IMPORTANCE OF MATHEMATICS IN DAILY LIFE

THE IMPORTANCE OF MATHEMATICS

The importance of mathematics exists because every day we are faced with it, without it we could
not do most of our routine, we need mathematics constantly, at school, in the office, when we are
going to prepare a dish, etc. In the sciences, mathematics has had a greater rise because it
represents the basis of an entire set of knowledge that man has been acquiring.

I don't know if it has happened to them, but it is hard to walk down the street and not have any
idea what the street signs say. Well, the Coca Cola guy did understand it. When he wanted to buy
something, he would put on a questioning face, make the universal symbol for how much it costs
with his thumb and index finger, and hand them a piece of paper and a pen so they could write
down the price. A more than decent meal was about one hundred and fifty thousand Ukrainian
coupons, about four hundred pesetas in exchange.

The moral of this anecdote is that people realize the importance of mathematics, that although we
do not know many languages, there is one universal language: mathematics. Everyone
understands numbers. Regarding this, there is a curious anecdote referring to one of the most
important chemists of this century: Josiah Willard Gibbs.

I will tell you another story about the importance of mathematics, Gibbs was a silent and
withdrawn member of the university community at the prestigious Yale University. It is said about
him that during the thirty years he was there he only gave one speech. They say that his
unrepentant silence was broken during a heated coffee discussion about which discipline, classical
languages, modern languages or science, best trained the mind. Gibbs, with his usual parsimony,
stood up and said: "Gentlemen, mathematics is a language." And he sat down again.

Certainly mathematics is a language. And a universal language. That is why scientists are able to
communicate with each other even if they do not understand the language with which they share
their information.

But the most mysterious thing of all is that mathematics is the only means we have to understand
the world around us. That's why we talk about the importance of mathematics. The language with
which nature expresses itself is mathematics and whoever wants to read that book must learn it.

This world presents today's human being with new conditions and dimensions in their training,
because this is how needs and learning demand: 'Learn to learn' 'Learn to create' 'Learn to
investigate' 'Learn to communicate' 'Learn to cooperate' 'Learn to decide' 'Learn to imagine' 'Learn
to change' 'Learn to be autonomous' 'Learn to be flexible' 'Learn to transcend'...which must be
internalized in teaching practice and thus achieve fabulous results for the integral development of
the human being, optimizing their potential, in the areas of knowing, doing and being. Don't you
think that these are enough reasons for us, from the Teaching-Learning of Mathematics, to
contribute to this urgent educational purpose? Why?

In addition to all this, which refers to the world we live in and the human being we need; We must
highlight the importance of mathematics: in everyday life, it is necessary to understand and
analyze the abundant information that reaches us. It generates in people the ability to think
abstractly, find analogies between various phenomena and create the habit of facing problems,
taking consistent initiatives and establishing criteria of truth and grants confidence in many
situations.

As a cultural value, it expands the cultural universe of the individual since it develops reading
habits, perfects investigative skills and gathers a greater vocabulary in the subject and together
with all these significant elements appear the possibilities of interpreting historical situations,
emotional experiences that have an impact in the formation of values and moral principles of
respect and gratitude to those who have worked for humanity.

Its social role, the mastery of space and time, the organization and optimization of resources,
forms and proportions, the ability to forecast and control uncertainty or the management of
digital technology in the current Knowledge Society, where people need , in different professional
fields, a greater mastery of mathematical ideas and skills. Decision making requires understanding,
modifying and producing messages of all kinds, which is why citizens must be prepared to adapt to
the continuous changes that are generated in society.

Its relationship with other sciences, Mathematics as a science is open to another multitude of
diverse fields of knowledge, most of the professions and technical jobs carried out today require
mathematical knowledge. Industrial activities, medicine, chemistry, architecture, engineering,
robotics, arts, music, among others, use it to express and develop many ideas in numerical and
analytical form, Mathematics is considered a universal medium, the language of science and
technology. It can explain and predict situations in the world of nature, economically and socially...
It is clear, however, that Mathematics has also been and must continue to be, a science in search
of truth, a tool that comes to the aid of all. the other sciences and activities of man, “a creative
activity of a beauty only accessible to the eyes of the soul,” as Plato said.

