Comments on I Want to Teach Forever: Big Idea #1: A TV Show That Changes The Way We Thi...

Jason: Your video series is definitely a step in t...

2009-07-27T22:59:02.438-05:00

Jason: Your video series is definitely a step in the right direction!

Robert: Cutting out negative stereotypes would be beneficial, but without a positive influence like the proposed show, I don't see that happening.

If it turns out that nobody can come up with a goo...

2009-07-27T13:53:39.140-05:00

If it turns out that nobody can come up with a good pop culture medium (TV, whatever) to provide a positive message about math, I would settle for simply a cessation of all the negative messages that are currently in pop culture. In fact I think if the popular culture out there made a deliberate effort to simply reduce the amount of offhand negative remarks and stereotypes about math that they currently produce, we'd see much progress on the cultural front. And it would cost those folks absolutely nothing NOT to be negative.

Have you seen the Off-Road Algebra video series I worked on?

Well shoot, sign me up. :-)

2009-07-16T13:45:56.176-05:00

Well shoot, sign me up. :-)

Matt: I actually agree--that's why I mentioned...

2009-07-15T10:43:10.157-05:00

Matt: I actually agree--that's why I mentioned featuring the stuff you don't get to talk about in school, like discrete math. I think if you strike a balance between the two in *every* episode, that's when you'll have the formula for long term impact (and success).

I agree that this would be a key ingredient in the...

2009-07-15T10:30:49.866-05:00

I agree that this would be a key ingredient in the kind of "paradigm shift" you're talking about. I'm still wrestling, though, with the foregone conclusion that talking about applications is the only way to make math "accessible". I'm not convinced. People don't see math as mathematicians do--as an art. As something to play with. Not just a means to an end, but something beautiful in its own right. That's what I would want to change.

Maybe that would be a goal for Season 2. :-)

I think that's a great idea! I live in Austral...

2009-07-15T00:14:59.500-05:00

I think that's a great idea! I live in Australia and remember as a child watching a show that made maths fun. The host was some kind of elf and he lived in a tree. The whole show was from inside a tree. and it tackled maths problems and all that in a fun as way! Sadly i cant remember what its called...and none of my friends have heard of it. But it definately encouraged me at the time to do maths...cos it was fun!!

I've been saying that for years! Math needs so...

2009-07-14T22:03:38.539-05:00

I've been saying that for years! Math needs some "cool points" and TV is a great way to do that.

How many times have we heard someone say "oh, I'm not very good at math" and everyone chuckles understandingly . . but NO ONE would say "oh, I can't really read" and expect that to be socially acceptable!

So, who's volunteering to do this project?