Entrance Slip 3

Sustainable Mathematic Education

The idea of connecting mathematics with ecology is new but interesting to me.  Like Renert explained in the article, ecology has always been neglected in mathematics pedagogy.  The common perception is that mathematics is a concrete, accurate, and predictable subject. If we use the right formula and plug in the right numbers we get the right answers.  It is perceived as “a pure body of knowledge, independent of its environment, and value-free” (p.20).  However, math does have its own value and meaning which I believe it is closely related to environmental sustainability.  The example of large numbers in the article explains it. We know that trillion is a large number but we seldom imagine what 29 trillion kilograms of carbon will look like if we could actually vision it.  The number is abstractive that we could never feel it.  In that sense, we lose the “emotional access to the physical phenomena they represent” (p.21).

Another point in the reading that is attractive is the concept of “mathematical transformative education” which I did mention in our group presentation. When we make the connection between math and natural environment, we care about our students and what kind of earth they will live in. We hope to accommodate, reform and transform our pedagogies that involve environmental sustainability.  Not only we need to teach them math, we also want them to be conscious about our planet and apply their math skill in a more meaningful way in their future careers.

I believe in not only transformative mathematics education but in transformative learning in general.  I think we’re due for a complete rethink of education, especially during this uncertain period of Covid-19.  If we as educators and learners truly search for meaning in and for the world around us, we can indeed transform mathematics learning and education for a brighter future.