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In reply to the discussion: Math problems are a problem for job-seekers, employers say [View all]HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)156. oh, TIMMS is 'the usual methods', eh? First administered in 1995, less than 20 years ago.
Go back further:
we were 'stupider' when we were leading the world in technology. now we're 'smarter,' but we're told we're dumber.
which shows how dumb the people who buy this crap are. cause they just parrot press releases from Gates Inc instead of doing their own research.
According to historical data, American education has always been bad and has actually improved over the years. In the 1960s, when the First International Mathematics Study (FIMS) and the First International Science Study (FISS)[4] was conducted, U.S. students ranked bottom in virtually all categories...
In the 1980s, when the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) and Second International Science Study (SISS)[5] were conducted, U.S. students inched up a little bit, but not much...
In the 1990s, in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)[6], American test performance was not the best but again improved...
In 2003, in TIMSS[7] (now changed into Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), U.S. students were not great, but again improved:
In 2007, U.S. improved again in TIMMS[8], although still not the top ranking country:
Over the half century, American students performance in international math and science tests has improved from the bottom to above international average. The following figure shows the upward trend of American students performance in math. Because 8th grade seems to be the only group that has been tested every time since the 1960s, the graph only includes data for 8th grade math[9].
In the 1980s, when the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) and Second International Science Study (SISS)[5] were conducted, U.S. students inched up a little bit, but not much...
In the 1990s, in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)[6], American test performance was not the best but again improved...
28th out 41 (but only 20 countries performed significantly better) (8th grade math)
17th out 41 (but only 9 countries performed significantly better) (8th grade science)
In 2003, in TIMSS[7] (now changed into Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), U.S. students were not great, but again improved:
15th out of 45 (only 9 countries significantly better) (8th grade math)
9th out of 45 (only 7 countries significantly better) (8th grade science)
In 2007, U.S. improved again in TIMMS[8], although still not the top ranking country:
9th out of 47 (only 5 countries significant better) (8th grade math)
10th out of 47 (only 8 countries significantly better) (8th grade science)
Over the half century, American students performance in international math and science tests has improved from the bottom to above international average. The following figure shows the upward trend of American students performance in math. Because 8th grade seems to be the only group that has been tested every time since the 1960s, the graph only includes data for 8th grade math[9].
http://zhaolearning.com/2012/12/11/numbers-can-lie-what-timss-and-pisa-truly-tell-us-if-anything/
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Maybe if schools went back to teaching the material instead of teaching how to take a test.
hobbit709
Apr 2013
#3
They are not looking to hire scientists, just basic manufacturing machine operators
FarCenter
Apr 2013
#4
Yes. It is simply not reasonable to expect people to be able to multiply and divide by 12.
Nye Bevan
Apr 2013
#24
I think you're right. Sixteenths of an inch is far, far beyond my powers of comprehension (nt)
Nye Bevan
Apr 2013
#31
USA lost $1 billion Mars probe because a critical measurement wasn't converted between metric and
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#44
It depends. My machinist 6" rule has 16ths and 32nds on one side and 10ths and 50ths on the other.
FarCenter
Apr 2013
#70
People who can't read a tape measure in 96 seconds are not fit to be trained as machinists and
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#110
Thank you. You put your finger on the simple basic logic at point and expose the pay straw man. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#197
And a super majority of successful professionals who took the HS graduation exam failed it miserably
Fumesucker
Apr 2013
#199
People wanting to succeed in the 21st century need more skills than lawyers educated in the 20th.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#204
Well, it was the person highlighted in the article who seems to want to dilute the test. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#213
Modern grade school math education is getting back to that. It is more project based. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#212
Nor is it reasonable to gravitate towards the most effective and efficient form of measurement.
