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There seems to be a fair amount of reservation or even animosity towards maths in many areas: * among the general public people feel it is acceptable to admit

by avz 11y ago

There seems to be a fair amount of reservation or even animosity towards maths in many areas: * among the general public people feel it is acceptable to admit lack of basic skill or understanding in mathematics (at times even arithmetics) whereas they would be ashamed to admit it with respect to reading or writing, * popular science books are often written without a single formula (and according to a preface in one popular science book editors and publishers generally reject a book that tries to sneak some in, their apparent justification being that each formula halves the sales), * and it turns out that even STEM scientists, in this case biologists, appear to have gaps in their understanding of basic mathematics like analysis and algebra. I'm very curious as to what might be behind this isolation of mathematics. Bad teachers? Mathematicians' own disregard for applications? Some sort of self-perpetuating myth about inaccessibility of maths for the common person?

jostylr 11y ago
As a mathematician, as someone who teaches K-14 math to math-phobic adults in a semester, and as a staff member at a Sudbury school, my biased, anecdotal answer is that mathematical education is designed to tell most students that they can't do mathematics. They take that to heart and wear this mark of shame both proudly and deeply troubled by it. It is quite a tragedy. When I teach courses that I have no control over, I see over and over again tricky questions that have no relevance to actual mathematical understanding or use. At the same time, the majesty, wonder, and beauty of mathematics is expressly avoided as being "too much for students to handle". In essence, we treat students as if they are computers learning rules to apply. But mathematics is about artistry and creativity. Being cold and harsh, being factory like, deprives one of the part of the brain necessary to do real mathematics. Adults routinely tell me "I did well in mathematics until...and then I stopped understanding. I stopped enjoying, I struggled with my grades, and I can't do math." Bottom line, people get labeled as bad at mathematics and they accept it. And it is only getting worse with common core tests. We might also even see future generation being bad at reading, etc. Already I hear first graders saying "I'm not a reader because I do poorly on the reading tests." It is sad because mathematics is one of the great gifts to humanity. It is breathtaking when used and done properly.
reagency 11y ago
It is also shocking how mathematicians have huge gaps in their basic knowledge of cell biology. What can be done to help mathematicians learn relevant applications? Or even accept that applications merit more than an occasional momentary thought, and that only to wave off a field as trivial?
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  Mathematics and biology are not interchangeable like that. One is specific knowledge, other (at least the parts we're talking about here) is mental tools and models, which are useful for every field.
- ska 11y ago
  That would only be concerning if those mathematicians were working in cell biology or closely related fields. Innumeracy is a very similar problem to illiteracy, it has a broad impact on your ability to learn and reason about the world - but it is much more socially accepted and (hence?) much more prevalent.

by avz 11y ago

jostylr 11y ago

As a mathematician, as someone who teaches K-14 math to math-phobic adults in a semester, and as a staff member at a Sudbury school, my biased, anecdotal answer is that mathematical education is designed to tell most students that they can't do mathematics. They take that to heart and wear this mark of shame both proudly and deeply troubled by it. It is quite a tragedy. When I teach courses that I have no control over, I see over and over again tricky questions that have no relevance to actual mathematical understanding or use. At the same time, the majesty, wonder, and beauty of mathematics is expressly avoided as being "too much for students to handle". In essence, we treat students as if they are computers learning rules to apply. But mathematics is about artistry and creativity. Being cold and harsh, being factory like, deprives one of the part of the brain necessary to do real mathematics. Adults routinely tell me "I did well in mathematics until...and then I stopped understanding. I stopped enjoying, I struggled with my grades, and I can't do math." Bottom line, people get labeled as bad at mathematics and they accept it. And it is only getting worse with common core tests. We might also even see future generation being bad at reading, etc. Already I hear first graders saying "I'm not a reader because I do poorly on the reading tests." It is sad because mathematics is one of the great gifts to humanity. It is breathtaking when used and done properly.

reagency 11y ago

It is also shocking how mathematicians have huge gaps in their basic knowledge of cell biology. What can be done to help mathematicians learn relevant applications? Or even accept that applications merit more than an occasional momentary thought, and that only to wave off a field as trivial?

TeMPOraL 11y ago
Mathematics and biology are not interchangeable like that. One is specific knowledge, other (at least the parts we're talking about here) is mental tools and models, which are useful for every field.
ska 11y ago
That would only be concerning if those mathematicians were working in cell biology or closely related fields. Innumeracy is a very similar problem to illiteracy, it has a broad impact on your ability to learn and reason about the world - but it is much more socially accepted and (hence?) much more prevalent.