On Valentine's Day, I attended the conference on the option methods to instruct mathematics. I was honored to stand upwards on the same side as some top regime of the Czech mathematics "establishment" who gradually realized what's going on.
Mr Milan Hejný's method is arguably the key "brand" inwards Czech Republic that is worshiped past times those who wish to reform the pedagogy of mathematics along the SJW lines, as inwards this 9-minute-long satirical video where a proficient old-fashioned instructor existentially suffers afterwards she dares to tell her educatee that 2+2 isn't equal to 22. (The video ludicrously paints the old-fashioned instructor as a liberal in addition to her critics as conservatives but I remember that everyone who knows something nearly the existent globe knows that the reality is basically upside down.)
Advocates of Hejný's method appear to hold upwards universally brain-dead, they contributed nada interesting to the conference, in addition to in that location couldn't direct maintain been whatever meaningful conversation betwixt the "two camps" over there. However, the conference exceeded my (and other people's) expectations, anyway. The issue of ideas in addition to observations from "our camp" was rich in addition to diverse, I learned a lot, in addition to I also promise that the people on our side direct maintain understood some things, too.
That was really what I direct maintain been secretly hoping for – non some unrealistic enlightenment of the SJWs – in addition to I remember that nosotros came closer to that destination than expected.
So it was totally reasonable to assume that the conference would hold upwards precisely a one-day lawsuit that is forgotten instantly as it ends. But I remember that the folks including the organizers themselves (and myself) direct maintain understood what is really at stake improve than they (or we) did before. Sometimes, nosotros learned from people on our side. Sometimes, nosotros learned something shocking from some answers that various people on our side "encouraged" the Hejný side to furnish us with.
When nosotros asked them various questions, Mr Hejný in addition to his apologists explicitly repeated that it was non really necessary for mathematics teachers to know mathematics – amid other incredible statements.
There are various recreational games involved inwards the method. They're random in addition to some of them could hold upwards used inwards a sensible teacher's classroom, too. They may hold upwards fun in addition to nosotros agreed nearly it. Some of them are misguided in addition to the missing accuracy of the problems in addition to subtle errors inwards them in addition to definitions is a problem, too. Also, all the textbooks are really "books of exercises" only. The kids don't really acquire whatever "theory". I remember it's some other fatal problem.
Among the most shocking exercises, nosotros may holler "the animals of granddaddy Mr Forestguy" (for Czech readers: "zvířátka dědy Lesoně"). In those exercises, the kids are forced to memorize a ludicrously arbitrary listing of numbers associated amongst animals such as a mouse, cat, goose, goat, in addition to and therefore solve exercises such as "are 3 mice plus a goose stronger than a goat?" They demand to memorize some Chinese-style logos symbolizing the animals, too. Needless to say, the numbers direct maintain virtually nada to do amongst whatever actual characteristics of the animals. It's precisely a business office of the pedagogy that is meant to aid the kids who honey to memorize nonsense in addition to to totally screw the mathematically talented kids who know real good that this whole category of "insights" in addition to exercises is totally dumb, has nada to do amongst mathematics, in addition to who direct maintain literally "moral hurdles" that forestall them from memorizing this nonsense.
But the granddaddy's animals aren't the genuinely most threatening affair nearly the method. I remember that the ideological underpinnings are the truthful key problem. The method wants to spread the persuasion that the truth is ever relative; errors should never hold upwards corrected past times the teacher; it's ever to a greater extent than of import to whine that someone has insulted y'all than to aid nearly the truth; mathematics isn't really needed in addition to may hold upwards replaced past times visual arts or civic education; in addition to a dozen of similar things.
The primary gap betwixt the 2 camps is a deeply ideological, political, if non moral one.
Now, I am pretty sure that every unmarried active defender of Hejný's method may hold upwards described as an SJW. The primary philosophy is nearly the removal of whatever authorization – such as the teacher's authorization – in addition to whatever attending paid to the objective truth. Also, there's a deeply rooted egalitarianism underneath this method. When kids sucked inwards mathematics (and others were better), it couldn't direct maintain been the weak kids' fault because all kids are every bit good. It must direct maintain been due to the system, they claim, in addition to the organization must hold upwards reformed therefore that the weak kids are at the top instead – or at to the lowest degree everyone is equal.
With these radical views (well, deep misconceptions) in addition to agendas, how could they non hold upwards SJWs? And this persuasion of mine is supported past times quite some real-world experience that I direct maintain accumulated. I believe that non a unmarried mortal actively supporting Hejný's method has voted for Miloš Zeman, for example, who was reelected. And ex-president's son, Václav Klaus Jr, a chairman of the pedagogy commission inwards the Parliament, is sure enough considered a devil past times everybody who supports Hejný's method – although Klaus' mostly negative mental attitude towards the method has been a flake murky upwards to of late (at to the lowest degree to me).
