Reflection on the Battleground Schools Reading.

The analogy of school as a battleground, fighting against the negativity surrounding mathematics from conservative teachers, students with preconceived notions of mathematics, and the general public's views of the irrelevance of mathematics was quite eye-opening.

I felt that this reading was directly related to the reading comparing Instrumental vs Relational ways of understanding that we read earlier this year; comparing a superficial knowledge of "how" to do something to a deeper understanding of "why" you are doing something. This reading really exemplified the comparison by bringing in the notions of conservative understandings and progressive understandings of math.

The Progressive Movement emphasized a teaching philosophy that allowed for student experimentation and I fully agree with it. A student's learning should be dictated by his or her own desires and interests. A teacher is there to moderate and facilitate. A teacher should guide and lead, not direct on a singular path. Blind obedience is not how you build life-long learners.

The New Math Movement is an interesting one. The sudden outcry for a stronger emphasis on mathematics in the classroom is such a stark transition from the negative preconceptions seen in generations before. Their push for understanding over fluency is agreeable to my view, but their demand for strict and rigorous mathematics is a lot higher than what I desire from my students.

Math Wars is just a cool name. The ongoing debate of where the curricula of math and science should stand is one to keep an eye on as it progresses in the current era.