Re: Abolish Fractions?

On 31 Jan 2008 02:36:26 -0500, Bill Dubuque <wgd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

quasi <quasi@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
amzoti <amzoti@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Thoughts?
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/mathscience/2008-01-23-fractions_N.htm

He's a kook.
Without a solid understanding of ordinary fractions, a student
has little chance of understanding algebraic fractions.
Thus, "down with fractions" has, as a corollary, "down with algebra".

Perhaps you misunderstand his proposal. He's not proposing to
eliminate fractions. Rather I think he is proposing that one
should teach decimal fractions first and delay the introduction
of integral fractions until they are actually needed and can be
better understood.

To truly understand decimals, you need to understand fractions.

What the hell does .5 mean anyway?

I think that such a proposal shouldn't be dismissed without
intelligent discussion

Sorry, it's not an intelligent proposal.

Work on the teachers -- get them to understand (and love) fractions,
don't simply capitulate in the struggle to promote math literacy.

It's a shame to see calculus students use a calculator to evaluate 1/2
+ 1/3. You never would have seen that in the old days. Of course, they
didn't have calculators in the old days, but even if they had, the
general level math literacy and the quality of early mathematics
teaching was higher.

(which "He's a kook" certainly is not).

But note, in my prior reply, I didn't just call him a kook -- I also
gave an argument to justify it.

To give the argument again ...

Comfort with fractions is a critical prerequisite for success in
elementary algebra. Since teaching fractions only requires concepts of
whole numbers, it can be taught right after whole numbers. The
earlier, the better, since fractions are conceptually difficult, and
so require a fair amount of time before the student can acquire a real
understanding.

See my earlier post in this thread.

Sorry Bill, as much as I respect your math knowledge, I feel you are
dead wrong on this one. There's no need to be an apologist for him --
I'm nearly 100% sure that you don't agree with his message.

So why not call a kook a kook?

quasi
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Abolish Fractions?
    ... He's a kook. ... And not because "they have to learn fractions there ... delaying integral fractions till a later point. ... that the student will encounter, and the first time the student ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Abolish Fractions?
    ... He's a kook. ... And not because "they have to learn fractions there ... delaying integral fractions till a later point. ... that the student will encounter, and the first time the student ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Abolish Fractions?
    ... Without a solid understanding of ordinary fractions, a student ... has little chance of understanding algebraic fractions. ... Rather I think he is proposing that one ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Abolish Fractions?
    ... If he had only been proposing not to teach all children all of the ... rules for calculating with fractions, he might have a decimal point, ... that operations with decimals would make sense. ... Am I just missing the joke? ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Abolish Fractions?
    ... Without a solid understanding of ordinary fractions, ... has little chance of understanding algebraic fractions. ... Rather I think he is proposing that one ... dismissed without intelligent discussion (which "He's a kook" ...
    (sci.math)
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