Comments on: Mathematics and programming: exploring the links

By: Bruce Mardle

Bruce Mardle — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 16:11:56 +0000

2 quotations from the article: “In England… we have… an educational system that separates subjects out so that it is often difficult for children to see overlap and contiguity. ”
“Covering two subjects and drawing the links between them without detriment to the core learning is potentially a benefit to schools who need to fit many subjects into their teaching day.”
I worked in a school in 2003 (as a dogsbody), 21 years after I’d been there as a student. I got the impression that in that time they’d moved a long way from that 1st quotation towards the 2nd, possibly squidging >2 subjects together in classes.
In teaching ‘computer’, I’d hope schools do more than teach how to use Microsoft Office!
In teaching maths, I sometimes wonder if it’s worth learning, say, calculus. Mathematica can do it a lot better than I ever will!

By: Anne Carlill

Anne Carlill — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 11:32:12 +0000

I’m so pleased to see Dame Celia Hoyles involved. When I tutored students of mathematics she was a great inspiration to me. Just want to say, I’ve met plenty of adults/children who love, and are able at, coding in Scratch but are not confident mathematicians. Let’s not confine coding to mathsy people. It’s too important a skill to leave out those who don’t find maths easy. Many of them enjoy varied aspects of coding and they have a lot to contribute (Well, I’ve learnt a lot from them).

By: steve

steve — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 02:56:38 +0000

Can’t believe you guys used the word “educationalist”.

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:39:29 +0000

To quote Seymour Papert “acquires a sense of mastery over a piece of the most modern and powerful technology and establishes an intimate contact with some of the deepest ideas from science, from mathematics, and from the art of intellectual model building.” This is of course a piece of sentimental hogwash. A child is (hopefully) taught maths AND computing to assist them get a decent job in adult life so that they can live comfortably in this dog eat dog, capitalist orientated world.
If we’re lucky, some of these children will go on to develop “systems” which are beneficial to the human race as a whole.
Either way, maths and computing should be mandatory, and taught in conjunction with other subjects such as history, art, geography etc., and possibly a second language, so that the child becomes a “rounded” human being.

By: Ross

Ross — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:44:10 +0000

“but no difference between an intervention group and a control group in the mathematical thinking outcomes in the second year (as measured by the national mathematics tests at that age).”

Reading the above section, I dont believe this is a fault of the Scratch Maths program. From my experience, the standardised exams etc do not generally test depth of understanding. It was only when I got to university that I fully grasped the fundamental concepts of things like calculus. Up until then, I was able to just implement the general rules I. E. “multiply by the exponent, and minus one from the exponent”. It was much later that I was shown the proof of the derivative of x^2, which was hugely beneficial in understanding, but wouldn’t have given a massive improvement in say A-level exams.

I think developing the understanding and “feel” for a subject and how it can be used in other areas is very important, but difficult to test in an exam situation

By: Roger Whiteley

Roger Whiteley — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 19:16:39 +0000

Starting with Mathematics is probably the best place to start, having learned through a 40 year career just where a passion and interest can take you with computing – start early, IMHO and in secondary, make some element of computing part of as many classes as possible, from Design and Tech through to Geography and Art. I’m a STEM Ambassador and we need to show students that technology can be part of a great career in whatever field you choose.

By: Jack Chaney

Jack Chaney — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 13:19:07 +0000

Excellent! Getting back to the roots. Computer programming as a discipline, started in mathmatics. Sort of lends itself to being used to teach math principles. Especially in the areas of procedural concepts and sequencing.