Abstract
Evidence supports the notion that mathematics education in the United States is inadequate. There is also evidence that mathematics education deficiencies extend internationally. The worldwide mathematics education deficit appears large enough that improving student performance in this educational problem area could yield great economic benefit. To improve the efficacy of mathematics education, education’s root problems must first be understood. Often supposed educational root problems are considered and contrasted against potential deficiencies of mathematics methodologies and curricula that are based on mainstream educational philosophies. The educational philosophies utilized to form early-grade mathematics methodologies and related curricula are judged to be the main reasons for low levels of interest in the subject of mathematics by student populations. An exploration of available literature in regard to how the human brain learns is provided. Two unifications are resultantly hypothesized: interest and learning appear to be mentally intertwined, this unification may serve as the basis for a more effective educational methodology; children are nearly universally interested in the visual arts, arithmetic and geometric mathematical principles are intertwined with the visual arts principles of linear perspective and proportion. An early grade curriculum that relates those mathematical principles via artistic methods (similar to those developed and utilized by master artists and engineers of the Renaissance era) may prove broadly effective at equitably increasing students’ mathematical achievement. Future research in such a direction is highly recommended.
DOI
10.5642/steam.20140102.14
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Geimer, Eric
(2014)
"The Efficacy of Mathematics Education,"
The STEAM Journal:
Vol. 1:
Iss.
2, Article 14.
DOI: 10.5642/steam.20140102.14
Available at:
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/steam/vol1/iss2/14
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Art Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, European History Commons, Geometry and Topology Commons, Growth and Development Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons
Author/Artist Bio
Eric Geimer is graduated with a Interdisciplinary Social Science major at USFSM. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Florida State University, completed in 2010. Now Eric has completed his second degree, Eric is planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree in History, focusing on the history and sociology of science and technology.