room KA 102
Can Grounded Math and Education and Research Become Relevant to Learners
Tarp, Allan, MATHeCADEMY.net, Århus C, Denmark
This discussion group relates to the topic 3 question 3 about challenges to be overcome even if innovative teaching has been designed and initiated. The main question about mathematics education and its research is: ‘If 50 years of research fails to solve the problems of math education, then what can?’ Two volunteers constitute a panel giving initial comments to the four section questions that are inspired by the Chomsky-Foucault debate on Human Nature.
Humans communicate in languages, a word-language and a number-language. We learn to speak the word-language in the family, and we are taught to read and write in institutionalized education, also mediating the number-language under the name mathematics, thus emphasizing the three r’s: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Despite intensive research, international tests show that the learning of the number-language is deteriorating in many countries.
This raises two questions: Is the goal of mathematics education to echo an inside university truth regime labeled mathematics, or to master the outside fact Many? May a change in mathematics, education and research make more learners reach the goal of math education?
First, we discuss education in general, then mathematics and its education, then teachers and learners, and finally research and conflicting theories.
