Module 1

Introduction

Introduction

How do you feel about math? Many students do not have favorable views of math.
In this module we will explore the reasons for this and why it is important to develop
a more positive view of and attitudes towards math.

Learning Outcomes

After studying this module, you should be able to:

1. Reflect on public attitudes and perceptions of math;

2. Discuss the importance of mathematics in various human activities; and
3. Relate mathematics concepts to you field/s of interest.

Introduction
1.0 Public attitudes and perceptions of math

It was Einstein who said that mathematics is so admirably appropriate to the objects
of reality. Meanwhile, no less that President Duterte said that hardly anything is
learned from algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. These two views may be taken to
represent the opposite ends of the spectrum of views the public has of mathematics.

It is perhaps a universal phenomenon that students, as they progress in their

education, find mathematics less and less attractive to study. They go from enjoying
it much in their preschool days, to actually abhorring it by the time they finish high
school. It is possible that formal education inadvertently makes mathematics appear
a cold and distant discipline, accessible only to the few who are good at it
academically, and useful to an even smaller part of the population. Meanwhile, the
larger part of the population shies away from studying it, and at worst negates its
existence and role in their lives.

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Activity 1 (30 minutes)

1. Which math subject/s that you had studied before do you like and why?
Which math subject/s that you studied before do you dislike and why?

2. Do a survey of 5-10 family members and/or friends using the same questions
above. Based on their answers, what can you conclude about the general
perception of and attitude towards math of this group of people?

Your teacher may require you and your classmates to discuss your answers to this
activity in class.

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Negative attitudes toward math needs to change, especially in a world that is

increasingly dependent on high technologies that are brought about by math-related
knowhow, among them gadgetry, communication, transportation, and a vast variety

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Introduction
of transactions. “Increasing dependence” means the everyday use of and reliance
on these advances even for the simplest, smallest tasks.

In addition, one should not overlook the ubiquity of mathematics in the most “low-
tech” and natural of settings. There is math in sports, arts, and the weather. Indeed,
there is as much mathematics to be found in a boxing match, a painting, and a
tsunami, as in the workings of a computer program.

2.0 Numeracy and quantitative literacy

In today’s society it is crucial for an informed citizen to: (1) have a broad general
awareness of mathematics, its role in society, and its strengths and limitations; and
(2) have a working competency in quantitative reasoning – i.e. a good sense of
number, shape and size, the ability to assess numerical, statistical and probabilistic
evidence, and a level of comfort with abstractly presented reasoning. This course
addresses both needs but focuses primarily on the first goal, that is, awareness and
appreciation, as it lays the groundwork for acquiring needed mathematical and
quantitative skills with confidence.

It is a popular belief that mathematics is all about computation. Indeed, the first word
that comes to students’ minds when they hear of mathematics is “numbers”. Much
of our routine daily activities involve computation of some sort, whether of money,
time, and the like. Much of the information we deal with involves numbers, such as,
birthdays, addresses, ID numbers. Hence, it is important to have an appreciation of,
first of all, the need for numbers.

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Introduction
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Activity 2 (15 minutes)

1. What math do you currently know/do?

2. Do you use the Math that you know? How?
3. What is the role of numbers in the math that you know/do/use?
4. What is the role of numbers in your regular activities?
5. Do you know the kind of numbers that you use?

Aided by a prepared slide presentation, you and your teacher will —

1. Look at the uses of numbers in sports (e.g. boxing’s “tale of the tape”), statistics
(e.g. Time magazine’s “world in numbers”, grading — for example, a grade of 1.0
in UP versus a grade of 1.0 in DLSU), etc.
2. Recall the real numbers and their subsets
3. Recall the math subjects learned from pre-school to high school to college

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Activity 3 (30 minutes)

Form groups and come up with your own numeration system. Discuss/Justify your
choice of symbols and base. Through this activity, you will also be able to
distinguish between a number and a numeral.

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3.0 Preliminary reflections on the nature and practice of math

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Introduction

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Activity 4

1. Read the article, “Mathematics: Why the brain sees maths as beauty”, by James
Gallagher ( www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26151062).
2. After reading the article, reflect on this question: What do you find beautiful or
enjoyable? Can you find math in it/them?

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In his 1994 essay, “Literacy in the Language of Mathematics,” cancer researcher Dr.
James Bullock says,

“Mathematics is not a way of hanging numbers on real things so

that quantitative answers to ordinary questions can be obtained. It
is a language that allows one to think about extraordinary
questions…

Getting the picture does not mean writing the formula or crunching
the numbers, it means grasping the metaphor.”

Addressing math teachers, literacy expert Kelly Gallagher, in his 2004 book Deeper
Reading, says:

“When you empower your students to compare their before and after
actions when solving problems and to identify their “givens” when
finding the unknown, you allow them not only to see the big picture
but to grasp the mathematical metaphor. Teaching students to think
metaphorically sharpens their interpretative skills and helps them
reach deeper understanding. In this way, students are taught critical
thinking skills that stay with them long after the last lesson of the
school year.”

In this course, we will explore the language of math in ways that will hopefully
enable you to grasp the mathematical metaphor.

Conclusion

At the end of this module, you should begin to have a grasp of the true nature and
practice of mathematics. This should be the beginning of an eye-opening journey to
the presence of mathematics not just in computation-heavy disciplines, like STEM
(science and technology, engineering, and mathematics), business and accounting,
statistics, and the like, but also in the arts, social sciences, sports, etc. It is equal
parts intellectual and creative, powerful and beautiful, classical and modern, in high
technology and in nature.

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References


www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26151062

JO Bullock, Literacy in the Language of Mathematics, The American Mathematical

Monthly, Vol 101 No. 8 (Oct 1994), pp 735-743

M Pearse and KM Walton, Teaching Numeracy: 9 Critical Habits to Ignite

Mathematical Thinking, Corwin Press, 2011

K Gallagher, Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, Stenhouse

Publishers, 2003

Photo Credits

Cover photo: Randy Glasbergen http://www.glasbergen.com/math-cartoons/

Overview of the course: http://mariafresa.net/single/2039189.html
Numeracy and quantitative literacy: central.rcschools.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?
uREC_ID=690205&type=u
Student and public…: Randy Glasbergen http://www.glasbergen.com/math-
cartoons/
Preliminary reflections: Calvin & Hobbes www.comicmath.com/comics.html



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