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[DarkWolfXV]

Also, they should teach teenagers that smoking kills.
And its not cool to have lung cancer.

[Kilroy the Grand]

I think we could just slash history/social studies and just make students watch this informative video on american culture, it covers all the basics. In fact you could probably just replace the national anthem with it.

[DrPoo]

I think we could just slash history/social studies and just make students watch this informative video on american culture, it covers all the basics. In fact you could probably just replace the national anthem with it.

This.

[Flying Dice]

I think we could just slash history/social studies and just make students watch this informative video on american culture, it covers all the basics. In fact you could probably just replace the national anthem with it.

I had something else in mind.

[Leatra]

I don't know what kind of methods are used around the world while teaching maths but I don't think it's neccesary for a graphic designer to learn trigonometry.

I'm not sure if you're really unlucky with your examples or joking, but trigonometry seems like one branch of maths that would be extremely useful to a graphic designer.  Because, y'know, they will end up drawing a lot of triangles (or angles that can be treated like triangles) and will have to get them precisely right or look really unprofessional.

Triangles are drawn by placing 3 points and drawing a line between them. You are probably talking about architects. Basic trigonometry could be used but I don't think you don't need advanced trigonometry to draw perfect angles. Just use a goniometer or something

I think you mixed up "philosopher" with "asshole"

On the other hand, I can pretty easily see that as the sort of perspective that folks with little to no understanding of philosophy would take... but yeah. The ratio of swimmers to non-swimmers vis-a-vis philosophy students I've met is higher than non-philosophy students. Tearing apart everything you personally believe in to look at its systemic insides as a job description tends to make folks fond of relaxing practices Then existentialism and all its related kin: The answer to existential angst is either beer or chill-th'-fook-out (or suicide, which comes if they don't choose one of the two. Ehn.). Asshole philosophers tend to either get ignored or come from other disciplines first, in my experience.

Also, unfortunately, you don't get to murder people because they're assholes. Fisherman swims to shore, gets thrown in jail for 20-life. Joke's on him~ Philosophy gets the last laugh; eat social contract, ohohoho.

Anyway, re: Math; I'd have had a lot more luck learning if people would have actually taught it as what it is, namely a language. Major problem being that fluency in mathematics is something that most ground level math teachers frankly lack -- when people say "What is the point of this?" they're basically asking "Translate this into <Spoken Language> for me." A person with a very limited understanding of the language can't really do anything but throw their hands in the air, unfortunately.

Now, there's problems justifying a second language to people who don't plan on speaking it, but that's a different issue; the whole 'shutting off half of world' thing applies as your justification there. Pretty much everyone (in places with compulsory education, anyway) is at least limitedly conversant in math.

I heard that philosopher and fisher story from somewhere else but I think it makes sense. Now, I really like philosophy and find it interesting. It encourges critical thinking. I just think basic survival knowledge and being able to talk without making a fool of yourself is more essential than the stuff schools teach which most students will probably forget. Hell, I forget most stuff every year and re-learn them again because I don't practice. But once you learn swimming, you can never forget it even if you don't swim for a long time.

Maybe maths teachers require education in encouraging students rather than acting like it's another plane of reality.

[Psyco Jelly]

As someone who helps take care of my ten-year-old niece, I've learned just how impossible it is to teach a child any kind of critical thinking. Her upbringing was absolutely horrible for the first eight years of her life. A few lessons do get through to her, but mostly she just seems to be emulating her mother's horrible manipulative ways.

I'm sort of stuck on how to try to teach her not to be that way, primarily by enacting punishment whenever she attempts it (nip it in the butt before I actually start falling for it). She seems to consider others' views on her more important than actual learning at school, and that was solved a great deal by withdrawing her and homeschooling her.

My opinions on this topic would be much different had I not had to care for her, but I can say this:

The most important thing to be taught, perhaps even more than critical thinking, is a good sense of self and community. Self-improvement comes from good will toward others, and until you realize that every single 'other' is a 'self' from their point of view, any real understanding will be impossible.

