On page 392 of the reading, the dichotomies listed under Table M.1:
vs
"Inquiry and sense-making"
&
vs
"Original thinking and generic problem-solving skills"
These two dichotomies heavily reminded me of our previous reading and discussion on "instrumental" vs "relational" mathematics. One side is more primarily focused on getting the correct/accurate answer through plugging into a formula, while the other focuses on inquiring about the "why" and "how" of mathematics concepts.
"there is no shame, and lots of positive social valuation, for those who claim to be incapable of doing and understanding mathematics" (p. 393)
This point actually made me chuckle because it reminded me how true this is in today's society. It's actually more common to hear people say (and sometimes quite proudly even) that they "don't like math", "are bad at math" or "can't do math" than those who say they like math. Additionally, the ones who say they DO like math are the ones who are looked upon as very unique, different, unorthodox ("a different species," as some of my friends sometimes joke). I find this quite sad that this is what the impressions of math has become.
"raising parental anxieties about the quality of education in their children's schools" (p.399)
&
"motivated by worries that their children were being shortchanged by teachers experimenting with their education" (p. 399)
These quotes bring to mind that even though we, as math teachers, want to make a change to how mathematics is taught, the hurdle is very high. People are inherently afraid of the unknown, of uncertainty, of change. We're so used to our old, stable, traditional ways that doing something different is scary. It makes sense that many parents would have concerns because they were taught in the traditional way and it worked fine with them, they got by. However, if their children face these new changes, there is no guarantee it'll work out or bring positive results, and so it's their children and families who will take the fall if it doesn't work out. From that perspective, it makes sense there would be resistance to this change in teaching standards.
I like the quotes you've chosen and your interesting responses to them all! I also think that many of these binary distinctions (instrumental vs. relational understanding, conservative vs. progressive) are somewhat false dichotomies. People might take a polarized political stance, but in actual fact, BOTH ways of learning are important and complement each other -- 'both/and' rather than 'either/or'!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, thank you for your thoughtful response! I resonate with what you said. It is understandable that parents, who were educated using traditional methods and succeeded, may have reservations about a new approach, especially when it's their children who might face uncertain outcomes. This resistance to change in teaching standards can be seen from a perspective of concern for the well-being of their children and families, given the uncertainties associated with these educational reforms.
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