There are many four letter words thrown around at school but none may strike fear in the hearts of students like “math” does. Whether students don’t like numbers, have a hard time solving equations or struggle with the concepts, there’s no doubt that math is an often feared and often difficult subject for many students. Of course, it’s also very important and students find themselves in one sort of a math class or another most of their educational life.
But what if students are building up to the wrong pinnacle of high school math education? Right now the top of the pile, the math subject everything else builds to, is calculus. Even students who loved Grade 9, 10 or 11 math may find calculus a different matter altogether. Professor Arthur Benjamin says in the following TED talk that we should change the essential math education away from calculus, not because it’s hard, but because in today’s digital world there is something more useful to teach all of our students before they leave high school; those who need calculus can get it in the first year of university.
In three minutes, Professor Benjamin makes a compelling case for why statistics and probability deserve more attention. The only argument against this I’ve seen – not counting those who don’t want to mess with the status quo – are people who says statistics is boring. To that I say, well, it doesn’t have to be. And I also say that most high school students say something or other is boring, even if it’s the most exciting class in school.
Professor Benjamin is not new to TED, having given the immensely popular (and wildly impressive) “Mathemagic” talk (below), in which he multiplies massive numbers in his head. It’s the best 15 minutes with a math professor you’ll ever spend.
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