Higher Ed: Conquering Math 'Phobia'

[SheilaT]

8. Important point.

Math (as well as foreign languages and some sciences) must be taught sequentially.

I've long advocated for a completely different set-up at the junior high and high school level than the current system of two semesters with almost every course a full year sequence. Change to 6 week segments. Each segment taught as an independent unit. In things like math and foreign languages, you must complete them sequentially. Other things, like history, literature, and social sciences, most of the time the segments can be taken out of order. Some history will be sequential.

The real problem comes if the schools only offer the first algebra segment in the first six weeks of the school year. It must be offered at least twice, so a student who fails the first time doesn't have to postpone completing algebra for a full year.

Once you hit the AP level, which are college level classes anyway, you go back to the traditional full year system.