October - November 2001

 
 Reader Feedback:
 Give us a piece of your mind...

On Reading, Writing and… Algebra? (September - October)

I enjoyed Mr. Pottinger's article about the importance of algebra and the problems Californians are having with the "new" graduation requirement. I was reminded of a scene in a movie called Peggy Sue Got Married, a kind of romantic comedy aimed at teens and young marrieds. It was about a 30+ disillusioned housewife and mother who gets to "flashback" to her high school days and see other ways her life could have turned out. In one clever scene, she arrives a few minutes late to class to find they're having a pop quiz. She looks at it briefly, then gets up and starts to leave the classroom. The teacher asks her what she's doing and where she's going. She replies "This is algebra, and I happen to know I'll never need it!"

What impressed me most was the audience's reaction to her remark. In addition to general laughter, there were shouts of "Yeah!" and "Right On!" and similar epithets that implied widespread agreement with her attitude. It seemed to me at the time that these audience reactions spoke volumes about the way we were teaching algebra, at least here in Southern California. I can't help wondering if other viewers of that movie heard similar reactions.

— Chuck Antoniak
IEEE Senior Member
Upland, California

******************

In order to capture young minds, "fun" is one word, but not everything can be "fun" all the time. Math needs to be both relevant and meaningful to them. There is an appropriate line in Francis Ford Coppola's movie, Peggy Sue Got Married. Without going into too much detail, the movie is about a woman who goes back to re-living her high school days, with accumulated wisdom and age inside, while on the outside still appearing as a teen. The question asked in the movie is: if given the chance, will she still make the same mistakes in life that led her to be the person she is today? In one scene, she takes an algebra test, doodles all through it and at the end, when the teacher confronts her about her blank paper, says something like, "in the future, I happen to know I will have absolutely no use for algebra at all…" Her peers admire her for her forthrightness.

The point? Kids need to be shown real examples of algebra and math use, not what academia perceives as "real use." Engineers use algebra, trigonometry, geometry and calculus every day. Questions that can be asked are: Why? How is it used? Does it really help you to understand the flow and properties of fluid in a pipe or why electricity acts in a certain manner? Why do you need to know that? How do we really use trigonometry and geometry to find angles, weights? Shapes?

I have seen many math textbooks over the years. It's fascinating to see how little they have changed from 30 or more years ago when I slaved over dry, unappealing books of numbers and symbols. The covers are more colorful, and there are some photos and drawings now, but basically, academia rules in math, and the majority of the textbook writers still seem to be more interested in coming across as understanding something nobody else does than making the content appealing and exciting to the new and the young.

I enjoy history to this day. Why? I had a high school history teacher who was vibrant, enthusiastic, and loved his subject so much that it was "hip" to join him in his great love. He also knew his subject extremely well. Even the "uninspired" students looked forward to his class. He was so good at teaching it, that a TV company offered him his own TV show to teach it to even more people. An engineer or other technical professional teaching math with this level of enthusiasm could have a similar, lasting effect on the young.

— Laurence P. Rogers
Senior Instrument & Electrical Coordinator
Deer Park, Texas

******************

Tell me where practicing EEs will find the time to "descend on high schools to make math fun." Maybe retired EEs do, but even there, many of them consult and accept simultaneous assignments (business). So that leaves retired engineers who consult somewhat —  or not at all.

— Robert Bruce
IEEE Life Senior Member
Douglaston, N.Y.