To make maths classes sizzle, inject some politics and social justice

Relating arithmetic to questions which might be related to many college students may also help deal with its picture downside, argues Eugenia Cheng

By Eugenia Cheng

MATHEMATICS has a picture downside: far too many individuals are postpone it and conclude that the topic simply isn’t for them. There are many points, together with the curriculum, standardised checks and constraints positioned on lecturers. But one of many greatest issues is how maths is offered, as chilly and dry.

Attempts at “real-life” functions are sometimes indifferent from our day by day lives, akin to arithmetic issues involving a ridiculous variety of watermelons or utilizing a differential equation to calculate how lengthy a hypothetical cup of espresso will take to chill.

I’ve a special strategy, which is to narrate summary …