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ashaffer's picture

Going back and reflecting

Near the end of this course, I came full circle to a question that I began to explore near the beginning, and I am seeing some similarities to this discussion and these readings' ideas. My question is one of how math is taught from the elementary level to calculus, and at first I approached it in much the same way as these authors- I assumed that children have a need to feel that things in the world are stable and secure, so we teach math (and science, for that matter), as solid and sure facts. Thinking about it now, I don't know that I actually agree with that. I mean, children are in a world that is changing, and yes, maybe they do long for stability, but they might actually identify with something else that is changing like they are (I hope that makes sense). A small part of what these authors are saying is that children need a story where they can identify with what is happening. Maybe children identify with parts of the villian and the hero. Maybe at the same time children appreciate the happily-ever-after ending, they become disillusioned because they never see that perfect outcome in their own lives.

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