Name: Gilbert B.

Guita
Course: 1PhD MathEd
School: University of Southern Mindanao
Subject: Philosophy of Mathematics
Date: October 28, 2020
Professor: Dr. Bill Atweh

Reflection on Reading 4a (Mathematics)

“Why Not Philosophy? Problematizing the Philosophy of

Mathematics in a Time of Curriculum Reform”
-Kimberly White-Fredette

Curriculum reform comes with good and best philosophy and it is goaled towards
betterment and goodness of any educational purposes, aims and goals. On the reading about
this article. I understand different factors influencing the change in any curriculum. For the field
of mathematics, there has been called wars between what they classified as traditionalist and
non-classical views about mathematics. Wars in mathematics were rooted on the diverse
philosophies exhibited by different individuals (which include mathematicians, philosophers,
scientists, educators and schools). There are who are still into classical sense and there are also
who are in the boat of authentic way of perceiving education especially mathematics
education. There is a famous term in the reading “social constructivism” where in fact it is not
an alien to most of us since we had encountered this term for almost of our experience in the
field of education, when schooling and when at the present work. This concept implies for
instance in the aspect of teaching and learning, on the active role of learners in the absorption
of the concepts and values of the lessons being learned. It is not about purely knowledge
acquisition and simple recall but we encourage learners to be engaged in the real applications
of the concepts being learned. Hence, it is a social factor that delve learners to get learned
effectively the lessons. It is more on social construction that let the students learned best what
they are learning. This is something worthwhile and essential to note because what we are
aiming after all is how the students perform and behave in the real setting and be able to apply
from the learnings they get from training and schooling. I think, this is the forefront aim of the K
to 12 curricula in the Philippines where the educational processes now shifted from course
centered to learner centered approach. Educators now concern of the aftermath of the
teaching and learning process. This concerns on the skill acquisition and enhancement.
From the article where I read for quit several times, I think what causes wars in
mathematics is due to underlying factors and influences that they encountered and thought
that it is better for some adjustment in a way we perceived curriculum reform in education
especially in mathematics education. I think we are on the race with technological
advancement in the 21st century and rigid requisite of manpower in the industries which
influenced educational institutions for the shift. The type of learners and needs of the present
time also might be factors of the change in curriculum.
The postmodern views of mathematics are obviously representing the general views in
mathematics of the majority of people such as scientists, math experts, educators, learners and
including learning institutions as well as schools stakeholders. This ultimately addressed the
need to modernized mathematics education and curriculum because this is what the new era
badly needs. Lastly, we can be of good influencer and contributor in the game of mathematics
reforms if and only if we know the root cause of mathematics, its history and relations to
society’s problems and be able to identify the significance of having this a complete discipline.
Let us put this one in real context so as to make mathematics fulfilling to learn.