Posts Tagged high school
How to Teach Classroom Mathematics
Some years ago, I got appointment as a Head of Pre-Entry Science Course Department at the Technical University in Balgravia. The Department enrolled the best students from different high school of the country. The objective of the Department was to find students’ gaps in their knowledge of science subjects and upgrade them to university standards. It was pleasure to work in an exotic country on such challenging issues and for a such noble goal.
Once, when I passed by a classroom where mathematics was being taught by a colleague, I heard the voice of the students counting: 4 597, 4 598, 4 599…At that time, I did not pay much attention to it. But after three days, from behind the doors of the same classroom, I heard: 13 127, 13 128, 13 129…
Why Study Math ?
Because it is exciting and is a lot of fun! But if this reason is not persuasive enough, there are other reasons why studying mathematics at university is a very good choice for you.
Math can win you a good career and earns you money
What can I do with a math degree? I don’t want to be a teacher! A lot of people think that the career path for maths graduate is very narrow and studying maths would probably end up teaching at high school or primary school. However, being a teacher is just one of the choices of maths graduates out of a thousand! In the course of studying maths, you will develop a set of superb analytical and quantitative skills that is highly desirable. These skills can open the door to a wide range of high paid jobs, such as actuary, financial analyst and risk analyst. From the graduate survey of the University of Queensland, the median salary of a fresh maths graduate ($48300 per annum) is higher than that of graduates in popular subjects like pharmacy ($34000), psychology ($43500), accounting ($44000), law ($47000) and architecture ($39000). To many people’s surprise, the financial reward for a maths graduate is well above the average! Furthermore, a career with maths is satisfying and rewarding. A recent study from CareerCast.com ranks the best and worst jobs in America according to five criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. A list is compiled based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics and Census Bureau. Mathematician is put at the top spot, actuary the second, statistician the third!
Learning Advanced Math and Some Philosophy on That
Far too many American Students get freaked out when it comes to higher mathematics, or advanced placement classes in High School. Interestingly enough, Chinese students do not seem to have the same problems. Some students assume that the Chinese are just smarter than Americans, but that clearly is not so.
You see, in China the students learn some 45,000 symbols and characters during their schooling. In the US the students are not required to learn many symbols at all, and the ones they do learn are fairly simple things like pie, and other symbols used in math classes.
Math and the Nontraditional Student – Power Tips to Get Past the Math Barrier
Nontrads (non-traditional students) are those who do not follow the traditional path of completing high school and then immediately enrolling in college or university. They are often over 25 years of age and may have been in the job market or been stay-at-home parents prior to making the decision to pursue a higher education degree or certificate. Some attended college for a semester or two and then dropped out, only to decide later that they want to return and finish a degree. Some have been downsized and are looking for a change in vocation. Most of them share one common concern: getting through the math general studies requirement.
This is a valid concern. Math is developmental in that your knowledge and skills in math are added to in successive courses with each class being a critical stone in the foundation necessary for passing general studies math (often College Algebra or Finite Math). If you had a couple of bad years or if you have been away from math for some time you really won’t know until you try if it is going to be like getting back on a bicycle or getting run over by a truck.