Prof: Algebra, geometry perpetuate white privilege

[internalizedhomophobia]

A math education professor at the University of Illinois argued in a newly published book that algebraic and geometry skills perpetuate “unearned privilege†among whites.

 

Rochelle Gutierrez, a professor at the University of Illinois, made the claim in a new anthology for math teachers, arguing that teachers must be aware of the “politics that mathematics brings†in society.

 

“On many levels, mathematics itself operates as Whiteness. Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as White,†Gutierrez argued.

 

Gutierrez also worries that algebra and geometry perpetuate privilege, fretting that “curricula emphasizing terms like Pythagorean theorem and pi perpetuate a perception that mathematics was largely developed by Greeks and other Europeans."

 

Math also helps actively perpetuate white privilege too, since the way our economy places a premium on math skills gives math a form of “unearned privilege†for math professors, who are disproportionately white.

 

“Are we really that smart just because we do mathematics?†she asks, further wondering why math professors get more research grants than “social studies or English†professors.

 

Further, she also worries that evaluations of math skills can perpetuate discrimination against minorities, especially if they do worse than their white counterparts.

 

“If one is not viewed as mathematical, there will always be a sense of inferiority that can be summoned,†she says, adding that there are so many minorities who “have experienced microaggressions from participating in math classrooms… [where people are] judged by whether they can reason abstractly.â€

 

To fight this, Gutierrez encourages aspiring math teachers to develop a sense of “political conocimiento,†a Spanish phrase for “political knowledge for teaching.â€

 

Gutierrez stresses that all knowledge is “relational,†asserting that â€œThings cannot be known objectively; they must be known subjectively."

 

Source

 

 

Public schools (in the US) are terrible. Lots of public schools in urban areas get low funding and have a lack of teachers and lack of resources, such as tutors. Majority of the kids in urban public schools are non-whites. This is also forgetting that Asian people score much better in math than white people. As much as I don't like doing math, it is important to know some skills, math really tries to get you to use logic.

[Guest]

[Swirl900]

 

What a dumbf**k

[Frogurt]

What kind of garbage source

[Property of Goddess lrene]

How does that explain Asians?

[Anri Sonohara]

lol

[delirium]

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh? it's serious...meh, you won't hear much about any other contributors to things like math, science, literature, etc. beyond those who are Euro in their education system. But it's no secret that Western education has been the subject of severe criticism for decades and they have the nerve to call other countries "backwards" and "ignorant".  

[Laylife]

Blame everything on white people i see.

 

What else is new

[Gj gf jfdhsvsb]

I’m the deliberate obtuseness in this thread

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using OneHallyu

[My Everything]

She's right

[Königin]

Translation:

Too many white professors teaching math which equals to people assuming math was created by white people. (Which it wasn't BTW) Thus, helps with the thought that white people are superior and minorities aren't as smart. So it discourages minorities from participating plus they're given looks when they try. Being skillful in math does not equal to being intelligent and other departments shouldn't be looked down upon.

 

That's what I got of it.

 

EDIT:

She's not blaming white people. She's saying they get too much credit for the creation of it. 

EDIT2: Most of the stuff we learn in school is Eurocentric.  European history, European philosophy etc Other thinkers who aren't white do not receive the credit. Many don't even know the numbers they use everyday is called Arabic number system.

Honestly who wouldn't develop an inferior complex if everything you learned about was white people  

[Frogurt]

Translation:

Too many white professors teaching math which equals to people assuming math was created by white people. (Which it wasn't BTW) Thus, helps with the thought that white people are superior and minorities aren't as smart. So it discourages minorities from participating plus they're given looks when they try. Being skillful in math does not equal to being intelligent and other departments shouldn't be looked down upon.

 

That's what I got of it.

 

EDIT:

She's not blaming white people. She's saying they get too much credit for the creation of it.

