General maths. (1 Viewer)

[bob fossil]

How many people here struggle with it?

 

[Shadowdude]

I looked at their textbook and laughed silently. I mean come on... collecting like terms, surface area, volumes of simple shapes, scientific notation...

My friends who struggled badly in 2u dropped down to General and are finding it horribly easy. He argues there should be some middle ground, so maybe "General Maths", "Maths", "Maths Advanced" (the 2u maths) and then your Extensions.

 

[ashie0]

I know people who struggle with general maths. It says nothing about their intelligence or worth as a person, they simply are not strong at maths.

 

[kyokaku92]

I loled at the question....

 

[Shadowdude]

Worth as a person, yes. Intelligence... I'll have to be convinced on that one.

The stuff in General Maths isn't very technically difficult, it's basically applying formula given on the sheet and maybe a few things to remember.

Academic wise, they probably aren't intelligent. But there are many types of intelligences. That girl who I know may not be the brightest bulb maths-wise, but if I have to match her in aesthetic intelligence (which if, I remember correctly, is body movement), I'm dead.

 

[bob fossil]

I know people who struggle with general maths. It says nothing about their intelligence or worth as a person, they simply are not strong at maths.

Not having a go at them. Just want to see their views on the subject, as most people talking at the moment are MX2 students.

 

[ashie0]

Worth as a person, yes. Intelligence... I'll have to be convinced on that one.

The stuff in General Maths isn't very technically difficult, it's basically applying formula given on the sheet and maybe a few things to remember.

Academic wise, they probably aren't intelligent. But there are many types of intelligences. That girl who I know may not be the brightest bulb maths-wise, but if I have to match her in aesthetic intelligence (which if, I remember correctly, is body movement), I'm dead.

Yes, that is true. There are myriads of ways people learn/think/express themselves etc. There are also different area's of academia which require completely different ways of thinking, maths is in no way indicative of a persons intelligence.

 

[Shadowdude]

Well, I helped one of the General students today with their homework, and naturally quizzed them on how they were finding the subject. The people who dropped down from 2u say, "This is piss easy, there should be a middle ground." The 'average' General student finds it "Okay, although some bits are hard".

I suppose the question she asked me for was 'hard', it was a volumes question, in which a cheesecake slice had been taken out, and the student had to find the volume of it. Naturally, this meant finding the area of the base, multiplying by the height, and then multiplying by the fraction that was still left (7/8). She got confused when it had to come to the finding the fraction that was still left...

It's fun to mock General, subject-wise, but you can't really mock the people because some of them really don't get it - and you just feel sorry for them sometimes.

 

[ashie0]

Your coming across very condescending towards those who do not excel in maths.

 

[Shadowdude]

Lots of people say that to me... my belief is that everyone should do Mathematics.

 

[bob fossil]

Lots of people say that to me... my belief is that everyone should do Mathematics.

Everyone doing maths should atleast start in mathematics. Then time and motivation come into play.

 

[ashie0]

Lots of people say that to me... my belief is that everyone should do Mathematics.

You obviously have no understanding whatsoever of the range of students who sit the HSC. Why should people be made to do a course far above their own grasp of maths? The 2U course does not suit the needs of many students in terms of mathematical prowess, work load and requirements for future careers. It would only further alienate people from the subject.

 

[Shadowdude]

The Pygmalion effect. If you are put into a class where you are forced to excel, you will excel.

It's how selective schools work, or, how some say, "They get all the good students".

I just think that since the majority of the state do General Maths, if they are to do any maths at all - there should be tighter restrictions in doing it. General Maths should be like ESL, only for those who just can't grasp it at all.

Or, alternatively, a 'middle ground' class should be introduced. I'd prefer that.

 

[ashie0]

The Pygmalion effect. If you are put into a class where you are forced to excel, you will excel.

It's how selective schools work, or, how some say, "They get all the good students".

I just think that since the majority of the state do General Maths, if they are to do any maths at all - there should be tighter restrictions in doing it. General Maths should be like ESL, only for those who just can't grasp it at all.

Or, alternatively, a 'middle ground' class should be introduced. I'd prefer that.

What the fuck? You sound like an authoritarian idiot trying to force his love of maths to the world. People should be free to choose the level of maths they wish to study, that choice may not involve maths at all. I don't do any maths and I achieve far higher results all round than many of the 4U kids.

 

[annabackwards]

If the government got their act together and fixed up the atrocious maths and non-existent primary school science syallbi then the subject known as General Maths wouldn't exist.

 

[ashie0]

If the government got their act together and fixed up the atrocious maths and non-existent primary school science syallbi then the subject known as General Maths wouldn't exist.

The government never get their act together and they never fix anything. Tehe.

I certainly hope whatever policy amendments they make in the future aren't dominated by the maths/science superiority complex which currently governs our HSC.

 

[ehtefaz.hedayet]

It's hard to even consider it as maths, and some people are quite different within their own abilities. 2unit is completely linear, unlike general where it introduces a long story to solve its problems lol.

 

[bob fossil]

I know this is really off topic but does SQRT4=+-2 or 2?

 

[DInfinity]

I know this is really off topic but does SQRT4=+-2 or 2?

I sincerely hope you are joking.







(it's +2 and -2)

 

[annabackwards]

The government never get their act together and they never fix anything. Tehe.

I certainly hope whatever policy amendments they make in the future aren't dominated by the maths/science superiority complex which currently governs our HSC.

Aha true that
But seriously, in countries where the primary school syllabi aren't a joke pretty much every student would be able to do 3U maths or higher.

I sincerely hope you are joking.







(it's +2 and -2)

I believe he was joking, as he does 4U maths XD