Mathematicians as Enquirers: Learning about Learning Mathematics: 34 (Mathematics Education Library) - Softcover

Burton, Leone L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1402078595 ISBN 13: 9781402078590

Publisher: Springer, 2004

Synopsis

It is amazing that the usual reply to being introduced to a mathematician is a stumbling apology about how bad someone is at mathematics, no matter how good they may be in reality. The problem is that we have come to view mathematics as an arcane branch of knowledge that only a few can aspire to understand or grasp. The sense of separation between those who have the knowledge and those who do not, is present even amongst academics where many of the same skills and research practices exist - intuition, the use of symbolic structures and the use of intuition and insight. The more worrying aspect of this separation is the ever declining numbers of students choosing mathematics as part of their curriculum beyond the stage when it is mandatory. Even worse, it would seem that the mathematics community has created a discriminatory environment that deters many students from continuing beyond secondary and tertiary education. Exit interviews with graduates show a stark rejection of their previously chosen subject. What about mathematicians themselves - how do they see themselves? Do male and female mathematicians come to know their mathematics in different ways, do they tackle different problems with varying results for their status in the research community? Does the pervasive labelling that mathematics is a male domain arise because of a lack of role models for women or through its highly competitive, hierarchical nature? Are the negative labels often associated with mathematics, i. e.

About this title

Synopsis

This volume reports on an empirical study with 70 research mathematicians, 35 females and 35 males. The purpose of the study was to explore how these mathematicians came to know mathematics and to match their descriptions against a theoretical model of coming to know mathematics derived from the literature of the history, philosophy and sociology of science and mathematics. The assumption underlying the research was that, when researching, mathematicians are learning and, consequently, their experiences are valid for less sophisticated learners in classrooms. The study provided major surprises particularly with respect to the mathematical thinking of the mathematicians and to the ways in which they organised their practices. It also contradicted long-standing stereotypes. This book applies the learning from the study to learning and teaching mathematics. It offers a rationale, based on the practices of research mathematicians, to support and encourage recent school-based developments in the learning of mathematics through enquiry.

This book will be of interest to mathematicians, mathematics educators, teacher educators (mathematics), and higher degree students of mathematics education.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1402078595
• ISBN 13: 9781402078590
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272