Critique: Math Is a Waste for Most
“Math Is a Waste for Most” (2008), by Florida criminal law attorney Sam Fields, explores a number of perceived disadvantages of required math classes. Fields’ passion driven article opposes the Florida legislature’s ruling that Algebra II be a requisite for High school graduation. He begins by expressing his personal experiences with advanced math classes. He asserts that his ability to get far in his career without being proficient at high level math shows that higher math skills are not important for every student to learn. He continues his argument by acknowledging that new technology has a strong influence in the mathematical world. He argues that with this new technology, higher math skills are not as
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This insert influences readers to think that the Florida Legislature is making a terrible decision in adding this requirement. Directly following this statement, Fields is guilty of hasty generalization when he declares:
I only passed Algebra I…when I agreed to stop being the class clown…
In the 10th grade, I flunked Geometry and had to go to summer school.
In the 11th grade, I dropped Algebra II…
I took some cockamamie math class in college that I did not understand then or now. I studied for the test and not the knowledge. That night, whatever I had forced fed my brain was gone with the first bong hit.
Since that time I have graduated college, got an MA, studied for a Ph.D., obtained a law degree and…I have written law review articles, co-authored books, tried two hundred plus jury trials and argued before the Florida Supreme
One of the history's greatest figures, Nelson Mandela, once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Over the course of years, this statement has only become more relevant. Maybe that is the reason why the topic of the decline of the American education has been recently spurring such a heated debate among national academic and teaching communities. In “The Chronicle of Higher Education”, Carl Singleton, a faculty member at Fort Hays State University, also presented his reflections concerning the U.S. education system.
He believes that technology should be used to help the students along, not to replace cognitive thinking. He creates an informational atmosphere in the way he presents the
Why College Isn’t Worth It Attending college is something that many High School students look forward to as a buffer or a way to make the transition into adulthood easier, but a rising question has people considering: Is going to college really worth it? While some describe college as their best years, it leaves most attendees in debt and with a degree they may never use. Between tuition fees, traveling, housing, food, and textbooks, all college students are bound to owe at least a few thousand.
Fallacies are something to be aware of in our daily lives as hidden agendas may be lying around. Fallacies have to do with the reasoning of the argument that makes it misleading or invalid. If you have strong feelings for an argument, it may be hard to avoid fallacies in your writing. In the essay, “College Is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird states reasons of why college is a waste of time and money. Although Bird’s essay may seem like a sound argument, fallacies in her essay distort the argument.
Carnoy, Loeb, and Smith (2003) found a weakness in the relationships between TAKS scores and other outcomes such as high school graduation rates and scores on college entrance exams. Other researchers (Klein, Hamilton, McCaffrey, & Steecher, 2000) analyzed increases in scores in Texas on the NAEP, increases that they state political leaders attributed to the accountability system, and found that Texas score improvements in mathematics at grade 8 are not significantly different from those of other states that did not have strong accountability systems in place. In fact their data show evidence that the achievement gap between white students and underrepresented minorities actually increased. Some argue that the data show that the accountability program actually negatively impacts schools that were already academically behind before the implementation of the accountability system (Fassold,
In Carl Singleton’s article, “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” he argues that students aren’t receiving the failing grades they deserve. School systems are to blame for the lack of quality in America’s education. No other recommendation for improvement will succeed. The only way to fix the American education system is to fail more students. According to Singleton, the real root of the issue is with the parents.
Imagine blowing up a balloon, with every exhale of breath the balloon gets bigger. Similar to a balloon, with every year that passes grades inflate. In “Grade Inflation Gone Wild” by Stuart Rojstaczer, he discusses how the grading system has changed over the years. Rojstaczer’s overall purpose is to increase awareness of grade inflation and persuade his audience to take action. He argues that “changes in grading have had a profound influence on college life and learning” (2).
Take gadgets such as the cell phone for example; cell phones are one of the most commonly used devices in our society. There is no argument that such a small piece of metal and wires has “changed the way our society approaches learning and even life itself” (NCES). Some college professors and even elementary school teachers have formatted assignments to be technologically savvy. Learning in the classroom not only involves a paper and pen, but has evolved to using cell phones to take pictures of slides, write down homework assignments, or even to quickly research the topic being discussed in a
Technology has helped students to expand their knowledge and have a deeper understanding of the information they need
From an early age I have always had an interest in the legal system, as a child of divorcees the legal system has always had an impact on my life. I have always dreamed about being a family lawyer and have hoped that through hard work and dedication I could make my dream a reality; enter law school, successfully complete the bar exam and utilize my knowledge of the law to help those who may otherwise be left in the cold by the legal system. As I have grown older I have a new understanding of the realities of just how difficult it will be to make my dreams a reality. When writing this application, I had difficulty figuring out what I can say that will set me apart from other candidates. I almost feel as though everything that I will say has been said before and there are most likely some situations that sound more sympathetic than my own.
“13 Rules That Expire” by Karen S. Karp, Sarah B. Bush, and Barbara J. Dougherty, is a thought-provoking read because, for one thing, students do not actually know that these thirteen rules perish until someone notifies us. When I first read this article, it came to me as a bit of a shock. This is an article that all math teachers should read before teaching in a classroom. This article is about the rules that teachers use to teach math to younger students and how those rules will expire before they graduate from junior high school. Many teachers struggle with getting their students to understand math.
I was sitting at my desk with a pencil in my hand and ready for anything this pop quiz has to throw my way. As my teacher Mrs.Brown began to pass the pop quiz papers around I couldn 't help but be electrified because I knew I would pass this pop quiz. I open the book to the first page I felt a rush of nervousness take over my body. I was baffled by the questions presented in the book. I thought to myself "this is not what I studied last night".
“Is College the best option why or why not discusses the controversial issue of whether college is important or not. On one hand, while some argue that college is very important. Stephanie Owens and Isabel Sawhill writers of article “Should Everyone Go to College” asserts that we may be doing a disservice by telling all young people that college is the best option. Owens feels that college may be of service to some people, but not the best option for everyone.
With decades of research, it came to a conclusion that not all students learn the same way. Jeremy Roschelle is co-director of the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. In his research, he examines the classroom use of innovations that enhance learning difficult ideas in mathematics and science. Chad Lane has a Ph.D. and M.S. in computer science and wants to create educational technology that will compelling and engaging.
Critical Review 1. Teaching with Technology Simon Hooper and Lloyd P. Rieber We all know that technology refers to advancements in the methods and tools we use to learn.