So it was officially announced on CNN.com yesterday that students who are "unhappy or unconfident" about math perform better on tests, and ultimately are more successful in the long run than students who are math tolerant.
As a double major in international studies and English where ZERO math is required I say "That is freaking awesome!"
Okay, honestly though.... why would even conduct a test like that? If the test came out the other way and math geniuses were found to do better than us then whatever. No big. They're math genius, so they probably deserve to be better. Math is a logical field, isnt it?
Instead we find out us "no I'm not in math 150, im in communications 250" students have the overall advantage. Which just plain satirical considering the study was done by the Brookings Institution's Brown Center on Education Policy. The last two words of that title being majorly emphasized.
Are they actually promoting math anxiety? I'm sure it wasn't their initial intention. But of course it is kind of implied.
Moreover, I wouldn't be suprised if there was some lost-soul (ie. idiot) out there who will now try to make math as hard to understand as possible.
Conclusively, I give the Brown Center two thumbs down for "high five-ing" us math-illiterate folk for being math illiiterate. For perons who have had a bumpy road on the collegiate math trail, keep those tests scores up! And for those who are now doomed in the name of Pythagarus... I prefer my mint on the left pillow. (I sleep on the right one) thanks.
Kids who are cofident in a subject do not study it as hard someone who has consitently had B+'s in math isn't going to dedicate 4 hours to studing it like someone who isn't doing as well. That is probalby the only reason.
Two things.
1. Saying kids who aren't as confident in a subject study more than students who are confident is just a speculation. I have friends who are insanely productive in the math area, who spend hours a day studying. Also vice versa, friends who aren't as "blessed" so to speak but dont study due to their perspective of it being pointless.
2. In regards to the term "tests", it was pretty general. It wasn't specifically pointed at math tests, it was open to all tests in general.
thanks for the comment tho
from Jasmine
The improved test scores are out of some ambiguous spite for the inanimate entity that is "MATH" Sure, maybe some people do enjoy math, but for many of us it's a subject that requires a lot that isn't initially programmed into us from birth. We humans like to shy away from things like that and perhaps, out of spite for this subject which would dare alter us from our natural ignorance we perform better on tests to say a big "screw you" to it and show that we got what it takes. We are, after all, an indignant and rebellious generation (or so I've been told).
You do bring up a real concern though, does this mean that math will lose its importance in favor of higher test scores? Or that some "lost-soul" will make math more difficult? I sure hope not, I can only do good on tests out of spite for math for so long before I actually need to study. I say, give those math-impaired members of the population their more successful lifestyles, they deserve it.
Along with this study, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has changed their minds. I heard yesterday that NCTM thinks kids need to go back to the basics. Apparently, students are starting to like math (with all the games and "new math" investigations and so forth), but they can't do it. With all of the high stakes testing going on now, there are real issues with students not knowing their addition facts and multipilcation tables. Imagine that!
wait they changed their mind about what exactly...?
in my perspective math is pretty much about application. I think all this "high stakes" buisiness is bull. there's always getting to bbe competition. why cant teacher just teach kids how to add and multiply. whats the point of teaching them advanced math if they cant do the basics. basics are the building blocks of knowledge, right?
I blame that one on the teachers. And maybe the BCEP should have done a study that actually had to do with Educational Policy? Cuz last time i check that's what they were getting paid to do
from Jasmine
This whole "what math do we teach?" argument is getting aggrivating for me. I have a little over a year and a half left until I become a certified teacher. I consider myself fairly competent in most areas of math, but there are a few things that we have learned (or I have observed in classrooms) that have thrown me for a loop. I feel there needs to be something more than worksheets to teach math facts, but when we spend all day having a student solve a 3 - digit addition problem from left to right because that's the way we teach them to read... that's what I mean by new math.
hmmm.. interesting study. i wonder what they based their test questions on?