Very interesting study. I guess even without conscious rote learning there's repetition involved in selling the same set of vegetables in similar quantities over months, years and customers paying in similar bills - after all there is only a few of each. So it is not surprising those skills are not transferable.
However, it does show the kids are not "dumb" and schools need to make formal maths more interesting. More than the curriculum itself, teachers can make a difference, if well trained.
Anecdotally I do find common maths skills have a strong correlation to general competence as perceived by others. I have always been impressed by executives that have firm grasp of numbers, even in non-financial jobs and I find they do well in their careers. They can instantly notice something that stands out, smells bad etc.
A store clerk that pulls out a calculator to do simple maths gives out bad vibes.
> A store clerk that pulls out a calculator to do simple maths gives out bad vibes.
Conversely, store clerks in corner stores that use print roll tabulating calculators to add everything and reach totals give confidence to many, particulalrly those that hand over the printouts for inspection.
There are patterns of argument that serial scammers use to confuse clerks about change.
One of the better defence strategies is to slow walk the asserted calculation through on a calculater with print tally.
However, it does show the kids are not "dumb" and schools need to make formal maths more interesting. More than the curriculum itself, teachers can make a difference, if well trained.
Anecdotally I do find common maths skills have a strong correlation to general competence as perceived by others. I have always been impressed by executives that have firm grasp of numbers, even in non-financial jobs and I find they do well in their careers. They can instantly notice something that stands out, smells bad etc.
A store clerk that pulls out a calculator to do simple maths gives out bad vibes.