Re: Teaching English?

"Dr A. N. Walker" <anw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dnbqvm$qes$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> In article <Atamf.333$q4.205@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> Brian Reay <see@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>True, the "general population" has little use for higher maths- for many
>>good numeracy is all that is needed. Only those wishing to enter, for
>>example, the sciences or engineering, will need calculus etc.
>
> True. But that's a little akin to saying that only those who
> want to be linguists need to understand French irregular verbs, or that
> only physicists need to understand the theory of relativity.

And to some extent that is true. Getting the content which "we" (society)
decide should be the norm (ie GCSE) for "Joe public" right is always going
to be a matter of opinion. While I'd like to seem more maths taught to all
pupils, I do see the case for saying maybe you can have "too much".

>Wouldn't
> it be nice if maths had an equivalent to the "business" or "holiday"
> French courses?

I suspect such courses are around - although I've not looked for them
myself. However, with a population "scared" of
maths, you wouldn't expect a high demand.

>Calculus, like great swathes of maths and physics, is
> partly something highly technical that only specialists can master, but
> also partly a collection of simple ideas that can be explained to a
> bright 5yo or to any interested adult.

True.

>> That, in , my view, is one of the factors reducing the numbers of
>> people
>>who study maths beyond (in the UK) GCSE and, often as not, there is a
>>knock
>>on effect into the sciences.
>
> It's the effect on the sciences that is, IMHO, the most serious
> part of this. Numbers doing maths at university have held up quite well
> over the 15-20 years as the numbers doing A-level have plummeted. The
> big drop is not from those who are keen on maths, but from those who are
> less enthused, but would need it to do physics/engineering, or would be
> better equipped to do computing/chemistry/geography/.... So we have many
> fewer sixth-formers even potentially suitable to go into physics, and the
> other numerate disciplines are having to recruit innumerate students.

One reason that, in my "spare time", I try to encourage youngsters to study
technology via amateur radio.

--
73
Brian, G8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk



.

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