Confluence of Declining Math Ability
Dear Friends and Students
Jan 17, 2012, the Times of India published an article “Reading, maths ability declining in kids: Survey”. The national figure for the proportion of children in standard V able to read standard II texts dropped from 53.7% (2010) to 48.2(2011). In the case of arithmetic, there are far more worrying signs. The proportion of standard III children who can solve a two-digit subtraction problem with borrowing dropped from 36.3% (2010) to 29.9% (2011)”. This was a decade-back story in India. I don’t have the latest data. I am sure post corona, numbers might have fallen to similar levels.
Now let us hear the story of the USA. In 2022, the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted a special administration of the NAEP long-term trend (LTT) reading and mathematics assessments for age 9 students to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined by 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics compared to 2020. This is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and the first-ever score decline in mathematics (https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=38)
In Europe, looking at reading performance over a longer time span, performance did not significantly change in most countries between 2009 and 2018. The EU average performance in mathematics remained stable also over 2009-2018, although trends differ across Member States (education.ec.europa.eu/)
On the other side, the researchers found that “routine and frequent use of mobile devices appear to be associated with behavioral problems in childhood.” (Concordia University). This is also another reason for the performance drop. When someone is watching excessive video content, obviously the reading performance drops. The thinking ability or Math ability dips! This is a natural consequence. The question is not about particular performance during time and country. In general, there is no big positive story over time!
While we are talking about one extreme, the other extreme looks completely different. Now we are talking about AI as a Teacher. Harvard's New Computer Science Teacher Is a Chatbot!! True, I am not kidding! Starting this fall, the most prestigious Computer Science 50: Introduction to Computer Science (CS50) will be encouraged to use AI to help them debug code, give feedback on their designs, and answer individual questions about error messages and unfamiliar lines of code. The new approach will not use ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot, both of which are popular among programmers. Malan says the tools are "currently too helpful." Instead, Harvard has developed its own large language model, a "CS50 bot" that will be "similar in spirit," but will focus on "leading students toward an answer rather than handing it to them,” he says. I am sure this is going to be a future model across the world.
When a kid is having so many diversions and AI becomes a teacher for such kids, how do math and reading abilities impact? It is the million-dollar question. How do we see this convergence? How do we read these extreme situations across the world? How does it impact an underperformer and a superior performer? This is going to be an interesting research problem for social scientists.
Everybody has a solution but we are not able to implement it because we are also partly succumbed to these extremes. It is the responsibility of parents to handle their individual cases. That is the only feasible solution rather than suggesting large-scale systems and processes!
Parents, be mindful of your child's growth and ensure a balanced approach to technology to promote their well-being and development.
Ravi Saripalle
Note: Opinions expressed by authors are their own.
Pic credits: Pixabay
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
View Details
Like
0 Comments
Repost
You may also like
EdGe: Your Academic Co-pilot
Published 7d+
VIT-AP University (Vellore Institute of Technology – Andhra Pradesh): A Comprehensive Overview
VIT-AP University, located in Inavolu, Amaravati—the capital of Andhra Pradesh—is a prominent private research university. Established in 2017, it is part of the esteemed VIT Group of Institutions
EdGe: Your Academic Co-pilot
Published 7d+
VIT Chennai vs Amrita Chennai
🎓 Rankings & Reputation VIT Chennai (part of VIT University): NIRF University rank: ~17‑19 (2023–2024) ( vit.ac.in) NIRF Engineering rank: ≈11 Internationally
Kartikeya Kommanamanchi
Published 7d+
The Most Important Day for an Indian!
It is no surprise to boast that Independence Day is the most important day for Indians. It ought to be so for any person in the world if their country fought for Independence, especially from imperial/
EdGe: Your Academic Co-pilot
Published 7d+
Gangadhar Sir's Journey from Casual to Champion
At Edgroom, we celebrate educators who transform their passion into impactful teaching. Today, we honor Gangadhar, a chemistry teacher whose dedication to his students shines brighter than any textbook.From
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
The Invisible Man
How an Invisible Man is Killing Traditional Jobs and Creating Alternative Opportunities?Dear FriendsListen to my story! I am not threatening you but to create awareness! This is Ravi Saripalle.
VENKATESH PANYAM
Published 7d+
A tale of two Students
Dear students,"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston ChurchillTaking right decisions at the right time is the key for success.
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Nurture or Nature?
Nurture or Nature? How to make more verbal participation of Girl students in a classroom (UG Engineering)? Role of Women Faculty, Special Women Sections & Women Colleges! Read this Interesting perspective!Dear
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Career Planning
Is Your Job or Job Planning based on Your Body-Natural Intelligence or Degree/Marks? Out of 4 Types of Jobs, which One do you belong to? Self AssessDear Friends and Students Often people
A. Rashmi Bhavani
Published 7d+
Know My campus: ANITS
The BeginingAnil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences (ANITS) is situated in Bheemunipatnam of Andhra Pradesh state (Province) in India. The institute was established in the Academic Year
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Biodiversity Crisis!
Community Led Grassroots Fightback against Biodiversity Crisis! What is our Vow to Rewild?! Read this PerspectiveDear Friends and StudentsRecently somebody commented on my blog that most of the
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Confluence of Declining Math Ability
"Confluence of Declining Math Ability, Mobile Device Usage in Child Development, and AI as Future Teachers: Exploring the Changing Landscape and Implications for the World"Dear Friends and
VENKATESH PANYAM
Published 7d+
Let Them Pop: Why Students Need Their Own Time to Excel
Dear Teachers and Parents,As parents and teachers, we often expect all students to excel at the same rate, assuming that if they are all exposed to the same environment and resources, they should all
Related Blogs
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
How our Childhood personality traits influence on life outcomes.
How you behave at Age 11 reflects your attainment at Age 50! The First Longitudinal Study (50 Years) Results got published! Can you check your traits at Age 11?Dear Friends and StudentsThree researchers
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Your New Co-Researcher- Boon or Bane?
Your New Co-Researcher- Boon or Bane? Productivity Enabler or Creative Loss? -Message to Researchers, Faculty, and Students!Dear Researcher, Faculty and Student FriendsThree Years back, a few students
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Should I join ECE or not?
Should I join ECE or not? Do I have a Future? This Message is a Response to these questions! Read this perspective!Dear Students and FriendsA couple of days back, one of my colleagues asked what
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Preparing Coders for Tomorrow
"Preparing Coders for Tomorrow: The Evolution of Code Comprehension in Generative AI”! Computer Science Faculty and IT Recruiters' Dilemma!Dear Friends and Students,This article
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Better English for Best Mathematics
Do You Need Better English for Best Mathematics? Similarly, Computer Science and Communication!! 20% drop in Maths Performance due to less understanding of words! How does a Metro, City, Town Student perform
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
Published 7d+
Prompt Engineering
The Hottest Software Job and Hottest Programming Language in the Market! The first-ever new Job created by AI!Dear Friends and StudentsRecently I saw a Job post and Companies are willing to pay