June 2009: Arthur Benjamin’s Formula for Changing Math Education
Before even watching this video, I was intrigued with the subject of it because I was one of those students who enjoyed math. I never questioned my teachers about the material; I sat there and gladly learned and enjoyed math and calculus. However, even though I had no problems, it did not mean my fellow classmates did not. Most students hate math, and that is because they just don’t understand it. When entering college, my originally major was adolescent math education. I already had over 20 credits in college math from high school and I was excited to continue. Needless to say, I transferred colleges and changed my major to childhood education, which I am beyond happy with. Looking back on my education, I realized that even though I learned years of college algebra, trig, and calculus, I never really learned much about statistics and probability. Actually, I didn’t really learn anything about it.
I have to agree with Arthur because learning about statistics and probability is important for our nation. I liked his reference of switching to analog to digital. We are in a new era and with all of today’s economy, it is important to learn the fundamental basics of statistics and probability because it gives you a chance to step out into the world ahead of the game. I feel one of the reasons most students hate math is because they do not understand why they need to know this. With the education system moving more towards a business like model, it will be easier to explain to students why they need to know statistics and probability over calculus. I feel students will feel more excited about learning it because it is something that will help them once they finish school.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/arthur_benjamin_s_formula_for_changing_math_education.html
I am one of the people that can SEE that Math is actually a language and probably even a way of thinking, but unfortunately my elementary school teachers were never able to teach me to fully appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI hope that, given your background that you are able to successfully convince your students that Math is important and can be fun - especially if you have some real-life problems to solve. We definitely need to find a way to keep more kids - especially young women, interested in pursuing Math.