« Building F-35s in Southey, SK | Main | Some implications of
thinking of trade as a form of technology »    Nick, isn't it
going on about 'political correctness' just another form of
political correctness?  On your more substantive point: high
school math teaching is generally not so bad. I think the real
problem is what happens in elementary schools.  Elementary
school teachers rarely love math. Students pick up on those
emotions, and the teachers' lack of deep understanding
translates into mechanical instruction.  The curriculum sets low
standards and doesn't spend much time on math.  There isn't
nearly enough time spent on basic numeracy - students are
questions about probability when they haven't got a really solid
grasp of fractions. Somehow one has to get a sense of how
numbers work.  Highly recommended: JUMP
http://thevarsity.ca/articles/27709 and many-talented
founderJohn Mighton. It might sound politically correct, some of
it, but a lot of it comes down to starting with very simple
problems and grad