Mathematics, Education, and Other Endangered Species

This book examines the critical roles and effects of mathematics education. The exposition draws from the author's forty-year mathematics career, integrating his research in the psychology of mathematical thinking into an overview of the true definition of math. The intention for the reader is to undergo a corrective experience, obtaining a clear message on how mathematical thinking tools can help all people cope with everyday life. For those who have struggled with math in the past, the book also aims to clarify that math learning difficulties are likely a result of improper pedagogy as opposed to any lack of intelligence on the part of the student. This personal treatise will be of interest to a variety of readers, from mathematics teachers and those who train them to those with an interest in education but who may lack a solid math background.

Provides a "corrective" experience for those who've had a negative experience with mathematics education Educates current and perspective mathematics teachers on optimal approaches for connecting with students at various levels Draws from experience of a decades-long career in mathematics

Inhalt

1. Is Mathematics Required in Real-Life Situations?- 2. What is Mathematics for?- 3. Can Scientific Thinking help us cope with our Existential Problems? Can Religious Thinking help us cope with our Existential Problems?- 4. Concept Formation in Mathematics: Concept Definition and Concept Image.- 5. The Misconception Fallacy, the Pseudo-conceptual and the Pseudo-analytical Behaviors in Mathematical Contexts.- 6. The Pseudo-conceptual Behavior in Contexts Outside the Mathematics Classroom.- 7. Can E-learning (Computer-Based Learning) Replace Teacher-Student Individual Communication?- 8. What is Mathematics?- 9. The Role of Examples in the Learning of Mathematics and in Everyday Thought Processes.- 10. Imagination Acts.- 11. The Wonders of Infinity and its Weirdness.- 12. Mathematics, Educational Values, and Intellectual Values.- 13. What Are Elementary Mathematics Teachers Expected to Know?.- 14. Proofs by Contradiction or Isn't this an Absurdity?- 15.Visually Moderated Sequences.- 16. Common Sense Versus Science and Theology.- 17. Rationality.- P1. About the Subtitle "From Intuition to Inhibition".- P2. The Potential Readers of The Book.- P3. An Opportunity for a Corrective Experience for Those who Carry ENgative Memories from Their Mathematics Learning in School.- P4. About Reflection.