Mathematics is the hidden support of the technical advances that are present in daily life, we live
in the knowledge society and that every day requires more of its members (mainly young people
and adults) a special training effort both to live in it to join productive tasks... How to adapt to
global technological improvements and changes, having a society without foundations and
without mathematical tools?

Without mathematical knowledge at the level of Basic, Diversified Secondary and Professional
Education, there will be no researchers or teachers at the university... What will happen in our
society 10 years from now with mathematically illiterate adults?

Mathematics and its importance in our lives

March 10, 2016

M. Sc. Raquel Villafrades Torres. Bucaramanga, Colombia. Pontifical Bolivarian University.

IBERCIENCIA: Community of Educators for Scientific Culture.

In this interview with professor Dúwamg Alexis Prada Marín of the Department of Basic Sciences
of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Sectional Bucaramanga, the importance of mathematics
in everyday life and its relevant relationship with other sciences is addressed.

“In the language of mathematics, equations are like poetry: they establish truths with unique
precision, they contain large volumes of information in rather brief terms (...) And just as poetry
helps us see deeply inside ourselves, “Mathematical poetics helps us see far beyond ourselves: if
not so much as to take us to the sky, then at least to the very limit of the visible universe.”

Michael Guillen – Five equations that changed the world: The power and hidden beauty of
mathematics

Professor Dúwamg Alexis Prada Marín is a professor at the Department of Basic Sciences of the
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) Bucaramanga Section since 2012. He is coordinator of the
mathematical modeling hotbed (MODMAT) assigned to the same Department and endorsed by
the GIM materials research group of the UPB. Dúwamg carries out the work with the students of
the hotbed, made up of students from the Civil and Industrial Engineering programs as well as
teachers from the engineering school, since 2014, that same year the best teacher from the
Department of Basic Sciences was selected.

Professor Dúwamg has a degree in mathematics from the Industrial University of Santander, a
specialist in university teaching and a master's degree in mathematics from the same university
and has extensive teaching experience guiding the subjects of differential calculus, integral
calculus, multivariable calculus, differential equations, geometry and trigonometry, analytical
geometry, algebra, mathematics applied to microbiology, mathematics for biologists, topology for
mathematicians and fundamentals of calculus for master's students in epidemiology.

Professor Dúwamg, how would you define mathematics?

Mathematics is a beautiful language that is based on the abstract part to infer the various
branches of knowledge. This language allows us to approach different models as a representation
of various study phenomena, however, it does not remain as an application tool or as a support, it
is also a wonderful paradise that we can approach in order to maintain this science, since it is a
great effort that humanity has done for so long to maintain it and therefore it is possible to
continue discovering it.

Is mathematics present in our daily lives?

Of course. So much so that it is enough to just look around us and observe numbers, for example,
in directions, in the way we define time in years, months, days, hours, etc. Mathematics is so
evident that although we do not use formulas or algebraic equations, we are able to represent
models based on the phenomena we face daily, for example, the day and time in which we take
our public transportation allows us to show which It is the best option to get around, that is, in the
city of Bucaramanga, if you decide to travel south-north to reach your destination at 8 am
traveling on the highway on a working Monday, you will know that although the journey does not
take you more than 30 minutes to travel, due to the impact of the time you will spend more than
60 minutes, however, if this Monday were a holiday you would spend a little less than 30 agreed
minutes. This model can be represented by a graph that anyone who has taken public
transportation or not can build.

The professor of French literature at the University of Oviedo, Francisco González Fernández,
explains in his book Waiting for Gödel: Literature and Mathematics the role that mathematics has
played in writers such as Marcel Proust, Samuel Beckett and Edgar Allan Poe. Could you tell us, in
simple terms, what relationship exists between mathematics and literature or the arts in general?

