This article surprised me as I have never correlated mathematics
with topics of being sustainable. This connects with the quote: “Mathematics is
popularly conceived of as a pure body of knowledge, independent of its
environment”. I definitely agree with the sentiment that math has largely existed
as an academic subject that is separate from our environment. It is not
completely apparent to teachers as to how to connect the two topics together in
a way that will significantly impact the students. Therefore, it is not an easy
task to connect sustainability with mathematics. In order to do this, it
requires a lot of creativity and preparation to execute the connection
adequately. This means that teachers would have to put more effort into their
job than they would like to, which often is perceived as a negative thing. This
shows me that in order to make any significant change in perception or
perspectives, one must put in real effort to have the slightest of an impact.
A concept that was very thought-provoking in the article involved
the contrast between number sense and quantity sense. The author brings up the
fact about order of magnitude and the feeling of large numbers. The emotional
aspect of numbers has not really been a significant factor in my educational thinking
in regards to math. The example of throwing the trash onto the freeway while
driving is a very eye-opening case of carbon pollution, which I will implement
in my classroom to show students. The question of “How would you feel?” is a
great inquiry into the feelings and emotions behind the pollution that our
population contributes to. This has definitely made me think about how I am
going to implement sustainability in my future math classes! Another
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