Help!

[Tyler]

I had algebra and 3 semesters of calculus.  While I was proficient at that, I don't know that it did anything for my ability to think critically.  Critical thinking (unlike algebra) is a skill that would be helpful to everyone, and it should be taught to everyone. 

Well a good deal of educational calculus is straight memorization with no critical thinking required.  Integrals, derivatives, and transforms are completely useless if you don't know how or why to set up the equation in the first place.  I never really understood differential equations (barely scraping by my college math classes) until my higher level engineering classes when I saw how the exact same equation could be applied to heat transfer, circuit design, and dynamic mechanical systems.  One reason math is hard is because too often we teach the methods over the application.  Calculating over thinking.

[madbean]

I had algebra and 3 semesters of calculus.  While I was proficient at that, I don't know that it did anything for my ability to think critically.  Critical thinking (unlike algebra) is a skill that would be helpful to everyone, and it should be taught to everyone. 

Well a good deal of educational calculus is straight memorization with no critical thinking required.  Integrals, derivatives, and transforms are completely useless if you don't know how or why to set up the equation in the first place.  I never really understood differential equations (barely scraping by my college math classes) until my higher level engineering classes when I saw how the exact same equation could be applied to heat transfer, circuit design, and dynamic mechanical systems.  One reason math is hard is because too often we teach the methods over the application.  Calculating over thinking.

Always thought Algebra was the best predictor of being a good computer programmer because it seemed to come naturally to me, as did computer programming.

As for a course in critical thinking I have to think that this would quickly evolve into a course in politically correct thinking so maybe not such a good idea.

critical thinking isn't exactly a thing that can be taught in and of it self.. it is a skill set based on the application of other underling skills, you have to learn foundational skills and put them together to think critically..

[Tyler]

Your teacher was not good, if that was the case.

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely mediocre teachers out there.  Counterintuitively, in my experience math majors often make the poorest math teachers.  They love numbers for numbers sake, and are terrible at explaining them in non-esoteric terms.  It's a personality thing.  I specifically remember my Cal I teacher in college was a junior professor who was clearly brilliant but borderline autistic.  He would write out equations with a piece of chalk in his right hand and an eraser in the left, clearing his work as he went left to right on the board.  Then he would wonder why nobody could pass his tests.  I'd wager he got great grades in school but could never do anything but work in academia and solve any problem handed to him.  In contrast, my engineering professors were fantastic and taught the same material extremely effectively. They were all from industry, and had an example for everything.  Same material, very different mindset.