I will quote one of the greats: A mathematician who does not also have something of a poet will
never be a complete mathematician. - KARL WEIERSTRASS. The problem is that at some point in
the process of teacher mediation regarding mathematics, the fantasy, the passion and even the
primary objective of mathematics on the part of the teacher and the student were lost.

It is really discouraging to see how, while in other parts of the world mathematics is a fortress, a
true treasure, in our country it seems like it is Achilles' heel. Mathematics is present in the whole
but it is not the whole, however, it can be nothing as long as it is not shown as it truly is, for
example, in the painting of the Mona Lisa or the Monalisa, there is a relationship under a very
rectangle. special that contains a fantastic number, the relationship is known as the golden ratio or
the golden number. It is not only present in this painting, but also in the Last Supper, in the
Vitruvian Man, in the structure of the Parthenon, in the pyramids of Egypt, etc. It is not that there
is no relationship, but that in mathematics many teachers are more concerned with fulfilling
content than, really, with showing how beautiful this language is. Regarding literature and
especially in logic, which is a branch that I particularly like, mathematics is used. This type of
mathematics could make corrections to the RAE, just to cite an example: When answering a
question the following:

"No one"

In everyday life it is understood or assumed that it is empty, for example in a house. But, if we
analyze the phrase, “NO” is a negation and “NOBODY” refers to nothingness or emptiness, that is,
“there is no emptiness” therefore what we are really saying is that there is someone, but we
understand that he is empty. I add a little fun: the paradoxes and among them the most famous,
that of the barber:

Many years ago, in a distant kingdom, there were few people whose job was to be a barber. To
solve the problem, the king ruled that barbers could only shave people who could not shave
themselves.

One of those barbers was the only one in his region and he had the following doubt: “As a barber I
cannot shave the barber of my region, which is me, because then I could shave myself. But then,
some barber must shave me, although since I'm the only one there, then I can't shave."

The list of important authors of mathematics includes notable women such as Hypatia of
Alexandria and Sophie Germain. In the month that International Women's Day is celebrated, can
you tell us how has the participation of women in this branch of knowledge been and which
names, in your opinion, stand out the most?
Women have actively participated in mathematics since the time of Pythagoras, for example
Theano who was his wife, and since for the Pythagoreans everything was number, it turns out that
the one who worked a lot on numbers after the death of Pythagoras was Theano, who led this
secret community. Hypatia Daughter of a mathematician, student of Diophantus and Euclid, was
dismembered. Many of the women have made contributions, for example Sophie Germain, she
carried out many studies on number theory.

In the book Five Equations That Changed the World by master Michael Guillen, he tells us that he
selected five equations from dozens of very serious competitors solely because of how they have
changed the world. These equations include Newton's equation to express the gravitational force
between two objects, Bernoulli's principle to explain the behavior of fluids, Faraday's law of
electromagnetic induction, Rudolf Clausius's second law of thermodynamics, and the equation of
Einstein's equivalence between mass and energy, thanks to these people and equations it was
possible to reach the moon, fly an airplane, control the power of electricity, understand the
mortality of terrestrial life and build the atomic bomb. Is there an equation What would you add
to this selection and why?

Perhaps you would consider including the equations for chaotic attractors, for example the Lorenz
attractor which has been known under the butterfly effect in chaos theory.

Where a (Prandtl number), b (Rayleigh number) and c exhibit a chaotic behavior that we currently
call strange attractor.

It is true that the equations mentioned by Master Guillen are relevant, but the one I mention
shows the stochastic nature of our phenomena. Trying to explain the chaotic should also be seen
as a circumstantial part of our development as human beings in our environment.

Is there any advice you would like to share with Ibero-American mathematics teachers about how
to make students fall in love with this science?

Yes, with a different teaching, not teaching the formulas as tools to use, but on the contrary
showing them the importance of their use, showing mathematics as the treasure it really contains,
teaching the effort and stories of the mathematicians who made it possible. which for us today is
so evident.

