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I think your interpretation of the word identity in this case is wrapped up in political discourse. Encouraging students to identify as an educated people for w

I think your interpretation of the word identity in this case is wrapped up in political discourse. Encouraging students to identify as an educated people for whom pursuing knowledge is both important and desirable seems like a net positive goal. Understanding that there are cultural and psychological hurdles that can stand in the way of this when people don't see themselves as math people is part of solving the problem. I can also agree that it is very difficult to do and learn Calculus when your understanding of Algebra is limited or out of practice as someone who went back to get an undergraduate degree after almost 2 decades of not doing math. Is Calculus actually essential for critical thinking ? No and it does serve as a stand-in for this in many STEM degrees and if someone is lacking in understanding of the basic principles of algebra then it is going to feel like torture to solve calculus problems even if you can understand the concepts.

SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
It’s this metastasized concept of identity that scares me. The traditional response to “I’m not a math person” was to reassure students that, hey, you don’t have to be a math person to learn and get value from math. (This is where culturally responsive education was understood to come in - it helps students realize that math is useful for them no matter who they are and where they come from.) Now the conventional wisdom seems to be that you do have to be a math person, and teachers had better work hard on cultivating a “math person” identity, because otherwise there’s no way their students can learn math. I think this is a false belief that will make education quite a bit worse if acted on. I would never have learned to write well if teachers told me I needed to identify as a writer first!

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I think your interpretation of the word identity in this case is wrapped up in political discourse. Encouraging students to identify as an educated people for w

by robotbikes 5y ago

SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
It’s this metastasized concept of identity that scares me. The traditional response to “I’m not a math person” was to reassure students that, hey, you don’t have to be a math person to learn and get value from math. (This is where culturally responsive education was understood to come in - it helps students realize that math is useful for them no matter who they are and where they come from.) Now the conventional wisdom seems to be that you do have to be a math person, and teachers had better work hard on cultivating a “math person” identity, because otherwise there’s no way their students can learn math. I think this is a false belief that will make education quite a bit worse if acted on. I would never have learned to write well if teachers told me I needed to identify as a writer first!