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Math for Math’s Sake
 Lindy Abbott
I want my children to be lifelong learners so that they will be able to pursue
God’s purpose
for their lives. With this goal in mind, I have been careful to not force lessons on my children in order to merely finish a textbook. I adapt the c
urriculum to meet the student’s
developmental ability and needs. In math, my first child sailed through every lesson with ease. I simply presented the new concept once and he immediately could work the problems. However, that was not the case with my other two children. When they complained,
 ―Why do I have to do this math—I will never use it?‖ I automatically
 responded with all the things I had been told by teachers when I had asked that
question: ―You need it to get through college.‖ 
 
 ―It helps develop logical, critical
 
thinking.‖ ―Think of it as a game.‖  ―You must know it for the standardized test.‖ 
 As my bright, creative children continued to struggle daily with math, I noticed they were becoming less confident and even feeling dumb. They worried that they would never get into college since they were making little progress in their math textbooks. I tried different curriculum, bought math games, and used manipulatives. Still, they made little progress. All of this caused me to question if the required math was really necessary. I began to wonder: Do my teens have a valid complaint? Are the reasons given for doing required math true? Who decided students needed four years of high school math, which in our state includes two levels of Algebra, Geometry, and Advanced Math? Whom do these requirements benefit? Keeping my foundational goals for homeschooling in mind, I was driven to find answers.
Science and Math
Interconnected
As I began to research, I was encouraged to learn that Isaac Newton called irrational
numbers ―absurd‖ and negative numbers
 
 ―not true.‖ Historically, the very scientists
 who pioneered scientific discoveries that led to major math discoveries did not receive the advanced math instruction the state requires for my children. Until the late nineteenth century, mathematicians focused on understanding what was observed in nature. Mathematics was regarded as a tool used by scientists in astronomy, mechanics, hydrodynamics, elasticity, electricity, and magnetism. Interestingly, mathematicians were also scientists; therefore, computations were taught within the context of each scientific subject. Famous mathematicians such as Pythagoras, Sir Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, and Albert Einstein are famous for their scientific discoveries in nature (matter, energy, time and space) and the discovery of related mathematical principles. They developed patterns, equations, and theories that had real-world applications, and they wrote about the math that explained and supported their discoveries.
Pure Mathematics?
In the late 1800s many colleges began to regard mathematics as a separate discipline instead of simply presenting it as a tool used in the study of science and fine arts. The mathematicians concentrated their efforts on
researching ―pure mathematical‖ 
 (math used by mathematicians in the academic setting and in research of math) concepts. Math for
math’s sake
 began and eventually filtered down to all math education in schools. New
 
textbooks
funded by the federal government
were designed in the early 1900s by college professors of mathematics. Many rigorous high school math standards were established by private organizations (specifically the Carnegie Foundation) that funded
college professors’
pensions and a team of scholars that developed college entrance examinations. The practice
of ―teaching to the test‖ 
 began because the college entrance examinations were printed annually for students to use as they studied for the next
year’s exams. The professors likely
did not consider the life needs and developmental stages of students when designing textbooks. High schools began to teach pure mathematics concepts. The fact that teenagers have little use for pure mathematics unless they are going to be studying advanced levels of college mathematics for their career choice appeared, for the most part, to be disregarded.
Modern Math Must Be Better
In the 1950s professors of mathematics, again through federal funding, redesigned textbooks for students in elementary through high school. This time,
 ―traditional math‖ was
discarded and
replaced with the new ―modern math‖ 
 program. Elementary math textbooks of the 1950s, which concentrated on applied mathematics (math used in science and real life), were replaced with a program that introduced pure mathematics. The modern math text focused on isolated math concepts and word problems contrived to practice the new skills. With great fanfare, slick marketing, and unproven promises, classroom teachers were vigorously trained in the new math vocabulary, methodologies, and the new content focus. Traditional math relied heavily on sensibly written explanations using everyday examples to teach the basic building blocks of number concepts. Math modernists replaced many traditional math definitions with their own new versions. For example, elementary teachers had to explain that the symbol 7 is not a number but a numeral. Teachers also learned the number 343 contains three digits, but since 343 =73, which is the same number but does not contain three digits, the new proper way to speak mathematically in the classroom is to say the numeral 343 contains three digits. Modern math also clarified that since 7 is a numeral for the number seven, students should be taught that a number is an idea! Of course, all of this new terminology harmed understanding more than helping, because it shrouded math in a vocabulary that did not relate to everyday common sense. Therefore, even some of the brightest of children (as well as many teachers) began to doubt their ability to master math since instructions were given with intangible concepts.
Solutions for Burdensome Math
Clearly, math became burdened with immense amounts of new terminology to be learned. Several hundred new terms were added to Algebra and Geometry textbooks. The new math focused on the learning processes requiring the memorization of (1) steps performed to get correct answers, (2) precise math vocabulary, and (3) the order of given geometry proofs. Many of the students, like my own children, found mathematics to be dull memory work since the computations of equations had no significance. I needed to find a way to help my children be successful in math; therefore, I looked for ways to adapt their lessons to give
them the least amount of ―math
 