Importance of Mathematics

It is well known that mathematics is an extremely necessary skill for everyone, as it is the main
tool with which human beings have been able to understand the world around them. When we
are students it is common for us to ask ourselves: why should I study mathematics? We could
begin by saying that there are many activities of daily life that are related to this science, for
example, managing money, preparing a cooking recipe, calculating the distance we have to travel
to get somewhere, among other things, but answer goes further.
It is difficult to find a completely comprehensive definition of the concept of mathematics.
Currently, it is classified as one of the formal sciences (along with logic), since, using logical
reasoning as a tool, it focuses on the analysis of the relationships and properties between
numbers and geometric figures.

A basic life skill

Learning mathematics teaches us to think logically and develop problem-solving and decision-
making skills. Thanks to them we are also able to have greater clarity of ideas and the use of
language. With mathematics we acquire life skills and it is difficult to think of any area that does
not have to do with them. Everything around us has a bit of this science.

Numerical skills in general are valued in most sectors, with some in which they are considered
essential. The use of statistics and effective probability is essential for a wide variety of tasks such
as cost calculation, risk assessment and quality control, and modeling and problem solving. There
are those who propose that in the current changing world in which we live, particularly in terms of
technological advances, the demand for mathematical knowledge is increasing.

The key to problem solving

Mathematics is crucial to the economic development and technical progress of a country, allowing
it to remain competitive in the global economy. Innovation and growth are based on cutting-edge
research and investment. To meet the competitive ambitions of a knowledge-based economy,
conventional mathematics and science education are crucial.

A country requires professionals and scientists prepared to carry out the most demanding roles in
the areas that are basic for its economic prosperity.

Knowledge and mastery of mathematics are necessary for problem solving and decision making,
practically in any industry.

Therefore, the importance of mathematics lies in its irreplaceable usefulness for defining the
relationships that link objects of reason, such as numbers and points. However, modern
mathematics exceeds simple numerical analysis and has advanced on non-quantitative logical
parameters. In this context, its application to computing in current times is responsible for the
technical advances that dazzle the entire world.

The science that has to do with everything

Why is mathematics important? Probably because they are necessary in many other fields of
study. They are used, for example, in “hard” sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics; in the
“soft” sciences such as economics, psychology and sociology; in the field of engineering as in the
case of mechanics, civil or industrial; In the technology sector they are used when programming
mobile devices or computers, as well as for telecommunications; They even have applications in
the world of arts such as sculpture, music and painting.

All nature has a mathematical logic to a large extent. According to Pythagoras, everything is
governed by numbers and mathematical forms. This science, in addition to being logical and exact,
is also strongly related to beauty, through aesthetically pleasing proportions, as in the case of the
theory of the golden ratio, proposed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the Vitruvian Man, or the Fibonacci
sequence, which has applications in many aspects of nature.

Unlike what is observed in other sciences, cardinal knowledge in mathematics does not require
demonstration through scientific and reproducible experimentation, but rather through logical
demonstrations based on ideas that, in turn, do not need to be demonstrated (axioms). In any
case, many theorists conclude that experimentation is part of the formulation of certain
reasoning, which is why these processes cannot be excluded from conventional research in pure
mathematics.

The branches of mathematics include traditional arithmetic (dedicated to the study of numbers
and their properties), algebraic calculus, set theory (dynamically applied to computer science),
geometry, trigonometry, and mathematical analysis.

For many of us, mathematics can be difficult and demanding. The truth is that they are always
present in our lives and we depend on them to continue understanding the world and contribute
to improving it day by day. In this way, it reaches such levels that it is not possible to conceive
human civilization without considering this science in the everyday context. The application of
mathematics is perceived in all human acts, even from the first months of life. To a lesser or
greater degree, many experts argue that ignorance of the fundamental elements of mathematics
is defined as another form of illiteracy, while emphasizing the importance of its simplified teaching
at all educational levels.

...of Importance: http://www.importancia.org/matematica.php

Why is mathematics so important in education?

June 1, 2015

It is often said that Mathematics is the queen of all sciences, but the truth is that it is also known
as a subject that complicates the lives of many students, as it is one of the most difficult for them
to learn. The passions that this science awakens are extreme: you either love it or you hate it. If
you are from the second group, you may want to read this note, where we will explain the
importance of studying mathematics and the benefits it brings to our brain.

