On Tuesday, Microsoft Corporation co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates shared his experience of visiting a math class at a school in Southern California and discussed the practical relevance of mathematics, using movie theater popcorn as a real-world example.
What Happened: In his latest blog post, Gates shared his experience visiting Chula Vista Middle School, where he engaged with an eighth-grade math class led by teacher Amilcar Fernandez.
Gates recalled that Fernandez’s teaching approach was so unique that it captivated students’ interest. Instead of teaching the volume of a pyramid through abstract formulas, he used movie theater popcorn containers and challenged students to decide which one was the best deal.
“Mr. Fernandez has been trying to transform how Chula Vista teaches what is widely cited as American students’ ‘least favorite subject’—and has been since at least the year I was born,” Gates said.
A Stagnant Curriculum: Gates cited Fernandez’s example and raised concern that despite societal and technological advancements, the way math is taught has barely changed in decades. He pointed out that traditional methods can make math feel abstract and irrelevant to students, leading to declining math scores nationwide.
The former Microsoft CEO stated that mathematics is more than just numbers; it’s a crucial life skill. He also cited research showing that students who pass Algebra 1 by ninth grade are more likely to graduate from high school and pursue well-paid careers.
“That’s not because students can’t keep up with what is being taught in math class; it’s because what is being taught in math class hasn’t kept up with them,” the tech billionaire remarked.
Why It’s Important: In his blog, Gates also said that as calculators, computers, and AI chatbots become increasingly prevalent, conveying the importance of learning manual skills like long division or hand-calculating the area of a trapezoid has become increasingly challenging.
Previously, Noam Chomsky, the father of modern linguistics, said that AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT make learning difficult as it doesn’t help develop linguistic and cognitive abilities any more than plagiarism.
In January earlier this year, the New York City Department of Education also barred teachers and students from using the technology on its devices and internet networks after getting complaints of duplication and plagiarism from educators.
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