Editorial
As retirement looms even nearer, it is time to do a bit of reflecting
on a career that has spanned over 36 years. I have found the career to be challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable.
As I assess this career, I am amazed at how much some of the things
have remained the same over a period which has been characterized by rapid change in so many areas. If one takes the teaching of mathematics to children, for instance, the process has changed little. Except for the use of some new gadgets such as films and overhead projectors, one will observe in any present-day classroom an environment very similar to that of 40 years ago. The students are seated quietly in rows of desks with a textbook, notebook, and pencil while the teacher stands at the blackboard or overhead projector writing abstract symbols.
The accompanying assignments, usually in a textbook, often do little
to introduce students to the practical aspects of mathematics or to develop problem-solving skills–the ultimate goal of teaching children mathematics.
How often do teachers take students on mathematical field trips? Rarely, I would guess. Yet, there abound in the environment ample opportunities for such field trips. What about a trip to the park to measure the height of a tree, or to the grain elevator to observe grading systems, or to the grocery store with a shopping list, and so on. There exists a real challenge to you who teach math to make it a living, dynamic activity. Let’s hope the situation is significantly different in the year 2025 than it is today. Mathematics education must become an active rather than a passive study.
How many schools have functional mathematics laboratories? Again, I guess very few. To. establish such a laboratory can be an enjoyable activity and need not be expensive.
Art Jorgensen
Editorial
Art Jorgensen
Mathematics Educator of the Year Award
Guidelines and Criteria
Reactions to the Secondary Review Recommendations
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I do hate sums. There is no greater mistake than to call arithmetic an exact science. There are permutations and aberrations discernible to minds entirely noble like mine; subtle variations which ordinary accountants fail to discover; hidden laws of number which it requires a mind like mine to perceive. For instance, if you add a sum from the bottom up, and then again from the top down, the result is always different.
Mrs. La Touche (19th Century)
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