The other side, our side, isn't therefore well-defined politically. There are soundless lots of people who count themselves as members of the Prague Café, who also detect it crazy that Zeman was re-elected, in addition to who portion lots of the political attitudes of the "intellectual Prague café-based" political groups – defined past times their globalist, pro-EU, anti-Russian, in addition to related traits. It's unavoidable that these political views are widespread on our side because most of the scholarly environment displays similar (basically "progressive") political attitudes. I remember that it's precisely truthful that this side of ours is vastly less "radical" inwards spreading the SJW memes to every corner of the human activity. In particular, our side evidently doesn't wish to concur that the Pythagorean theorem should hold upwards banned as a beacon of racism or materials similar that. It soundless respects some meritocracy.
The of import inquiry of the pedagogy reforms – in addition to the fact that the pedagogy has been increasingly nearly indoctrination in addition to less nearly difficult pedagogy – has never move a defining inquiry of whatever elections. If the topic were promoted to a key i inwards some elections, in addition to I tin remotely imagine that it could tumble out (because I know lots of people who are angry nearly the bogus humanities degrees in addition to the NGOs that collect such people etc.), I am honestly uncertain which side would direct maintain a greater support.
On i hand, Hejný's method is a flagship of the SJWs in addition to the SJWs are alone supported past times some 5-10 percent of the Czech voters. On the other hand, the correlation isn't perfect. I tend to remember that it should hateful that the back upwards for Hejný's method amid the voters is fifty-fifty lower than 5-10 percent. But it could hateful the contrary thing, too. I really don't know. Most kids are "mostly negative" nearly mathematics, therefore if this is extrapolated to the adults, it could move far unavoidable that the side wanting "less mathematics" could automatically win. On the other hand, the mathematics-disliking adults no longer direct maintain to acquire mathematics therefore they may experience to a greater extent than liberty to impose it on the kids. After all, it's fair – they had to acquire it as well. ;-)
There are as good many arguments on both sides – I don't know which side would hold upwards stronger.
At whatever rate, the key participants of the conference – the managing director of the Mathematics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the chairman of the Czech Union of Mathematicians in addition to Physicists, a Czech-Canadian mathematician, a top boss of mathematics pedagogy at the Faculty of Mathematics in addition to Physics of the Charles University, in addition to 1-2 to a greater extent than guys direct maintain gone to the Czech Parliament where they debated some lawmakers – those from the schoolhouse commission led past times Mr Klaus Jr.
Their primary asking was to construct sure that the implications of Hejný's experiment are beingness tested. Our side is to a greater extent than oftentimes than non afraid of dropping mathematical abilities of the schoolkids that may inevitably follow from the propagation of this postmodern method which brags nearly lower requirements on the speed in addition to the amount of mathematics that the kids learn. The method has been adopted past times 800 out of 4,100 Czech uncomplicated schools therefore far. The per centum is no longer negligible in addition to it seems to move on on increasing.
Some of the lawmakers – those from ODS I voted for (Klaus Jr in addition to Ms Majerová-Zahradníková); but also the sometime pedagogy government minister Ms Valachová from social republic (who is somewhat unusually for mathematics pedagogy in addition to mandatory mathematics exams, despite her widely believed tight links to far left NGOs) – seemed to broadly concur amongst the requests of the top regime of Czech mathematics. Some others, from the STAN (Mayor's apolitical movement) in addition to the Pirates (a immature people's technocratic, computer-focused party) disagreed in addition to claimed that it's right to do unlimited untested experiments on the Czech schoolkids, otherwise the schools stagnate. Well, experiments are fine but y'all don't wish to direct chances the noesis of a whole generation of kids (and non fifty-fifty 1/2 of them) precisely to perform an experiment. Moreover, therefore far it's really incorrect to telephone telephone it an experiment because no i who spreads Hejný's method seems to aid nearly the results (an experiment should hold upwards the collection of some results)!
These activities of the top Czech mathematics officials – who direct maintain belike understood the nature of the threat to a greater extent than than they did before the conference – did crusade some reaction from the SJWs, however. So I was sent many links at ceskaskola (Czech School) point cz, ucitelske-listy (Teachers' Letters) point cz, in addition to others from the advocates of Hejný's method. Yesterday, a instructor from Frýdek-Místek, a rather pocket-size town inwards Northern Moravia, wrote a diatribe denouncing the critics of Hejný's method in addition to me inwards particular. One of his key complaints was that I dared to say in addition to write – inwards my utter etc.
