Do the math: too much calculus? (2012)
I think we teach Calculus wrong in a deep fundamental way. We should incorporate more high math concepts earlier into education BUT people are always afraid of anything past 4th grade math!<p>&quot;A minority of students then wend their way through geometry, trigonometry and, finally, calculus, which is considered the pinnacle of high-school-level math.<p>But this progression actually “has nothing to do with how people think, how children grow and learn, or how mathematics is built,” says pioneering math educator and curriculum designer Maria Droujkova.&quot;<p>...<p>&quot;“Calculations kids are forced to do are often so developmentally inappropriate, the experience amounts to torture,” she says. They also miss the essential point—that mathematics is fundamentally about patterns and structures, rather than “little manipulations of numbers,” as she puts it. It’s akin to budding filmmakers learning first about costumes, lighting and other technical aspects, rather than about crafting meaningful stories.&quot;<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;education&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2014&#x2F;03&#x2F;5-year-olds-can-learn-calculus&#x2F;284124&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;education&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2014&#x2F;03&#x2F;5-year-...</a><p>Why is calculus the pinnacle when I actually feel that pre-calculus would be better students even make it into middle school? These concepts of <i>patterns and structures</i> is the foundation of not only math but also of language and reading.