Another Darwin Award Winner!
Posted on 12/20/2019 6:30:36 AM PST by karpov
Following a growing trend in education called critical mathematics, the Seattle Public School system recently released a framework incorporating ethnic studies into their K-12 mathematics curriculum. It has a noble objective: To reduce the disparity in mathematics achievement between white students and students of color by teaching how different cultures have developed and employed mathematics through time.
But instead of equipping students to understand mathematics better so they can succeed, the new framework will leave students less prepared and teaches them a new dangerous lesson: mathematics is a tool of oppression.
At least, we think that is the gist of what Seattle’s new standards are saying. Sometimes, they seem to state concepts we agree with—for example, where they assert that learning math is ultimately empowering. At other points, however, they claim that the accepted way of doing mathematics is tainted by the Western intellectual tradition.
The standards are full of jargon and incomplete thoughts. For example, “student action, as defined by ethnic studies, is fostering a sense of advocacy, empowerment, and action in the students that creates intea rnal motivation to engage in and contribute to their identities as mathematician.” Sometimes the framework has apparent contradictions like when it asks, “How do we derive mathematical truth?” in one section and then in another section, “Who gets to say if an answer is right?”
We think it suffices to say that the last thing students in America need, to distract them from learning what mathematics is truly about, is to inject decidedly non-mathematical, social-agenda-driven content into the curriculum.
In our more cynical moments, we find ourselves thinking that much of our work as college mathematics and economics professors consists of trying to undo the damage done to students in their previous mathematics education.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
Training their baristas earlier and earlier. They don’t need to know math, the computer tells them what to do.
Note tagline.
Another Darwin Award Winner!
My counting system is pretty simple — 1, 2, many.
I would argue that my counting system is just as good as yours, Many Stone Age people around the world have managed just fine with my counting system.
Turning something that has been around for thousands of years into a social experiment. Like everything else when it comes to social justice, this will not end well.
Go to a local fast-food restaurant, give a young cashier $21.10 for a $16.10 order, and watch them panic.
Exams show consistently that certain demographics do poorly, while others do well, with Asians doing the best. A rational person would pay attention to what the exams are telling us: there are differences in abilities between the demographic groups. They fail because they are unable to learn.
Then find easier jobs for them: janitor, politician, etc. And don’t lament the fact that Asians excel in technical areas.
The objective of math education needs to be for the student to understand math, and be able to use math to solve real-world problems. “Feeling good” about math should not be on the list.
Some kids will understand math better than others. Some will absorb calculus readily. Some will max-out at arithmetic. t is not fair to sabotage the math education of the former, for the supposed feelings of the latter.
One reform which is really needed, is for teachers to actually know the material they are supposed to teach. Someone who cannot pass standardized tests for algebra, geometry and calculus, should not be considered for hiring as a high school math teacher.
Do we have old buildings and roads from thousands of years ago? Do we have ships and roads. If so then we had mathematics. If we cannot find these things then math was not used. So we see a great wall. We see a Mayan temple, an Egyptian pyramid or a Greek statue. We also find coins. All these things demonstrate mathematics at an early age in human history. The concept of time, and knowledge of how stars, moon and sun all work shows mathematics too. But when you don’t find these things, its because mathematics is unknown. Sometimes it can be figured out. But other times Darwin sees no need.
In sub Saharan Africa these things don’t exist. But they have children at 10 and 11 years old. They are physically very strong and quick. And they have a strong female lead communal family structure. Life is short. And life is poor. But it survived because they adapted to a warm climate and produced lots of children with generations being almost half as long. Darwin did not think math was required. And Darwin is racist.
Little Johnny was sitting in class doing math problems when his teacher picked him to answer a question, “Johnny, if there were five birds sitting on a fence and you shot one with your gun, how many would be left?”
“None,” replied Johnny, “cause the rest would fly away.”
“Well, the answer is four,” said the teacher, “but I like the way you’re thinking.”
Little Johnny says, “I have a question for you. If there were three women eating ice cream cones in a shop, one was licking her cone, the second was biting her cone and the third was sucking her cone, which one is married?”
“Well,” said the teacher nervously, “I guess the one sucking the cone.”
“No,” said Little Johnny, “the one with the wedding ring on her finger, but I like the way you’re thinking.”
...the computer tells them what to do.
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Computers will tell the robot baristas what to do, too.
If you read the document it’s obvious their objective wasn’t noble.
Interesting idea.
Most of us can only perceive of a handful of items. None of us can understand exactly what 1000 of something is and definitely not 1 trillion. We take a lot for granted.
There are some people, “idiot savants,” who might be capable of conceiving of a large number of something. However, there is probably a limit to that ability too.
Mathematics is what it is independent of a group's or culture's opinion or feelings about it. A is A, the law of identity. Social subjectivism and relativism are wrong.
Go to a local fast-food restaurant, give a young cashier $21.10 for a $16.10 order, and watch them panic.
In my example of handing $21.10 cash for a $16.10 bill, many will ring in $20, gather up the change for that, and combine it with the remaining $1.10 I had handed to them in the first place. The point being, they have no clue as to why I gave them the cash that I did. A quick glance at an older manager behind the counter while this is taking place leads me to believe this is more common than not.
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All true. Lots of teachers were upset when CA introduced a requirement that teachers pass a low level math test to keep their credential. (They also tested in English). I thought it was OK, but many of the teachers who had to retake the exam several times were “people of color” so there is something to this.
However, I taught sophomore geometry which at the time was a required course to apply to college, (regardless of the college major). I noticed that understanding the concept of a geometric proof was the dividing point. For most students, they could master the rules of algebra and get by, but there is a leap to make to “see” that something shows certain properties to be applicable to all shapes that divides math students into those who will succeed at higher levels and those who will fail.
This was thought to be a matter of spacial recognition, something that would help a carpenter, mechanic, or machinist too. I also believe this concept is possible to include in testing, and is used for early evaluation of success.
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