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From: ain@s.cc.purdue.edu (Patrick White)
Newsgroups: comp.ai,comp.edu
Subject: Re: Becoming CAI literate
Message-ID: <2305@s.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 23 Feb 88 15:36:05 GMT
References: <26@dogie.edu> <3340@killer.UUCP> <3231@arthur.cs.purdue.edu> <29@dogie.edu>
Reply-To: ain@s.cc.purdue.edu.UUCP (Patrick White)
Organization: PUCC Land, USA
Lines: 38

[this article is still being cross posted... since I'm new to this discussion,
 perhaps someone else can suggest which *one* group this should be continued
 in]

In article <29@dogie.edu> edwards@dogie.macc.wisc.edu ( Mark Edwards) writes:
>%> ...  I grew up before the era of cheap calculators, and

   I, however, grew up just as cheap calculators were beginning to become
available.  I still remember wondering as a child why we couldn't just use
calculators when they were so much easier and one made fewer "simple math
errors" with them.
   Now, I'm actually glad that all that "basic" math was drilled into my
head.  I'm not delusioned about it being fun since it never was, but rather
I'm glad that I know how to do this basic math without a calculator.
   If my teachers hadn't been so strong headed about drilling us and not
letting us use calculators in class, I probably wouldn't be as comfortable
with math -- especailly without a calculator.  I, for one, think that counts
for something.

   So, I support learning basic math skills -- even if it requires drilling --
as math is a *very* important skill (especailly with all this techonology
around) and I feel everybody should be comfortable with it.

> Another argument for the drills is observation. I've seen so many people 
> who could not add properly, do percentages (lets see whats a 20 percent
> discont on $18.99. Ah, well, thats 2 dollars right?), don't bother to 
> compare prices etc.

   I too have seen this, and when I do, I'm sad for these people -- not
because they can't do the math (after all, there are tools that allow anyone
to be able to calculate), but because they become afraid of math.  And
*that* is what I see as the saddest part.

   So, in conclusion, I feel that *everyone* should be comfortable with
math -- whether it requires that they use calculators or not (hopefully
not :-)

-- Pat White
UUCP: k.cc.purdue.edu!ain  BITNET: PATWHITE@PURCCVM