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Mathematics: All That MattersStock informationGeneral Fields
Special Fields
DescriptionMathematics often gets a bad press. Describing someone as 'calculating' or 'rational' is hardly as flattering as being labelled 'artistic' or 'creative' and mathematicians in movies or novels are often portrayed as social misfits who rarely get the guy or girl. No wonder some folks say 'oh I don't care for mathematics, I was never any good at it' with a wistful sense of pride. Yet professional mathematicians talk of the subject differently. They look for elegant solutions to problems, revel in playing around with mathematical ideas and talk of the creative nature of mathematics. As the Russian mathematician Sophia Kovalevskaya said "It is impossible to be a mathematician without being a poet in soul." So why is there such a gap between the views of everyday folks and professional mathematicians? Part of the problem lies in how most of us were taught mathematics in school. The mathematics served up there is presented as a series of de-contextualised, abstract ideas, wrested from the human struggles and interactions that gave birth to the ideas. Author descriptionMike Askew is Professor of Primary Education at Monash University, Melbourne and prior to that he was Professor of Mathematics Education at King's College, London University. He has written extensively for both academic and professional readers and his books include Transforming Primary Mathematics (Routledge) and, with Rob Eastaway, the best selling Maths for Mums and Dads (Square Peg/Random House) and most recently More Maths for Mums and Dads (the teenage years) (Square Peg/Random House) |