Is math used in modern culture discriminatory?

[Raider5678]

So reading in the news, Seattle has introduced legislation that would create a new math curriculum highlighting how math was used by western civilization in order to subjugate cultures of color.

An example would be how numeracy tests were used to screen black voters in southern states.

While this is, and will continue to be, taught in history class, it will now also be taught in math class.

Additionally, questions will purposefully be framed to cast light on social issues such as the disparity in criminal sentencing, drug sentencing, etc.

Furthermore, the math class would also teach students to use different bases, such as base 20, to help make up for the way western civilization have subjugated the mathematical identity of others, such as the Aztecs. 

The above was gleamed from various news outlets. However, here is the actual PDF document that all this is based off of(it seems more fit to go straight to the actual controversial document then to trust "fake news"*)

 

https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/socialstudies/pubdocs/Math SDS ES Framework.pdf

 

 

Essentially, the document outlines 4 key areas that math class should focus on.

• Orgins, Identity, and Agency.
  • Origins, Identity and Agency, as defined by ethnic studies, is the ways in which we view ourselves as mathematicians and members of broader mathematical communities. Mathematical theory and application is rooted in the ancient histories of people and empires of color. All human endeavors include mathematical thinking; from humanities to the arts to the sciences
• Power and Oppression.
  • Power and oppression, as defined by ethnic studies, are the ways in which individuals and groups define mathematical knowledge so as to see “Western” mathematics as the only legitimate expression of mathematical identity and intelligence. This definition of legitimacy is then used to disenfranchise people and communities of color. This erases the historical contributions of people and communities of color.
• History of Resistance and Liberation.
  • The history of resistance and liberation, as defined by ethnic studies, is the stories, places, and people who helped liberate people and communities of color using math, engineering, and technology. Access to mathematical knowledge itself is an act of liberation.
• Reflection and Action.
  • Student action, as defined by ethnic studies, is fostering a sense of advocacy, empowerment, and action in the students that creates internal motivation to engage in and contribute to their identities as mathematicians. Students will be confident in their ability to construct & decode mathematical knowledge, truth, and beauty so they can contribute to their experiences and the experiences of people in their community.

 

Seeing this, one of the major things that jumps out at me is this:

"Power and oppression, as defined by ethnic studies, are the ways in which individuals and groups define mathematical knowledge so as to see “Western” mathematics as the only legitimate expression of mathematical identity and intelligence."

To me, the idea of teaching students that our way of doing math, isn't the only way you can do math, seems questionable. Perhaps the Aztecs used base 20 to count, and the westernization of that math to base 10 was oppressive, but that doesn't change the fact we use base 10 today**, almost exclusively, around the entire world.

 Teach them that the Aztecs used base 20. Don't teach them that it's okay if they feel like using base 20 to try and communicate to people, calculate, or write. It's not. It'll basically destroy their life if they refuse to use base 10 in the real world. Oppressive or not, I feel like this is a pill they should swallow and move on with.

Additionally, much of the Origins, Identity, and Agency section seems like it should be sent and banished to history class. When I went to school, I would have hated going into math class and being told to go write an essay about how the origins of mathematics were actually from empires of colored people as opposed to learning how to calculate the angle of triangles using trigonometry

 

Other topics seem a rather off topic for a math class. (SWBAT = Students will be able to)

• SWBAT explain how math has been used to exploit natural resources
  • This is required for learning math...... why?
• SWBAT identify the inherent inequities of the standardized testing system used to oppress and marginalize people and communities of color.
  • Same question as above. Is this topic going to be taught with standardized tests? 
• SWBAT critique systems of power that deny access to mathematical knowledge to people and communities of color.
  • Same question as above. And shouldn't this be taught in civics? How hard is it to say that "Governments that deny mathematical knowledge to people and communities of color = bad." Why is this a concept that must be taught in math?
• SWBAT identify individuals and organizations that have reclaimed mathematical identity and agency.
  • As defined by whom? What is mathematical identity? 2 + 2 = 4 = cultural oppression?
• SWBAT re-humanize mathematics through experiential learning and answering “why?”.
  • I literally have no words to describe how I feel about injecting humans into mathematics. I'm not a fan of a lot of people. I don't want mathematics humanized, I feel like it'll ruin it. People ruin a lot of stuff.

