(The original post can be found here!)
The books that stay with you are the ones that you read out of a real-life compulsion. This was the case when I attended a math education seminar by the world-renowned professor, Dr. Po-Shen Loh, and this book was discussed in the Q&A portion.
I shall reserve my paroxysms of anguish mixed with delight, and detailed descriptions of what will remain as one of the most life-changing, impactful talks I've attended (and this veteran teachers has been to her fair share!) for when I echo what I've learned to my fellow teachers, LOL.
But even if you aren't a Math teacher, you'd find this short book an amazing read. It was fitting that I read this on the commute back home (one good thing that comes from long trips is that you have time to consume long essays like this one, conveniently packaged in e-book form!). I felt that Lockhart's Lament (published in 2009) captured the essence of the education problem, not just for Math, but across the board for all subjects! And there are several key ideas that Lockhart and Dr. Po-Shen Loh share, which I hope to incorporate in my own teaching in the future!
To put it simply... most of us have been taught Math the wrong way OUR ENTIRE LIVES.
Part I is "Lamentations", while Part II is "Exultations." Parts of it are in philosophical dialogue form, with Simplicio defending the status quo and Salviati attacking it most passionately. I found myself agreeing with most of the things mentioned in this highly controversial book! It is revolutionary!
Lockhart contends that math is closer to music and the arts, that math education today has taken the wonder out of the joy of problem-solving and discovery, replacing curious exploration with blind, mindless obedience to tables and theorems.
Don't be put off by the math and geometry problems within, they are very basic! Lockhart uses a couple of examples to illustrate two very different styles of teaching: the "memorize this formula and don't ask questions why" method (*sobs from past trauma*) versus the "starting with a fascinating question and asking students for ideas on how to solve it" method.
I believe this is a book for all teachers, and all parents!
"If teaching is reduced to mere data transmissions, if there is no sharing of excitement and wonder, if teachers themselves are passive recipients of information and not creators of new ideas, what hope is there for their students?"
(Forgive the reader for low-key flexing her brand new Kindle Paperwhite 5, tee hee! Brace yourselves, Kindle Paperwhite posts are incoming!)
To what extent do your formative educational experiences with Math affect your attitude to numbers today? Do you think that an education revolution of this magnitude, involving a complete 180 degree paradigm shift, is possible?
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