Parents want compulsory maths, science scrapped at MP school

PrimeSteak

PrimeSteak

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JuliusSeizure said:
Not everyone is cut out for Maths and Physics and there are some jobs that don't really require it.
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Agreed.
JuliusSeizure said:
I'd actually support giving learners the option to not do it from Grade 8 onwards but they must obviously also accept the fact that by dropping it, they will be significantly reducing their job options for after School.

Again, not everyone is cut out for Maths and while Maths lit may be viewed as a waste, it is helped a lot of people get into fields like law school which they would have not gone into had they done pure maths.
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I personally think Pure Maths should be compulsory until Grade 9, then Grade 10 and up you can pick what Maths you want.

Everything up until that point is the foundation for what you learn in Gr 10 - 12.
If you switch to Lit Gr 10 and afterwards, you won't be able to study STEM unless you do a bridging course or something.

I agree that Pure Maths is not for everyone and if you force it onto everyone from Gr 10 - 12, then it will only end in tears. BUT you should at least do SOME maths from Gr 10 onward, even if it's Lit or Technical.
 
The_Mowgs

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eg2505 said:
nothing wrong with Plumbers,
problem is thats all youll ever be, in 10 years time, whats the career advancement?
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There's a lot of people who do not want to be a CEO or Programmer, they are more than happy being a plumber, and making decent money out of it.

I have 2 good friends who are plumbers and they make a killing and they will never change profession.
 
Herr der Verboten

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The_Mowgs said:
There's a lot of people who do not want to be a CEO or Programmer, they are more than happy being a plumber, and making decent money out of it.

I have 2 good friends who are plumbers and they make a killing and they will never change profession.
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For one: "Pipes" don't install kak or can't even sum in excel.
 
JuliusSeizure

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eg2505 said:
nothing wrong with Plumbers,
problem is thats all youll ever be, in 10 years time, whats the career advancement?
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Good networking skills can do wonders in any field. I'm pretty sure there are rich plumbers in SA who made a killing by having the right kinds of clients. Granted, it does take luck as does everything in life.
 
JuliusSeizure

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PrimeSteak said:
I personally think Pure Maths should be compulsory until Grade 9, then Grade 10 and up you can pick what Maths you want.
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Agreed. We only really need to know basic maths like percentages, time calculations etc for everyday life which is more or less Maths up to about Grade 8-9.

I'd say let them drop it once things like Theorem of Pythagoras kick in.
 
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Nicodeamus

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Forcing kids to learn mathematics when they don't have the aptitude or interest in it is a complete waste of time. It's been proven over and over again that they won't get it and it will fly out of the other ear, no matter how much you force them.
 
konfab

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PrimeSteak said:
Math Lit, I think is suitable for those who aren't going into STEM stuff.
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Barely. It is actually disgracefully easy. The old standard grade was much better.

PrimeSteak said:
Not really. Those who fail Math and switch over to Lit, actually do a lot better (i.e. pass or achieve even higher), but you do get a handful that somehow manage to actually fail Maths Lit...
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It was more about the way the article states they want the kids to do compulsory math. I am very sure they are already on Math lit.
 
konfab

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PrimeSteak said:
Agreed.

I personally think Pure Maths should be compulsory until Grade 9, then Grade 10 and up you can pick what Maths you want.

Everything up until that point is the foundation for what you learn in Gr 10 - 12.
If you switch to Lit Gr 10 and afterwards, you won't be able to study STEM unless you do a bridging course or something.

I agree that Pure Maths is not for everyone and if you force it onto everyone from Gr 10 - 12, then it will only end in tears. BUT you should at least do SOME maths from Gr 10 onward, even if it's Lit or Technical.
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Another issue is that "pure math" is a f--ing joke and is woefully inadequate to prepare anyone for STEM.

They need 3 tiers of math in schools
Pure math = Based on current math curriculum, but at a much higher level. No calculators in exams, actual math proofs, you leave your answer as a multiple of pi or sqrt(2). Matric must end up with some basic linear algebra and at least integral and differential calculus with the beginning of differential equations. Anyone wanting to go into any university degree where math is core part of it has to do this.
Core math = what it is now. For people who will need some level of math in their desired career, but it isn't a core element of it.
Literacy = What it is now. For people who will do work where no level of math is actually needed.
 
PrimeSteak

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konfab said:
Another issue is that "pure math" is a f--ing joke and is woefully inadequate to prepare anyone for STEM.
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Meh. It's good enough for school level.
konfab said:
No calculators in exams
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Disagree here. There is a lot of stuff where you have to use a calculator otherwise it's just plain uncalculatable unless you're a savant or something?
 
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