Parents that look at their own report cards from 25 years ago and compare to today’s report cards find that students are taking far more classes than the parents did.
Past Graduation Requirements vs. Present
Today's requirements for graduation are amazing compared to 25 years ago. Students are now taking high school requirements in eighth grade because there is not enough time in a high school day to comply with all the mandates. Some schools have switched to nine period days to make more time. Are all these classes really necessary? Perhaps, it is time to review high school requirements based on research and not past practices.
Is Advanced Math Used In The Adult World?
When adults are asked how much math they use daily, the answer is usually very minimal or even none. The percentage of adults needing advanced math in their career runs from 10% to 20%.
That is very interesting considering that high schools are currently raising the math requirements for graduation. Required advanced math classes are why some students drop out of high school. They don't think they will understand Algebra II so they give up. Is it really critical that everyone understands Algebra II when many do not understand how to balance a checkbook, economics or credit card interest?
Minimal Use of Advanced Math in Real World
If advanced math will be used by less than 20% of the adult population, should advanced math be a graduation requirement? Even engineers often state their use of math is minimal.
"My concern as an academic stems from the fact that most college majors and professional-level occupations do not require math beyond elementary statistics. Through the years, I have routinely asked professionals whether they use advanced math in their daily work. Replies in the affirmative have been extremely rare, including, to my surprise, from engineers." [Jerry W. Miller, "In the Real World, Advanced Math Doesn't Always Add Up, October 30, 2008, Washingtonpost.com]
Who is Better at Math?
Students all process data differently. Strengths of each brain vary from student to student. Every teacher can verify that fact. Left-brained students are usually stronger in math than right-brained students are. Right-brained students are usually more creative than left-brained students.
Schools require all students, left-brained and right-brained, to take required math classes. However, schools do not require all students to take creative writing, choir, band, art, basketball and soccer. These are right-brained activities.
Society honors left-brains more than right-brains and schools require right-brains to take left-brained classes. However, schools do not force left-brains to take right-brained activities. By making advanced math a graduation requirement, schools are going against the grain of approximately half of the student population in a high school.
What would happen in a school if it required every student to take piano or art as a graduation requirement? And, not just on the primary level. What if it forced every student to graduate as an accomplished pianist or artist? Or, what if every student was required to play a high school sport before they could graduate? And what if all students were required to not only take a sport but be proficient with rubrics?
Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner has studied various intelligence components. In school, verbal, visual and kinesthetic intelligences are honored. Gardner is a well-known Harvard professor that claims there are seven intelligences.
- Linguistic intelligence: the ability to learn languages and expresses oneself. Careers are in writing and law.
- Logical-mathematical intelligence: the ability to think logically and solve mathematical problems. Careers are in mathematics and science.
- Musical intelligence: the ability to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. Careers are in music composition, performance and music appreciation.
- Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: the ability to use’s body to solve problems. Careers are in hands-on positions and athletics.
- Spatial intelligence: the ability to recognize and use wide patterns and space.
- Interpersonal intelligence: the ability to understand intentions, motivation and desires of people. Careers are in education, counseling, salespeople, religion, and politics.
- Intrapersonal intelligence: the ability to understand oneself, feelings, fears and motivations.
Gardner’s challenge is to utilize each human being’s potential. Knowing that only one out of seven intelligences deal with math, is it logical to force all students to become proficient in a few selected intelligences? Wouldn't it be more useful to use teaching methods that mirror the learning style of each student using differentiated learning?
When the economy is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, it does not make sense to frustrate and discourage kinesthetic, right-brained learners that could fill those positions.
Source: Washingtonpost.com, October 30, 2008
Barbara Pytel - Email me Experience Although I was never particularly fond of going to school as an ELL student, I ironically became a teacher, ...
