It is all about spheres: Atmosphere, Ethnosphere, Oosphere, Biosphere, Planisphere…

My Low-Res pic... Blame the IPod!!!


Today, Al Gore was in front of me. You know; VP of the United States, Harvard Graduate, the guy behind the Internet, Tommy Lee Jones’ Roomie, Nobel Prize Winner, Atari Democrat, Príncipe de Asturias winner, Oscar Winner, Ecological Activist, Vietnam veteran. You get the idea, Al Gore.

In an unprecedented visit to Tec de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara (where I teach) he presented a truly interesting and updated version of his famous documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”. Some of the astonishing facts were—The hottest days in recorded history have happened during the last decade; temperatures in Asia rose to 53.5° during last year; a 7% increase in atmospheric vapor yields more downpours followed by long periods of drought; floods appear in territories where downpours did not happen; warmer oceans produce stronger storms; 22 climate models conclude that Earth will experience a drastic change in climate; 90 million tons of Carbon Dioxide are sent to the atmosphere daily; 4 wars have happened in the Middle East in the last 20 years; a 5 meter increase of the sea level displaces 300 million people, while a 6 meter increase displaces more than 400 million people; the acidity of oceans is changing due to the presence of Carbonic Acid… Those are the ones that I remember. You may Google tons of other facts at your discretion.

Mathematics continuously reminds us that we place our confidence in numbers. The previous statistics show that Earth is being affected by our actions. Without receding into the “another eco-friendly speech”, I just want to say that contemporary education is meaningless if we as teachers do not provide a hands-on-experience on the responsibility to our planet. There is NO NEED to fill the whiteboard with equations, or being solely focused on whether our students make a mistake or not. The main objective must be to inspire our students by presenting mathematical models and cases that can be solved through imagination, engineering and social sciences. Let’s get rid of XIX century methods of teaching Mathematics which just produce University Doctors. It is time for our students to know how to use Mathematics in order to tackle environmental (and general sustainability) problems, which may generate thousands of new jobs and opportunities for generations to come. Trust me, your Math classes will be far more interesting. I URGE Students all over the world to DEMAND from your teachers a considerable insight about these issues.

Finally, I haven’t informed you that I am studying a FANTASTIC Master Program taught by Framingham State College. The course that I am attending is related to Language and Communication (I will write about this particular topic later on). What does it have to do with Global Warming? That climate changes and overproduction do not only threaten the biosphere, but also the Ethnosphere.

Check this outstanding TED Talk for more information.
Conclusions? Always welcome!!!

Of Math Tests and Emotional Relationships

There are two concepts that shake our lives and change them forever—Math Tests and Emotional Relationships. Although these two concepts may seem totally disconnected, I’ve just experienced a couple of events in my life that made me write about them. I want to put into perspective what I have felt recently.

Math Tests are all about stress, problems, and the unknown. We are scared of Math Tests because we are suddenly thrown into a dark jungle. We appear without a compass, without a guide, and we realize that it is up to us to find our path back into the light. We may study during the previous night. We may ask for thousand ways to solve a problem, but the truth is that for most of our academic experiences, the exercises/problems of Math Tests are rarely given to us beforehand. I guess it has to do with the fact that the most difficult problems in life are the unexpected ones. The ones that test you, frustrate you, but give you the chance to bring out the best in you.

Emotional Relationships begin as fairy tales. We are barely scared of them, since we have met someone who has the potential to rock our world. Obviously, we rather them than a Math Test for every minute we spend with a significant other is a time of discovery. Suddenly, you begin to lose sleep and realize you’ve being hit by the “L” word. The relationship continues, with its highs and lows, until you reach an outcome—either continuing with that person, or letting go.

Where is the link between Math Tests and Emotional Relationships? Their connection is based on one virtue—self-confidence. It is hard for us to believe in the fact that after all, Math Tests were never a competition against our teachers or family. Emotional Relationships that ended sourly were never a competition against your significant other. Math Tests are logical examinations that temper your character. Relationships are emotional journeys that temper your heart. They are opportunities to learn something we did not know about us. It doesn’t matter if we fail a Math Test, another one will come. It doesn’t matter that our hearts broke; a new magical person is just around the corner. In the end, the race is against us since we are the ones who learn from those experiences.