LanternWaste
Apr 2013
#209
they're clearly not paying enough to attract people who can pass their test. but HS math performance
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#74
"formula"? There is no formula necessary. Basic simple understanding of the concepts is all.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#111
there *is* a formula, mass divided by volume. they wanted a specific number for a specific
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#123
But you forgot the formula, when understanding the concepts is more powerful.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#124
i can't remember the formula because i'm about 40 years out of high school & have never had
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#125
It's the culture from the bottom up. Cultures that respect learning (Euro, Jpn) have better schools.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#126
oh bullshit. japanese schools are not *better* than american schools (i know from lengthy personal
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#139
Japanese schools outcompete American schools by all the usual measures.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#143
oh, TIMMS is 'the usual methods', eh? First administered in 1995, less than 20 years ago.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#156
Read. I did not write "usual methods". I wrote "usual measures". Fancy straw man you got there.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#160
same difference. not a straw man. surely a genius of logic such as yourself should know better.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#173
lol. 'fallacy'. 'straw man'. 'ad hominem'. you're the one tossing around the verbiage.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#175
more diversion from the facts i posted, which you ignore because they don't suit your narrative
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#178
You make more stuff up. Nobody has quoted any Bill Gates press releases.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#162
only because you don't know anything about washington state politics and bill gates' media
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#168
Thanks for the info. Americans have this mythology that somehow we used to be #1 in everything ...
eppur_se_muova
Apr 2013
#220
Density is dead simple. Understand density and you create the formula.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#127
he was a condescending jerk, and i remember him because he was so awful and *that* is when
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#136
it's you with the ideologically driven nonsense. you make vapid generalizations about us schools,
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#145
I haven't stated any ideological positions in this thread. You have already gotten into your
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#147
your ideology is clear from your comments and your uncritical stance towards the article.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#154
People can't think because we are not teaching them how to think, but what to think.
Sivafae
Apr 2013
#131
Your empty response to a poster's thoughtful writing shows the emptiness of your ideology. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#149
'we are still stuck on rote learning' is more parrot-speak from someone who hasn't been
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#153
why not, if all they're going to be doing is repetitive entry-level manufacturing tasks?
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#80
Because thinking production workers do "repetitive entry-level manufacturing tasks" misses the boat.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#128
Because I've done entry level production work and know lots of people who have.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#134
Again: Fallacy of misdirection: The article is not about entry level production workers.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#150
oooh, "fallacy of misdirection"!!! repeating 'fallacy' over and over is what parrots do.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#152
If it's so fucking complex, why do they insist on hiring people with *only* a HS diploma? Oh,
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#133
You don't know what they pay, but you think you know. It's because you are ruled by an
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#137
i know that general plastics gets cheap labor subsidized by the government through a
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#142
That information has nothing to do with the conclusion you jumped to, nor the facts of the article.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#146
actually, what eric said is that 1) his cheap-labor program is keeping him afloat in the recession
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#161
Nope. Eric did not say that. You miscomprehend: "poised to come out" does not mean
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#164
lol. if you say so. you are the genius who knows all about fallacies and density, after all.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#170
First name with "eric"? You kept on referring to him as "eric". Enough of this nonsense.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#172
your agenda is clear to anyone reading. as are your tactics. enough indeed.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#167
I've gotta admit, I don't remember calculus anymore, because I don't use it.
winter is coming
Apr 2013
#225
+1. +2. +3. .... Right on. Great post with examples from experience. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#48
Yeah. Truth. Right on. Damn straight. The real deal. On point. Should be obvious to all.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#46
Someone's skills would have to be pretty rusty to need several minutes to read a tape measure. (nt)
Posteritatis
Apr 2013
#14
Whether it's a ruler or a tape measure, same diff, used the same way
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#51
I don't measure things in my every day life and I am so glad to know that you must know so
liberal_at_heart
Apr 2013
#59
Fine. We all start somewhere. Take charge of your life. Learn something new. You are not stupid.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#77
maybe the poster has other priorities. when s/he feels a strong need to convert recipes, s/he'll
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#86
you don't know what the problem was. all you know is it involved reading a tape. you could
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#87
I'd be hard pressed making difficult questions around a standard tape measure..
snooper2
Apr 2013
#94
what you did is pretty much irrelevant to anything. obviously, at some point you *learned* how
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#98
yet here you are, able to do complex math! i was referring to installing crown moulding, not reading
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#182
Get real. An adult not knowing how to use a ruler is inexcusable, period. (nt)
Posteritatis
Apr 2013
#185
"several" = 1.6 minutes, and that includes reading the initial instructions and each problem, in
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#85
Is it time that under most state programs now in HS, 'basic' math isn't taught...
