Mathematics for All University Students

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I think so there is divide in humans, those who can do math and those who cannot. Reigns of power is often in hands of math have-not’s. I have always wondered how USA manages to attract best in math from all over world. Most US textbooks mention in their prefaces (even if it is lip service) the fact that math is kept at minimum. For example, I had the book “Dynamic Asset Pricing Theory, by Darrell Duffie”. Author claimed that he has kept math to a minimum but it takes a reading of first 2 pages to realize that he intends not to do so.

Not only math but computer programming should be taught to bio-science students. Modern bio-scientists will be expert in both. Because they will have to use both to make new genetics based discoveries. Keeping math out and emphasizing pencil drawing skill weeds out true scientists from the populations which gain entry into medical science courses. Once in medical courses many such students realize that drawing skill is least important part of their bag of tricks. Distortion in the population entering medical colleges gets reflected in kind of graduates which these colleges churn out. These graduates are only capable of using drugs manufactured by western drug making giants. These graduates are often themselves believers of miracle and most of them are good at rot memory but not good in original thinking. It is the original and creative thinking which contributes to advance of all sciences.

Part of the reason why math is unpopular is the fact that there is complete disregard of learning theoretic underpinning of any teaching effort when it comes to teaching math in schools. Math cannot be taught in same way as you would to a math graduate class. Average joe does not think in same way as a person experienced in handling math concepts. A new way of thinking in developing theories of how people fail to master math concepts is needed. Limits of pure abstract math oriented teaching effort should be found out by Educational Psychologists. By merely requiring math as a mandatory subject for aspiring bio-scientists is not going to solve the problem. One must make effort to find out how aspiring bio-scientists learn math concepts or how they fail to correctly learn them.

Division of labor between math have-not`s and math have`s will continue until new man evolves who will be capable of becoming expert in math as well non-math skills. But until then ways should found to equip predominantly non-math professional to use hard math in his field.

I agree with the writer that the purpose or importance of math is misunderstood in the pakistani educational system. Math is essential indeed to any kind of major simply because it works your mental skills like nothing else. However, I`d like to share first hand experience here with math being taught in paki schools. I always used to have a hard time with math classes where I was scared of my instructor! There is always a wicked teacher behind students disliking math. Alongwith, making all kinds of resources available to students and teachers...I think math teachers should be trained to certain ways to teach math at intermediate levels...just to make kids comfy with the course and paint the picture of math monster to be a friendly monster who wont kill em.