Teaching in the metric system to American kids

[Tomeck]

I don't know that at all. Read this.

It's funny, but I am not convinced.

The body temperature is 98.6 F, but not 96 F, it's not 64 to divide. Celsius is more readable than Fahrenheit, because the ice water temperature is 0 C and the body temperature is 37 C, if a climate temperature is 5 C, I can clearly the difference with another climate temperature 25 C. If temperatures are in Fahrenheit, I see 41 F for 5 C and 77 F for 25 C, the difference between 41 F (5 C) and 77 F (25 C) is small than between 0 F (-17 C) and 41 F (5 C).

 

[ozziworld]

I am quite familiar with both metric and imperial. I am an architect and educated in the USA practiced inperial and moved to Asia where we use metric. I am profficient in both because I had to adapt when I made the move.

Facts are if I insisted in learing metric in school it would have been difficult since books, instrments etc would be in imperial. The US will make the shift when there is more to gain from making the shift than the inconvenience of changing. It is a matter of economics really. Just like all the networks going digital, everyone seems to know about the advantages but not everyone seems to appreciate the backwards compatibility of resources, training etc.

I would not presume to be the first person to consider the shift. As an industry, I am sure that has been tackled many times before considering all the angles and considerations.

Scientists and military already made the shift as they view it differently.
It will happen, it will just take more time since the US has more invested in imperial and have more at stake with backwards compatibility than most other countries that have made the change.

Your students will learn metric when the need arises. Meantime, I don't think anyone would appreciate being forced to learn metric in a country where it is simply more practical to learn what is already there. Dive shops, DMs and the rest of the local dive industry would have already made the shift if there was enough to gain.

 

[Kern]

The US does not now, nor will it ever, use the metric system for common measurements. There are a number of reasons: don't want anything to do with 'European' ideas, too costly to convert, scientists can feel superior and any of a number of others.

But you're teaching kids. Why make it harder than it needs to be? The American system is feet, pounds and seconds. It's a crappy system but it's what we use.

Richard

A democratic republic is a European idea. Dollars & cents seem to be another Euro idea & metric too. The Imperial system of measurement, yes I'm afraid so, another Euro idea no matter how much you chaps have mangled some of it.

To the OP, I think it's a silly idea really. Let us know how it go's.

 

[diver_dj]

I grew up and learned to dive under the metric system, but now dive in imperial because it's just what happens here.

The children will be confused enough with all of the new things you're teaching them - please don't make it harder for them by showing them in a different system to what they know.

 

[otterdive]

Well, I have spent the entire summer now teaching kids using the Metric system, and the imperial measurements. I give the students the choice, and overwhelmingly they choose metric. Lets give the younger set some credit for being able to use both. Far from confusing the kids, the pressure/volume relationships are MUCH easier for them to grasp using the metric system. They have not been confused at all. The discussion, at least for me, has been settled by this experience this summer. I let them choose which system to use during their class time, exams, and KRs. They switch back and forth with ease. Kids are way smarter than many give them credit for.