Real world math

Students sometimes wonder when they’ll use certain information that they learn in school. They may not reap immediate benefits from reading Herman Melville or learning the laws of stoichiometry, but they usually take the teachers at their word that such knowledge is never wasted – it’s all part of the process of becoming educated citizens. In math, however, the benefits of learning ratio and proportion are instantly recognizable. People use ratios every day in all sorts of situations, and are often even unaware that they’re doing so. Ratio and proportion are so prevalent in daily life that their use has become reflexive.

Five out of four people have trouble with fractions
-- Comedian Steven Wright

Apparently, Steven Wright and I are kindred spirits. Math was my Achilles’ heel in middle and high school, and to this day I cringe when measuring objects that stubbornly refuse to measure to the exact quarter inch. Hence, I am an excellent cautionary tale for students who moan about what useful purpose fractions can possibly serve in real life. Tell them that their window shades and blinds will fit correctly. So there!

As I sat here choosing resources about real world math, I thought about "the" question students ask every year: "When will I ever use this math in my life?" As a student, I’m sure I wondered the same thing, but when I think about it now, I have a hard time thinking of a part of life that is not touched by one form of math or another. Math has a funny way of sneaking into every corner and crevice of life, and good math teachers make sure their students can recognize the math in the world around them.

"I’m not good at math."

"I hate math."

"When in life will I ever use this stuff?"

Sound familiar? Teachers in other subjects sometimes hear the same litany from students, but none so frequently as the much-maligned math teacher. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics once mused that "One of the curious aspects of our society is that it is socially acceptable to take pride in not being good in mathematics." While I don’t think that most students take pride in being less than proficient in math, the NCTM statement still rings true for many adults that I know. Could it be time for a cultural shift in attitude?