Is it true that, due to the fight against racism in US schools, they now do not require the right solution to mathematics lessons?

On February 21, 2021, several Russian media reported that in the United States “traditional” mathematics considered Racist - from now on, students should not strive to find the right answer. We checked whether this is really so.

The publications that in American schools will now teach some other mathematics have entered the Russian media under the loud but contrary to each other by headings. For example, an article in a newspaper "Sight" called "in the USA algebra was considered racism", material "Komsomolskaya Pravda" - "Algebra is racism": in the USA, the traditional course of mathematics was considered non -prostitute ", and Lenta.ru In her heading, she clarified that this is not about the whole country, but only about the state of Oregon. Nevertheless, the authors of these materials emphasized: according to the Americans, the idea of ​​objectivity in mathematics is false, and some publications even suggest that the innovation would evaluate the correctness of the response depending on the race of the student. Reporter of Channel One in his plot He emphasizedWhat is now in Oregon schools "an attempt to find only one correct answer is, it turns out, also racism." Supported by television colleagues and on Russian, where told On the new position of the Oregon authorities: "Focus on finding the right solution to mathematical examples is a manifestation of the idea of ​​the superiority of the white race." Commenting on such messages, Chairman of the Provisional Commission of the Federation Council on Information Policy and Media Interaction Alexei Pushkov wrote In its Telegram channel, that "in the USA is aggravated by insanity on the basis of" combating racism "." The official suggested that after updating the educational standard of Oregon schoolchildren, “they will teach the maximum multiplication table. But if it is considered too racist due to increased complexity, then the answer is 7 × 7 = 47 will be declared true and after it they will immediately be enrolled in a local university. ”

Many Russian publications on the abandonment of Racist mathematics are based on the report of the American television channel Fox News. February 20 Leading Tucker Carlson toldthat the Oregon State Education Department calls on teachers to sign up for a course that promotes the so -called ethnomathematics. According to Carlson, in these classes, teachers will explain that focus on finding the correct answer in solving a mathematical problem is a manifestation of “white Supreshism”. This news was discussed for several minutes with Libbi Emmons, the editor of the Canadian publication Post Millenial. At the same time, the statements of both participants in the conversation were mainly evaluative judgments regarding the problem of racism in American schools and “leftist ideology” than the analysis of the initiative in Oregon, which served as an informational occasion.

Although Carlson speaks about ethnomathematics very ironically, for the first time this term I used it Back in 1977, the Brazilian teacher and mathematician are cleaned by d’Ambrosio. Since then, more than one definition has been proposed for this word, but they have emphasized: different peoples have differently explain the same mathematical patterns and conduct calculations. The most clearly this difference was reflected in the language: for example, in the Russian word for indicating the number 80 it means “eight times ten times”, in French-“four times twenty” (quatre-Vingts). Throughout human history, peoples and cultures are known that have not been used by the now generally accepted decimal system. D’Ambrosio and his supporters urge to take into account such features in teaching mathematics, but do not at all require them to rewrite mathematical laws.

The message of Tucker Carlson on the air of the Fox News channel was not the first to tell about the alleged initiative of the Oregon authorities. On February 15, about the idea of ​​abandoning "racist mathematics" reported The Daily Wire portal. The note Krissy Clark went out at this resource under the heading “Oregon Education Department: asking students to“ demonstrate work ”in mathematics lessons is a form of white Supreshism.” The author of this publication refers to an email sent to teachers in Oregon, in which they were offered to sign up for a course called "The Path to Mathematical Equality." Note that The Daily Wire Does not hide Its conservative orientation and openly reports on his website that "does not declare his own impartiality."

February 5 Department of Education Oregon really Sent Teachers have an information ballot in which there was a similar invitation. Teachers informed about the short online course “The Way to Mathematical Equality”, developed regardless of the Department of the organization “The Way to Fair Learning Mathematics”.

To read the training manual to the course, it was necessary to go to the site of this organization. In one of its sections presented Several PDF files, one of which is called "elimination of racism in teaching mathematics." On the 50th page of this 82-page document It is saidthat "the culture of white superiority is manifested in mathematics lessons, when students demand" demonstrate their work. " The authors of the manual explain that such a requirement is much more aimed at ensuring that the teacher, without unnecessary efforts, see the student’s thoughts than to stimulate the training itself. Teachers are offered not to focus on a written presentation of the decision, but to invite the student to explain the course of his thoughts with the help of oral discussion, drawings or small videos.

Exploring the coverage of this initiative in the media, the American factory portal Snopes Turned For comments on the authors and reviewers of the manual, as well as Oregon officials. Joan Russia Bekker, a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of California in San Jose, explained that the recommendation that caused criticism aims to encourage teachers to evaluate the thoughts of students not only in writing. Communications Director of the Department of Education Oregon Mark Siegel told Snopes that in this manual the term “demonstrate work” refers to teachers who evaluate the correctness of the decision on the written statement of the student’s thoughts. “Although the teacher expects the same answer, students can come to the right decision using different methods,” the official added. He also emphasized that neither the Department nor the organizers of the online course claim that mathematics in itself is racist, and also do not propose to evaluate the correctness of the decision proposed by the student or even demand it depending on the child’s race.

Thus, many Russian media pulled out of context a recommendation from a non -popular manual on how to help children of different nationalities more effectively study mathematics. This manual is presented on the website of the educational project, which organized a one-day online course for teachers, and the Oregon Education Department really extended the link to these classes in his information ballot. At the same time, the Department not only did not urge all teachers to follow the recommendations of the project “The Way to Fair Learning Mathematics”, but also did not oblige teachers to participate in their seminar. Neither the authors of the initiative, nor the officials stated that mathematics or finding the correct answer to the task was racism, but invited teachers to think that the children of African American, Latin American and other national minorities can retell their thoughts in unusual form for mathematicians.

Most of the untruth

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. https://theins.ru/antifake/239662
2. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/education-oregon/
3. https://equitablemath.org/