I have just spoken to my mum – a former teacher, who experienced the new way of teaching maths herself, though not in the UK, but in Poland. The results, however, are similar: children are unable to count, unable to perform a simple addition, not saying anything about equations!
Today, my son did some more maths before going to school. He solved problems suitable for 11-12 year old children, when he is not even 10!. What he did not know, I explained to him: without bells and whistles, but he got it. Why and who is trying to reinvent the wheel?
It is obvious, that children without maths understanding will not be able to:
- understand Physics, electronics , engineering etc.
- decide which mortgage/credit/loan is worth taking on and why
- comprehend the danger of credit cards (if used incorrectly)
- persue career of their choice, because they will always lack this “annoying” maths.
Why are negative numbers explained by digging and filling holes as suggested by some professor (programme broadcast on TV)?
Correct me if I am wrong, but negative numbers can be explained much easier, without need for a shovel: -4 means you owe e.g. £4, £3 means you have three pounds in your pocket, so you still owe £1, as you don’t have enough to give back!
We are really digging under the children. How are they going to climb back from the holes we put them into?
