Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty — a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. The true spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man, which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in mathematics as surely as poetry. – Bertrand Russell
Over the course of Philippine education history, educators have been longing to solve the puzzle on how to teach mathematics on the Filipino students to meet global standards. Out of 138 economies, the Philippines ranked 112th in mathematics falling behind Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam as presented in the 2010-2011 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum. To cope up with the challenge, the curriculum has been transformed overtime in the attempt to seek what seems to be an elusive solution to this dilemma.
As a result, we expose and continue to expose our students to repetitions, standardized testing and rote learning. We subject them to daily routines of calculations, following step-by-step procedures, answering various problems and others without them knowing why they are doing such. In the end, teachers often face the compelling question from the students on why do they have to do their maths. Only few, those who could afford higher learning, are bound to uncover and take delight to the undiscovered majesty that numbers have to offer in our daily lives.
Mathematics is one the essential emanations of the human spirit, – a thing to be valued in and for itself, like art or poetry (Oswald Veblen, 1924).
In our rigorous efforts to comply with the standards set upon by the world, we may have forgotten what math really is and how math should be seen–beautiful.
“Even the dull, if they have had an arithmetical training, although they may derive no other advantage from it, always become much quicker than they would otherwise have been.” – Plato.
Math is beautiful because it is useful. It is useful not because through developing mathematical skills amongst our students we could climb up the world or national ranking. It is useful neither because it is a mere pre-requisite to graduation nor because it builds character. It is useful because many mathematical problems abound in daily life and mathematical proficiency is required in many jobs.
In all of man’s ways of living, mathematics is undeniably visible and inevitable. Even the simplest form of labor involves basic knowledge in numbers and fundamental operations, and their applications. Various work-related and practical situations would, on several occasions, require mathematical reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving techniques. On this sense, math is not wrapped in a fancy context but rather it is treated as a common household tool which can be used in our daily lives.
“The economic cost of mathematical ignorance is gauged, in part, by people who, though they can perform the basic arithmetical operations, don’t know when to do one and when to do another.” – Paulos
Math is beautiful because it is important. It is important because a mathematically informed citizenry will make better economic and political decisions about risk, policy and resource allocation. Our world has become a complex one filled with numbers and figures seen almost everywhere and heard even in the simplest of conversations. Math is a formidable defense to ward off the tyranny that consumes the ignorant. It helps us make sense of the world around us and it delivers us from making improper decisions. Knowledge of math then is not a gift just for those who can understand it or find use of it but rather an essential quality that each individual should possess to ensure a greater chance of survival and a more meaningful existence.
“What is most important from the point of view of understanding arithmetic is the basic idea that [its] statements … arestatements about the real world which we can use the real world to check if and when we want to.” –Holt
Math is beautiful because it is interesting. It is interesting because math has a very long history and it has come a long way to becoming the queen of sciences. Math has some pretty fascinating stories to share. It is interesting because through its splendors we could do so much. Math has delivered us from the Stone Age to this current era where we can enjoy even the simplest form of human pleasure through the help of technology. With math, the possibilities are always infinite.
It is commonly thought that our previous curriculum falls behind that of other countries. While this may be true and radical changes may be deemed imminent and necessary to meet global standards, the awareness of our students as to the beauty of mathematics must not be overlooked. We may change our learning competencies, train our teachers and modernize our instructional materials to the full extent but unless our students learn how to appreciate the existence of mathematics, we will always be at a lost.
REFERENCES:
Holt, John.How Children FailDa Capo, New York (1982).
Paulos, John Allen.A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper,p164-168. Basic Books (1995). (see excerpt athttp://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/prelaw/whymath.htm)
[Innumeracy] Paulos , John Allen.Innumeracy. Hill & Wang, New York (1988).
Plato.The Republic, “Chapter 7: On Shadows and Realities in Education,” tr. Benjamin Jowett (1901). (http://www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/xpla7.htm).
By: Samuel A. Quiroz | Teacher II | Emilio C. Bernabe High School | Bagac, Bataan
