02-26-2008

Revelation- Why Study Math Reason 4

By Renae

In past weeks, we discussed a few reasons to study math. If you remember, Reason, Dominion, and Justice are a few of the principles we can use to inspire our children. My hope is that by shining meaning and purpose on the subject the weighty work will be transformed into joy. This quote from Alfred Whitehead found in Mathematics, Is God Silent resonates;

There is a widely-spread sense of boredom with the very idea of learning. I attribute this to the fact that they [the students] have been taught too many things merely in the air…The whole apparatus of learning appears to them as nonsense.

Moonbeams by Jessie Wilcox-Smith
Moonbeams by Jessie Wilcox Smith

Telling children they have to learn something to get a college degree, or a good job may motivate some, but the abstract noose of the future strips away meaning and leaves a dead shell. The study of mathematics is meant to be so much more. It is the study of life. It is the language of nature. Most importantly, it reveals the glory of the Creator.

Music. Shape. Form. Sequence. All the beauty of nature is written with mathematics from the symmetrical petals on the tiniest flower to the spiral galaxies in an unfathomable universe. The laws of nature are the fingerprints of a wise, faithful, infinite Creator who teaches us that 2 plus 2 always equals 4. The fundamentals of math do not change. They exist in the nature of an unchanging God.

True motivation and inspiration for mathematics lies in the observance of God’s created order…There is a treasure to be found in the mathematical structure of God’s creation. We only need to learn how to find it…Keep your eyes open for mathematical insights in newspapers and magazines. Get out into God’s creation and investigate. Take pictures and collect flowers, pine cones, shells… ibid. p. 109

I am ready to find the treasures. Will you join me?

For more insight into mathematical principles, consider these helpful books listed in my perceived order of importance:

Or visit these websites of moms who have done the research, too:

Why Study Math: Reason 1, Reason 2, Reason 3

Related posts:

  1. Exactly- Why Study Math Reason 1 ...
  2. Dominion- Why Study Math Reason 2 ...
  3. Justice- Why Study Math Reason 3 ...

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7 Comments

  1. Heidi @ Mt. Hope 02-26-2008, 9:44 am

    What a beautiful blog, Renae! I can’t wait to read more.

    I appreciated this entry greatly. Mathematics, Is God Silent is on my list of books I would like to read. I think I’ll push it nearer to the top!

    I enjoyed my stay here.

  2. Jennifer in OR 02-26-2008, 11:39 am

    Great series, Renae! Mathematics, Is God Silent is a book I’d like to get. This ties in to all the same reasons to study science, I think.

  3. heather 02-26-2008, 11:52 am

    I, do to the nature of my learning disability –dyscalculia, am horrid at straight math but love the more abstract forms even though my brain won’t wrap around them. My oldest adores math in all its forms but hates straight computation. We have found that by giving her the tools* she will use math constantly and see it as God given instead of as a chore. (*Tools as in plenty of building materials, cookbooks and ingredients, measuring tools, Edubuntu which has great logic and programming games, and Cyberchase–she can explain and use every concept that she saw on Cyberchase–it is amazing.) My second child has the same form of LD as I and has the same problems but she also loves math in its everyday forms, she is an artist and I have learned that pointing out how God created things with sequence and symmetry helps her see math in a better light.

  4. Renae 02-26-2008, 12:57 pm

    Heidi,
    I’m so glad you visited! I enjoyed your blog, as well.

    I waited for quite awhile before getting Is God Silent?. Honestly, I didn’t look at it much before yesterday. Looking for inspiration to finish this series, I started in the back in the section which is about how to teach math. I wasn’t disappointed!

    Jennifer,
    Yes, mathematics and science go hand-in-hand. A quote from Is God Silent? confirms your statement;

    Before our eyes as a beautiful book, in which all created things, large and small, are as letters showing the invisible things of God.

    Science is the book. Mathematics are the letters.

    Heather,
    It shows such love that you find ways to incorporate the tools of math into the lives of your children. I am still working on my own thinking regarding this. I tend to see math as computation. That is important, but there is much more that will inspire my son. He loves music. I can’t wait to share with him what I’m learning about harmony and frequencies.

    I found a picture that I really wanted to use for this post, but it is copyrighted. However, since you mentioned math and art, it gives me an opportunity to share; Nature’s Order

  5. Melinda 02-27-2008, 1:26 pm

    Renea, thank you again for another insightful post in this series! I have decided to begin teach Ashley (15) her math by having her read your series on this. She is definately of the why-should-I-learn-what-I-won’t-use mindset, and I want to start by reprogramming that way of thinking. I also did a post on my new blog about your series. Thanks again!

  6. Renae 02-27-2008, 9:19 pm

    Melinda,
    You are very kind. I hope that your daughter will find some inspiration, too.

  7. Jimmie 03-28-2008, 8:01 pm

    Thanks for submitting to CM carnival! We have nothing (so far) about math. It will make a great contribution to balancing the selections.

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