Throughout history, Mathematics has occupied a predominant place in the teaching plans in
schools almost all over the world, driven by its ability to develop the ability to think and by its
usefulness both for daily life and for learning. from other disciplines, in addition to being a science
with a universal language. Know the importance of studying mathematics and get excited about
this challenge that will help you, among other things, to think better.

The importance of studying mathematics does not only lie in the fact that it is present in everyday
life, but it is also a science that has a series of benefits such as promoting the development of
reasoning and analytical thinking.

If you are one of those who say that you have more facility with letters than with numbers and
those who think that this subject lacks fun, you should know that this idea is not correct, since
mathematics can be a real challenging game. and when they are understood they are wonderful.
Or have you never felt the satisfaction of solving an algebra problem, as if it were a “passed test”,
and the need that it implies to then advance to the “next level”?

Do you want to know what the benefits of learning mathematics are? Check the following list:

1 – Promotes analytical thinking

Mathematics helps to break down arguments into premises, see the relationships that exist
between them and their conclusion, which in addition to judging their veracity or reliability,
benefits mental agility through the rational thinking that is developed when solving a problem.
This can then be translated into the ability to solve everyday life problems, relating the data we
have to reach more logical conclusions.

2 – Analytical thinking helps us understand the world around us

Through analytical thinking, the ability to investigate is developed, which allows us to better
understand the world around us, since the truth is sought based on evidence and not on emotions.
This occurs because mathematics allows us to reason using a logical formula taking real data that
can be verified.

3 – Develop thinking capacity

Finding the solution to a problem requires an entire coherent analysis process, which is why it
helps to organize ideas and express them correctly. Educating people in mathematics from
childhood teaches them to think.

4 – They promote wisdom

Being the mother of all sciences, it is related to other areas of knowledge such as technology, in
addition to promoting curiosity.
The Meaning of Teaching Mathematics

Debate Day in Mathematics Teachers - YEAR 2009

HIGHER TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTE N° 804

ESQUEL - PROVINCE OF CHUBUT

INTRODUCTION

This work intends to highlight the discussions that took place in a meeting and dialogue space
between student teachers, secondary level mathematics teachers and teacher training teachers.

The field of initial training in Professional Teaching Practice is the framework from which this
meeting was held. From this place, we take as a fundamental reference for the training work of
future teachers the contribution and exchange on pedagogical-didactic issues with teachers who
are currently working in schools. The consideration is born from the idea that enriching training
can arise from taking the knowledge of practice possessed by people who are working every day
with young people.

We think about meetings that allow us to debate what and how to teach mathematics at school.
This, then, is an invitation to sit down and discuss. Teachers and students. To do this, we start by
presenting some ideas about the various meanings that teaching mathematics in school can have.

These meanings are the product of certain visions about the discipline, and we take them with the
intention of problematizing and dialoguing about the topic.

We can group these visions under two headings: propaedeutic education, that is, mathematics
that in secondary school has the purpose of preparing students to later continue studying at
higher levels. And a teaching that considers mathematics as a cultural object, as something that is
part of the culture of a society and that deserves to be taught in secondary school, just as history,
language or music are taught.

1.- A propaedeutic or preparatory sense of the teaching of mathematics

From this perspective, mathematics in secondary school is concerned with preparing students for
higher education. For this reason, in the selection of contents, those that are necessary for the
University are privileged, even if they do not make much sense at the time in which they are
taught. Some classic examples of the contents that predominate in this vision can be: Polynomials,
Algebraic Expressions, Derivatives, or Combined Calculus.

These contents are also presented with a linear sequencing that corresponds to a certain temporal
location in the curriculum; for example, “the linear function is taught in 1st polymodal.” In this
way, the disappearance of branches or blocks of content from secondary level classrooms such as
Geometry or Probability usually occurs in school; in addition to the disregard of some cognitive
processes such as estimation or statistical inference that give rise to mathematics in which there
are always exact results, and there is no place for approximate results.

