2021년 10월 6일 수요일

Entrance Slip: Oct 7th

  Mathematics for Life

1. Emotions play a crucial role in decision-making and human action (Damasio, 1994). If we do not feel numbers, then our emotional access to the physical phenomena they represent is much diminish.

2.  Integrating the environment into the discourse of the mathematics classroom signals the possibility of a more genuine mathematics education. 

I think I speak for everyone when I say we have all wondered why we need to learn certain equations or concepts that feels so irrelevant. We used to just sit in class where an expression is derived and plug in numbers to make sure the expression stays true, but there was no meaning behind learning other than to pass the course. With introduction of environmental concerns, I believe that we can make the course more relevant to the students. As the 1st quote says, more we can build emotional connection between concepts/topics to the students, more enthusiastically the students will approach the topic. 

My questions regarding the climate education is on what I am trying to achieve by teaching this topic. As a teacher following curriculum, I will make sure the students understand the mathematical concepts that are being introduced. Also, I want the students to come to realise that environmental issues are real and something needs to be done, but I should not force that thought onto them. As a teacher, I should teach students to look at the other side of the argument, even though most of them would be from scientist or researchers affiliated to big oil company, their mathematics would also be valuable learning tool. As a teacher I want to teach students how to think on their own and do research for themselves not just listen to what someone else has to say, but I do fear that not everyone will be on the same matter at the end of the learning. I want more people to acknowledge that environmental issue are real, but as a teacher I want the students to learn how to come up with their own answers not just follow what I think. 

I feel like this is more ethical argument than about mathematics, and this is possibly why the math education has stayed away from the environmental issues, because it can be very easy to frame the education certain way. I would think that incorporating environmental aspect to math is to teach about issues we are facing, but some group or community could see this as an act to enforce someone else's value to their own children. I feel like at that point it becomes an issue for the community. One thing I want to say is that education should not become a point of discourse the divide society even further. Of course, I myself will incorporate environmental aspect to the course, but I know depending on the community I feel like there could be a backlash to it. 

Personally speaking, I always thought that curriculum needed more emphasis on environments, especially on energy consumption because as new technology comes out and replaces the human activity, our energy consumption is only increasing, and how we could mitigate environmental damage is by minimising energy usage where we can and turn to clean energy as much as possible.

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EDCP 451B: Weekly Annotated Bibliography #1

 Source 1: Watanabe, Yuko & Swain, Merrill. (2007). Effects of proficiency differences and patterns of pair interaction on second langua...