for math’s sake‖ concepts as possible.
 My children, who innately were deeper thinkers, perceived pure mathematics to be senseless. Until math requirements are changed, my children will have to learn the math required for College Entrance Exams (ACT/SAT) if they plan to attend college and to complete their high school
 
graduation requirements. In the back of the Kaplan test prep book for the ACT, I found a list of one hundred key math concepts. This gave me a good guideline regarding the math needed for college. Setting the goal for my children to learn the mathematics useful for their God-designed purpose, I decided to not force them to struggle through unnecessary advanced concepts of pure mathematics. Since I want my children be taught meaningful math, I aim to present new concepts with significant explanations and to provide enough practice to ensure understanding and mastery of the skill. As a homeschool parent, I am able to pace math instruction to ensure mastery before introducing new lessons. In textbooks prior to the 1960s, I have discovered delightful, easy-to-understand lessons that still used applied mathematics! These books provided relevant, simple explanations of new concepts; illustrations; and examples. Instead of math being taught as a series of isolated facts that need to be memorized in order to find correct answers, topics are presented in logical sequences, building on previously learned material. Meaning and relationships are emphasized. I encourage you to pursue math instruction
for your child’s greates
t benefit. After all, we chose to homeschool for the sake of our children!
Scientists Whose Discoveries Led to Mathematical Discoveries
 
Pythagoras’s (about 570–
d. about 495 B.C.) work in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and music led to numerous discoveries about numbers and geometric figures.
 
Blaise Pascal (1613
1662), a physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher, invented the mechanical calculator, probability theory used in gambling, and triangle formulas to project measurements.
 
Pierre de Fermat (1601
1665), a lawyer by vocation, developed number theories for points, curves, and size.
 
Sir Isaac Newton (1642
1727) advanced the study of motion, gravity, astronomy, light, color, and sound and wrote about numerous mathematical theorems.
 
Rene Descartes (1596
1650), famous for his work in analytical geometry, wrote foundational philosophy writings, contributed to optics, and identified laws of bending light and the radius of the rainbow.
 
Alan Turing (1912
1954) worked as a code-breaker during the Second World War and later worked in developing computer science and mathematical processes in molecular biology.
Samples of Word Problems from a 1955 Schoolbook
 
Sam and his father drove exactly 100 miles one afternoon. After they had driven 57 miles, they had a flat tire. They used the spare tire to travel the rest of the way. For what percent of their drive did they use the spare tire?
 
Edith had $42 in a bank. Her interest for 6 months is 2% of $42. How much does she get?
 
A department store allows its clerks a 25% discount. A clerk paid $18 for a suit. What was the regular price?
 
Mr. Sands borrowed $1,500 and paid interest at 4%. At the end of 6 years he repaid the loan. How much interest did he pay in all? What was the amount of the loan for the 6 years?

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