To reconcile inconsistencies in monthly inventories, a worker needs to think backwards to determine all the possible ways in which records might be wrong or items misplaced. To design an airplane in a modern competitive economy, one needs more than the traditional airfoil analysis that produces optimal lift for the wings. To answer that question requires the combined skills of construction workers, design engineers, financial experts, and senior management. The habit of volunteering possible flaws in an argument does not come naturally to students who have become habituated by the pressure for grades to living in a world of bluff and desperation. Whether in retail or manufacturing, finance or health, students who enter the world of work must be prepared to put forth their ideas and then to work with others to improve on these initial thoughts.
School only prepares students to answer questions posed by others.
Mathematics in School Mathematics in school is also changing. Reformers argue that children's motivation to learn arises from rich problem-solving contexts, not from isolated drill on basic skills. We now know that very young children can understand and solve problems involving simple multiplication and division well before they have the maturity to learn all their arithmetic facts. Yet the public, and many employers, still emphasize acquisition of basic skills and scores on standardized tests. Many believe that mastery of basic skills is a prerequisite to higher order problem solving, and that calculators provide young children with an excuse for not mastering these basic skills.