 

And that's what it's saying, but it won't stop conservative college snowflakes from screaming LIBRUL BIAS despite it not even being political. Just look at the source, lol

[Brittany]

That's true. They should give the Egyptians and Arabs some credit. Tho to be fair this isn't about them being white biased. Western scholars at that time had little intellectual contact with other nations, so they really just relied on the Greeks for knowledge. Western education just needs to update some of its stuff, except there's no one to do it for them so they end up staying on the tried and true.

 

Tho so what if people feel bad about being incapable of abstract reasoning? That has nothing to do with white privilege. That happens in every country around the world. Just a bizarre conclusion overall, being Asian I, nor my classmates, ever once felt an ounce of inferiority. China has no problem. Japan has no problem. Singapore doesn't either. So, under this reasoning, there shouldn't be a need to feel inferior.

 

Also, just because math professors are white, means that we shouldn't give them incentives for their profession? Nevermind race for a moment here, even in homogeneous countries, the smart ones are STILL given incentives over the average ones.

[internalizedhomophobia]

Translation:

Too many white professors teaching math which equals to people assuming math was created by white people. (Which it wasn't BTW) Thus, helps with the thought that white people are superior and minorities aren't as smart. So it discourages minorities from participating plus they're given looks when they try. Being skillful in math does not equal to being intelligent and other departments shouldn't be looked down upon.

 

That's what I got of it.

 

EDIT:

She's not blaming white people. She's saying they get too much credit for the creation of it. 

EDIT2: Most of the stuff we learn in school is Eurocentric.  European history, European philosophy etc Other thinkers who aren't white do not receive the credit. Many don't even know the numbers they use everyday is called Arabic number system.

Honestly who wouldn't develop an inferior complex.

Yeah I agree. Europeans discovered new mathematical reasoning/equations, but they didn't create the subject. I think minorities feel like they can't be good at math and teachers don't do a good job of encouraging them to keep trying or adjust their teaching to help their needs, cause we all don't learn the same. And then they get the idea that math isn't important. European history has its own course, and world history lumps a bunch of history from around the world together, we don't go in depth with it as we do with euro history. There definitely needs to be a change in the education system, but I doubt that can happen in a good way under the current administration.

 

And that's what it's saying, but it won't stop conservative college snowflakes from screaming LIBRUL BIAS despite it not even being political. Just look at the source, lol

The other person actually tried to analyze what the article was saying and all you said was "What a garbage source" >_>

[Frogurt]

Yeah I agree. Europeans discovered new mathematical reasoning/equations, but they didn't create the subject. I think minorities feel like they can't be good at math and teachers don't do a good job of encouraging them to keep trying or adjust their teaching to help their needs, cause we all don't learn the same. And then they get the idea that math isn't important. European history has its own course, and world history lumps a bunch of history from around the world together, we don't go in depth with it as we do with euro history. There definitely needs to be a change in the education system, but I doubt that can happen in a good way under the current administration.

 

The other person actually tried to analyze what the article was saying and you all you said was "What a garbage source" >_>

 

It is a garbage source?

[dux]

 

my final math class was only 2 whites, both men. why all the minorities go STEM then

[internalizedhomophobia]

It is a garbage source?

You are way too focused on the source. There are things on the site that I don't agree with, but that's not gonna stop me from reading. Hell, Huffington Post has shit articles too but I still read them.

[Königin]

my final math class was only 2 whites, both men. why all the minorities go STEM then

All of my math teachers have been white. 

[Brittany]

Yeah I agree. Europeans discovered new mathematical reasoning/equations, but they didn't create the subject. I think minorities feel like they can't be good at math and teachers don't do a good job of encouraging them to keep trying or adjust their teaching to help their needs, cause we all don't learn the same. And then they get the idea that math isn't important. European history has its own course, and world history lumps a bunch of history from around the world together, we don't go in depth with it as we do with euro history. There definitely needs to be a change in the education system, but I doubt that can happen in a good way under the current administration.

 

The other person actually tried to analyze what the article was saying and all you said was "What a garbage source" >_>

Some of the best maths students in the world are Asians.

