One of my friends recently introduced me to an essay recounting some of the wrongs of our current education system, with regard to Mathematics. A Mathematician’s Lament, by Paul Lockhart, tells of a society that has taken an art form and utterly defiled it. Our beloved “Educational System,” with its standardized tests, set curriculum, and competitive goals, has removed true mathematics from the eduction process altogether, in favor of memorization and regurgitation. Gone are the days when students were challenged to come up with their own solutions to mathematical problems, no longer do students learn why 1 + 1 is equal to 2, or why the area of a triangle is one-half of its base multiplied by its height. Instead, we are told that it “just is,” “it doesn’t matter why, just memorize the formula, you’ll need it for the test.” No wonder students hate math class so much. Read the essay, its worth it.
Peace.
I for one hate math. It is most certainly my weakest subject. But I agree completely with the idea that the education system (in America, anyway) has lost its “true” meaning.
And standardized tests are the ultimate spawn of Satan >:P~~
I finally read the whole thing!
This had to be the most enjoyable essay I have ever read! And it was about math!!! I feel that I was lost in the system somewhere. I have always hated math class. I’m actually good at general math and I love puzzles. I probably could enjoy it if I had the right training. It really is a shame…