Help Primary School Maths Question.

[DaGaffer]

Or he's a good teacher that's challenging his bright pupils the way he should tbh

Still seems a bit of a full-on question for a ten-year old. I can't remember exactly, but I don't think we'd done powers more complicated than square roots by that age, and I'm certain I hadn't done any real algebra. If primary school kids are doing this stuff, it definitely runs counter to the usual Daily Mail shit about school getting easier.

I'm waiting for @DaGaffer to have an input.

BACK IN MY DAY WE WERE DOING THIS WHILST DOWN T PIT

My input to you is, fuck off.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Just buy your kid a bicycle, fixes everything apparently.

 

[Scouse]

You *must* be challenged if you're to get better. And part of being challenged is being, regularly, set stuff you may not be able to do.

I see @Raven & @Moriath disagree with me but the guy who works at CERN agrees.

Make of that what you will

 

[Raven]

You don't know what you are talking about. Lets leave it at that.

I wasn't aware working at CERN was the same as coming from a family of teachers and people that work with "Special" children.

But "OK"

 

[Trem]

I sort of agree with Scouse but then I always do, I hear his voice *shudder* rather than read his text

Lots of good points here and I agree with all of them in different ways, my son is a shit though, this homework was due in today and it wasn't took out of his bag until last night which made his mum flip out like she always does but he just sits there knowing he will get away with it because the teacher takes it for granted that the pupils in the higher sets always do their homework etc. It makes me really angry. I want him to get caught out.

What my son does see though is pupils in his year in the lower sets getting treated better than him because they are thick, they *do* get away with a *lot* more stuff other than just being called up on homework (which they don't get). Honestly the special pupils who are my sons age are currently learning how to tell the time, now compare that to the question in this thread. They aren't mental or anything just....I dunno.....I'm using wrong words here aren't I?

Dans mate (my son is Dan) is above every level you can imagine for his age, he speaks 3 or 4 languages and has to have special lessons for maths because these questions don't test him enough. He is a lovely lad as well but it just seems like there is nothing behind the eyes. I want my son to be smart but a boy, the same with my daughter, I want her to be smart but a little girl. More matters to me than standing my kids on a box and puffing my chest out and saying "those kids there, they are mine, see how fucking awesome a parent I am" because that would be utter bullshit. If they didn't want to learn it makes no difference what me or Samm would of done.

 

[Raven]

While kids need to be challenged, they also need time to be kids. They can't develope socially if all they are doing is learning. I know a few people at work with kids who are suffering from diagnosed stress from school. One whos kid is a couple of steps away from being sectioned. The early years (primary) are the most important for a childs social development.

 

[Cadelin]

I would like to point out, as someone who works at CERN, that I have Scouse on ignore and any opinions I express that happen to agree with his are entirely coincidental. In this case, I don't know what he is talking about and don't intend to read through any of his comments to find out.

I recognised the question from the British Maths Challenge 2006. It is question 25 of the intermediate paper (note this exam is a one hour non-calculator paper). It would therefore be a very smart year 9 student who would be expected to answer it!

The answer can be found at the bottom of this page:
http://www.ukmt-resources.org.uk/IMC06.html

I wasn't as clever as that solution, I just spotted that you couldn't have ^5 and then on my third guess I got it right.

 

[DaGaffer]

I would like to point out, as someone who works at CERN, that I have Scouse on ignore and any opinions I express that happen to agree with his are entirely coincidental. In this case, I don't know what he is talking about and don't intend to read through any of his comments to find out.

I recognised the question from the British Maths Challenge 2006. It is question 25 of the intermediate paper (note this exam is a one hour non-calculator paper). It would therefore be a very smart year 9 student who would be expected to answer it!

The answer can be found at the bottom of this page:
http://www.ukmt-resources.org.uk/IMC06.html

I wasn't as clever as that solution, I just spotted that you couldn't have ^5 and then on my third guess I got it right.

You recognised the question from a 2006 maths paper? That's some serious nerd points right there.

 

[Bodhi]

Just buy your kid a bicycle, fixes everything apparently.

No need for a bike, just buy him 20 Marlboro, that will solve the issue.

* I'm afraid I have nothing serious to add to this topic as it's a long time since I did Maths as part of my Astrophysics degree, and a lot of alcohol has passed my lips since then. But if you want sarcasm and satire on recent discussions, I'm you man!

 

[Trem]

No need for a bike, just buy him 20 Marlboro, that will solve the issue.

* I'm afraid I have nothing serious to add to this topic as it's a long time since I did Maths as part of my Astrophysics degree, and a lot of alcohol has passed my lips since then. But if you want sarcasm and satire on recent discussions, I'm you man!

While buying him some ciggies may be an idea I would have his mother would remove my tiny little bollocks as I slept

I just feed him beer when she isn't looking

 

[caLLous]

I think @Scouse thinks that @Calaen works at CERN.

 

[Raven]

I thought you worked at CERN too

I am terribly confused with all these Cs.

 

[caLLous]

I can only just spell CERN.

 

[leggy]

I do some fairly complex maths on a regular basis in my job but that question was solid.

I was trying to solve it with logarithms realising this wouldn't be the solution, having not recognised that it was a logical deduction type of question .

Either way, this isn't standard 9 yo maths by any stretch of the imagination. And any primary school kid who answers it easily needs to consider a job counting gluons at CERN. Or McDonalds.

 

[Scouse]

It's not supposed to be standard 9yo maths.

It's a teacher-professed "hard question" for kids in the brightest set.

It's not about stressed kids, or 'the majority' or anything like that. It's a single question that a teacher full well knows that most of his students won't be able to answer.

Does that mean he shouldn't ask it? Hell no - unless you want to bring up kids in an environment where everything is within their current ability. And if you do that they'll enter their adult life giving up as soon as the going gets hard.

 

[leggy]

I never suggested it shouldn't be asked. I'm all for pushing the boundaries of learning.

 

[old.Tohtori]

As i've said earlier, in agreement with @Scouse ....ish. If it's affecting their grade negatively compared to other kids, then it's a dick move to punish those who are better. Otherwise, push away but make it clear to the student that it's a test of skill, not something to stress about.

Scouse simply says things in a manner i necessarily wouldn't and adds his own little quaint aholery into it

 

[Scouse]

I never suggested it shouldn't be asked. I'm all for pushing the boundaries of learning.

Wasn't particularly directed at you