In Finding the Beauty in Math, Holly Korbey writes about a recent essay in the New York Times. I would love to be convinced by Korbey’s article and by the essay she cites. I really would.

But unfortunately I’m not.

I do love their points. I have no trouble with the idea that “we need to define math to include skills like prediction, argumentation, and systematic thinking. These are important skills to have whether you go into a STEM field or not.” Yes, indeed. But I don’t really have any vision of how to implement these proposals. To some extent we do that already, and to some extent we can’t really do it because of myriad external constraints. Read both essays and see what you think. Can we really teach students about mathematical beauty? I would love to think so, but…

Categories: Math, Teaching & Learning