EDUC 450B Response to
Anna Sfard article
“As a dressmaker, I
can only strive for solutions that are good for now”
This particular quote
stood out to me because I think she is trying to convey that
mathematics education, research in mathematics education, and
education in general is constantly changing much like the trends of
the fashion world are always in flux. One day what you're wearing
might be considered fashionable but three months from now its
considered faux pas. As a “dressmaker” we only look for
solutions that are the current trend, often neglecting past or future
intentions. There will never be a set answer key to mathematics
education research. This whole concept was very interesting to me
and I tend to agree with Anna! Will we ever find a solution to
mathematics education? Is there a “perfect” way to teach Math?
Although I would like to be optimistic and say yes, there is just no
way we will ever conquer that. Humans are incredibly diverse. We
all learn differently, think differently, and react differently. For
as long as this remains true(I doubt it will ever change) and as
technology continues to develop, there will always be a constant need
to continue research in mathematics education. As humans grow so do
the ways we teach. Certain trends may come and go but for the most
part mathematics education is constantly evolving. Or at least I
think it is?? Looking back at when I was in high school I can't
remember a single class that wasn't taught with chalk and a
chalkboard. But now I look around and math is being taught online,
through youtube videos, using powerpoint slides, by incorporating
different disciplines etc. These are the solutions that we think are
good now, it will be interesting to see what solutions we think are
good 20 years from now?
As soon as I finished
the paragraph ending in the quote mentioned above I found myself
re-reading it 3 or 4 times to try and really grasp what Anna meant.
Whether or not what I stated above is a correct interpretation of the
quote, I found that this article got me asking myself quite often why
is it important to teach math and why is it important to do research
on teaching math? I hope as I go continue on in the program I will
be better suited to answer these questions.
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