What IS Mathematics Anyway?

What IS Mathematics Anyway?

            What is Mathematics? For this particular blog, we were asked to think about and research this very question. I thought about my answer for a very long time, and came to realize that the answer is actually quite complex.

            Before doing any research, I wanted to think first about what Mathematics means to me. If I were asked to write my own 'definition', I decided that it would probably go like this: Mathematics is a logical system of numbers, patterns, formulas, rules, and equations, that help us to communicate and problem solve. I am completely aware that this is a fairly lacking definition, and it is quite possible that this does not even come close to the true definition of Mathematics and what it entails- as I mentioned in my first blog post, Math is kind of a 'scary' matter for me. My relationship with Math could be described as a person about to ride a terrifying roller coaster: you are frightened to try it, but deep down, you know that you will enjoy it. So, after some coaxing, you give it a shot. 

        The first thing that I found when I googled "what is mathematics?", was a book written by Robert Courant and Herbert Robbins, titled "What Is Mathematics?" Well...that book would certainly come in handy right now wouldn't it. Unfortunately, I do not own a copy. So, on to the next search result!

        Of all the sites that I found which tried to neatly define Mathematics (there are a lot- evidently, this is not an easy task), the 'definition' that I found to be the most precise came from www.thefreedictionary.com . This site defines math as "the study of measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols." Okay, so I wasn't that far off in my attempt to define math! According to this site anyway. I like this site. 

      More important though than a definition of Mathematics, is what it actually means to do Math, or to think mathematically. I think that for a lot of people, including myself, when we think of someone doing math, we think of a person sitting to a desk with a pen and paper, head bowed down, scribbling and erasing frantically, trying to solve a given problem. I believe that much of this comes from the pressure that teachers often put on students in this subject area. We have talked a lot about "Mad Minutes" in our Math classes lately, and I have to admit, I nearly panic just thinking about being placed under this kind of pressure. Imagine then, what this can do a seven or eight year old child. It is largely believed, and by me as well, that Math takes an enormous and pressure-laden amount of thought and effort to do any kind of math. If I manage to take a step outside of this mind frame though, I can quickly see that this is not always the case. I have been exposing my daughter to math from the first time that I counted her tiny toes. I am doing math right now as I glance at the clock on my computer screen, and calculate many hours of sleep I think I will manage to get tonight. I know deep down that to think Mathematically does not always mean using long and complex equations, following an exact and precise set of steps, just like a person knows deep down that the roller coaster will be fun. However, for me, Math comes with a sort of stigma. That stigma is that if you do not follow the exact steps, to get the exact answer, in exactly the 'appropriate' time frame, you are not good at math. 

      I hope to, and am confident that I will, learn a lot more about what Mathematics is, and what it is to think mathematically, throughout this semester. However, in closing, I would like to add these thoughts: in order to teach children not to fear Mathematics, but to embrace it in their everyday lives, we must change the way that we teach and assess Mathematics. I believe that children only truly learn when they are able to retain a concept, gain and store the accompanying knowledge, and then, most importantly, be able to apply this knowledge to a completely novel situation. We cannot expect children to use a concept in the real world, if they are never taught in a real way. 

     Lets let children see how these concepts work in an authentic and hands-on way, rather than drilling into their heads a formula that looks about as simple as yX2=500b+3KX-40XYZ=500.

Andrea