tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post3721109857044941617..comments2024-03-19T07:30:55.288-04:00Comments on Curmudgeon: Things we Need You To Stop Saying, part two Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-73983170718890001582015-05-19T07:42:03.046-04:002015-05-19T07:42:03.046-04:00Well...
1. It seems like engineering is one possi...Well...<br /><br />1. It seems like engineering is one possible context for introducing the relevancy of math to students, no? There are numerous other possible contexts, as well. Whenever possible, aren't finding opportunities for students to do math within more 'real world' contexts likely methods for combatting the 'why should I know / care about this?' and 'what relevance does this have to my current or future life?' questions that we hear all the time from students?<br /><br />2. As math educators we can take the position that raw, pure math is beautiful, important, worthy in its own right, etc. And that's fine. But that doesn't mean our students are buying it. And there's a lot of evidence that seems to indicate that they don't, isn't there?<br /><br />Not picking on math here. This is true for almost any subject that we teach, because we usually do so in fairly decontextualized ways, which leaves students struggling for meaning and relevance. Can't we do better, at least some of the time?<br /><br />Thanks for the thoughtful pushback (as always).Scott McLeodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08368435018346090846noreply@blogger.com