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Follow-up Chapter 6 Everybody Counts
Posted:
Apr 2, 1995 11:38 PM
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Based on responses and questions:
1. "Often, public discussion about mathematics education masks a HIDDEN
AGENDA of values that have traditionally been carried forward by the
school study of mathematics. Since the demise of Latin as a required
school subject, it is to mathematics that many look as a vehicle to teach
such qualities as precision, discipline, neatness, and accuracy.
Mathematical truth--in popular caricature--is certain, absolute,
unchanging, eternal. Mathematics appears to many to be a safe harbor of
calm in a turbulent sea of social and educational change.
"Proposals to change mathematics education appear to threaten
time-honored values that are deeply embedded in the public image of
mathematics." p 76
2. Five areas deserving greater emphasis are:
"Probability, which facilitates reasoning about uncertainty and
assessment of risks;
Exploratory data analysis and statistics, which facilitate
reasoning about data;
Model-building, which facilitates systematic, structured
understanding of complex situations;
Operations research, which facilitates planning of complex tasks
and achieving performance objectives;
Discrete mathematics, which facilitates understanding of most
applications of computers." p 83
Ron Ward/Western Washington U/Bellingham, WA 98225
ronaward@henson.cc.wwu.edu
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