More Algebra

Kevin claims that many of us critical of Cohen don’t get his primary point–that one shouldn’t be condemned to a life of failure because one can’t do algebra.

I understood the point, just as Atrios did. Atrios makes a good point about credentialling which is very valid and an excellent point.

However, let me make the basic point here that any individual should have the basic skills to get through a productive life and algebra is one of those basic skills just as being functionally literate is one of those basic skills. People do algebra all of the time, though they may not recognize it as algebra–balancing the checkbook being the obvious case that everyone does. It’s not some high falluting level of math that is important to the sciences, but not so much an every day tool. It is an every day tool.

Now, when it comes down to credentialling one with a high school diploma, it’s the second requirement I’d throw into a graduation requirement for high school right behind functional literacy in reading and writing. Third is geometry and then we can have a debate about the amount of other factors.

At the most basic point, Cohen is an idiot because he makes sets up an entirely theoretical situation that does not really exist. The student in question missed 2/3 of the days in the year so she didn’t pass not for an inability to do algebra, but a refusal to work at it. I’m the first to say we could probably teach math more effectively and make it more interesting to many students, but ultimately, like most things in life, you have to work at it. She didn’t and part of the story is how she regrets not having worked at it.

Algebra is taught at very different levels and people have options in schools about what level of class to take in most cases and eventually a student will get through it in all cases, but the most serious learning disabilities. That’s okay. Working hard is a good thing and has intrinsic value in itself. Because something is hard is no reason not to do it. That there is some innate inability to do algebra in some large portion of the population is pure poppycock.

But once you decide to set up a degree system that credentials people based on hitting specific benchmarks, I can’t imagine getting far in a rational process that doesn’t result in algebra and geometry being two of the top requirements. They are simply too fundamental to living life and reasoning ability. It doesn’t mean all students have to be experts, but they have to be familiar enough with the subjects to pass a class–not exactly a high bar.