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Stella Baruk
Si 7 = 0. Quelles mathématiques pour l'école ?
Stella Baruk is known for her uncompromising criticism of the way mathematics is taught at school. She sees children's frequent aversion to the subject as a clear demonstration of the failure of current methods. Following her earlier book, L'Age du Capitaine, in which she denounced the meaningless mathematical problems that children were burdened with and enjoined to solve, she now addresses the difficulties encountered by the new generation of the captain's children. She has reproduced pages from the exercise books of primary school pupils, with a commentary underlining the confusion created by modern maths in the minds of children who are not yet familiar with mathematics. Her message is clear: the fault lies not in modern maths, but in the fact that the cart has been put before the horse. Modern maths was created to generalise operations and structures that recur in every aspect of mathematics, and modern maths cannot be correctly understood without the full mastery of those operations and structures. Yet, the teaching of mathematics has been turned on its head, with the abstract being taught before the concrete and the general before the specific - with the result that empty formalism is all that is being passed on. Baruk's very precise analyses, illustrated with specific examples, will help parents understand their children's mistakes and difficulties, so that they can help them overcome them. Stella Baruk is a mathematics teacher and pedagogical researcher.
Gilles Godefroy
Mathematics: A How-to Guide
“Most of us first discovered mathematics at primary school. But instead of those intimidating syllables...
Dennis Shasha
Mathematical Mind Games and Enigmas I The Amazing Aventures of Dr. Ecco
Under the supervision of Dr Ecco, a modern Sherlock Homes who solves the most difficult, mystifying problems, its your turn to play! No prior knowledge is necessary-- a paper and pencil will suffice. And, of course, some common sense! A researcher in computer science and artificial intelligence, professor Dennis Shasha teaches at the Mathematics Institute at the University of New York.
