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

[Mark S. BOYLAN(EDS)]

It's great to see a discussion developing about what we can do to create
materials that can be used to open up discussion between teachers and
children about financial priorities in society.

I think an important part of this would be to talk about the international
financial systems; the IMF and World Bank, global currency speculation.
futures markets; McDonalds paying children a pittance to make toys for
their happy meal boxes and the like.

Recently an intiative was taken to create an international network of
maths educators under the name "People Count". This was aimed at
"educating the world about the IMF and Worldbank" to link up with recent
protests in Prague

This has generated a lot of interest particularly in Latin America. About
70 people have subscribed to the People Count mail list. In the end
difficulties of time and translation meant that this didn't get much
further than a statement of intention. 

Such an international development probably needs to be more firmly based
on the development of the sort of materials that Peter suggests in
particular countries first.

I have begun to prepare some materials on the way that votes are bought in
these international financial institutions. Its literally one dollar one
vote, and we know who has the most dollars. The lack of democracy is
compounded by the way in poor countries are forced to group together into
voting constituencies which lead to former British colonies that are poor
like the carribean islands ending up being represented on the board of
directors by rich ex-British colonies like Canada.

I'd be willing to work one some materials about this and other issues
connected to globabisation, debt and poverty.

And what about the mathematics of climate change?

Mark Boylan
School of Education
Sheffield Hallam University
College House
Sheffield
S10 2BP
Tel 0114 2254398
e-mail m.s.boylan@shu.ac.uk