As mathematicians and mathematics educators, however, we often fail to notice the interaction between forces impacting our curriculum.Īt the collegiate level, the most dramatic example of such a disconnect is the course called “college algebra”. Predictions are often based on a presumption of continuity within the determining forces people attempt to apply modeling concepts to an open (or semi-open) system. We are all familiar with ‘predictions’ based on societal trends which are seldom validated by reality - whether it is flying cars, Facebook’s “population”, or economic stability. Do not let ‘alignment’ lock you in to an obsolete and harmful set of mathematics courses. Do not look to MAA and AMATYC to ‘tell us’ how and when … our organizations are too fearful of offending part of ‘us’.īuild local alliances to support experimentation in modernizing mathematics in college. College mathematics could be an exciting world for our students to explore with colorful vistas combining symbolic and computational methods supported by conceptual knowledge. Advocating for alignment does not mean that people support our curricular goals they have their own agenda (not ours).īefore we worry overmuch about ‘alignment’, we had better make basic corrections to our own system. I was suggesting that much of college mathematics presented mathematics that we no longer care about as mathematicians.Īdvocating for alignment does not mean such alignment is possible it’s not.
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