“Obviously there are things that a citizen ought to know,” he continued. But, “[we’re using] the entirely wrong approach.” Dyson believes that American schools teach kids to, metaphorically, drive on bumpy grass instead of to pilot cars on highways. Memorization of facts and figures is the primary culprit. What we really need, he says, is to teach kids to use tools that do math for us. In other words, no more multiplication tables. Calculators at age six. Parents and teachers, prepare your pitchforks.
