Mathematics education versus mathematics
The struggle for supremacy between mathematics education and mathematics has raged on for several years, even in some developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan and South Africa. This struggle, though somewhat nonexistent in modern times, has seemingly created a subtle form of hegemony, with one discipline assuming more importance than the other. That was the case about 30 or 40 years ago.
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Today, with the advent of new reforms in teaching and learning mathematics, a paradigm shift towards mathematics understanding has emboldened mathematics educators to explore multiple methods. A consensus has now been reached between mathematics educators and mathematicians with an understanding that both are entirely unique disciplines with specific rules, laws, theories and dispositions. Consequently, for anyone or group of people to describe or regard one as more important than the other is foolhardy at best.
Applying maths to every
In Ghana, some mathematicians still struggle with the reality that a new wind of mathematics teaching and learning is blowing around the world, and the earlier they embraced that change, the better for our children’s performance in mathematics . Yes, it is good to teach proofs, theorems, corollaries and lemmas. But, what good do these become if children continuously struggle to grapple with understanding basic concepts that apply to their everyday lives? This problem persists in our schools because some teachers still rely on outdated teaching and learning methods, which should give way to new set of ideas and principles. It should be emphasised that teachers who possess very strong mathematical knowledge did not transition overnight to become experts in the use of effective instructional skills. These skills should be nurtured in order to form integral part of teachers’ best classroom practices. Countries who have found a convergence between mathematics education and mathematics are those who are excelling in mathematics. Mathematics educators are concerned with understanding the nature of mathematical thinking, teaching and learning. They are primarily concerned with the tools, methods and approaches that facilitate practice. Hence, without a deep understanding of the nature of thinking, teaching and learning, no sustained progress on mathematics instruction is ever possible. Mathematics educators need a broad view of practice that goes beyond the classroom to include out-of-school practices. They study the school climate and are conversant with the social-cultural concerns of children. They view problem solving as centrepiece of their instruction and give room for children to communicate their mathematical thinking to their peers. They rely on appropriate instructional approaches to create conducive learning environments. They are first and foremost educators who incorporate general education theories in their teaching. Mathematicians and mathematics educators Mathematicians view mathematics as a body of knowledge that studies concepts such as quantity, structure, space and change. They define mathematics as the science of quantity and space, the science of relations, the science that draws necessary conclusions, and the science of patterns. A useful analogy between the work of mathematicians and mathematics educators is the relationship between medical research and practice. While some studies are urgently conducted with potential applications in the immediate future, some are done with the goal of understanding basic physical mechanisms or phenomena. Over the long run, the outcome of the two kinds of studies informs the other in a very meaningful way. This is because basic knowledge is of intrinsic interest and it establishes and strengthens the foundations upon which applied work is based. These dual purposes and roles should be understood clearly. They contrast rather sharply with the single purpose of studies in mathematics education, as seen from the perspective of some mathematicians. Mathematics education and mathematics have a synergistic relationship, and neither can exist without the other. As a relatively young and emerging discipline, it is linked to mathematics through a mutual concern with teaching and learning. Both of them will continue to require each other’s support and assistance, if mathematics education is to develop further as a discipline of study and practice. In fact, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO) views effective mathematics education as having the potential to raise public awareness and interest of children on mathematical concepts and applications. Mathematics education also has the potential to attract the youth into mathematics related studies and careers and to demonstrate that the current school curricula can be improved by insertion of hands-on mathematical experiments, thereby developing children’s scientific thinking as well as their practical capabilities. The writer is a Senior Lecturer, Department of Mathematics Education at the University of Education, Winneba.
Writer’s e-mail: [email protected]
