Saturday, April 19, 2014

Martial Arts and Math

Is mathematics useful?

Of course!

Do I expect all of my students to leave class and use the quadratic formula on their way home?

Certainly not!

That is because the quadratic formula, just like all of the other content we teach in mathematics, has value that goes beyond its application (even though its application is fantastic). I want society to stop placing value on the mathematics we learn and teach simply because we will or will not "use" an exact topic outside of the classroom. Instead, I hope we look more towards the habits of mind, which pretty sums up the reasons I teach mathematics.

Mathematics is more than the sum of its content, just as martial arts is more than a collection of kicks and punches:







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