Mathematics is an enabler to develop an inquiring and limber mind.
Mathematics is not just about numbers and computation.
Mathematics is a brain development tool.
Mathematics is about all about enriching your life.
What I have always found fascinating about Math is that you can solve a problem using any method you choose and arrive at the same correct answer, provided the method adopted is based on logic and is mathematically sound.
This level of objectivity is very reassuring.
The 'zeal theory of excellence' satisfies the hunger for fairness and due place for hard work in an unjust world. Brian Butterworth, author of The Mathematical Brain, suggests that we are natural born mathematicians.
In Western culture, the most prevalent theory about talent is that it is innate. When someone is outstandingly good at something, we describe them as "gifted", and say they are "naturals". This idea is not so common in other societies, where hard work is seen as the primary reason why some people excel.
According to Butterworth, all the evidence supports the hard work theory. He goes so far as to say that the only "statistically significant" indicator of mathematical excellence is the number of hours put in. This seems to suggest that anyone could be a superb mathematician if they are willing to put in the hours - but the truth is slightly more nuanced. The crucial word here is "willing". Butterworth says that "anybody who is a good mathematician is slightly obsessed with maths - or more slightly obsessed - and they put a lot of hours into thinking about it. So they are unusual in that respect. But they may be no more unusual than anybody who is very good at what they do, because they have to have a certain obsessiveness or otherwise they're not going to be able to put in the hours to get to this level of expertise. This is true of musicians, it's probably true of waiters."
In my mind, there is no better reward than the one you get after hard work. If you have the zeal to work hard, you will excel.
He says that "if, for whatever reason, you start working hard at mathematics when all your classmates don't, then the teacher is going to favour you, so you're going to get external rewards, and you're going to get the internal rewards of being able to do something rather well that your mates aren't so good at, and so you'll start off a virtuous circle of external rewards, internal rewards, you work a bit harder, you get even farther ahead of your classmates, who aren't actually putting in the time. So it wouldn't be surprising that if random people who for some reason select to pursue maths on the whole get rewarded because they are going to be better than their peers.
The concept of external rewards powering internal rewards is not a new concept by any means. New for me is to see it applied to explain the benefits of engaging one's mind in mathematics. Does one need a more compelling argument to trigger the pulses in our brains if the promised land guarantees confidence, superior problem solving, logical reasoning and critical thinking skills?
Math is just the beginning. It's the Aftermath that we, as educators, should be interested in.
With confidence, you have won before you have started. - Marcus Garvey
(courtesy 'Quote of the Day' - a balm for the roving mind)
