johnc Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 I feel ill: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006873 Ethnomathematics Even math education is being politicized. BY DIANE RAVITCH Sunday, June 26, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT It seems our math educators no longer believe in the beauty and power of the principles of mathematics. They are continually in search of a fix that will make it easy, relevant, fun and even politically relevant. In the early 1990s, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics issued standards that disparaged basic skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, since all of these could be easily performed on a calculator. The council preferred real-life problem solving, using everyday situations. Attempts to solve problems without basic skills caused some critics, especially professional mathematicians, to deride the "new, new math" as "rainforest algebra." In a comparison of a 1973 algebra textbook and a 1998 "contemporary mathematics" textbook, Williamson Evers and Paul Clopton found a dramatic change in topics. In the 1973 book, for example, the index for the letter "F" included factors, factoring, fallacies, finite decimal, finite set, formulas, fractions and functions. In the 1998 book, the index listed families (in poverty data), fast food nutrition data, fat in fast food, feasibility study, feeding tours, ferris wheel, fish, fishing, flags, flight, floor plan, flower beds, food, football, Ford Mustang, franchises and fund-raising carnival. Those were the days of innocent dumbing-down. Now mathematics is being nudged into a specifically political direction by educators who call themselves "critical theorists." They advocate using mathematics as a tool to advance social justice. Social justice math relies on political and cultural relevance to guide math instruction. One of its precepts is "ethnomathematics," that is, the belief that different cultures have evolved different ways of using mathematics, and that students will learn best if taught in the ways that relate to their ancestral culture. From this perspective, traditional mathematics--the mathematics taught in universities around the world--is the property of Western civilization and is inexorably linked with the values of the oppressors and conquerors. The culturally attuned teacher will learn about the counting system of the ancient Mayans, ancient Africans, Papua New Guineans and other "nonmainstream" cultures. Partisans of social-justice mathematics advocate an explicitly political agenda in the classroom. A new textbook, "Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers," shows how problem solving, ethnomathematics and political action can be merged. Among its topics are: "Sweatshop Accounting," with units on poverty, globalization and the unequal distribution of wealth. Another topic, drawn directly from ethnomathematics, is "Chicanos Have Math in Their Blood." Others include "The Transnational Capital Auction," "Multicultural Math," and "Home Buying While Brown or Black." Units of study include racial profiling, the war in Iraq, corporate control of the media and environmental racism. The theory behind the book is that "teaching math in a neutral manner is not possible." Teachers are supposed to vary the teaching of mathematics in relation to their students' race, sex, ethnicity and community. This fusion of political correctness and relevance may be the next big thing to rock mathematics education, appealing as it does to political activists and to ethnic chauvinists. It seems terribly old-fashioned to point out that the countries that regularly beat our students in international tests of mathematics do not use the subject to steer students into political action. They teach them instead that mathematics is a universal language that is as relevant and meaningful in Tokyo as it is in Paris, Nairobi and Chicago. The students who learn this universal language well will be the builders and shapers of technology in the 21st century. The students in American classes who fall prey to the political designs of their teachers and professors will not. Ms. Ravitch is a historian of education at New York University, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a member of the Koret Task Force at the Hoover Institution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Battle Pope Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Why can't we just go back to the good 'ol 2+2=4? Why does it have to be "The number of times the republicans have bullied the democrats (X) + the number of times the democrats have whined about it (Y) = the number of reasons I hate american politics (Z)". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Thats rediculus! Working in a machine shop, I can say the MAIN idea behind 'math' is to use it as a TOOL! (IE, a hammer is for hammering, pry bars are for prying, ect) If I was never taught the basic 'dry' math (+ - x / ) and evrything built on it, how the heck would I be able to do my job?!? I don't care about the 'uneven distribution of wealth' or how ancient myans used math.. absurd... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Want aZ Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 And yet another indication that we as a society are doomed....maybe I'll just shoot myself, before that time comes, after all we are developing the leaders of tomorrow....what a horrifying thought.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 First: How often do we have to listen to some conservative snivel about how bad some aspect of the culture is, how ignorant liberals are, or how soon we are surely to perish? Jeesh, if it's that bad, they should move back to Russia or something. Second: The reason Mr. Evers and Clopton found different types of items in the indexes is because "Contemporary Math" and "Algebra 1" are different. That's why they have different names. Either they're confused about what mathematical names mean, or they're purposefully obfuscating the facts. Either way, they shouldn't be paid attention to. Ms. Ravitch needs to check the facts a little more closely. Third: "Contemporary Math" is a low-level class that the retarded and children in Red states will study - assuming they're more intelligent than their parents. "Algebra 1" is the study of a number of mathematical concepts including: Factoring (ax^2 + bx + c, differences of two squares, by grouping, monomials, polynomials, solving by, trinomials, trinomial squares), Factorization, Factors, Factor theorem, Field axioms, FOIL method, Formulas (evaluating, solving), Fractional equations (see Rational equations), Fractional notation, Fractional radicands, Fraction bar, Fractions, Functional notation, Function operations, Functions (domains of, evaluation, graphing, identifying, linear, quadratic, ranges of), and Function values. (From "Prentice Hall Algebra 1", copyright 2001) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 The theory behind the book is that "teaching math in a neutral manner is not possible." Teachers are supposed to vary the teaching of mathematics in relation to their students' race, sex, ethnicity and community. I can't believe people actually THINK this way!!! Are there worms in the brain? Math is math, math, doesn't change, math is a constant. Now if you want to teach cultural math as a seperate class for people trying to understand why other cultures ended up not working out due to their lack of understanding of math, ok, but don't push it on everyone and cheat young minds out of the analytical skills math brings. I don't use much math in my day job but I am positive that taking math throuh Calc has given me a thought process that I wouldn't have otherwise. "Contemporary Math" is a low-level class that the retarded and children in Red states [/Quote] Strotter, your funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Want aZ Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Math is an invaluable tool, I use it everyday at work, it is a necessity, but to dumb it down, lets get real, the school system is raising a bunch of functional illiterate kids...My nephew is a product of them and he cant do even the simplest math that I do in my head... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Conversational Ebonics Rap 100A History: The white man, modern society, and you. Industrial study: Chapter 1 - How to pick a perfect Strawberry Chapter 2 - Greeting, the finer points sponcered by Wal-Mart Chapter 3 - Finding a McDonalds. Chapter 4 - Bookkeeping basics: shelf or stack? Chapter 5 - Starting your own business; Drugs or Sex? Appendix A - Welfare Forms Economic Theory Chapter 1 - Why big banks are Evil? Chapter 2 - Spend Spend Spend Chapter 3 - Saving is for Chumps Chapter 4 - Debt is good, how to amass freedom from work. Chapter 5 - SSN: why you need more than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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