 

I did my schooling in a homogeneous Asian country. Our grades were good. Most of the students STILL didn't give a shit about math tho cause they hated numbers. Not that they felt inferior or whatever.

 

And the logic is dumb to begin with. Not when girls do better than guys in school even if most of the historical greats taught to them are men.

 

What teenager in their right mind would look for role models to relate with amongst a group of dead ancient math guys anyways?

[dux]

All of my math teachers have been white.

 

math teachers are one thing, the actual demographics of my classes another

and for me not just math profs are white, literally every teacher ive ever had for anything was white save for like 5. its not a "math" thing. (in fact my math teacbers have had the most diversity)

ofc speaking of when i lived in a western country

[Königin]

Some of the best maths students in the world are Asians.

 

I did my schooling in a homogeneous Asian country. Our grades were good. Most of the students STILL didn't give a shit about math tho cause they hated numbers. Not that they felt inferior or whatever.

 

What teenager in their right mind would look for role models to relate with amongst a group of dead ancient math guys anyways?

You're kidding right? Role models are important. Dead or alive. That's why having diverse teachers is important. 

The topic is about those dead ancient math guys taking credit for shit they didn't create. I bet there are teachers with you mind set as well. "They don't care about learning" that's a stigma that follows minorities, especially black americans. Thus, teacher do not even try to help struggling minorities. 

[Brittany]

You're kidding right? Role models are important. Dead or alive. That's why having diverse teachers is important.

The topic is about those dead ancient math guys taking credit for shit they didn't create. I bet there are teachers with you mind set as well. "They don't care about learning" that's a stigma that follows minorities, especially black americans. Thus, teacher do not even try to help struggling minorities.

 

Teenagers generally don't have ancient math guys as role models. The ones who DO are already passionate about and great at math to begin with, so they aren't going to end up feeling inferior.

 

Look. The discussion of credit between people is tricky enough, even white scientists take credit from other white scientists. What more if it were nations. Pythagoras isn't even likely to be a real person to begin with. The problem with you guys is that you are projecting Hollywood onto history. Young kids have fantasy characters as role models, and they only end up doing the same with ancient figures if they were already geeks to begin with. Heck it isn't even as though white people are the best performing race GLOBALLY at the moment, even if education everywhere is more or less the same.

 

Ffs STOP projecting your American view onto me. NOT EVERYONE IS AMERICAN. There are NO minorities in my homogenous country. Thing is, the guys back in high school really didn't give a shit and made fun of people like me for even liking math LMAO. There are no female math historical figures either but that doesn't stop females from doing better than males in school.

[indigo]

All of my math teachers have been white.

 

Most teachers are white, in general. For there to be more black math teachers, more black people have to decide to become them. But teaching isn't a popular choice of career for people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds because the economic incentive is disproportional to the amount of work it takes. You're going to have a few broke years if you decide to become a teacher followed by a lowly salary, if you don't have a family to support your during that, it doesn't seem doable. 

 

Expanding ways people could become teachers would be a probable fix. 

 

1. Ew, postmodernism.

 

Whose math class was a history class? Out of all the stem fields, math was always presented with the least historical context. There just isn't time, and it's just not relevant to grasping the skills. I mean every, every now and again a teacher would talk about about triangle cults but in general we had no time. I didn't even know why it was called "pi" ! I thought it was cause 3.14 looked like "pie" when mirrored lol 

 

I learnt more math history in English class 

 

The fact is the education gap starts early, and only grows as students try and play catch up. Math is the area hit hardest because it's a buildable skill. Miss one part and the next is near impossible. Inspiration only goes so far when there is no help for students when they get stuck. And a lifetime of frustration makes most people want to bail on math as soon as they can. 

 

Overall, American kids do poorly in math, we're just not a culture that values it.

[Yoonability]

The argument given here is pretty thin, but I do get what they're saying. 

[letsrewindit]

99.99% of the time students are swearing against dead ancient white math guys for "creating" maths. The real creators of maths should be happy.

 

Lbr 99% of the time nobody cares or know about the ancient white math guys cos maths is not taught in historical context