Mathematics - Doing the right things

Albert Einstein is widely credited with saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results."

 ·         Mathematics is the single most promising means of BUILDING the BRAIN and thus improving future EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

 ·       The words MATHEMATICS and ALGEBRA creates a sense of MISTERY and EXCLUSIVENESS in many people. Probably the MOST FREQUENT PUBLIC COMMENT is: Mathematics is NOT FOR ME. Don’t ask me. I never was any good at Mathematics.

 

1.    The PRESENT way of TEACHING MATHEMATICS is:

 

·       Outdated. Our PRESENT NUMBER CHART dates back to 1650. We still teach our foundation phase learners that the DECIMAL system consists of numbers 1-10. We still teach them that 0 is ‘nothing’. We still teach them to ‘count’ with their fingers instead of their brains. ALL present learning is ‘root’ learning which is memory-based with NO understanding (picture/pattern).

·      Unsuccessful: Statistics show huge investments but NO improvement.

·      Deprives the MAJORITY of LEARNERS of GAINFUL FUTURE employment opportunities.

 

2.    There is a general acceptance that ‘doing present things better’ will not (and does not) result in an IMPROVEMENT in results. IN FACT: The GAP between the INFORMED (SKILLED) and UNINFORMED (UNSKILLED) is WIDENING.

Technology will result in better efficiency (doing present things better) but not in better effectiveness (doing the right things).

CHALLENGE: We have to do the RIGHT things BETTER!

How do we know WHAT the RIGHT things are?

NOT by any different MODEL or THEORY. ONLY BY RESULTS!

 

That is the CHALLENGE I set myself in 2003 when I started the SYFERFLUKS project.

How this initiative, over a period of 20 years, resulted in Towermaths is the subject of our next discussion.


Prof. Koop Bullinge


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Towermaths - The breakthrough in understanding Maths.   

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