Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Subject Accelerate or learn independently?

Algebra is usually 2 years (Algebra 1 followed by 2), then trig is a whole year (with geometry a the 4th year, and Algebra 1 often taught in 8th grade so theres room for calculus in 12th).

In our gifted program at the local public school, they do Algebra 1 in 7th grade; Geometry in 8th grade; Algebra II in 9th grade; Trig in 10th grade (or AP statistics); AP calculus AB in 11th grade; and AP Calculus BC in 12th grade (if they want to take all of htat math).

See here for ALEKS's expectations about which courses get done in which years. They don't have a calculus course, which is odd. If you are boggling at the idea that US students take only algebra for a year and then only trigonometry in another year, etc., you're not alone :-) Part of the explanation seems to be that it's largely fiction, e.g. the "algebra" courses contain a lot of stuff that is by no stretch of the imagination algebra. I suppose the naming is "for historical reasons", but it isn't half silly.

There are many kinds of mathematics as math is a vast field. Most of what is taught as math in HS - ie algebra, trig, geometry, and calc, are just discrete forms of theoretical topics, said topics being just a very small part of the whole. Its like being a coin collector vs learning economics, finance, and accounting. On this money continuum, calculus is akin to knowing what an annuity is.

This is why a lot of PG kids do calculus in 9th grade or sooner.

And this is why kids cannot give up at math as it is a vast field. being good at calculus does not mean you can read proofs.

Yep, I have gone through the whole Aleks thing several times. Still cannot figure out why they have no calculus (which I started studying in 12th grade, IIRC, and which we *did* use in physics in 12th grade, and that was normal high school, although on the science track). I think it is an artifact of the way things are sliced and diced in the US, as mentioned by ColinsMum.



Or why this former math major can't read those numbers in medical/psychology papers: way too applied, you know, and only something taught to students of lesser fields, such as medecine or, worse, business.

XKCD: Purity

Can't help thinking that statistics would be way more useful to me now than being able to solve a differential equation and compute the tensile strength of a spring (if I could even remember how to do it), but well...

LOL.

That is funny on another level as I have an MBA and proofed the math in life science papers for many years.

Given my experiences in the latter, I can sympathize with your struggles. Believe me, its not you!!

I love the purity cartoon, too. I started out in engineering, switched to math, then took a lot of hands on electives and now am very hands on in my job. The pure mental aspect still comes into play from time to time to diagnose problems.