Since those contents prioritized by this perspective do not seem to make much sense at the time
they are taught, since “they are useful for later”; They are given a purely utilitarian or formal bias.
In the first case, the conceptual aspects are ignored and the procedures of arithmetic content are
privileged almost exclusively. Like when mathematics class is monopolized by combined
calculations, calculations of perimeters and surfaces, calculation of roots of functions and
polynomials, etc. In the second case, on the other hand, the contextual aspect of the contents
seems to be ignored, since the concepts are mainly associated with symbols and presented in an
axiomatic way.

Why learn mathematics? The answer is simple; because it is necessary to continue studying,
because the study plans indicate so, because it helps or teaches to think.

Some of the problems that seem to be a consequence of this perspective are the origin of
transmissive teaching and reproductive learning; the isolation of the discipline from the social and
cultural context; curricular rigidity; and the disregard of electronic calculation tools with the
argument that they undermine learning.

2.- Find the meaning of teaching mathematics in its cultural relevance

In contrast to the previous perspective, we find an idea about mathematics teaching that focuses
its concern on presenting students with knowledge that makes sense because it is part of the
culture of society. This turns things around with respect to decisions about content, since they are
selected based on the context of the recipients and for supposedly having a meaning in
themselves at the time of being presented. The challenge for teaching is to ensure that students
can participate in that part of culture that is mathematical knowledge.

On the other hand, these contents are not necessarily organized in a linear sequence, so they do
not have a static location in the curriculum. The teacher could teach Probability in the fifth grade
of primary school or in the third year of polymodal, logically taking into account what cognitive
processes are going to be put into play in one case or another.

Therefore, the development of activities that bring into play a variety of cognitive processes such
as estimation, deduction, induction, or intuition is privileged; and at the same time it allows the
approach to many more branches of mathematics.

Undoubtedly, this is a decision that the teacher must make. To dedicate more time to conceptual
or problematic issues, choose to subtract time from algorithmic or technical mathematical issues
that can be done by machines.
Since the contents are intended to have a recognizable meaning, time and importance are
subtracted from technical or formal issues, and experimentation, creativity, theoretical reflection,
and even play are privileged.

Why learn mathematics? The foundation would be that it is important to think mathematically and
know mathematics, just as it is important for students to know Argentine literature or music since
they are part of the culture of society, and have to do with development in life.

Of course, there are also problems when considering this approach to teaching. These involve a
certain discredit of technique and routine; the lack of curricular and inter-level articulation; or the
scarcity of material resources since we cannot leave aside the use of computer equipment and
knowledge, something that is impossible to do in several places.

Discussion: How do we think about teaching mathematics?

After presenting some possible meanings attributed to the teaching of mathematics, we hope that
in this space for exchange between teachers and students, contributions will be made that help
the discussion and reflection of this topic.

Thus, several protagonists of teaching in the secondary schools of Esquel take the floor to
contribute to the debate. Below we take fragments of these contributions, trying to reconstruct a
synthesis of what was discussed.

What do we do with mathematics?

In our school experience we noticed an incessant movement of students between the institutions
in the area. We receive kids who come from different schools and with different levels of
knowledge; and we observe, in many cases, the absence of good articulation about what is taught
in the different schools. And this first concern brings us to talk and discuss: what do we do with
mathematics?

A problem related to this is the little interest that we manage to awaken in children towards
mathematics at school. It is observed that it is one of the subjects where there is the highest
percentage of students with difficulty, very markedly from the first year of the Polymodal Level.
And this is where the school begins to settle in and produce a certain purification. It is worth
thinking about mathematics in secondary school.

“I work with sixty students in the first year, and of those sixty students, two years later ten arrive;
That is to say, something is evidently produced, and mathematics seems to be one of the stones in
the way for children. “In many of them, the nightmare that is mathematics in secondary school is
installed.” (Luis)

Why do we teach mathematics?

