ped3124 donna, fariborz, jennifer, justin, kofi february 11, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Equity in MathPED3124
Donna, Fariborz, Jennifer, Justin, KofiFebruary 11, 2013
History of MathematicsMathematical origins are rarely discussed in
class
Numeral systems: a writing system for expressing numbers
Decimal numeral systembase ten systemlikely motivated by the use of ten fingersfirst seen in pictorial form in hieroglyphics in
ancient Egypt
Egyptian numerals, c. 3000 BCE [1]
[1]
Vigesimal numeral systembase twentyuses all twenty fingers and toes
Maya numerals [2]
Sexagesimal numeral systembase-60Babylonian system of mathematics (c. 3100
BCE) used a sexagesimal systemFrom this we get 60 seconds in a minute, 60
minutes in an hour, and 360 degrees in a circle (60 × 6 = 360)
Babylonian numerals were written in cuneiform
Hindu–Arabic numerals
The first Hindu–Arabic numerals in the Western world, from the Codex Vigilanus [3]
Hindu–Arabic numeralsOriginated in IndiaLater adopted in Syria and Persia (c. 9th
century CE)Were used by Persians and Arabs for the next
few hundred years, until...
Hindu–Arabic numeralsLeonardo Pisano (aka Fibonacci) introduced
the Arabic numeral system to Europe in 1202 in his book Liber Abaci
Convinced people at the time that theywere superior to the inferiorRoman numerals
Now used throughout the world
Hindu–Arabic numerals“It is India that gave us the ingenious method of expressing
all numbers by means of ten symbols, each symbol receiving a value of position as well as an absolute value; a profound and important idea which appears so simple to us now that we ignore its true merit. But its very simplicity and the great ease which it has lent to all computations put our arithmetic in the first rank of useful inventions; and we shall appreciate the grandeur of this achievement the more when we remember that it escaped the genius of Archimedes and Apollonius, two of the greatest men produced by antiquity.”- Pierre-Simon Laplace [French mathematician, 1749-1827]
“Presumably no one would argue that the conservative view on the sum of 14 and 27 differs from the liberal view, or that the mathematical function that is its own derivative is the exponential in the northern hemisphere but some other function in the southern. And regular periodic function can be represented to arbitrary accuracy by a Fourier series in Muslim as well as in Hindu mathematics. Non-commutative algebras (where A times B does not equal B times A) are as self-consistent and meaningful for speakers of Indo-European languages as for speakers of Finno-Ugric. Mathematics might be prized or ignored, but it is equally true everywhere – independent of ethnicity, culture, language, religion, ideology.”
- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
GENDER & MATH
• Thoughts?
Studies show…
• Females are equal to males in math skills. Differences have proven to not have any biological basis
• Gap is becoming almost non-significant in standardized tests
• Countries with the highest gender equality tend to have the lowest gender performance gaps; boys as well as girls do better (socioeconomic connection)
• “Boys still outnumber girls by more than about 3-1 at extremely high levels of math ability and scientific reasoning”
SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS
• The “stereotype threat” theory• Popular culture:• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO0cvqT1
tAE
• Male dominance of math role models• Culture of competition in males
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS & MATH: the construction of the learner
• “The class in the high socioeconomic school constructed content that was perceived as required for entry into higher education while the low socioeconomic school constructed mathematics needed for everyday life transactions” – Atweh Study
• The academic achievement gap for children from different income level families has been growing for the past 50 years, alongside the income gap
• Public school funding:
• “Because private funding initiatives reflect the wealth of communities, some schools do better than others in a system where inadequate public funding is replaced by private donations and commercial activities”
• Parent involvement, neighborhood and teacher quality are all possible contributing factors
The role of teachers
• Math Teachers Demonstrate a Bias towards white male students, study finds
• Female elementary school teachers transfer their fear of math to girls
• What can teachers do to avoid these biases and promote an equal environment?
QUESTIONS FROM ALL OVER
Answer the Following Questions in Whatever Order You Wish
In the first quarter of the NBA finals, Lebron James sunk a field goal, 2 lay-ups and a dunk. How many points did he scored?
• In the Rugby World cup final, Daniel Carter scored a try and made two try-conversions. How many points did he score?
• In the 3rd inning of the 2009 Cricket Grand Slam, Pakistan scored two boundaries and a run. How many points did they score that inning?
• In round 1 of the Barclay’s Premiere League, Cazorla, Walcott, and Podolski each scored 3 goals. How many points did Arsenal score in that game?
Constructivism• We create meaning based on our
constructs– Our perception of the world
• Constructs are based on our previous experiences, beliefs, etc.
• New information is either assimilated into or accommodated by our constructs– Information given to us that fits into
an existing construct is more easily learned
If we show relevance between the curriculum and a students’ life, it becomes easier to learni.e. S.T.S.C. in Science
If we take the time to formulate questions around the various experiences of our students, it can make the math principles easier to learn and questions easier to answer
This means taking the time to learn about or studentsInterests, cultures etc.
Food for Thought...Don’t let the fact that you can’t reach them
ALL keep you from trying to reach SOME!
Assume you are a lawyer in the following situation:
A company has 25 employees, 6 of whom are minorities.Five employees are randomly selected to receive a bonus of
$10 000.The selection is made, and the selected group of 5 contains no
minorities.The minority group suspects discrimination. They come to you
with the thought of taking legal action against the company.
Would you, as a lawyer, take this case? Does the group have reason to suspect discrimination in the selection process? Is there reason to think that the group of 5 was not randomly selected?
Questions?
Comments?
References & Resources[1] http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Egyptian_numerals.html[2] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maya.png[3] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Codex_Vigilanus_Primeros_Numeros_Arabigos.jpg
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-time-division-days-hours-minutes
The Construction of Gender, Social Class and Mathematics in the ClassroomBill Atweh and Tom CooperEducational Studies in Mathematics , Vol. 28, No. 3, Mathematics and Gender (Apr., 1995), pp. 293-310
Nicole M. Else-Quest, Janet Shibley Hyde, Marcia C. Linn. Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: A meta-analysis.. Psychological Bulletin, 2010; 136 (1): 103 DOI: 10.1037/a0018053
Jonathan M. Kane and Janet E. Mertz. “Debunking Myths about Gender and Mathematics Performance.” Notices of the American Mathematical Society, Dec. 12, 2011 DOI: 10.1090/noti790.
Shaker, E. (2006). Beyond the bakesale: Exposing schoolhouse commercialism. OurSchools Our Selves. 73-94.
University of Missouri-Columbia. "'Women worse at math than men' explanation scientifically incorrect, experts say." ScienceDaily, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
Melting Pot Mathhttp://www.fi.edu/school/math3/index.html
Multicultural Education and Mathhttp://www.edchange.org/multicultural/sites/math.html
Multicultural Math Lessonshttp://www.deltacollege.edu/dept/basicmath/Multicultural_Math.htm
Lessons from the Mayashttp://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/47756.htm
Multicultural Math Gameshttp://www.ehow.com/list_5982504_multicultural-math-games.html