This piece was interesting because I had never thought of Math as a politically charged subject. We hear in the news about english and history being re-written due to political influence, but math seemed to be one of the untouchable subjects. I see now that this is untrue.
I saw many similarities to the concepts of instrumental vs relational understanding. As has been mentioned in class, instrumental understanding is more quickly grasped, while relational understanding leads to better applications of one's knowledge. It is apparent that society chooses which type of understand to prioritize depending on the society's needs.
The most difficult part of this reading is that it is apparent that there is no right answer, and there is no pleasing everyone. It is humorous that parents who wish to protect their child's future will argue about which path forward is best. Parents will argue both for and against changes to the curriculum, both with the exact same end goals.
My big takeaway is that becoming a math teacher does not make you immune from politics. It will be my duty to fight for what I see to be in my student's best interests.
Yes, it's kind of shocking to see how political math education can be -- not only history and literature! And I agree that there is really no resolution to an 'either/or' approach...I think a 'both/and' approach is much more realistic! People take these polarized stances when, in actual fact, most great teachers find interesting ways to integrate instrumental and relational learning.
ReplyDeleteHi Evan, thank you for your post! I agree that it's indeed intriguing to realize that even a subject as seemingly objective as math can have political implications. I appreciate your connection to what we read about the distinction between instrumental and relational understanding and how society often prioritizes one over the other depending on its needs. Lastly, recognizing that the definition of the 'best interests' of students can vary based on specific contexts and individual needs, often involving a combination of factors, how do you see yourself navigating the intersection of math education and politics to advocate for your students' well-being as a future math teacher?
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