[Gllug] Light the blue touchpaper...

[john at sinodun.org.uk]

> On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 john at sinodun.org.uk wrote:
>
>> You're deluding yourself - it helps you every day of your life.  You
>> may not notice it, but you certainly would if you *hadn't* learnt
>> them.  I'm amazed by people who think it doesn't.  It's like saying,
>> "There's no point in practising scales when learning the piano.  You
>> can easily work out where each note is so you just do that and then
>> play a symphony." I teach secondary school pupils, many of whom have
>> finished primary school without learning their tables.  It's a
>> constant drag on pretty much everything they do, and certainly
>> handicaps them every single day.
>
> Perhaps this is the answer to your wondering why it takes so much
> longer  to teach a reduced curiculum in maths? ;)

I'd agree it's one of the prime candidates in the search for the
explanation.  The lack of grounding in basic arithmetic is quite
startling.
John



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