Finland wants to abandon teaching subects at school. Goodbye, math and history: Finland wants to abandon teaching subjects at school – Quartz
Now this is interesting. It sort of takes us back to our discussion about the utility of algebra. What if, instead of learning "Algebra" or "Algebra II," we learned relevant applied mathematics? I suppose my first question is how it would impact those who want to study history, mathematics or the sciences post-high school. Still, it's interesting to consider. And Finland has one of the best educational systems. So the fact that it is them considering this change lends a bit more credibility to such a radical move.
Simply beause most people do not know where their X's are, unless they have children together. lol:drillsergeant:
Well, the page has some crazy script errors when I try it in both of my browsers, so I can't even read the article But I would like to address this one comment. Hm. I have a feeling that you are just joking, but I can't really tell. For the purposes of saying some thoughts that come to mind, I will assume that you are being serious. I don't believe that you have never had to draw conclusions in situations where not all of the important information was readily available, some of those situations, I'm sure, involved measurements or quantities of some sort. The fact that your user name sounds out "aviator" assures me of it (and is another reason why I think you are just joking, so please forgive me if you are because I really can't tell). The missing information may not have been called "X", and you may not have used a calculator, but the unsolved problem was there and you used your education so quickly and effortlessly that you might not have even realized what you were doing. Hopefully, too, there have been at least a few life decisions that you have made based upon statistics, wherever the data may have existed and have been reliable. Statistics, for example, are why I eat vegetables. If I'm going to allow numbers to determine important life decisions, including lifestyle decisions, it is unconscionable to me that I would lack an understanding of how those numbers were compiled or the various ways they could possibly be interpreted. Likewise, technology continues to be innovated that takes over more of our lives and, again, often makes decisions for us or pushes us or is at least used in some way to guide us to make certain decisions (like which street you turn onto or how many more steps you need to take today to maintain a healthy heart). It is unconscionable to me that I would be pulled in directions that have been marked for me without having even a basic understanding of how all of these processes work. It would be even more disheartening to find myself living in a world where I am among the dwindling few who care enough about their own self-determination enough to WANT to understand mathematics as best as I reasonably can. Algebra, in my opinion, is the absolute least level of mathematics that the average adult should be able to understand in this day and age. It shouldn't be considered 'icing on the cake' for 'advanced' students or 'smart' people. It should be the status quo. To be honest, I think almost all of us (including myself, btw, it's on my to-do list, I promise ) need to brush up on our statistics and probability. That is, unless you want people who care less about your well being than you do to tell you how you should spend your time and devices that might as well be called "magic boxes" or "telescreens" to play the part of puppeteer to the life you have surrendered over to them.
A few years ago one of my friends was considering buying a Prius car. I did a quick algebraic calculation comparing it to a Corrola comparing car price vs MPG. My calc showed something like 2 or 3 hundred miles to break even. My friend looked at the calculation and did not believe my conclusion. Incidentally during my high school and 5 years of college in the UK (some years ago now) there was only one math subject Mathematics (such as year 1 math, year 2 math, etc). I still use my last college math book in my job; "Advanced National Certificate Mathematics" by Pedoe.
This blows my mind. Let me be frank, if this was an American idea, it would be laughed out of existence....but Fineland.....that's interesting.
Here's another story on the same subject: Finland's Schools Are Overhauling The Way They Do Things. Here's How
Interesting - though it appears that The Independent has overblown the details just a bit: No, Finland isn’t ditching traditional school subjects. Here’s what’s really happening. - The Washington Post
I didn't get that they were ditching traditional subjects. I thought it was clear that they were going to teach them in a more applied format. Instead of having students do practice problems out of a textbook that have no context, they are going to have students solve math problems for real situations whether it's for things people do in everyday life or something someone would do on the job. While most people don't use algebra on a regular basis, there are some professions that do.
You know, people keep boasting about how Finland and other Nordic countries have such great education system but last I checked, the US is responsible for a signficant number of inventions that shape the modern world and continue to do so. Can our education system improve? Of course, it's not perfect but I simply can't believe anyone who says that our education system sucks.
