At least once a day, someone in my class, even me at times, would ask our instructor where we would use what we were learning in real life. Sometimes, he would be able to draw on examples in the book and formulate a reason that was sufficient. However, at other times, he was unable to relate the information we were learning to an aspect of the ‘real-world’ and would simply address the question by telling the class we were learning the topic because it was covered in the textbook and we would need to know how to accurately complete the exercises to pass the cumulative exam. The latter of the two answers my instructor gave our class is insufficient and should not have to be the answer any student hears when inquiring on the why they are learning a given topic. This being said, in order for mathematics education to be effective, the instructors need to address information that has a direct impact on students’ lives and have solid information to back up reasoning for addressing any given topic. By following this general rule of thumb, students, in turn, will be more willing to learn the new information being presented to them and be motivated to master the
At least once a day, someone in my class, even me at times, would ask our instructor where we would use what we were learning in real life. Sometimes, he would be able to draw on examples in the book and formulate a reason that was sufficient. However, at other times, he was unable to relate the information we were learning to an aspect of the ‘real-world’ and would simply address the question by telling the class we were learning the topic because it was covered in the textbook and we would need to know how to accurately complete the exercises to pass the cumulative exam. The latter of the two answers my instructor gave our class is insufficient and should not have to be the answer any student hears when inquiring on the why they are learning a given topic. This being said, in order for mathematics education to be effective, the instructors need to address information that has a direct impact on students’ lives and have solid information to back up reasoning for addressing any given topic. By following this general rule of thumb, students, in turn, will be more willing to learn the new information being presented to them and be motivated to master the