easy?

From: Karl M. Bunday (kmbunday_at_yahoo.de.com)
Date: 11/20/04 

Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2004 03:44:04 GMT

Philip Barlowe wrote, in reply to an earlier participant in the thread:

>>>It depends, are you the one taking it or the one giving it? I am willing
>>>to bet (sadly) that many 8th graders, if they had to take that test, would
>>>say it was too hard.
>>
>>Is it really sad? From the sample questions I saw, most were right
>>about at the level that one needs to get by in everyday life.
>
>
> This raises the question about why kids are taught math at school. Is
> it because they must learn some basic skills that are handy in
> everyday life, or is it to stimulate a logical, structured way of
> thinking?
>
> This reaches further than just maths, of course. Why are we taught
> anything in school? Is it just so that will come in handy one day, or
> is it to develop our minds and allow us to reach our fullest
> potential?

Israel M. Gelfand, one of my favorite authors of math textbooks, says,
"The most important thing a student can get from the study of
mathematics is the attainment of a higher intellectual level." 

-- 
Karl M. Bunday  P.O. Box 1456, Minnetonka MN 55345
Learn in Freedom (TM) http://learninfreedom.org/
remove ".de" to email