JCMach1
Apr 2013
#16
Count the number of lines between "1" and "2".. if there are 8, it's 8ths, etc
X_Digger
Apr 2013
#75
the question wasn't 'how many inches in a foot'. and how skilled you are at 'reading a tape
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#91
I've encountered 4 twenty yr olds (give or take a year) lately, 3 male and 1 female, who can barely
Zorra
Apr 2013
#29
actually, it sounds like a job that requires no math skills. it's an entry level production job.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#100
it may be. now tell me about the other 17 questions. in fact, show me the problems and i'll
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#176
i already said i have no problem with such tests; i have a problem with the spin, and i don't
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#184
you're probably right, as the company has a 'partnership' with tacoma community college.
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#190
Despite assertions, readers who read the article will see that it actually is not entry level jobs.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#169
I don't know if there's a standard unit for density (and I refuse to google it to look smart, hehe)
X_Digger
Apr 2013
#72
I'd imagine that's a HUGE part of the grunt work.. 'what' was 'where' being as important to the..
X_Digger
Apr 2013
#97
Mathematics, even basic mathematics, needs to be better respected in a culture that
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#39
"test is rigged"? Get off. No company looking for employees would have any incentive
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#43
If what you say is true, you haven't shown any reason for them to "rig the test".
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#49
You are the one asserting that the article lied and the test wasn't straight up dead simple.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#56
I posted to show that your speculation was silly and baseless, without merit. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#63
Nope. You can't quote where I asserted that, other than implicitly taking the article on face value
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#102
Read. I said "good idea". No policing. You've got nothing on topic. So be it. Enough. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#120
the article is bill gates propaganda if you know what you're looking for. touting the common core
HiPointDem
Apr 2013
#103
Nonsense. There is nothing wrong with expecting students to meet basic standards
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#107
Nor does your invocation of "gatesian boilerplate" address the bogus claim "the test is rigged". nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#109
Pretending to have a math block is as bogus as pretending to have a literacy block, but
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#41
There's a strong emphasis now on place value. When my kid was first learning
winter is coming
Apr 2013
#64
When I saw the method, I realized it was less prone to error (even though
winter is coming
Apr 2013
#71
Yes. That's how it works and that's the advantage, not to mention also deeper understanding
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#95
That's a lot of writing to do if you are calculating with pencil and paper, fine for learning..
Fumesucker
Apr 2013
#108
Exactly. Learn the concepts and fundamentals from all sides and then the shortcuts are a breeze
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#113
See anything in this link that rings a bell as to something taught in a strange way?
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#66
Longer ago people knew all about baseball, movies, popular music, but would do poorly academically
FarCenter
Apr 2013
#67
Right, also what a culture values & rewards. The beer drinkers applauded the baseball stats recital.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#119
I'm quite good at that kind of math but I totally suck at interviewing, I wouldn't get the job
Fumesucker
Apr 2013
#99
The people who make it to the interview are those with the fanciest looking resume.
lumberjack_jeff
Apr 2013
#122
This isn't breaking news....go to any company and pay attention to *basic* math and writing skills
cbdo2007
Apr 2013
#195
Note the test doesn't concern itself with how to shift earned money into an offshore account,
Trillo
Apr 2013
#201
Huh? You'd expect to be paid for taking a short test given during a job interview?
Silent3
Apr 2013
#210
So when I test prospective employees on their relevant skills in graphics and typesetting...
LanternWaste
Apr 2013
#221
If you don't pay them for your testing of them, you are asking them to work for you for free.
Trillo
Apr 2013
#222
Children are naturally equipped for mathematics and science, but ...
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#216
And yet I've seen you on this thread blame those who don't "get it" when it comes to math
Fumesucker
Apr 2013
#227
Nope. It is clear in this thread that I blame the culture much more than individuals.
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#234
Yes, around 6th grade is about when the culture hammers the relationship girls have with math. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Apr 2013
#235