No-calculator math test reveals weak mental math among Alberta students

And this comes as a surprise?

And this comes as a surprise?

I'm not surprised.

It really doesn't matter. It's 2017, we have calculators everywhere. They're not $100 each like they used to be and they're on our phones and watches.

Being able to do mental math isn't a necessity any longer.

Big deal. I never bought into this crap, which mostly comes from people who don't use math at all in their daily lives anyway, that someone should be able to do 100% correct math in their brains without a calculator for their entire lives. It's BS and it puts too much stress on the kids who are just like every other generation before them in that when they're adults 95% are going to have jobs that have no math at all in them. It's just elitist bullying of those who simply aren't hardwired for math but who are probably totally awesome at learning and performing other parts of the education.

The day we finally adopt the German system, where they identify in the early grades what each kid is and isn't good at and put them on a path where they can excel with their strengths instead of being plagued for life with their weaknesses, is the day we finally step forward from this assembly-line "everybody's got to be equally good at everything" approach to education.

It takes me about a second to sum 2 numbers in my head... the young ones need paper, a pen, all 10 fingers and a couple of minutes.

I used to teach grade 7 math. All this is true, except for one thing... estimating... kids need to have an idea of the magnitude of the correct answer. On a very simple level 10/.1 = 100 if you miss hitting the decimal pt and get an answer of 10 you need to recognize that you pushed the wrong keys and need to recalc.

So did you when you were 16 and sitting next to the blond in the tight sweater...

Gave the girl behind the counter $10 for a $7.50 purchase and she punched in $20. Of course, she gave me back $12.50 in change, including the ten I gave her to start with... all this without batting an eyelash.

She was probably trying to get fired.

So did you when you were 16 and sitting next to the blond in the tight sweater...
Brunettes in mini skirts and thigh highs are what killed my grades at that age.

Big deal. 15 out of 7 Albertans say math skills are only used 300% of the time these days.

The Ontario math must be amazing, especially the part where the politicians who jacked up the utility costs 5000% in a sixty month span manage to get re-elected 95% of the time.

An Albertan can take off his mittens to count to 10.
Then he can take off his shoes and socks to keep counting to 20.
Then he can take off his pants and underwear to keep counting to 19.