Three Stops: A Response to Susan Gerofsky's piece on Math Education in Battleground Schools

My first stop while reading the piece from Battleground Schools was reflecting on the exclusivity of the conservative approach to math education. This perspective feels inherently non-inclusive because it advocates for teaching high-level, abstract technical skills only to a small elite, while leaving just minimal numeric calculation survival skills for the majority. I believe this approach goes against the very nature of learning, which should be inclusive, collaborative, and limitless. Furthermore, the assumption that mathematics is a permanent and infallible discipline is illogical. Math has evolved significantly over the centuries, and a major part of learning is updating our understanding as new facts emerge.

My second stop was realizing how the historical lack of knowledge and expertise among math educators is a massive concern, and likely the root cause of widespread math anxiety among students. It made me pause and think about how poorly taught math, where the focus is on fearfully memorizing formulas and theorems rather than actually understanding them, stays in students' minds forever, often causing them to just give up on the subject. The continuation of this fearful stance toward math from generation to generation is painful to see, and it will only keep getting worse if we don't actively address it as future educators.

My third stop was John Dewey’s analysis of inquiry and experimentation in mathematics. I completely agree with his point that the process of inquiry is messy, complex and uncertain, especially when compared to the traditional, linear delivery of facts to students sitting in rows. However, I believe the only way forward is through that complexity. It is incredibly hard to make math engaging without experimenting and without helping students see the real-world applications of the abstract concepts they are learning. Overall, this was an amazing reading, and the table comparing conservative and progressive views on various aspects of mathematics education was especially clear and helpful for mapping out these differing views.