Boaler, J. (2016) The creativity and beauty in mathematics

This is an interesting article that explores what math is and how it should be taught differently. I am happy that it seems to be in agreement with my last blog post, that math is about patterns. For me, the most interesting part was probably where it discusses how some of the best mathematicians are ones who do math slowly and think about it in more depth. This reminds me of the way I am with reading. I recently learned that I likely have a condition called hyperlexia, which means I am exceptional at the decoding side of reading comprehension but sometimes have to read slowly because I struggle with some aspects of language comprehension. However, I think about stories more analytically than the average person. This proves that speed is not necessarily an indicator of comprehension and that being slow could actually be an indicator of deeper understanding. This calls into question the way we test mathematical ability, and other kinds of ability, in school. In order to pass exams, students have to go through mathematical processes speedily, leaving those who are better at doing things slowly out in the cold. The people who are failing math because of lack of speed may actually be some of the best potential mathematicians. I am not sure of the solution, but the emphasis on speed in test-taking is a problem.

Another interesting part of the article is where it talks about the changes in what mathematical skills are needed for employment today. Correctly calculating answers to problems used to be the most important thing in math but now that machines do that, it is more valuable for employees to ask mathematical questions and reasoning through them. Getting the correct answer isn't the goal anymore, really thinking about it and understanding how it works is and schools need to catch up.