Next time you see a Math Test, do not worry about its outcome. The same applies to an emotional relationship. Do not be afraid of getting hurt. We may fail Math Tests. We may break up. In the end, we prepared ourselves. We discovered new things within ourselves. We gave our best for that exercise or for that other person. We suffered, we cried, we were disappointed. We recovered from the fall. In the end, we live…

Protect your Dreams

An excellent inspirational speech from the movie "The Pursuit of Happiness".

The Daunting Task of Evaluating Math

According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, Evaluate means “To determine the significance, worth, or condition of usually by careful appraisal and study”. Such definition entails powerful words like significance, worth and appraisal. A couple of months ago I had an interesting conversation with famous Canadian professor James Stewart, who has authored a considerable amount of books related to Mathematics. He declared that “there is a worldwide crisis of Algebra”. The statement is a loud cry shared by Math teachers around the world. Students do not have solid knowledge of Algebra. That is a fact. However, there is the other side of the coin--the student side which may cry out loud that “There is a worldwide crisis of how teachers evaluate Math proficiency. “ Which means, that many students feel discouraged on the way teachers grade their work; especially analytic procedures.
I am a Math teacher in a country that ranks 82 out of 180 in literacy rate, according to the United Nations Development Programme. The School Life in Mexico is 11.5 years (below countries with smaller GDP such as Namibia, Botswana, Cuba, Peru, and Lebanon based on data from the CIA World Factbook). Politically, fiscal and security issues are far more important in Mexico than Research, Technology, and Patent Queries.
Every country has the right to focus its efforts where it pleases. However, Education in Mexico suffers a terrible stagnation by political and economic interests (such as predatory unions) that produce teachers who are barely paid, and need to bear classes of more than 50 students in rural areas. It would be logical to think that the least worry for such teachers is evaluating their students in an efficient and significant matter; thus discouraging students to study science and Mathematics.
I may infer that this situation happens in many countries around the world—students who feel frustrated by teachers who do not appreciate their analytical efforts. Personally, during my High School and College years I truly hated Math teachers who only evaluated math proficiency by taking a look at the answer, and considered the whole procedure wrong. Moreover, by not being able to solve a specific exercise, did not mean that I did not know about how variables and Algebra works. I just didn’t arrive at the answer the teacher was expecting. So, Math students need to ALWAYS arrive at the conclusions teachers are expecting? Several mathematicians may shield themselves by saying that “It is not what teachers expect, but what mathematical procedures dictate”. That would be a reasonable answer, but the fact is that we are trying to encourage students to push the human race forward. We are trying to make them become fascinated by the fact that Mathematics describes the world around them, and if properly applied their efforts may revolutionize our world.
The main problem with Math evaluation techniques is that discussion tends to be forgotten, in favor of proven forms, functions and methods. Not only discussion and debate are almost non-existent in Math classes around the world, but procedures are evaluated by poorly designed exams which result in a frustrating experience for students. How could a teacher inspire students if what they learn in class is poorly and rigidly evaluated? The rigidity comes later in life. It is something that students will sooner or later experiment and learn from it. The purpose of a Math class is not to discourage people, but to enthrall them in a world of mistakes and wonder. Where is the appraisal of the value of a procedure if you only look at the answer, and not at the whole picture?
Personally, it has been TRULY favorable whenever I recommend students to at least TRY to solve an exercise or problem, and I reward them for taking risks.
To all Math Teachers who are reading this, and feel that rigidity and an overloaded discipline is the right path to teach Math, I encourage you to at least try once to evaluate even the tiniest effort. Your students will appreciate it, and your attendance rate will definitely increase. In the wide picture, more and more students will become attracted to Math, and mankind as a whole will benefit from it.

image: gettyimages.com

A Couple of Words About Never Giving Up

LAst Friday I taught one of the Math crash courses for students interested in entering Prepa Tec.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a student who came in with the "I'm never good at Math attitude" (I'll definitely write a post about that concept later on). He practiced, he became motivated, he passed the admission test, and he even took the crash course once again to improve his admission test grade.

Based on that story, I would like to present this video I found over YouTube.

Feel free to comment it:

An URGENT makeover for Math Class