– He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches. I added the most commons Czech addition: He who cannot teach, teaches gyms. That was specially shocking for that guy (according to the spider web "rate your teacher", a populist "teacher" who teaches nada to do the kids), especially because he's a instructor of mathematics and gyms. ;-) He wanted me to apologize for the quote – the quote is from Bernard Shaw, a Nobel prize winner inwards literature, of course, as y'all tin run into if y'all click at the hyperlink.
Today, a guy named Mr Oldřich Botlík published a rant inwards Lidové noviny (People's Newspapers), a major daily. He's a guy born inwards 1951 who got a score inwards mathematics but as far as I tin see, since the autumn of communism (if non earlier), the alone affair he has done was to speak for NGOs (such as Eduin.cz) that made the Czech pedagogy organization increasingly non-meritocratic, loose, chaotic. He's also a defender of Hejný's method. And a hater of Klaus Jr. He may real good hold upwards amid the top 3 people who are most responsible for the deterioration of the Czech schools inwards recent decades.
OK, this guy was evidently responding to some activities of "our camp" that tried to tame the propagation of Hejný's method. His diatribe was mostly composed of promotion hominem attacks. Alumni of the Department of Mathematics in addition to Physics of the Charles University (almost all of us belong to this group) shouldn't influence Czech schools, he argues, because they oftentimes endure from some disorder on the Asperger spectrum, similar Sheldon Cooper does. Instead of all these simple individuals, the Czech pedagogy of mathematics should hear to the likes of Penny who are complex, versatile geniuses, he basically argued. I kid y'all not.
It's been 4 hours since I read his text for the get-go fourth dimension in addition to I am soundless absolutely shocked past times his breathtaking idiocy. Penny is lovable in addition to I similar her, as good – although some my positive human relationship is due to her mightiness to direct maintain caught some thinking patterns from the physicists, or at to the lowest degree her increased tolerance if non observe for their traits, values, in addition to lifestyles.
But holy crap, Penny has otherwise been placed inwards the sitcom because she's the canonical stupid (relatively to all the scholarly types), totally practical blonde who has no thought nearly things similar mathematics in addition to scientific discipline in addition to who has absolutely no internal drive to written report them. How could a sane mortal seriously propose that folks similar Penny should instruct mathematics or determine nearly the teaching of mathematics? The respond is that a sane mortal precisely cannot. She has absolutely no competence, ability, or wish to do such things. In fact, i could debate that despite her beingness therefore charming, she non alone lacks the mightiness to do or instruct mathematics. She lacks the mightiness to run amongst children, too. So what the hell is he talking about?
Sheldon Cooper is an idealized grapheme who is smarter than everyone else inwards the sitcom in addition to who is also much to a greater extent than loyal to the "moral etiquette" of a truthful scientist. He's the truthful beautiful heed – a much to a greater extent than beautiful i than John Nash or somebody. His odd social conduct could hold upwards considered to hold upwards imperfect for the trend recommended to the teachers. Yes, it's normal to say that people similar him belong to the Asperger spectrum but this real assignment is non really a difficult science, either.
But in that location are other characters. Leonard (physicist), Rajesh (astronomer), in addition to Howard (an engineer). Or Barry (physicist). Or Amy or Bernadette, although they're biologists (they soundless know plenty of mathematics from basic schools which is somewhat relevant for their jobs, too). There are lots of people inwards the sitcom who are soundless vastly to a greater extent than qualified than Penny to determine nearly the content in addition to strategy of the teaching procedure of mathematics at schools. Sheldon, Leonard, in addition to other obvious candidates ultimately know where the children should hold upwards heading. How could someone selection Penny as the right person? And how could he overhype her as a complex person? I don't remember that Penny is a to a greater extent than complex mortal than Sheldon, something he claims. She's really real simple. That's a business office of what makes her hot in addition to intriguing, too. Botlík's claims are nada else than the hardcore populism flattering unintelligent people – in addition to Botlík has made his living out of this populism.
Mr Botlík has picked Sheldon as his target but it's clear that his actual targets were the top officials of the Czech mathematical institution – in addition to everyone who thinks similar them. All meritocratic teachers who really wish the kids to know some mathematics, to direct maintain some passion for the truth, in addition to related things. I remember that when similar nasty attacks against mathematicians are published past times nobodies from parasitic in addition to toxic NGOs inwards the dailies, it volition construct the mathematicians to a greater extent than motivated to hold upwards active.
But I am soundless non sure who volition win this state of war if i really explodes. God bless Czechia.
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