Thoughts?

 

 

Quick edit: In full disclosure, I am currently in disagreement against this proposal. In case it wasn't obvious. It could change though.

*A joke. Don't kill me.

**Yes, I understand computers use binary, and we could say that a majority of math is in base 2. But we, being humans, typically don't write in base 2, we typically don't calculate in base 2, and we typically don't communicate in base 2. Invalid argument exception.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by Raider5678

[MigL]

Yeah, I'll probably get flack for this...

There must be a lot of SJW in Seattle.
Next they'll be teaching about racism in Nuclear Physics classes because nuclear weapons were only ever used by whites against Orientals.

Maybe they should stick to actually teaching mathematics.
Then maybe Orientals wouldn't be kicking our 'educational butts' in the STEM fields.

[zapatos]

26 minutes ago, Raider5678 said:

So reading in the news, Seattle has introduced legislation that would create a new math curriculum highlighting how math was used by western civilization in order to subjugate cultures of color.

Some people aren't happy unless they can find something to be unhappy about.

13 minutes ago, MigL said:

Yeah, I'll probably get flack for this...

There must be a lot of SJW in Seattle.
Next they'll be teaching about racism in Nuclear Physics classes because nuclear weapons were only ever used by whites against Orientals.

Maybe they should stick to actually teaching mathematics.
Then maybe Orientals wouldn't be kicking our 'educational butts' in the STEM fields.

You're killing me Smalls.

[Raider5678]

2 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Some people aren't happy unless they can find something to be unhappy about.

 

But then they're unhappy.

That's illogical.....I don't get it.....

 

Oh wait. We were taught logic was discriminatory. No wonder. Moving on.

[zapatos]

2 minutes ago, Raider5678 said:

Oh wait. We were taught logic was discriminatory. No wonder. Moving on.

One can spot a conservative a mile away. 

[CharonY]

41 minutes ago, Raider5678 said:

While this is, and will continue to be, taught in history class, it will now also be taught in math class.

As per your link the class is part of the ethnic studies curriculum, not for the math curriculum. You can also see it in the link as it refers to the social studies directory. Also the curriculum itself makes it rather obvious what the topic is, unless one has a rather weird view on what schools teach (though, to be fair, some states mandated teaching the controversy of evolution, so quite a bit may be projection).

 

[Endy0816]

We use hexadecimal and especially sexagesimal regularly too. I actually think kids could really benefit from being better educated on the subject. Base 20 might not be my own first thought, but the different Mayan numerals could definitely aid in grasping the concept.

Edited October 28, 2019 by Endy0816

[CharonY]

I just tried to google the curriculum and the first pages were all articles in a similar vein to OP and how that erodes math teaching. Some of these aticles frame it as a leftist attack on science, which is rather rich considering where the political anti-intellectual movement (at least in the US) is coming from.

 

12 hours ago, Raider5678 said:

The above was gleamed from various news outlets. However, here is the actual PDF document that all this is based off of(it seems more fit to go straight to the actual controversial document then to trust "fake news"*)

I found it worrying that the search pages were dominated by articles from the "SJW attack on math " crowd. In-between there was pretty much a single article from a Seattle outlet  discussing ethnic studies within the first pages. Before the argument is made that ethnic studies themselves are useless, I will like to highlight a relatively new body of literature highlighting that minority students perform better academically, when attending ethnic studies or other curricula that highlight their experience or background. Improvements include scores, attendance and overall credits earned. These include significant increases in Maths and Science scores (See e.g. Dee& Penner, Am Ed Res J Volume: 54 issue: 1, page(s): 127-166). Thus there is an increased interest to use these benefits, especially for at-risk-students.

[MigL]

As you previously mentioned, CharonY, this wouldn't be the first time some group has superimposed their agenda on Science teaching.
It has happened in the US with Evolution and Creationism.

