Decimals And Percents Of Math

US must improve math grade to retain global edge

The 7th-grader was struggling with a homework project, creating a PowerPoint presentation on the origins of mathematics. One requirement was to note similarities between Babylonian and Chinese math. I helped him research this question, all the while assuming that his teachers had good reason for its inclusion.

But it did make me think about what math skills are being taught and remember my own less-than-stellar math grades.

Math may have been my least favorite subject. I concurred with a yearbook entry that mocked a slogan on our high school’s walls: “Two years of mathematics is not a service to mankind.”

I suffer from “ math anxiety ,” a malady that affects not only students, but also some teachers and clearly parents who squirm when their children ask for help with math homework. “People are very happy to say they don’t like math,” said Sian L. Beilock, a University of Chicago psychology professor and the author of “Choke,” a 2010 book on brain responses to performance pressure. “No one walks around bragging that they can’t read, but it’s perfectly socially acceptable to say you don’t like math.”

Even with my math deficiency, I recognize the truth of the following statement, drawn from a report on how American students compare with their counterparts in other nations : “Maintaining our innovative edge in the world depends importantly on developing a highly qualified cadre of scientists and engineers. To realize that objective requires a system of schooling that produces students with advanced math and science skills.”

Based on the proficiency of the high school graduating class of 2011, the United States ranked 32nd out of 65 industrialized countries .  “Performance levels among the countries ranked 23rd to 31st are not significantly different from that of the U.S. in a statistical sense, yet 22 countries do significantly outperform the United States in the share of students reaching the proficiency level in math. Six countries plus Shanghai and Hong Kong had majorities of students performing at least at the proficiency level, while the United States had less than one-third.

Mathknotter: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents

My sixth grade enrichment math class just finished a unit on fractions, decimals, and percents. These are probably the most practical lessons these children will learn throughout their years in school. As adults, most of us use these concepts on a daily basis. Our money system uses decimals. This is a revelation to some of my students. When I present the fraction 1/2, almost everyone understands that the decimal equivalent is 0.5. When I present 1/4, the looks on their faces tend to change. My first question is, "What else do we call this fraction in English?" If I get no response, then I start talking about clock time. "What's another way to talk about 3:15?" Or I bring up money. "If one dollar is one whole, what is one fourth of a dollar?" By now someone has mentioned the keyword, a quarter. This realization usually helps most older children who have some experience with money. One quarter is $0.25. Then I show them two quarters (2/4 = 1/2) is $0.50 which leads to 3/4 = $0.75. From there we go through all the tenths. 1/10 = $0.10, 2/10 = $0.20, etc. Every tenth represents a dime because a dime is one tenth of a dollar. This seems quite obvious to us as adults, but this sort of connection for many children is not necessarily apparent. This can be taken through the twentieths (1/20 = $0.05) and the hundredths (1/100 = $0.01). The hundredths lead us to the presentation of fractions and decimals as percents. What does percent mean anyway? Per cent (pronounced as if one is speaking French because cent = 100) means per one hundred. How many cents are there in a dollar? Point out words that include cent: century, centennial, centenary, centipede, centimeter.

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