This note is from Amy Johnston, a math-fun lurker. The funsters undoubtedly have many different viewpoints to offer. I've done a little editing. Rich ------ From: Anna Johnston [jannaston@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 8:43 AM To: Schroeppel, Richard Subject: math fun and calculus Hi Rich, I wanted to ask you a question (and perhaps get a gage through mathfun) -- old though it may be -- that's come up in my current circle: calculus in high school. I've read MAA articles dating back 11 years on the questionable nature of teaching calculus in high school, talked to high school teachers, mathematician parents, as well as my former colleagues at WSU. The basic thread of these conversations is that calculus should not be part of the high school curriculum. Instead there should be more breadth with a stronger emphasis on discrete concepts (combinatorics, number theory, probability, set theory, logic, proofs, etc). The reasons are: (1) First and foremost, there are other areas of mathematics that would help students think logically while giving them knowledge far more useful in everyday life. HS Calculus, because most students don't quite have the maturity and many teachers don't have the in-depth background needed, tend to be taught in cookbook style, with more memorization and formula plugging and less understanding. Discrete math is far more concrete and useful, with great everyday examples. A solid understanding of discrete math concepts (for example, more familiarity with summations than the brief introduction they get in calculus, or the binomial expansion) would make calculus far less threatening. (2) Secondly, society's need for calculus has been surpassed by the need for discrete math. Most kids graduating from HS don't know what a hexadecimal number is or how to read one, even though they see them regularly on product codes. Besides the screaming need for better computer literacy, most scientific fields are finding they need more discrete math than they realized. The more we learn about the universe, the more discrete it seems, from quantum physics to DNA. (3) Thirdly, the linear push to calculus is a turn off to many students. The style of teaching most HS calculus teachers are forced into teaches students that advanced math is not about thinking but memorization. Though this idea seems to be old, the only math AP exams are Calculus and stats. The HS teachers at Sam's school (Park HS -- private, progressive and with both abstract and linear algebra courses offered) commented that though they'd like to emphasize other areas of mathematics, it isn't possible due to their requirements from university admissions policy. Many parents view calculus as the apex of mathematics (leading back to university admissions and the AP tests), so there's pressure on them from parents as well. The question is: Why is calculus still the perceived linear end point to HS math and what is the best way to change perceptions and curriculum? Cheers! Amy