April 28, 2005
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15 year-old Ethan wants to know what algebra has to do with his life and unwittingly reveals he won’t be the next Einstein. I was not crazy over math back in school so I understand his frustrations.
A homeschooling blogger who uses the Principle Approach in her home says, “Math is what God uses to hold our orderly Universe together. In fact, math is what gives our Universe order. Math is the language of Creation,” and therefore should motivate its learning and teaching. It’s a mind-blowing thought for sure, but I understand that adding God to the equation won’t necessarily make calculas and algebra any simpler. Still it ought to change the way we think or feel about learning.
There are many ways to look at education since it encompasses processes (how we learn) and formal knowledge (what we learn), but what is it all for? The late Neil Postman in his book End of Education said the purpose of education is to provide moral guidance, a sense of continuity, explanations of the past, clarity to the present, and hope for the future. It’s certainly well put but as it is all too clear, more education does not a better world make.
To be fair Postman does give suggestions to actively connect thought and deed, knowledge and service, so that society gains from education. But to do that, he proposed we rescue schools from their deplorable state with a complete overhaul, which is as likely as a goose laying a golden egg.
The 9th century Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi who introduced Medieval Europe to arithmatic and algebra (from the Arabic al-jabru) called the latter ”the science of restoration and balancing.” I’d like to think it’s a definition that clues us in on what’s the point in any education - if I may be allowed to extrapolate from his thought. Learning is more than acquiring knowledge or mastering a skill. To quote Dewey, it’s not preparation for life, because learning is life itself. And life expresses itself not just passively in our being, but also in our doing, which must include that which brings restoration and balance in a world tainted by the Fall.
Jesus who came not to be served but to serve went about teaching and doing good, so the Gospels tell us. In his letter to the Ephesians Paul said that the Church of God has been amply gifted with teachers,pastors, and prophets to equip His people for works of service . And to Timothy, Paul said that the Bible was given to equip God’s people for good work.
The impulse behind all learning is to know God and His work in creation and history. We glorify Him when our learning finds expression in service to others. It was the great reformer Martin Luther who once wrote that God does not need our good works, but other people do. Life-long learning for a life of service. Makes sense to me. Now can anyone help Ethan make sense of algebra?
Comments (2)
I'm reading Isaac Newton, a biography written by James Gleick. Quite fascinating. I find mathematics and science a great deal more interesting when it's presented through the lives of the individuals who discovered them. Gleick writes simply but with enough strange new concepts to incite interest. Algebra is necessary as a tool to form sound philosophical and scientific concepts. And to fully understand Zeno's (Xeno) paradox. And to develope sound logic, even in language. Maths is really, really interesting once you get away from the foundation level. Like the theory of infinite sets. Check out A Brief History of Infinity by Paolo Zellini. Not sure what reading level that's at though, as I've only flipped through it. Should be at layman's level. I used to hate math, but the daily grind paid off. = ) Why can't Achilles ever catch up with the tortoise?
sounds like a good idea to move math beyond numbers and formulae. but as you say, it does involve a daily grind too and for some, that can be as scary as having your teeth extracted - several times a day. thanks for the tip anyway ... and why can't achilles ever catch up with the tortoise?
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