“If we think that mathematics has to be for everyone, and we are convinced of that, then we as
teachers have to find a way around it. Of the sixty kids who may be in the first year, it should be
taken into account that many are not going to pursue higher education related to mathematics. So
this can lead me to think about the selection of content. Maybe I don't teach Polynomials, or
Algebraic Expressions, or Combined Calculus; and if I start teaching Geometry, Probability,
Statistics; thinking that students have the possibility of finding more “flavor” in what they are
doing so as not to be left out of secondary school because of not knowing how to calculate roots
of polynomials” (Andrés)

As we saw, there may be different options in relation to the meaning given to teaching.
Mathematics can be taken as an important cultural element for the development and
comprehensive training of young people, or taught with a view to higher or university studies. But
mathematics can also be taught for the world of work, without implying any other technical level,
and so that the young person can function in daily life, in a business or in a job.

And then?

“The problem that arises is the diversity that occurs within the groups; a diversity that is not easy
for us to handle, and that poses a great dilemma for us. Teaching polynomials to everyone is
useless, because of 100% of a course, surely 10% will continue higher education. But you are
forcing the remaining 90% to incorporate knowledge that makes no sense if there is no continuity
in their studies. In short, secondary school, the only thing it is serving for is as a preparatory for
higher education” (Luis)

Some students know that their destiny is to be a university student, because their parents are
professionals, but on the other hand, there are aspects of learning that have to do with thought
processes. It seems necessary that all people today have to know how to estimate, infer, and
calculate probabilities; regardless of the professional or academic training they may have in the
future. Man also knows himself through mathematics, and the political responsibility of the
teacher is to transmit this cultural object to future generations.

“Thinking about this, if mathematics is for work, what is taught up to sixth grade is enough; If it is
for the university, what is taught in the third year of Polimodal is not enough; So, if we think about
it like that we will always be in a dilemma” (Germán)

But…

“Is it really Mathematics that helps me think or can I learn to think from other fields? I have my
doubts, and I think that Mathematics should be taken down a little from the pedestal. If you don't
study Mathematics you don't know how to think. Be careful! I think we continue with this question
that Mathematics is the science that helps you think, and I have my doubts” (Luis)

"What we were saying is that mathematics can teach you to think mathematically, it teaches you
to think in a certain way, and obviously there are other forms of thinking, that is why we consider
it as an element of culture, one among others." (Andrew)

“Profe”, “and what is this for?”

“A few days ago I was in a first year of high school, teaching basic notions of Trigonometry. At first,
the boys found it difficult to interpret and things were not working. At some point a boy cheers up
and says to me, “Professor,” “and what is this for?” Then I told him; I'm going to explain to you
what trigonometry was used for me. I told him that I am currently building a house and I am not a
bricklayer, nor a builder, nor a master builder; But knowing some concepts of trigonometry
allowed me to calculate the length of a brace that I need for the roof. Then I told them, a
bricklayer who perhaps didn't go to school can do it in a practical way; But since I'm not, I can do it
with the tools I learned at school. This was significant for me, and since those days the kids are
working very well with trigonometry” (Luis)

“Sometimes, mathematics becomes boring because at school it is taught mechanically, that is,
there is a teacher in front who says, this is how it is done, and does not say why it is done that
way. I knew that if there is a negative number, when I pass it it has to add up; but I didn't know
why I did it; You make a mechanism but you don't know why you're doing it, you just know that it's
going to pass.” (Cristian)

“I am in that dilemma, I refuse to teach combined calculations, but I do it because I think it is

important in a propaedeutic sense. But it has also happened to me that kids tell me, What are
combined calculations for?, and I don't know, I tell them that it helps them organize and prioritize
their thinking” (Belén)

There seems to be a problem related to the prescription that the curricular design establishes in
reference to what should be taught about mathematics in secondary school. Under these
conditions, what each teacher seems to be able to do is just innovate a little about these
programs, but ultimately, the situation seems boxed in.

