Article on how little of math americans use at work

[BlackonBlackCrime]

http://www.theatlantic.com/business...e-math-americans-actually-use-at-work/275260/

Here's How Little Math Americans Actually Use at Work
Less than a quarter of employees do any calculations more complicated than basic fractions, and blue-collar workers generally do more advanced math than their white-collar friends.

Remember sitting through high school math class while the teacher droned on about polynomial equations and thinking there wasn't a chance you'd ever use any of it in life? Well, if you're like most Americans, chances are your 17-year-old self was absolutely correct.

As it turns out, less than a quarter of U.S. workers report using math any more complicated than basic fractions and percentages during the course of their jobs. The graphs below are based on survey data compiled by Northeastern University sociologist Michael Handel. Handel surveyed about 2,300 workers first from 2004 through 2006, then again between 2007 and 2009. The catchall category of "any more advanced" math includes algebra through calculus. And as you can see, most workers aren't doing a whole lot of high-level computations.

You might be surprised by who's doing the most advanced math day-to-day. It's not white-collar workers. Rather, it's high-skill blue-collar workers, shown in dark blue on the graph below. Before you glance over it, here's a breakdown of jobs categories:

• Upper level white collar, e.g. management, technical, and professional occupations
• Low level white collar, e.g. clerical and sales workers
• Upper level blue collar, e.g. craft and repair workers like skilled construction trades and mechanics
• Lower level blue collar, e.g. factory workers and truck drivers

 

[BlackonBlackCrime]

These numbers alone aren't an open and shut case against teaching complex math to most high school students. But they do suggest that what we teach today has little relationship to the broad demands of the job market, and that we should at least be conscious of the possibility that we're putting educational road blocks in front of students without a practical application for them.

At the same time, it's clear that some of the best blue-collar jobs do in fact require a level of mathematical literacy on par with what you'd expect a student to know if they were college bound. To me, that hints at an argument for more high level vocational programs: It might help if students actually knew that those boring equations really one day would earn them a paycheck.

 

[theworldismine13]

horrible article

math is not about numbers, math is the study of symbols, patterns and logic

the point is the reason why math is important is not so you can deal with numbers, math is important because it shows you how to think

 

[Bunchy Carter]

At my job I use a lot of statistics, algebra and a little geometry. Even if you work at burger king you should know basic math, to count change.

What the thing that most people are lacking is critical thinking.

 

[88m3]

horrible article

math is not about numbers, math is the study of symbols, patterns and logic

the point is the reason why math is important is not so you can deal with numbers, math is important because it shows you how to think

lol

 

[Type Username Here]

horrible article

math is not about numbers, math is the study of symbols, patterns and logic

the point is the reason why math is important is not so you can deal with numbers, math is important because it shows you how to think

It shows you how to think but the numbers are VERY important. Engineering, finances, sciences, computer/IT fields, medical. The numbers are just as important.

 

[theworldismine13]

It shows you how to think but the numbers are VERY important. Engineering, finances, sciences, computer/IT fields, medical. The numbers are just as important.

numbers are simply symbols, that is why they fall under mathematics

and they are also tools, that you can use in many fields

but learning how to use tools is not the reason why we should teach math, or its not the sole reason, the fundamental reason why math is important is because it teaches how to think, this article is horrible because its perpetuating a view that the value of math comes from how useful it as a a tool in a particular job

even if you never use numbers at your job it is still important to learn math so you can learn how to think

 

[DANKTHRONE]

Lol how many people are taught mathematical logic or philosophy of math like you are describing?? Barely any.

 

[L&HH]

numbers are simply symbols, that is why they fall under mathematics

and they are also tools, that you can use in many fields

but learning how to use tools is not the reason why we should teach math, or its not the sole reason, the fundamental reason why math is important is because it teaches how to think, this article is horrible because its perpetuating a view that the value of math comes from how useful it as a a tool in a particular job

even if you never use numbers at your job it is still important to learn math so you can learn how to think

This is BS and it's the problem I have with the education system. Few people are actually learning how to "think" they just regurgitate equations, cram for a test and then forget it all after.

 

[theworldismine13]

This is BS and it's the problem I have with the education system. Few people are actually learning how to "think" they just regurgitate equations, cram for a test anf then forget it all after.

thats just an issue with overall education

i dont see what that has to do with the point im making about why math is important, does the fact that people graduate without knowing proper english mean that we should fallback on english? so why would the fact that people get a poor math education mean that we should fall back and pushing for proper math education

im just making a point about what the goal should be and the proper metric of math education, your negative nancy comments are not relevant

and you are wrong, people do learn how to think through math, its just it usually happens at good school schools and top schools

 

[L&HH]

thats just an issue with overall education

i dont see what that has to do with the point im making about why math is important, does the fact that people graduate without knowing proper english mean that we should fallback on english? so why would the fact that people get a poor math education mean that we should fall back and pushing for proper math education

im just making a point about what the goal should be and the proper metric of math education, your negative nancy comments are not relevant

and you are wrong, people do learn how to think through math, its just it usually happens at good school schools and top schools

I see what you're saying and I agree. But if the intended purpose isn't being actualized then at what point do we make a change. Im not saying to get rid of math but I do believe there needs to be a restructuring of the system. And that "critical thinking" aspect should be more apparent.

 

[theworldismine13]

I see what you're saying and I agree. But if the intended purpose isn't being actualized then at what point do we make a change. Im not saying to get rid of math but I do believe there needs to be a restructuring of the system. And that "critical thinking" aspect should be more apparent.

yeah that is my point, that changes need to be made, but the way this article is worded is not helping

 

[kevm3]

Regardless of how often 'most' Americans use that math in their day to day endeavors, we should still teach them because, say for example they want to change fields. It will be extremely hard for them to learn math if they never had any exposure to it earlier on. I honestly wish I had learned more about subjects like Trigonometry or Geometry, because now that I'm learning programming, all of that math would come in extremely handy for 3d graphics and the such.


The real problem with how math is 'taught' is they teach math in complete isolation. People would be a lot more willing to learn it if they tied it into some kind of project. The one question most students had throughout high school was motivation oriented, and it went like this: "What am I going to use this for?" Most teachers never really bothered answering that question, and thus, a lot of students were turned off from learning the subject.

 

[Serious]

@Black Jesus
@AquaCityBoy

 

[theworldismine13]

if anybody is interested, this is a good course

Introduction to Mathematical Thinking
Learn how to think the way mathematicians do - a powerful cognitive process developed over thousands of years.
https://www.coursera.org/course/maththink

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