Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Problem of teaching maths

Current global problem of mathematics becoming more and more difficult to learn and less and less children wants to learn maths. The reason is maths do not stimulates young minds. Why is it? When you look into philosophy you get the answer. Maths is a priori. The meaning is, it does not come from reality it comes from pure reasoning. We know that one plus two is three. But we can't prove it. We may be able to show it with apples, one apple added to two apples results in three apples. This  is exactly the problem. It is absolutely necessary to show this apple method to a young mind for it to comprehend that one plus two is three.
The world has advanced from the day the  shepherd used knots in a string to count his sheep - the beginning of maths. Now the shepherd will be using a smart phone to keep his statistics.
Because of this leap we trends to forget the beginning, and more importantly using to show instead of stating maths. We state one plus two equals three and forget the apples. Strictly speaking the apples are not necessary for mathematics. Well, behold, it is useless only after we become conversant with maths. When we started learning it was the walking sick, now that we have climbed the hill we don't need it.We can throw it now. All little children need it, to start learning maths.
As advanced adults we have now forgotten the walking stick. The world has become so advanced it is difficult for us adults, to unrestrained the need of the walking stick. Then we also find that some young do not need the walking stick. They are quite clever to understand that one plus two equals three without the help of apples. These children can easily remember it. They know the addition table by heart. They also becomes professors in maths.
But what about general public understanding of maths. They understand it only superficially. For them the apples is a necessity.
So what is the solution?
The solution is create a trigger to simulate interest in maths. Use history of maths. Like bathing  Archimedes in the tub, running naked after discovery of the concept of upwards pressure equals to displaced water.  This story cemented the principal and I will never forget it.
You can always attach a story, the history how each principal came about. But there's a problem, teachers don't know the history of science. You teach history of science to teachers, then students will become good in maths.

No comments:

Post a Comment