Re: question for math teachers

From: Richard Henry (rphenry_at_home.com)
Date: 11/22/04 

Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 18:06:50 -0800

"k wallace" <wallace.k@engr.orst.edNOSPAMu> wrote in message
news:mc6dne95JI4srTzcRVn-tw@comcast.com...
> A quick question for anyone who's taught at the high school level, esp.
> the AP math classes.
> Having 2 teenagers in high school (9th and 10th grades) both in the
> 'high' math classes for their grades, I have been wondering this for a
> while.
> Why is the order of classes set up like:
> 8th grade, Algebra 1
> 9th grade, geometry
> 10th grade, Algebra 2
> 11 th grade, trig
> 12th grade, calculus
>
> instead of algebra 1, 2 then geometry, trig?
> From personal experience and giving lots of homework help to daughters
> and their friends, these kids forget a lot of algebra between 8th and
> 10th grade! The first month is then spent on review, whereas if it was
> just a summer away, it would be far less review.
> Is there a teaching-philosophy reason for this?
> regards,
> k wallace

The way geometry is taught, you need to know some algebra.

The way algebra 2 is taught, you need to know some geometry.

Etc.

You can teach geometry without algebra, or upper algebra without geometry,
but the result will be something like the physics without calculus taught in
business schools.

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