And it’s a story that is best understood from a Christian foundation. But there are more things, deeper things, that Shormann Math emphasizes that others, like Khan or Reich or the National Council of Mathematics Teachers either don’t, or won’t.Īt the heart of mathematics is a story, an amazing story of the history of humans seeking to discover more about the world around them. Certainly, there are times when procedure is emphasized, like our step-by-step video solutions for every homework problem, for example. This would be a time when Khan Academy might be helpful to you.īut, a good education isn’t really about pragmatism, about skimming through a subject, learning the bare minimum, so you can check it off your transcript or pass a standardized test. So, maybe you are studying for a big test like the SAT, and it’s in 2 weeks, and suddenly you realize there’s a concept you need to practice some more. You have a crisis, and it requires a pragmatic solution. You are not interested in the physics behind hydraulic jacks or who invented vulcanized rubber (Charles Goodyear). For example, if you are stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, someone needs to know the steps required to fix the problem in as few steps as possible. In the words of the author, “writing about mathematics, developing a disposition for mathematical thinking, demonstrating a conceptual understanding of mathematical topics are all more important than procedures.”īut, procedures ARE important, and sometimes, that is what you need. In other words, Khan’s math video lectures explain the steps to solve a problem, but they don’t take time to explain the concept behind the steps. In a 2012 Education Week article, Justin Reich, an internet education specialist, wrote that Khan Academy’s math courses overemphasize procedure.
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