But you are right. This is an overreaction due to incomplete information.
( I couldn't be bothered to read the link, Glad you did. )

[J.C.MacSwell]

It's always the 90% of SJW's that give the rest a bad name...

[CharonY]

43 minutes ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

It's always the 90% of SJW's that give the rest a bad name...

Depends on the usage of the term. I am not entirely sure about the origin, but there was a time when it referred to folks engaged in social justice reform. But since then it has been delegated to a derogatory term referring to folks taking up social justice issues but without putting the work in to actually understand the issues. At some point, presumably with the help of social media, the latter is also applied to all folks engaged in social justice issues, in an attempt to devalue the principles.

[Raider5678]

19 hours ago, CharonY said:

As per your link the class is part of the ethnic studies curriculum, not for the math curriculum.

This is a excerpt from Education Week:

Education Week reports:

If adopted, its ideas will be included in existing math classes as part of the district’s broader effort to infuse ethnic studies into all subjects across the K-12 spectrum. Tracy Castro-Gill, Seattle’s ethnic studies director, said her team hopes to have frameworks completed in all subjects by June for board approval.

If the frameworks are approved, teachers would be expected to incorporate those ideas and questions into the math they teach beginning next fall, Castro-Gill said. No districtwide—or mandated—math/ethnic studies curriculum is planned, but groups of teachers are working with representatives of local community organizations to write instructional units for teachers to use if they wish, she said.'

The link is here, however be forewarned, this site isn't free. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/11/seattle-schools-lead-controversial-push-to-rehumanize.html

According to the interview with a person who is directly involved in the planning, this is taught IN math class.

I didn't notice the link before though. Either way, in light of what Castro-Gill is saying, I'd chalk that up to a bad folder organization. Or someone got confused and thought this belonged in an Ethnic Studies course.

 

For the record, I have absolutely no issue with this being an ethnic studies course. But it's not, it's to be incorporated into the math class.

 

[StringJunky]

2 hours ago, CharonY said:

Depends on the usage of the term. I am not entirely sure about the origin, but there was a time when it referred to folks engaged in social justice reform. But since then it has been delegated to a derogatory term referring to folks taking up social justice issues but without putting the work in to actually understand the issues. At some point, presumably with the help of social media, the latter is also applied to all folks engaged in social justice issues, in an attempt to devalue the principles.

Any word or term can be hijacked for derogatory purposes and often are but it doesn't mean they shouldn''t  be used in their origanally intended meaning.

 

7 minutes ago, Raider5678 said:

This is a excerpt from Education Week:

Education Week reports:

If adopted, its ideas will be included in existing math classes as part of the district’s broader effort to infuse ethnic studies into all subjects across the K-12 spectrum. Tracy Castro-Gill, Seattle’s ethnic studies director, said her team hopes to have frameworks completed in all subjects by June for board approval.

If the frameworks are approved, teachers would be expected to incorporate those ideas and questions into the math they teach beginning next fall, Castro-Gill said. No districtwide—or mandated—math/ethnic studies curriculum is planned, but groups of teachers are working with representatives of local community organizations to write instructional units for teachers to use if they wish, she said.'

The link is here, however be forewarned, this site isn't free. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/11/seattle-schools-lead-controversial-push-to-rehumanize.html

According to the interview with a person who is directly involved in the planning, this is taught IN math class.

I didn't notice the link before though. Either way, in light of what Castro-Gill is saying, I'd chalk that up to a bad folder organization. Or someone got confused and thought this belonged in an Ethnic Studies course.

 

For the record, I have absolutely no issue with this being an ethnic studies course. But it's not, it's to be incorporated into the math class.

 

I don't like this concept because it might cause a negative reaction in the pupil and hence their progress. I started an OU maths course infused with feminist issues, like equal pay, and pissed me off so much i packed it in. Politics should be kept out of the core subjects that are essential skills... themes need to be neutral.

