The "Is Algebra Necessary?" dude is back [View all]

[pokerfan]

with an op-ed in the NYT promoting his new book...

Calculus and higher math have a place, of course, but it’s not in most people’s everyday lives. What citizens do need is to be comfortable reading graphs and charts and adept at calculating simple figures in their heads. Ours has become a quantitative century, and we must master its language. Decimals and ratios are now as crucial as nouns and verbs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/opinion/sunday/the-wrong-way-to-teach-math.html

A rebuttal:

Before I dive into Hacker’s new book, you would be advised to refresh your memory of the case he presented in that article, since his book is essentially an extension of what he said then, expanded to cover the entire Common Core Mathematical Standards. Prior to writing this review, I wrote an article for the Huffington Post in which I summarized, with my commentary, his 2012 article, together with a recent interview he gave to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

http://devlinsangle.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-math-myth-that-permeates-math-myth.html

And lastly, a link to the previous "Is Algebra Necessary" discussion: http://www.democraticunderground.com/11242898