I believe that in a perfect world, mathematics would be a pure entity, devoid of any cultural relevance: a universal language if it were. However, in our realistic world, mathematics is connected to our social and cultural identities. We don't simply use it to calculate and display data, but to sway public opinion and affect our culture.
I agree with the author's intentions and feel that math should be used as a tool to understand the world, instead of using the basic problems of the world to understand math. We need to help students understand how companies and governments use math, be it in pricing, statistics, data, etc.. This won't simply help students understand the world and social issues, but by putting it in a relatable context, it will actually help students learn the math.
I don't feel that there is any reason why these ideas could not be incorporated into a secondary mathematics class. It is simply a matter of taking the mathematics that the students are learning and applying it to real world problems. Obviously, different types of math would have varying levels of difficulty in applications and with the complexity of the math, the more difficult it becomes. With simple math, like algebra, you can apply it to a myriad of basic social problems, but with abstract or theoretical math it's a bit tougher to find relevant social topics to relate it to.
No comments:
Post a Comment