Edited October 28, 2019 by StringJunky

[CharonY]

2 hours ago, Raider5678 said:

This is a excerpt from Education Week:

Education Week reports:

If adopted, its ideas will be included in existing math classes as part of the district’s broader effort to infuse ethnic studies into all subjects across the K-12 spectrum. Tracy Castro-Gill, Seattle’s ethnic studies director, said her team hopes to have frameworks completed in all subjects by June for board approval.

If the frameworks are approved, teachers would be expected to incorporate those ideas and questions into the math they teach beginning next fall, Castro-Gill said. No districtwide—or mandated—math/ethnic studies curriculum is planned, but groups of teachers are working with representatives of local community organizations to write instructional units for teachers to use if they wish, she said.'

The link is here, however be forewarned, this site isn't free. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/11/seattle-schools-lead-controversial-push-to-rehumanize.html

According to the interview with a person who is directly involved in the planning, this is taught IN math class.

I didn't notice the link before though. Either way, in light of what Castro-Gill is saying, I'd chalk that up to a bad folder organization. Or someone got confused and thought this belonged in an Ethnic Studies course.

 

For the record, I have absolutely no issue with this being an ethnic studies course. But it's not, it's to be incorporated into the math class.

 

Thank you for the source, much appreciated. I'd have to think a bit more about it. First is of course that it should not compromise the core curriculum, and from what I read that does not seem to be the case. The other aspects however, I actually do see the value in it, but I wonder whether K12 is too early or not. 

For example, in part of my class (college level), I talk about the scientific method. However, I am careful to contextualize it that far from being an infallible, science often comes to wrong conclusions and is not simply dealing with a series of facts. To illustrate these shortcomings (and how science can address those), I and other lecturers use a variety of examples, including phrenology and/or the development of scientific racism. In computer science some lecturers may also discuss why algorithms are not truly neutral or universal (e.g. using examples where seemingly race-neutral inputs result in racial bias). Incomplete information and implicit assumption derived from science with real-life consequences. It is not possible, or even useful to keep things entirely neutral. What would that even mean? How can we talk about evolution or climate change while being politically neutral, when politics have taken sides? Or should we ignore potential impacts of our findings, because folks can politicize them? What, the heck is considered political nowadays anyway? The answer of course is that science is not just an accumulation of facts with no impact. Science is so powerful because it has consequences (positive or negative) and as such understanding those impacts is quite useful, even if it is only done as a sidenote to the main curriculum.

As such I do see the value to also use these concepts to highlight how a seemingly neutral concept such as maths can (and have been) used in problematic ways. If nothing else, it teaches that only because we have a certain system of understanding and learning, it does not mean that it is the only possible one nor that it is infallible (or unbiased).

With regard to student levels, my first thought is that is more fitting to University, where we provide broader context to our studies and where we have students unlearn misconceptions learned in highschool.

At the same time, I wonder whether it might actually be helpful if already highschool students start of with this broader context in various studies. Another benefit is that (as mentioned above) these types of context actually help (minority) students to perform better in class. After all, mathematics has always suffered from the impact issue (i.e. why should I learn that, I am never going to use it). That all being said, I was unaware of ethnomathematics as a broader concept and I see now that there is actually quite a bit of literature dating back to the 80s. So, I think it would be a good idea for everyone, including myself to read up a bit on the benefits and issues of the concept, before resorting to knee-jerk (or similar) reactions.

 

[MigL]

I disagree.
Pure science ( definitely not political, social or even medical ) has no gender, ethnicity, sexual preference or religion.

The mis-application of pure science can have.

[CharonY]

2 minutes ago, MigL said:

Pure science ( definitely not political, social or even medical ) has no gender, ethnicity, sexual preference or religion.

So when I talk about the Linnean system should I just not mention how that actually led to humans being grouped in Systema Naturae and the line to to scientific racism because someone might get offended? What about applied sciences? Should I stop mentioning in upper classes some of our disease models are often not applicable to women since the studies were all conducted on men to avoid hormone fluctuations influencing data? 

[MigL]

You just mentioned a couple of mis-applications, where studies are conducted with gender or 'racial' biases.

[CharonY]

45 minutes ago, MigL said:

You just mentioned a couple of mis-applications, where studies are conducted with gender or 'racial' biases.