“You show up to cover a few hours of mathematics, and the director tells you: what you have to
teach is this, period. It is established like this. Many times one does not see the sense in studying
Second Degree Functions after studying Polynomials, for example. I think we have to encourage
ourselves to innovate on those programs that have been developed for a hundred years. Because
if we do a review we will see that the same things continue to be taught” (Luis)

The diversity of the classrooms…

It seems important to take into account the heterogeneity in classrooms. This heterogeneity is not
only seen in the “possible” futures of the children, but also in their aptitudes, and in the facilities
or difficulties they have in working with mathematical knowledge.

To find meaning in the teaching of mathematics, it seems important to take this heterogeneity
into account and be able to construct meanings in the classes, not only for the children who have
it easily but also for those who find it very difficult.

“I wanted to talk about “good” and “bad” students. Many of us are bad, I don't know, at a sport,
and yet we do it, or we are bad at playing an instrument and yet we play it, and no one deprives us
of that, because otherwise only good guitarists would play the guitar and I wouldn't. could touch.
So, why does a kid who is not very good at studying mathematics have to stop studying
mathematics? It's much more difficult for that boy, but we have to give him a little place doing
something. As if we were going to play ball with those who don't know how to play” (Andrés)

“It seems to me that the biggest difficulty we have today as a society is no longer a question of
those of us who teach mathematics, those who teach biology or those who teach natural sciences.
We went from a time in which no type of decision was made and what was prescribed was done;
to a time when above all, we have to be making decisions. And it seems to me that what we are
finding most difficult is dealing with diversity. More than a mathematical problem, the problem we
have is diversity. The diversity of kids, the diversity of topics. To what extent do I have the
authority to decide that such a mathematical question will be useful to that kid, or not? But at
some point I have to make that decision, and at that moment I am going to do my best to fulfill
that responsibility from which we cannot ignore” (Hugo)

What do I do with teaching mathematics?

“It seems to me that there are some things that we should not stop doing. First of all, we would
have to have something to do, that is, I think it is important to say that we have to get to work on
something, those who like Geometry should work with Geometry, those who like the dismissed
Polynomials should work with Polynomials, whoever likes Statistics with Statistics, whoever wants
to think about mixing mathematics with construction, let him think about it. But it seems to me
that we should all somehow agree to work. Secondly, I think it is important to consider that we
need to work with others; If we do not have the conviction that with others we can do things
much better than what we are going to do alone, it is very difficult for us to reach an agreement.
Finally, I think it is very important to know what others did when they had these same problems;
and they asked themselves why kids are not interested in mathematics. What solutions did they
find and what did they do with dropouts, with learning problems, with repetition? The problem
that we are having is one that everyone has, including the guys who are dedicated to teaching
mathematics and who invented alternative methodologies and work models. When they did it
they had the same problems that we have” (Jorge)

To leave thinking…

1.- It seems necessary to reach agreements on what content to teach in secondary school,
however, it is clear that this has a close relationship with the meaning given to the discipline. The
specific difficulty is very present that young people go through several schools in the area, they
have diverse experiences and differentiated knowledge, which seems to make work difficult when
there are no agreements between teachers. But the discussion focuses on the foundations and the
why of mathematics in school; more than a categorization and sequencing of content. Perhaps the
next debates should focus on analyzing approaches and strategies for addressing each of the
teaching topics.

2.- The diversity of classrooms manifests itself as a knot that requires us to rethink teaching if we
intend to find meaning in it. In any case, it is conflictive to establish definitions about the purposes
of teaching mathematics, since as we saw, these can be oriented towards preparation for
university, with the consequent exclusion of some students; or towards the construction of
mathematical thought processes regardless of continuity in the system, but with the risk of not
adequately preparing for higher studies. So it is difficult in today's school to find the answers to
the questions: What do we teach? and why do we teach it?

3.- Finding the possibility that each of the students can construct meanings about the discipline
could at some point overcome the antinomy of one sense or another. But again the diversity of
abilities, experiences and interests forces us to confront our own ways of thinking about teaching.
It seems important to give room to our decision-making power. Deciding what goes in and what
doesn't in teaching has to do with our commitment to the training of young people, and with the
passion towards the task and towards the responsibility from which we cannot abstract ourselves
in the transmission of culture to future generations