It's amazing to think that someone could say 5 goes into 25 14 times. I know that Ma and Pa Kettle was just a old comedy show back in the day, but by watching this video on you tube I was amazed. It really makes you think. Pa Kettle argued that 5 goes into 25 14 times,because 5 doesn't go into 2 but it goes into 5 once and you bring down a zero and 5 goes into 20 4 times. Watch the video, then Ma kettle proves it with multiplication and Pa goes to prove it by adding 14 5 times and gets 25. It's wild, it makes you really understand why math has rules, if math didn't have rules anyone could come up with what they believe is the correct answer to a solution, like Pa Kettle. It also makes you think why are the rules of equations the way they are? Some are proven some aren't, why are the one's that aren't proven followed? This is one of the reasons why math both confuses me and amazes me. I was always able to catch on to how to do and equation but I was also the one to be like why I am doing this? I would always over think it so I got turned off to math. But back to the video, not only does the way Ma and Pa Kettle perform the math work out but they are so convincing! If they were teaching a younger child who is new to math that child would believe them! But then again if your teaching a younger child who is new to math anything you want they may pick it up as being right.
So that brings me to my next topic that I was thinking about because of this video. If a teacher isn't properly teaching their students math then the students will be learning the wrong ways to do things. In grade school I had a lot of teachers who taught different methods to getting a solution, I didn't like that. This can confuse students who were taught one way by their previous teacher and are no being told to do it a totally different way.
But what it all comes down to is that if someone believes that math is done a certain way it is hard to steer them otherwise. You can't really prove to them that your way is the right way if their way makes sense to them. I think that the rules of equations should be integrated into anyone that is studying to become a math teacher. If the teachers are well educated in what they are teaching then the students will learn correctly, and not become ma and pa kettles.
This is a very interesting post! I've never seen this clip before, but you bring up some good points about how things are taught. We go into school trusting our teachers to show us the right way to do things. If they can't do that, and EXPLAIN why it works, the students will never have a working knowledge of the topic.
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