That is the issue, though. When they were done, they were not misapplications. Only after we gained more information did we decided that it was. And in future we may decide that what we do now were misapplications. This broader context (ideally) helps us to keep our minds open to these issues (including ethical ones).

Don't get me wrong, I know where you are coming from. I was attracted to sciences because it appeared to be such an objective way to look at things. However, as I learned over time, science is conducted by humans and humans all have their respective biases, cultural background and other baggage which, in the end, makes us humans.

Note that does not mean that if we repeat an experiment we get different results. Rather it influences what types of studies we actually conduct and the way we set them up. The decision to exclude women made a lot of sense, we want to minimize variables to gain stronger insights. As such for the longest time (pretty much until a few years ago) it made sense not to include women as it could compromise your results, delay funding etc. Only after folks recognize the (in hindsight) rather obvious issues with that, NIH and other funding agencies require that you at least justify why you do not have gender equity in your research. Some saw it as SJW overreach, others a necessary means to finally figure out how to address lack of data.

Likewise our data on racial/ethnical differences in medicine is rather rudimentary. However, depending on who you ask, quite a few have strong opinions about the sense (or nonsense) of addressing racial profiles in cohorts. Ultimately, the insights that science provides us, depends on how we try to figure things out. Eise can probably talk about the philosophcal aspects of it (certainly more eloquently than I could) but to me, it is important to recognize that while the subject of natural sciences is something objective and independent of us humans, the act of conducting science certainly is not. And of course literally any scientific aspects pertaining to humans specifically risks being politicized.

I firmly believe that training scientists requires teaching strengths and weaknesses, results of bias and misapplications (as you named it) and if some elements appear political, so be it. I just cannot see myself figuring out which position every possible political group may have and strip my curriculum from anything that may be vaguely seen as political.

[Raider5678]

20 hours ago, CharonY said:

Thank you for the source, much appreciated. I'd have to think a bit more about it. First is of course that it should not compromise the core curriculum, and from what I read that does not seem to be the case. The other aspects however, I actually do see the value in it, but I wonder whether K12 is too early or not. 

I don't think K12 is too early to start teaching students about racist behaviors we've had before and the history of our Country. If anything, University shouldn't be the place we're helping students unlearn things. They shouldn't learn them in the first place.

That being said, I don't feel like math class is the place for that.

Edited October 29, 2019 by Raider5678

[CharonY]

1 hour ago, Raider5678 said:

 University shouldn't be the place we're helping students unlearn things. They shouldn't learn them in the first place.

Well, unfortunately that is almost a given. In highschool simplified narratives are used to convey concepts in an easy to understand manner. In university it is often necessary to disentangle that in order to be able to move on to more complex questions. It is not necessarily that they are wrong, but lacking details and/or context. These are often ingrained in students and when teaching the advanced concepts you see some resistance in taking up new information as the old one is so persistent.

 

1 hour ago, Raider5678 said:

That being said, I don't feel like math class is the place for that.

I am half agreeing, but I think there is value in showing that things that are seemingly value neutral can, in practice have rather severe consequence. That being said, if integrated into a Math curriculum, I cannot imagine it being more than a side note to illustrate things. The ethnics aspects specifically is seemingly based on the observation that minorities respond very well to it (based on reading some abstracts in ethnomathematics) so it does seem to  have practical benefits (as a side note, apparently diverse class rooms are becoming a world-wide phenomenon and folks are still developing means to cope with it).

[Raider5678]

21 minutes ago, CharonY said:

That being said, if integrated into a Math curriculum, I cannot imagine it being more than a side note to illustrate things.

SWBAT means "Students Will Be Able To X" and generally means the students are quizzed on the topic to verify that they are able to X. At least when I was in high school.

The overall push of this program appears to be more then just a side note used to illustrate things, and I'm against that.

Unless you're intending to imply the version they're suggesting won't work, and the farthest this will go will be what you mentioned. 

I'm not quite sure which one you meant?

