Three things that surprised me in this reading:
1. Stereotypes on mathematicians
I am surprised but also not too surprised on the stereotypes of mathematics illustrated by the article. People who dislike mathematics may say that it is hard and boring, and those who are good at mathematics are nerds. Also, many people may have the stereotypical thought that men are better than women at mathematics, but this is not true. I have seen many women who are good at math, and there were many women in our mathematics department back in undergrad!
2 .Dewey's teaching techniques
Another point that surprised me was Dewey's teaching techniques that involved "programing the envrionment." It seems to be quite similar to what we are proposing in the concept based teaching methods. Getting students engaed in activities around the materials provided, and away from the traditional sitting still and watching the teachers present teaching style. I was surpseid that Dewey's recommendations were never taken seriously in schools at that time.
3. War and math
Lastly, it iwas surprising to see how war has a direct relation to mathematics. The authorities finally see the importance in mathematics in the needs of elite education for scientific developments and innovations. People began to look at mathematics seriously, and finally realized the need of mathematics in fostering future scientists.
Hi Sukie - thank you for sharing what surprised you in the article! I had a very similar reaction to you, being both surprised & not surprised, at the stereotypes that exist within mathematics. I was talking about the male vs. female stereotypes this morning in another class, and how as teachers we its important to break those down not just because of math success, but also because of gender stereotypes!
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is important for educators to adress these stereotypes and discriminations to their students!
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