Mathematics Should Not Be Taught In Schools Essay

Throughout the history of education, ideas and theories have changed and adapted over time

to suit the needs of modern students. Through this adaptation of pedagogy includes the

teaching and learning of mathematics. Pound and Lee (2011) point out that traditionally,

mathematics has been seen by many as a ‘difficult’ subject that students can only master if

they have an intuition for the subject. They continue to state that this common misconception

should be abandoned, and every child given their chance to evolve their understanding of

mathematics due to the fact that everyone has the inherent ability to learn the subject. As

such, the way that mathematics is taught needs to be of consideration, and the general

mindset toward the concept of

A meta-

analysis conducted by Gianconia & Hedges (1982) in relation to humanistic approaches in

schools concluded that although humanism in schools promoted creativity, collaboration and

motivation similar to the ideals of social constructivism, it had no effect on the learning of

mathematical and scientific subject matter. Humanism in schools should not completely be

disregarded, as it has brought to schools the concepts of teaching healthy habits and values

such as being a good citizen, whereby the teaching of these concepts were largely abandoned

Running head: SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY & EDUCATION

prior to the conception of humanism (Combs, 1978). Therefore, humanism in its entirety

cannot be implemented in schools due to its lack of success in the teaching of subject matter,

however aspects of humanism may be ideal to incorporate.

The social constructivist perspective is more relevant to the current educational environment

due to its proposed outcomes and its emphasis on playfulness and creativity (Levin,