Monday, May 10, 2010

Oh dear, dear, dear:


10 comments:

  1. Wow! That's 30% of the population.

    ReplyDelete
  2. At the very least, MP.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:58 PM

    When I went back to college in the 80s most of the foreign students were taking engineering and math classes while most of the American students were taking liberal arts classes. Don't know if that's still the situation, but I suspect it is... We need more women taking math and engineering classes and fewer majoring in the "easy" classes. I was nursing and health care admin.
    Classof65

    ReplyDelete
  4. maths is one of those subjects that needs to be taught really, really well for it to "take" with the students that haven't got a real natural aptitude for it, though. It can be incredibly dry and confusing otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:44 AM

    I was given to understand that females learn math differently than males...anyone know anything about this? I was fortunate as a college student to be able to take up to 16 units "pass/fail" which I did with the requisite statistics and science couses...my grade point average was very grateful for this!
    annie c

    ReplyDelete
  6. Annie C is right. Girls naturally learn addition to begin with, whilst boys learn subtraction first. This is due to the natural instinct of the female of the species to cadge money off the male to go shopping with, and the natural instinct of the male to give it to her (the latter being to do with guaranteeing the continuation of his bloodline, if you get my drift).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Annie, pay no attention to the Mad One. He loves to be snarky about this kind of thing. :-)

    Interestingly, the research results are mixed. One thing that is happening is that the disparity between girls and boys with regard to quantitative skills seems to be narrowing as girls are not given quite as strong a message as was once the case that they "couldn't" do stuff like engineering and architecture.

    I used to teach mathematics in an all boys school and, believe me, there are many males out there who are absolutely HOPELESS when it comes to mathematical aptitude or comptetence!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous12:59 PM

    Thanks for the comments folks...I am definitely one of those people for whom math did not come easily and am grateful that I somehow managed to eak out a Master's degree. And to Mad Priest...I did not take your comment personally because, unlike many females, I never much liked to shop!
    annie c

    ReplyDelete
  9. Look, ladies, this is your actual science. Professor MadPriest, of the Newcastle Academy of Quakery and Allied Professions has done a lot of research on how women are different from us men. The information I passed onto you came from his latest popular title, "Everything you ever wanted to know about women but were afraid you would get slapped in the face if you asked."

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous1:30 PM

    Dear Mad Priest:
    You definitely have balls. Keep up the research!
    annie c

    ReplyDelete

New policy: Anonymous posts must be signed or they will be deleted. Pick a name, any name (it could be Paperclip or Doorknob), but identify yourself in some way. Thank you.