24 minutes ago, CharonY said:

The ethnics aspects specifically is seemingly based on the observation that minorities respond very well to it (based on reading some abstracts in ethnomathematics) so it does seem to  have practical benefits

There were boosts inside of math and science scores for minority students who attended ethnic studies classes. That being said, they weren't integrated into math and science classes directly. While I don't know of the specific boosts of doing so, I'm highly skeptical it should be used as an argument for integrating this without first testing it to see if it yields better results then having a dedicated cultural class.

 

[LaurieAG]

Just wait until the politicians change Science Technology Engineering Maths (STEM) into STEAM by adding Arts into the mix.

https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713

The main difference between STEM and STEAM is STEM explicitly focuses on scientific concepts. STEAM investigates the same concepts, but does this through inquiry and problem-based learning methods used in the creative process.

This looks like groups of learners working collaboratively to create a visually appealing product or object that is based in the understanding of a STEM concept, such as the mathematics of the parabola used to create fine art imagery.

[CharonY]

15 hours ago, Raider5678 said:

SWBAT means "Students Will Be Able To X" and generally means the students are quizzed on the topic to verify that they are able to X. At least when I was in high school.

The overall push of this program appears to be more then just a side note used to illustrate things, and I'm against that.

Unless you're intending to imply the version they're suggesting won't work, and the farthest this will go will be what you mentioned. 

I'm not quite sure which one you meant?

There were boosts inside of math and science scores for minority students who attended ethnic studies classes. That being said, they weren't integrated into math and science classes directly. While I don't know of the specific boosts of doing so, I'm highly skeptical it should be used as an argument for integrating this without first testing it to see if it yields better results then having a dedicated cultural class.

 

What I mean is that it is an accessory to the main curriculum that contextualizes core concepts rather than replace it. It does look experimental to me, but I am not well read on ideas in k12 education to judge whether it is going to be effective. As a whole I'd say that one has to be careful yo venerate existing templates in teaching. They often are more a reflection of what we are used to rather than what really works. Moreover within my time being s student to now I have seen massive shifts how students learn. For separate classes one arguments I could make is the high degree of compartmentalization of students. I found college students having huge issues in transferring knowledge from one class into another (much due the exam and done attitude) so we started to mix up concepts in class (e.g. talk about bioethics and related issues in basic courses). 

Fundamentally I think there is no clear ideal and there are times I wished I had a broader education. Too often students limit themselves too much based on highschool performance. Those not doing well in maths think that they cannot enter stem (or decide to go bio for crying out loud). Similar to the stereotype threat effect. 

As it turns out it can be that the teacher was using a method that just did not work well for them an they manage to perform well after catching up on college. If alternatives work, I am not going to complain. I do a lot of interdisciplinary work in my research and as a whole I do see the value of borrowing more concepts from other disciplines.

I will note that many fancy attempts do not work in classroom settings, often because resources are limited and/or the teacher is overcomitted. So there is valid criticism in overloading a class. 

What sits well with me is the following part, though:

Quote

“What we’re saying is that there are many ways of reaching conclusions, and that process should include dialogue. If a student got the right answer, we should celebrate that ingenuity and intelligence instead of telling them there is only one way to get to that right answer.”

I know someone personally who as a teen wanted to become a mathematician (with stellar scores in middleschool), but since they did not follow the method exactly (rather using an equivalent method getting the same result) they got failed exams, repeatedly told not to have  brain for maths, and eventually decided to pursue a different career. Also the expanded inquiry into math as principle seems like a good idea, too often I hear the complaint of "what is it good for?". The issue, I believe is that because it includes ethnic studies, it automatically becomes an source of discomfort for the majority. This, in my mind, clashes a bit with the increasing diversity in the population. I believe we need a discussion about that at some point, as I do not think that we should see society as a zero-sum game.

