Comments on: Poking Holes In The Real World

By: Eureka! » Blog Archive » Designing video games, but integration isn’t everything

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 12:42:47 +0000

[…] reminds me of these great words by Jimmy Pai (via Dy/Dan) when he was describing the use of ‘real world problems’ in […]

By: Michael Serra

Michael Serra — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:52:02 +0000

Love to see the exchange of ideas about “real applications” versus “fantasy” or “abstract.” One of my favorite quotes on this issue is by British mathematician and puzzle creator A. Gardiner.

Good mathematical problems are necessarily artificial. In contrast, “realistic” problems tend to elicit “realistic” responses involving little or no mathematics. In mathematics teaching, what matters is not whether a problem is plausibly real or artificial, but whether it is such that pupils are prepared to enter into the spirit of the mental world it conjures up.

By: Gretel

Gretel — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:03:08 +0000

I think about this and have this argument with myself all the time. And long ago, I decided that I was just weird because I seemed to be the only student in my math classes, the only math teacher, the only teacher of math teachers that HATED real world applications. I recognize that some people really really want to apply math to “the real world” (because somehow math class exists in some parallel “unreal” dimension). But, for me personally, applying mathematics to the real world kills at least half of what I love about it.

For me, the real world is a stressful place and always has been. There’s error to account for. If you’re predicting when a tank will be filled with water, you have to consider who’s going to put the hose away when you’re done. You also have to think about all those people who don’t have clean water, how much water you’re wasting, and all those other thoughts about all those other things that are now connected to that context.

The line of elephants, on the other hand, is just fun. Something about including questions like that in math classes allows math class to be a place where kids are free from the cares of the “real world”. High school kids are under a lot of stress, and wouldn’t it be great if math could sometimes be an escapist activity, like reading a really great novel or painting or playing a game?

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:16:06 +0000

I enjoyed the article and the conversation. Engaging students in any format is what is relevant. Using either real or imaginative examples for the applications of math is insignificant if neither engages the student. What was nice about the article was that it reminds us that we are not confined to using “real world” examples and that imaginative examples can provide a host of potential benefits, must importantly student engagement.

By: Starting at the End (Linear Inequalities) | I Speak Math

Starting at the End (Linear Inequalities) | I Speak Math — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:54:17 +0000

[…] this is still not how I always teach. Â But, it is how I want and NEED to teach, every time. Â I’ve been reading much about “real” and “application” problems in math…. Â The value of these problems is that it can make a lesson engaging. Â Making a lesson engaging is […]

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:03:57 +0000

I enjoy treating math with irreverence from time to time. Some of these topics should get over themselves. Thus, you get calculating the total load on a hook being held by Optimus Prime. Or modeling the swing of Batman.

http://imgur.com/2ARNA

http://infinitesums.com/180photos/single-gallery/17365333

By: S

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:07:36 +0000

Did the world arround suddently stopped providing us with wonders?

By: Matt E

Matt E — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:22:07 +0000

See also the linked PDF at Dan’s post from 2011: “Cornered By The Real World,” by Samuel Otten. Relevant here, and a great read.

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By: Ben Graber

Ben Graber — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:48:33 +0000

I can relate to Jimmy Pai’s comments. I feel like in the past I have tried too hard to find “real life” uses for math. Those types of “real life” problems that feel very forced can make the math seem less real rather than more real. I would rather invite students to explore the beauty of math rather than forcing a “real world” feel.

By: Robert Kaplinsky

Robert Kaplinsky — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 05:34:47 +0000

I really like what Jimmy Pai is asking. Is it more important to explore a real world context or something interesting with no direct real world application? I have recently been siding with real world contexts (much like Geoff describes), but I was concerned that I had lost perspective. I actually recently asked Dan for his thoughts on this balance and his reply resonated with me. He stated: “All I need, really, is a student with a question in her head that math can help answer.” To me this sums it up so succinctly and helps bring it back to what matters.

I think what Bill McCallum said reinforces this idea in that any interesting context is worth exploring; but that forcing a context onto a problem in an effort to validate it is not ideal. To me I see these beliefs showing through in the CCSS’ Standards for Mathematical Practice. Math Practice 4 clearly explains that students need to be able to “apply the mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace.” However several other standards such as 2, 7, and 8 would be addressed nicely by the elephant parade. Both types of problems seem to have a place.

I also agree with Dan and Chris Robinson’s point in that “context is so regional/cultural/SES”. We try to make the context something that is relevant to students, but that can be challenging depending on the experiences they come in with. If you can create an interesting context regardless of whether it is real world, then it will be something worth exploring.

Great discussion here. Thanks for sharing.