Creative Revolution pt. 1

[lelenevity]

I look to poverty a lot because it bothers me a great deal. When I walk by the projects in Worcester, there's this big, blank wall that's supposed to be white but has since become rusted somehow. At first, I thought, "Let the residents paint over it with a mural!" (certainly, the students of mine who came from that neighborhood were talented

Comments

[violetshade]

Eh, I don't think wanting math from them is the problem-primarily because it hasn't been bloody taught below the University level, as far as I know (well, ok, there was the abortive attempt at "New Math", but from what I know of that it was like introducing creative writing by having children rearrange premade words and sentences). I can't find the essay I'd been reading on the topic, but anything that's actually, well, mathematics (coming up with conjectures, proving or disproving those conjectures-anything even vaguely related to what an actual mathematician might do, as opposed to simply using the field as a calculating instrument) seems nearly taboo.

Ahah! I found it. Lockhart's Lament.

[lelenevity]

That's part of my problem! The administrators make a huge deal out of whether these kids pass or fail math, but the math at this level is all calculations! Based on the current curriculum, there isn't any indication whether or not they'd actually be good at MATH. So I think they should either turn "math" into "problem solving" (where the students practice developing their own methods for problem solving, rather than practice TAUGHT methods for problem solving) OR quit cutting other classes in order to offer additional math classes during the day.

math as art

[lelenevity]

Great article, by the way. I'm 8 pages in, and I've related to every word he's written so far.