[Maths-Education] Money counts..or money talks?

[John Monaghan]

I think Peter's idea, below, is excellent. Two 'obvious', but non-trivial,
and related points, however:

It's relatively easy to say being rich doesn't matter if you're financially
secure. When poverty dominates every aspect of your life being rich
certainly matters a great deal.

There is a stigma about being poor when you are poor. Giving teachers tasks
that raise real social issues without preparing them for this could
backfire in some cases.


At 01:48 PM 11/2/00 +0000, you wrote:
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>I have just come across two UK publications 
>
>"Money counts" by BEAM and the Financial Services authority  which claims
>to be developing financial capability in the primary school linked to the
>numeracy strategy. 
>
>Another is a published by the "4 learning and maths year 20002" (never
>heard of them myself). this is called "Your family counts". 
>
>Both books give classroom resources purporting to develop childrens and
>families numeracy by looking at matters financial. 
>
>Nothing in these books seems to be developing in children the real values
>of money - i.e. the issues of disadvantage, poverty, social injustice,
>usury, etc. etc.
>
>I am interested in thinking about whether some of us could put something
>together (e.g. "Money Talks" or "It's only being really rich that matters")
>that consists of activities, examples etc. that raise the critical aspects
>and uses of mathematics. There might of course be a wealth (ooops) of
>resources out there of which i am  unfamiliar, but it strikes me as
>potentially useful to consider giving teachers some tasks that raises real
>social questions about the way in which poverty is both unevenly
>distributed, how poverty is spread, how it costs the poor more to live than
>it costs the rich and all that stuff.
>
>Is anyone interested, or does anyone have ideas??
>
>
>Best wishes,
>Peter
>
>**************************************************
>Peter Gates
>Centre for the Study of Mathematics Education
>University of Nottingham
>Nottingham, NG7 2RD
>Great Britain
>
>peter.gates@nottingham.ac.uk
>
>Tel: +44 115 951 4432
>Fax: +44 115 846 6600
>
>Mobile: 0773 080 8353 (pgates@genie.co.uk)
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>http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/csme
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