[Fenrir]

Leatra, unless you are living in a third-world country, you are far more likely to require mathematics than “survival knowledge”.

[Leatra]

Leatra, unless you are living in a third-world country, you are far more likely to require mathematics than “survival knowledge”.

What? Do you think survival is only about surviving in the woods?

I'm not saying lets send kids into forests and teach them how to hunt and build shelters out of wood. But you can't let a kid graduate from school if he doesn't know where the fucking sun rises from. That's just plain stupid. Survival skills aren't only about surviving in the woods or something like that. It can mean a lot different things like cooking, farming (read the OP, burger buns growing on trees...) and finding directions. You may need first aid knowledge any time. It's more important than teaching kids something they will forget a year after. We should rather teach them what to do in an emergency.

Around here we do earthquake drills around 2 times a year in schools and that's it. That's definitely not enough. Do you know what happened here after an earthquake? Some people jumped off the fucking window and died. I'm not kidding. I don't think maths can prevent fall damage there. People should know how to handle emergencies like earthquakes and fires. Things like preparing emergency kits, not to panic, and what to do in emergencies.

It's not just about living but helping others live. If you come across a car crash, you won't need maths. Maths won't help if you set your home on fire by accident. Knowing the emergency contact numbers and first aid will. In both situtations.

Don't get me started on social skills.

[Fenrir]

I think I can be forgiven, as, when people say “survival”, they do not usually mean teaching people to not defenestrate themselves.

Urist McStudent cancels dodge earthquake: dangerous terrain
Urist McStudent has collided with an obstacle

[ed boy]

I dont see point in solving things like "My mother is 2 times older than me, but she was 3 times older than me 3 years ago, how old am i now?"
Its hard to solve and incredibly pontless becouse only total asshole would say how old he is this way.
Well i asked my teacher "What is it for?"
"Its for the test"
"But what is the test for?"
"So you can get grade"
"What is point in getting good grades since i can pass school with getting average of 2?"
"Stop asking stupid questions"
The end of story.
And i actually learnt all english i know from games, and the internet, not school.

It's the reason why I suck at maths. I can't study if the subject seems fake and hollow.

And it's impossible to learn English in school here. I learnt English from video games and internet. You can NEVER learn a language if you don't practice it outside the school. I learnt it because I needed it. I can't learn maths because I won't need it and I never got an acceptable answer to the "why we learn this crap?" question. I'm going to the twelfth grade. It's the final grade and after that it's university. Find me a logical reason why I am learning integral calculus in 12. grade. I'm never going to be involved in a career that involves mathematics and majority of the class too.

They don't teach us English (important in this modern day), how to treat simple injuries (important for emergencies), formal debate and public speaking (social skills), philosophy and critical thinking (important for... being able to think?)

They teach us integral calculus. They teach us algebra with involution. They teach us things we will never need when we don't even know how to speak in public. I know a girl who is smart but only smart in the terms of school. She literally can't talk. She says weird things and she has zero social skills. She makes a complete idiot of herself regularly. She is good at exams but that's it. She is either very stupid or very smart. Maybe it's because the definition of smartness is different in school.

School is supposed to be resposible for discipline and good manners. How they do that? By applying corporal punishment (aka beating)? I wish there was a lesson that teaches things like ethics and table manners. I used to have trouble while cutting meats. A kid who can't properly cut chicken nuggets with a simple knife is learning trigonometry...

If you want to learn the motivations behind learning a segment of mathematics, then I would reccomend looking at it from a historical perspective. At some point in the past, someone needed to solve a problem and created that branch of maths to solve it.

[Kilroy the Grand]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is why you learn about philosophy and mathematics

[Gamerlord]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is why you learn about philosophy and mathematics

THAT IS AWESOME WHERE DID YOU FIND IT!

 

[Darvi]

Dresden Codak.

[DrPoo]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is why you learn about philosophy and mathematics

THAT IS AWESOME WHERE DID YOU FIND IT!

 

love that comic!

[Meansdarling]

Me too! Yay!