As a whole there is a big change in terms of inclusiveness and how we start to perceive our society. Up until recently there was one more or less a narrow lens of a reference culture (it was more prominent in Germany, somewhat more diffuse in NA). But looking at my own material, science (and biology) is kind of taught as an entirely European concept and as if no one else ever knew or learned anything about the natural world. That, is of course nonsense, but since the science we practice is so steeped in this tradition, we kind of learn (and teach) that to be true. Of course this does not mean that you need to know that to become a scientist, but I always found it important to me not to be narrow-minded. I do see your point of delegating it to a specific course. But briefly touched upon, there is the worrying tendency of students to be very narrowly focused in their learning. Quite a few STEM students are very dismissive of concepts outside of their perceived range, and would likely not benefit from the broader perspective such classed would bring.

[Raider5678]

10 hours ago, CharonY said:

I know someone personally who as a teen wanted to become a mathematician (with stellar scores in middleschool), but since they did not follow the method exactly (rather using an equivalent method getting the same result) they got failed exams, repeatedly told not to have  brain for maths, and eventually decided to pursue a different career. Also the expanded inquiry into math as principle seems like a good idea, too often I hear the complaint of "what is it good for?". The issue, I believe is that because it includes ethnic studies, it automatically becomes an source of discomfort for the majority. This, in my mind, clashes a bit with the increasing diversity in the population. I believe we need a discussion about that at some point, as I do not think that we should see society as a zero-sum game.

Based on the quote you quoted, we should throw common core out the window. My little brother fails tests quite regularly because I told him not to use the convoluted method they have for adding and subtraction. So for the last 4-5 questions on a test, where they're required to explain their answer, he doesn't get points.

They're given an entire page to answer something as simple as 67-13 because of how ridiculous it is.

In comparison to how I taught him when he was younger. 67 - 13. Subtract the 3. You get a 4. Subtract the 1. You get a 5. It's 54. Mind blown right? 2 steps. 

They have something called snap math. Basically, they have 3 minutes to answer every question on a sheet of paper(25 questions.).

They keep doing the same paper day after day until they get all the answers right, then they move to the next one the next day.

My little brother is first in the grade, around paper ~60. The next closest kid is 20 something(teachers note on his report card). 

However, because he doesn't do math the way that common core requires they do it, (a convoluted method that is so stupid it should be taken out of the class room and shot, encased in concrete, and launched into a black hole, and then made illegal to look at that black hole, mention it, or think of it.) it's considered wrong.

11 hours ago, CharonY said:

But briefly touched upon, there is the worrying tendency of students to be very narrowly focused in their learning. Quite a few STEM students are very dismissive of concepts outside of their perceived range, and would likely not benefit from the broader perspective such classed would bring.

Being narrowly focused on learning is something I believe is a separate issue. But I also know that a lot of students have a hard time with math because they can't focus on it. Add in extra concepts to that, that just distract from the mathematics section of, well, math, I think it'll make it harder for them to focus.

By adding in additional concepts in math that a teacher must teach, it further limits them in how they may teach it. 

 

Another possible unmentioned issue, is that if math teachers don't like this curriculum and they disagree with it, many of them may simply opt to teach somewhere else. 

In my high school, introducing things like common core pushed most of the good teachers away. They went to private schools where they make more, and they can actually teach their subject. I feel there is a very good possibility this could do the same.

 

23 hours ago, LaurieAG said:

Just wait until the politicians change Science Technology Engineering Maths (STEM) into STEAM by adding Arts into the mix.

I hated art so much growing up, I would have refused to take a STEAM course. Other people's ideas of what "creativity" is, is so flawed it's laughable.

 

Creativity is when a kid(or adult) creates something they thought of in their head, them selves. Influenced by other things, or not. Either way, creative.

It is not the most abstract ridiculous drawing you can make. It's not how you can derive flowers from parabolas. And it's certainly not how to make something "visually appealing". 

My friend made a calculator that can tell you the answer to every single question on the algebra test, just by taking a picture of the aforementioned question.

I don't care if it isn't pretty. In my opinion, it was creative. 

[LaurieAG]

3 hours ago, Raider5678 said:

I hated art so much growing up, I would have refused to take a STEAM course. Other people's ideas of what "creativity" is, is so flawed it's laughable.

Where do you think Steam Punk sci fi fantasy came from lol.