But the solution cannot be to make it more "touchy-feely" and make everybody feel good.
Why? That certainly isn't the type of response that would cut it in mathematics, since it is just an assertion without even a hand-wave to support it.
Also, I'm not sure you really understand her argument. Her point isn't that we should to make math classes easier so that people feel good about math; her point is that students might be more interested in math class if it contained some mathematics.
The primary aim of math class up through calculus is to teach kids to perform the calculations needed to do physics, which is needed to do engineering, which is generally perceived (correctly I think) to be greatly beneficial to society. This is fine, but there is a huge chasm between this and the types of things that actual mathematicians study. (My brother once commented that if people had any idea what was actually going on in the math department, there is no way in hell they'd fund it).
The best counter to Vi's point, I think, is "why would we want to make kids appreciate pure math?" It's really fun and really interesting, and personally I would love for more people to get to experience math, but I'm sure the same could be said of classical music, or poetry, or knitting or pretty much anything else that people find stimulating. There may be some benefit to it, but I don't think that benefit has been quantified.
btw... sitting down and memorizing vocabulary is an awful way to go about learning a language. Communicating in a langauge every day, reading a ton and trying to think in that language are much more effective.
I like/appreciate your reply a lot (except the first line ;) and would comment more in response if I didn't have to run just now.
But let me at least thank you for this: "The primary aim of math class up through calculus is to teach kids to perform the calculations needed to do physics, which is needed to do engineering, which is generally perceived (correctly I think) to be greatly beneficial to society."
This is the best summary I have yet seen about why math is taught the way it is (in high-school, not in university) -- and by extension why many people, incl. myself, feel or felt uncomfortable with math up to high-school.
Specially because it should be economics and budgets and financial stuff the focus of math in those formative years. And statistics too!
Not everyone will be an engineer, but almost everyone will have to deal with money in their life. And the world would be 1000 times better if only people could understand a little more statistics.
Why? That certainly isn't the type of response that would cut it in mathematics, since it is just an assertion without even a hand-wave to support it.
Also, I'm not sure you really understand her argument. Her point isn't that we should to make math classes easier so that people feel good about math; her point is that students might be more interested in math class if it contained some mathematics.
The primary aim of math class up through calculus is to teach kids to perform the calculations needed to do physics, which is needed to do engineering, which is generally perceived (correctly I think) to be greatly beneficial to society. This is fine, but there is a huge chasm between this and the types of things that actual mathematicians study. (My brother once commented that if people had any idea what was actually going on in the math department, there is no way in hell they'd fund it).
The best counter to Vi's point, I think, is "why would we want to make kids appreciate pure math?" It's really fun and really interesting, and personally I would love for more people to get to experience math, but I'm sure the same could be said of classical music, or poetry, or knitting or pretty much anything else that people find stimulating. There may be some benefit to it, but I don't think that benefit has been quantified.
btw... sitting down and memorizing vocabulary is an awful way to go about learning a language. Communicating in a langauge every day, reading a ton and trying to think in that language are much more effective.