How is mathematics used by those in the pubic domain?

How is mathematics used by those in the pubic domain? To address this question, explore the news or print media in the next few days to get an idea of its power to decide. What does this imply for the teaching of mathematics, constructivism, and who can do mathematics?

There's a broad spectrum of uses for mathematics in the public domain. One example is the use of statistics to influence decisions. The validity of research and studies on which many arguments and theories are based depends on the statistical analysis of data generated by experiments, surveys, polls etc. In sports, statistics could determine the value of an athlete.

Meteorologists depend on mathematical models to predict the weather. If the price of oil per barrel increases significantly, it would raise the price at the pump, which in turn could affect consumer spending and the economy. If a particular stock goes up or down by a certain percentage, stock holders would be affected.

Implications for the teaching of mathematics: the teaching of mathematics must prepare students for the real-life tasks that await them, and understanding the world around them. Teachers need to draw more on these examples for use in their classrooms to make math more relevant. By implementng constructivist strategies, the math makes sense and becomes 'doable' for everyone.

"limitations" to the student-centered teaching of mathematics?

Constraints are issues that can be overcome. Limitations make one think of reasons why something cannot be achieved. Some "limitations" of student-centered learning:1) fear of loss of control by teachers; 2) lack of classroom culture necessaryfor student-centered learning to occur; 3) lack of knowledge on teacher's part on how to manage/facilitate/monitor activities in such a classroom.

My current thinking is that studen-centered teaching is a good idea - students construct their own ideas and learning takes place - is is the number 1 goal. When students are learning, discipline problems decrease and classes can be fun.

Renee's blog on constructivism in classrooms

Prior to this course, I thought that students should be able to see problem worked out on the board by the teacher, and be able to reproduce it in their practice problems - like I did when I was in school. I took his notion with me to the classroom as a teacher. I would explain something in detail on the board, then I wondered why didn't they just reproduce what I did to get the answer?
From these theories and perspectives of constructivism I have learned :
1) that students learn in different ways
2) the brain should be actively engaged in learning
3) The value of social interaction in learning
4) The value in letting students come up with their own ways to solve problems that makes sense to them
Implications: Many teachers (including me) have to change their whole paradigm from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction in classrooms. Let go of the reigns - not altogether, but enough to let the student develop naturally.
The classroom will look like students running the show, with the teacher facilitating, monitoring and guiding the discussions. Students must be taught the rules for discussion and constructivism classroom culture.

ReneeBlog

I have had to teach math concepts in my science class this past year, specifically measurement. I couldn't figure out why it was so difficult for the students for the most part to grasp it, much less retain it. What I said in class today about teaching mathematics was how I thought it could be better taught, realizing that I have to rethink the way I teach math. I have realized even while I was teaching, that the person that does the most work (i.e. the teacher) is the one who learns the most. I often felt the need to explain, demonstrate and model and that took up alot of time.

So I said that math is about strategy and solving real problems. However, I feel as though I understand this better in theory than in practice.